“We are committed to providing an exceptional regional experience to define and create unique Midwestern cuisine and hospitality based around the food and camaraderie that has always been a staple of Kansas City dining. We use seasonal produce, we buy from local farmers, and we source responsibly raised meat.”

Soft-poached farm egg breaded in rice pearls with beef oxtail stew, chilis, tamarind and salad; tagliatelle with white bolognese; raspberry chiffon cake with caramelized white chocolate mousse, violet marshmallows, and lemon brown butter ice cream.

Novel isn’t named for the long work of prose but for newness, as in novelty. To that end, Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong try to add whimsy, beauty, and surprise to each dish they present. That’s why the spring pea soup conceals wasabi tapioca pearls, and the local farm pork belly is presented as pork toast, breaded and fried. If local farms are as old as anything, can the food from them be brand new? Novel says yes.

“The ethos of experimentation, digression and creativity operate at full throttle.”

–Steve Paul, Kansas City Star