Ultimate Date Night Dinner Build: Taco Night
A concept only for the bravest eaters: meet the “Date Night Dinner Build,” a build-your-own ultimate meal spanning neighborhoods, bars & restaurants, finding all the best sips and bites!
What follows should be viewed more as a thought experiment than a guide per se. Over the course of our lives we eat a variety of foods at different restaurants. Each one has their own particular strength. Sometimes, Emily and I sit around and try to decide what our perfect date would look like selecting our favorite specific items, dreaming about what the evening would include. You choose a theme, in this case tacos, and build the whole structure around it. A pre-dinner drink, an appetizer, your main course and a dessert. To be clear: These are our personal preferences, not a declarative statement on the best of each dish. Your night could be different, so flex your culinary mental muscles and make your own, but use this as inspiration if you wish.
All photos by Emily Bordner.
Drink: Margarita
The Oliver
4807 Jefferson St, Kansas City, MO 64112
Located on the west end of the Plaza, we find this margarita to be extremely satisfying. It’s with tequila, curacao, lime, agave nectar and grapefruit for a twist. Personally, I think the grapefruit is the toss up that makes this tasty beverage so refreshing. They offer a Social Hour in the bar area from 4pm to 6:30pm every single day. It’s the perfect opportunity to guzzle one down for a measly five dollars and start the night off right.
Appetizer: Queso
El Patron
2905 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
Not to be confused with the more elaborate Queso Fundido on their menu, this is straight up just a bowl of delectable melted cheese. No fuss. No muss. This creamy, savory, spicy (but not too spicy) dip is not too runny– thus infinitely dip-able. White cheese dip can be life enriching. It is wildly bingeable, so an order for two goes especially fast. Battle your partner for that final chip. It is well worth it. You can make it up to them in some other creative way, I’m sure. *winks*
Main Course: Taco
El Camino Real
903 N 7th St Trfy, Kansas City, KS 66101
This restaurant may be a bit of a trek for some but is definitely worth the journey. What may appear as your basic street taco is deceptively delicious. El pastor and carne asada were the staff favorites, and came with cilantro and onions on handmade tortillas. A smoky salsa is provided if you’re looking to take it up a notch. They’re rich and flavorful and you’ll have to stop yourself from inhaling them. If you can’t contain yourself (we won’t judge), the challenge then becomes: do you pay the check or order another round?
Dessert: Churros
La Bodega
703 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
Now for the end of the night. A shift to Spanish cuisine may seem like a cheat, but since this doughy delicacy is popular in both regions, we felt it served our finale perfectly. This raspberry-filled pastry comes in orders of six along with honey and whipped cream for your dipping pleasure. Not too filling and not too sweet, they are a wonderful send off to leave your taste-buds atwitter as you pack it in and find your way home for the evening.
Best of luck, wayward diners! Let us know what other themes you think might be fun or how you might change up the Ultimate Date Night Dinner Builds!
