I Ate Here: Seasons 52

Last Sunday evening we went out for dinner, an opportunity to wrap up the Thanksgiving festivities with a meal that included no leftovers.  We decided to visit Seasons 52 in Kansas City, a relatively new-to-the-area restaurant located in a picturesque area of the city, especially during the holidays.

First, I must say that Seasons 52 had a food blogger preview event prior to opening.  And…I was NOT invited.  Can you imagine?  Hello, Seasons 52, Johnna52….how could they have overlooked me?!? Well, that aside I still knew I wanted to dine with them because they have a dedicated gluten-free menu, offer fresh, local food and everything on the menu is 475 calories or less.  Sounds right up my alley!

We arrived to find a fairly quiet restaurant, not a lot of diners.  There just weren’t many people out that evening anywhere, it wasn’t specific to the restaurant.  I guess everyone was exhausted from the holiday festivities.

The table we were seated at had a burnt out candle.  The gluten-free menu I was given didn’t include any prices.  And that is where my complaints about Seasons 52 will end.  My meal, the overall experience, it was all terrific. 

I started the evening with a glass of bubbly.  Did you see this glass?  It’s like it was made for me, with that snazzy etched 52 on it. 😉

When it came time to order food, I had questions.  See, they have a vegetarian menu, a vegan menu and a gluten-free menu.  But the gluten-free menu does not include a vegetarian entree.  No need to fret, our server said she would ask the chef what could be done to make the vegetable plate on the regular menu gluten-free.  That’s right, the server knew she could ask the chef for help adjusting a menu item to fit my needs.  She came back and told me he would make a gluten-free vegetable entree for me.  YES! 

My dinner was absolutely delicious.  Roasted squash, a plentiful serving of asparagus, savory mushrooms, a large beautiful plate of vegetables…It was an incredible meal. 

Our server came by with this beautiful collection of desserts.  Aren’t they cute?  According to the menu, the only gluten-free dessert option was the cup of fresh fruit.  That’s probably what I should be eating, but our server said the chef wanted me to know they could modify any of the mousse-based desserts to be gluten-free by removing crust, cookies, etc…Well, I splurged and had a little dairy in the pumpkin mousse.  It was light, fluffy and full of cinnamon and nutmeg along with pumpkin flavors.  The petite size of the desserts it just the right amount after having a full meal.

After dinner, we joined friends at the piano bar to hear TJ Erhardt.  Seasons 52 has live music seven nights a week in their piano lounge.  The piano is in the center of the bar, which made for a very interactive performance.  The bar is a great place to drop by for coffee or a cocktail and a mini dessert.  I’ll be doing that again soon!

The Seasons 52 I visited is located at 340 Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.  They accept reservations via their website for groups up to 8 or by phone for larger groups.