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Bistro finds renewed success

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Wednesday, 18 March 2009 01:00
Tucked in the corner of downtown Brookside sits the rather unassuming Avenues Bistro. The three-year-old restaurant has gone from under the radar to one of the most popular restaurants in Kansas City.
For owner Joe Birch, Avenues Bistro’s success has come after years in working in kitchens and owning other restaurants. With many restaurants in Kansas City and Brookside facing challenges, Birch and Avenues have seen a resurgence in popularity.
“It was all around when we changed our prices,” Birch said. “When we changed the menu prices, people really responded. It’s all value oriented. I call it trading down. The people that used to eat at Capital Grille might be coming here. The people that were eating here might be going to Applebee’s. But we kept the same menu and we’re a much better price attraction.”
Birch said his inspiration for Avenues came from his interest in a variety of cuisines and bringing them together.
“Growing up I was fortunate that my family went on European vacations every year and we would always go to a different place,” Birch said. “I knew I was going to be involved in something culinary growing up, so I was picking things out as a kid. At Avenues, and it’s kind of corny, there’s everything on our menu. There’s French food, there’s Italian food, German food, Swedish. My mother and I thought of taking all those places and meeting in one place. It’s like different avenues coming together.”
The Avenues menu features a “Euro-Tapas” section. Tapas refers to the Spanish style of eating multiple smaller dishes. The Euro-Tapas include a variety of cuisines on smaller, less-expensive plates, such as Sicilian cheese tort, lobster mac and cheese, filet tips, and mushroom cabreles and bacon wrapped dates.
“People are saying, ‘I will have two of these rather than one entrée,’” Birch said. “It’s another way of value.”
Entrées feature seafood and house specialties, as well as Avenues Favorites. Birch said he constantly tracks the popularity of each menu item and he puts the top five in the Avenues Favorites. Currently they are, in order: braised short rib stroganoff, lobster ravioli, pan-seared halibut, steak frites and coquilles St. Jacques.
Brookside residents are known for their loyalty to local businesses and Avenues is no different. Birch said the local crowd makes up a big part of diners in the restaurant each night.
“We bank on it,” Birch said. “This restaurant is a perfect fit for this neighborhood. This neighborhood is pretty affluent and very wine savvy. We’re all about the wine. So it fits in well. We have a very loyal local clientele.”
Birch said his regulars give him feedback on their likes and dislikes, which he said he tries to take into account. Birch said his business degree combined with his and time spent in steaming kitchens might give him a unique perspective. He has worked with the founder of the French Culinary Academy in a French restaurant in Florida and as chef of the Ritz Carlton in Kansas City. He also has owned or managed four restaurants in the metro area.
“It’s all about training the right people,” Birch said. “But it helps to know the ins and outs of the industry. ... People who just know the business side might not get the kitchen, and a lot of chefs don’t know how to run an office.”
In the three years since Avenues opened, the bistro has seen more good months than bad, Birch said. He is hopeful the new prices will help the success continue, but he knows regular customers are what make Avenues work.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere without them,” Birch said. “They have been really good to us.”

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