Interior reno, new chef launch Ambassador Hotel's 'The American Reserve Bar & Grille'

The American Reserve Bar & Grille, formerly known as the Reserve Restaurant & Lounge, located in the Ambassador Hotel, Autograph Collection is now open to the public with a vastly transformed interior, new chef, revamped menu, expanded wine list, patio debut and, of course, a new name.

The American Reserve renovated and expanded the existing space inside the Ambassador Hotel by reconfiguring the layout, allowing for 25 additional seats.

The redefined interior features all new hardwood floors throughout the restaurant and a color palette consisting of gold, dark grey and purples with white marble tabletops and velvet seating, creating a swanky and intimate ambiance.

The transformed restaurant now offers more than 180 different bottles of wine, a new patio area and a weekend brunch menu.

The final touch to the transformation included hiring Bryant Wigger to the helm as the executive chef. Wigger holds a Culinary Science degree from Orange Coast College and launched his career at The Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

The soulful and regionally inspired new menu includes starters, salads, entrees, from the grill, sides and desserts. Alongside the new dinner menu, The American Reserve debuts a brand-new weekend brunch menu offering brunch cocktails, egg-centric entrees, sandos, bowls and hashes, sweet sides and lighter fare options.

The brunch menu is available Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dishes include Chicken Fried Steak, Croque “MO damn,” Baked Custard French Toast, South of the Border Egg White Frittata and Bacon Fried Rice, as well as nine brunch cocktails including Cinnamon Bourbon Milk Punch and bottomless mimosas.

The new restaurant elevated its bar program by expanding its wine list from 30 to 180 different bottles of wine led by The American Reserve’s certified sommelier, Eric Willey. The new world-class wine list features world-wide wine options by the glass or the bottle.

Adding even more space, The American Reserve is debuting a new patio space with a total guest capacity of 75. The patio is open on Friday and Saturday evenings and offers full food and drink service. Guests can enjoy live jazz music from 7-10 p.m. It is also open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with live music on Sundays featuring throwback hits from the 80s and 90s. The patio showcases artwork by local standout artist Alexander Austin.

About The American Reserve

The American Reserve, the signature restaurant of the Ambassador Hotel Kansas City, Autograph Collection, is a local, full-service restaurant serving contemporary American-style cuisine led by Executive Chef Bryant Wigger. The American Reserve offers a stunningly swanky ambiance to accompany its world-class service. The American Reserve is located in downtown Kansas City, Mo. at 1111 Grand Boulevard and can be found online at ReserveKC.com

Centric partners persevere, celebrate a decade building KC

Centric partners Richard Wetzel and Steve Swanson, two design and construction veterans, are no strangers to persevering through a tough economy. This week is no exception, as they celebrate a decade of success in Kansas City.

In June 2010, the unemployment rate in the United States was 9.4% and the construction industry was experiencing the worst month for spending since the beginning of the downturn in 2008.

The duo recognized a need for a more nimble, agile and flexible company in an industry not known for innovation. Powered by a strong, entrepreneurial spirit, Centric was launched on June 4, 2010.

The start-up, bootstrap nature of the company paved the way for pioneering the use of cloud-computing systems, the development of open-office concepts and the involvement in the arts community.

In the past 10 years Centric has completed 828 projects totaling $618 million, ranging in size from a few hundred dollars to over $35 million. Their body of work includes workplace, retail, multifamily, healthcare, hospitality, industrial, senior living, institutional and - more recently, features custom single-family homes. The company currently employs 158 associates who work remotely on job sites or from its home in the Crossroads Arts District where it has headquartered since its founding.

“We’re proud to have been involved in many important projects integral in sustaining the momentum of development in Kansas City, but perhaps the most important body of work we have been awarded is along the Troost Avenue corridor,” said Wetzel.

“With a history of racism, redlining, and segregation, this area has long been a symbol of division in Kansas City, but is now a hotspot for development. We are excited to be part of this sea of change and look forward to seeing that divide permanently mended.”

Centric is currently involved in over $100 million of work in the corridor from 27th Street to 65th Street, including multifamily, institutional, office and retail developments.

Other notable Centric projects include a nine-story addition to the Ambassador Hotel, the apartments at 3435 Main Street, the luxury apartment building at 1914 Main Street (the first new construction project along the KC Streetcar), and eight Spira Care clinics. Among their most memorable, includes lifting a post-war DC-3, used in the Berlin airlift, onto the roof of the Roasterie Café in Kansas City’s westside.

“While we are going through a truly unprecedented time both in our community and worldwide, we remain optimistic about the future growth and development of our city and look forward to its next decade. Kansas City is our home, and we will continue to strive to make it a cooler place to live, work and play, by building stories from the ground up," Swanson said.