My experience at The American Restaurant under chef Celina Tio’s reign was always mediocre at best.
The grandiose nature of the American’s space paired with its unabashedly bold name cast a giant shadow for any chef. Maybe Celina didn’t find inspiration in shadows. When I heard that Tio was opening Julian, a casual joint in the former Joe D’s Wine Bar space in Brookside, I was intrigued. How would she handle the food, the presentation and the atmosphere? The answer: fresh, casual and low key.
Outside the entrance I was greeted by a sad, deflated, rotting pumpkin. My only reaction was the feeling that Julian was too busy putting customers and food first. The rotten pumpkin was a good sign!
I booked my reservation on Open Table, which ended up saving me a lot of hassle as we walked by a room full of hungry patrons straight to our two-top.
The space was clean, spartan and modern.
Rainbow Man
Celina Tio is a class act and we should be thankful that when she broke her corporate chains, she chose to stay here. Not only is she a stellar chef by world standards, she is a good person who “gets” Kansas City.
Tina Corbell
Lots of Good information in your posting, I bookmarked your blog post so I can visit again in the future, All the Best, Tina Corbell