Lee’s Summit Spot Opening Soon! (SOS!): b:2 A Burger Boutique
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Lee's Summit Spots, Events, GSD Online
Sometime in Mid-April, Blanc Burgers + Bottles will open their new concept, b:2 a burger boutique at Summit Fair in Lee’s Summit. For those of you who have never been to Blanc (Westport, Country Club Plaza, Leawood), you are in for a treat. In the spirit of March Madness, I’ll explain how good they are by pointing out that Blanc (a 12 seed) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2010 BurgerBusiness.com Burger Bracket and will face Burger King (the 1 seed from the McLamore Region) later in the week. With Blanc nabbing Food Network Magazine’s honors for Best Burger in Missouri, I smell an upset! Now, b:2 isnt a carbon copy of the Blanc restaurants; its a streamlined concept geared specifically for Lee’s Summit and Summit Fair. I sat down last week to talk to Brian Wilson, General Manager for Blanc Burgers + Bottles on the Plaza to find out what b:2 was all about.
When b:2 opens (Mid-April, no hard dates in the restaurant biz), it will continue to adhere to the “eat local. drink local.” philosophy that Blanc holds dear. Blanc has worked with local vendors to develop their menu into a list of fresh, locally produced, appetizers, burgers and drinks. A new item on the menu after the move from Westport to the Plaza, the beer battered cheese curds come from the Shatto Milk Company, about 60 miles north of Lee’s Summit. The bread (Farm to Market), beef (Arrowhead Specialty Meats), and produce (Liberty Fruit Co.) that comprise their burgers all come from Kansas City area companies. Local dirnks includer beers from KS’s own Boulevard Brewing Company and even eclectic, locally made sodas by Soda Vie (they make celery soda).
While b:2′s menu will be similar to Blanc’s, there will be a few changes. As the restaurant has been streamlined for the quicker pace of their home in Summit Fair, the menu will not include the appetizers recently added to the Plaza menu. Additionally, b:2 will serve 6 ounce burgers instead of the 8 ounce burgers served at the Blanc locations. This allows for quicker cooking times on the flat top. The faster pace will also eliminate a few of the burgers (also, onion rings; sad face) from the Blanc menu. Burgers that take a long time like the $100 Burger, the Surf + Turf, and the Inside-Out Burger will not make appearances in Lee’s Summit. Additionally, Blanc’s expansive beer menu will be refined to include only American, Handcrafted beers. Not to worry, this will leave you with nearly one hundred choices and will include all of Boulevard’s offerings, encluding the entire Smokestack Series.
While b:2 fits well inside the new Summit Fair shopping center, it’s not just a stop in for lunch while you are shopping spot. b:2 will be a reason to visit the center; a destination restaurant. People will make the trip to Summit Fair for the burgers and stay for the shopping, not just the other way around. And with Blanc’s great working relationship with Boulevard Brewing, along with all the bottles they’ll have to dispose of, look for a purple Ripple Glass Bin to pop up in the area as well (Hooray Recycling!). I am excited that this local company is investing in Lee’s Summit. This addition (and others on the way) to Summit Fair should help reverse the flow of traffic up to Independence by giving us another great dining option in town, not to mention getting people from our surrounding areas spending in Lee’s Summit.
PS- Get the Au Poivre (Oh Pwavru) Burger. I also have to mention that while all of their homemade condiments are great, I reccomend you ask for the stone ground horseradish mustard.
