DISH

CLIFF’S TAPHOUSE

SERVES FOOD FOR EVERY PALATE

WRITTEN BY JUDY GOPPERT PHOTOS BY MIKE TSAI

Above: Larry Kime (right), owner of Cliff’s Taphouse, with Laura Valdivia, executive chef

It is said that when one door closes, another one opens. That is precisely what happened for Larry Kime, former manager of Nick and Jake’s on the South Plaza. When they closed last year, he immediately began searching for another location. After talking with some commercial brokers who deal specifically with restaurant spaces, he found out that Ollie’s Local might be closing their doors in midtown’s Union Hill area at 3044 Gillham Rd. Kime sat down with Eddie Crane, the owner, and they negotiated the space. Kime believes it was a blessing in disguise, as the old Nick and Jake’s space was bigger than he could handle. So he and Laura Valdivia— his amazing chef—began putting together a menu somewhat Nick and Jake-ish. As time went on, they looked at the demographic and found that many people desired more vegan, gluten-free items. They opened Cliff’s Taphouse on April 16 and, after much taste testing and refining, they have a menu that attracts everyone. Two of his daughters, Paige and Chandler, also work with him.

What was the inspiration for your name?

My grandfather, Cliff Forsland, was Scandinavian, and when my sister and I would visit him in Chicago he would take us to his spot, a dark corner bar/restaurant. Each ethnic group has their own neighborhood hangout there, and he was happy to introduce us to all

his friends. Hospitality is in my DNA, and the restaurant industry is a place that is uber-hospitable. We want people to feel that when they come into our restaurant they are entering our home, and we will take care of them.

What do you do to connect yourself to the community and neighborhood?

Nowadays, social media helps with that quite a bit. We are teaming up with some local groups and charities that we will help a lot. Also, we are trying to be available when people come in. If you’re going to be a community restaurant you have to be willing to introduce yourself and talk to people. We want to impact what’s going on around here. This area is evolving, and we want to be part of that evolution and the positive growth of this community. Starting in June, Wednesday nights will be our charity nights, with proceeds going to a charity of our choice.

How did you deal with the pandemic?

With a heck of a lot of perseverance! We hired a really solid base of people, trained them, and gave them the tools they need. We co-exist and treat them like people; we treat them with a positive attitude. We let them know they are a part of what we’re doing.

What are some favorite dishes?

Our number one seller is our buffalo cauliflower bites, which are cauliflower florets dusted in pea flower, so they are gluten free. They are fried and tossed in buffalo sauce and served with vegan ranch. We have a beet and goat cheese pasta that has walnuts, goat cheese, zucchini, and the pasta is tossed in a beet sauce. We can make it with gluten-free pasta if requested. One of the things about the menu is that although there are some vegan/vegetarian items, these can be manipulated easily. This gives people a lot of dining options, so we can really present ourselves to people with different eating habits.

Cliff’s Taphouse

3044 Gillham Rd., Kansas City, MO

816.569.2611 • cliffstaphousekc.com