Barrel 31, which opened in early April is one of the newest restaurants to hit the Kansas City dining scene. The space which once housed The Velvet Dog has been transformed into a sleek and urban atmosphere with aged wood floors, exposed brick walls and rustic, contemporary décor. The 3,000-square-foot space seats 150 diners and includes three separate floors with the third floor available for private dining options.
The Barrel 31 menu features creative comfort cuisine made from its all-scratch kitchen that includes a wide selection of small plates, hearty sandwiches and distinctive entrees. In addition to daily lunch and dinner service, Barrel 31 offers brunch every Saturday and Sunday.
With previous stints at Kansas City’s Grand Street Café, Bella Napoli, Bluestem and Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro, the executive chef Austin Carpenter, is no stranger to the KC dining scene and brings years of experience to Barrel 31.
Barrel 31 will have Kansas City’s widest variety of bourbons and whiskeys from around the globe with over 80 open and ready to pour. Bourbon and whiskey flights and thoughtfully paired boiler maker shooters are also on the menu. In addition to whiskey and bourbon, Barrel 31 offers a fully stocked bar with American craft beers. For those trying to save a buck or two or just feeling adventurous, you can go for the “Paper Bag Special”, which is a random selection grabbed by the bartender and sold at a discounted price – in a brown, paper bag.
Distinctive menu items include:
Beginnings
Gouda & Ale Fondue – Bavarian pretzel, house-made kettle chips
Chokes & Cheese – Pumpernickel bowl, farm fresh vegetables
Duck Confit Chicken Wings – Glazed with tangy bbq or spicy habanero sauce
Deviled Oysters – Deviled eggs, fried oyster, bacon
PBLT’s – Pork belly, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, Dijon aioli, cheddar cheese, red onion
From Hot to Cold
4 x 4 Chili – Four bean and four meat chili with cornbread
Salmon Fennel Salad – Fennel, arugula, cherry tomato, radish, citrus vinaigrette
Heirloom Beet-Nik – Warm heirloom beets, kale, arugula, fried goat cheese, candied walnuts, blood orange vinaigrette
Menage – House blend greens, herb-grilled chicken, soft-boiled egg, candied walnuts, apple, bacon, cherry tomato, blue cheese, citrus vinaigrette
Bread
Three Pig Dip – Pork belly, pulled pork, applewood smoked bacon, whiskey-braised mushroom and onions, swiss, pig-jus
Bring on the Beef – Barrel 31 blend: Ground brisket, chuck, steak trimmings, duck fat
Fahrenheit 151 – Swiss, roasted jalapeño, bacon, hot onion ring, habapeño aioli, arugula
Barrel 31 – Havarti, applewood smoked bacon, tomato jam, fried egg, bibb lettuce, whiskey braised onions
Hippie Burger – Turkey burger, goat cheese, avocado, candied walnuts, tomato, arugula, basil aioli
Supper
Shepherd’s Pie – Thick-cut steak, carrots, celery, peas, celeriac whipped potatoes, cornbread
Short Rib Osso Bucco – Mushroom risotto, kale, pinot noir jus
Duck Fat Fried Chicken – Gravy, bacon mac & cheese, kale
Brunch
Wake the F’Up – Cornbread coffee cake, black coffee, shot of Jameson
Big Boy Breakfast Burrito – Flour tortilla, scrambled eggs, bacon, onion, jalapeños, tomatoes, cheddar, jalapeño sour cream, roasted potatoes, gouda ale fondue
Eggs Ben-Addiction – Bacon fat biscuits, seared pork belly, fried eggs, hollandaise, roasted potatoes
Biscuits and Gravy – Bacon fat biscuits, house-made sausage gravy
Croque Madame Satay – Brioche, crispy pork belly, hard eggs, gouda ale fondue, fresh fruit
Barrel 31 will offer a happy hour from 3:00 – 6:47 p.m., Monday – Friday. At 6:47 p.m., the last call of happy hour, shots of Jack Daniels and Jack Daniels Honey will cost just $3 in an homage to Jack Daniel himself, who, as legends has it, died of an infection he sustained in his big toe from kicking a safe out of frustration because he forgot the combination to it. Allegedly, Mr. Daniels died at 6:47 p.m.
Distinctive bar offerings include:
Whiskey – Aged with grace or seldom seen
American, Canadian, Irish, Scotch
Elijah Craig 20 yr. Single Barrel
Collingwood 21 yr. Rye
Knappogue Castle 1951
Aberfeldy 21 yr.
Straight Bourbon, Wheated, Cask Strength, Single Barrel, Tennessee, Straight Rye, White Dog (moonshine), Blended Scotch
Single Malt Scotch
Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay, Isle of Skye, Campletown
Barrel-Aged Cocktails
Jack in the Detox – Ginger Infused Bourbon, Apple Brandy, Maraschino Liqueur, bitters
Cask Manhattan – Cherry & Fig Infused Rye, Sweet Vermouth, bitters
Hour Glass – Ka Silver, Cinzano Amaro, Monte Alban Joven, agave nectar
Smashing Pumpkin – Brown Sugar Simple Syrup, Rittenhouse Rye, Triple Sec, pumpkin puree
Crafted Cocktails
Flower Power – Bombay Sapphire, Cava, Cucumber Lavender Shrub, cucumbers
Appalachian Sangria – Old Overholt Rye, Red Zinfandel, simple syrup, lemon juice
Bobby Burns – Dewars, Sweet Vermouth, Pernod
Paddy O’Reilly – Paddy Bee Sting, Benedictine, Fresh lime juice, Grapefruit juice, Pomegranate Syrup
Old Fashioned *ss Kickin’ – Cherry Moonshine, Jack Daniels, Sweet Vermouth, Peychaud Bitters, Orange-Habanero Shrub
Boiler Makers
A Little R & R – Rittenhouse Rye and Rampant IPA
Good Goose Hunting – Bulleit and Goose Island Rotational
Flights
Good Things, Small Packages – Maker’s 46, Ridgemont, Four Roses Small Batch
Dark Horse – Reserve, Long Shot White, Reunion Rye
Hop Scotch – Glenfiddich, Macallan, Auchentoshan
Stormin’ the Castle – Knappogue 12 yr., 14 yr., 16 yr.
Located in Martini Corner at Union Hill
400 E. 31 St, Kansas City, MO 64108
816-569-3801
Photos Courtesy of Landon Vonderschmidt Photography