The second Red Door Grill wasn’t supposed to be in Brookside, but when space from the former Blue Grotto opened, owners Gary Zancanelli and Mark Kirke jumped at the chance.
“You couldn’t pick a better neighborhood than Brookside,” said Zancanelli.
They opened their doors last month and say they already have neighborhood regulars. From their custom McGonigle’s burgers to KC BBQ legend Rod Gray’s BBQ sauce and fresh baked Bagel Works bread, both say they want to make sure customers know this is a local, ‘upscale neighborhood joint’.
Many of those neighbors have been peeking in for months trying to get a glimpse of the major renovations with Red Door Grill also taking over the space next door. Huge posters of different red doors teased what was coming. Zancanelli said the design started taking shape once walls started coming down.
“There are different things you can do in a more urban building,” said Kirke about the even higher two-story exposed ceilings over the now much bigger bar and dining room. Just glass separates customers from the wood fired grill and kitchen right by the front door.
“We had one little boy asking, is that my burger?” laughed Kirke about the view into the kitchen.
Kirke says a chef he considers his mentor helped the pair design their menu and comes from Omaha monthly to check in and tweak. Right now, they’re working on a new brunch menu they hope to launch in March.
Zancanelli said they opened their Brookside location with almost four years of lessons from their first location in Leawood and will take lessons from both to their third location. They hope to open the next Red Door Grill at 159th & Antioch late this summer. While they will all be Red Door Grills, Zancanelli and Kirke want each location to have their own identity.
Kirke calls the White Bolognese his favorite dish with rigatoni in a white wine meat sauce. Zancanelli loves the Prime Rib on Sundays and the Prime Rib sandwiches you can only get on Tuesdays.
Red Door Grill features their Jalepeno-Dipped Fried Chicken on Thursdays and $5 Burger Mondays.
Where did the name Red Door Grill come from? Zancanelli said a former business partner always talked about a favorite spot in London but could never remember the name. What he could remember was the red door.
You can find the new Red Door Grill at 6324 Brookside Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
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