Rumors Steakhouse, a fine-dining experience review
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Phil Kloster
Lee’s Summit has plenty of quality restaurants from which to choose, but I’m not sure I’ve personally been to any of them that would be confused for high-end dining. We have the casual and informal dining gamut covered very well, but for that special occasion, many Lee’s Summit residents travel to Crown Plaza, the Plaza, or any other number of spots in KC Metro to whet their palate. A quick search of Lee’s Summit fine dining on the Internet returns several laughable suggestions including a few places which no longer exist.
I’ve been a connoisseur of Steakhouses for a couple of decades and have sampled most of the well-known places around the country, locally, and a few of the lesser known local secrets in major cities in our nation. With all due respect to some chains that serve steaks and encourage peanut shells on their hardwood floors, that’s not what this column is about.
Rumors Steakhouse has been open in the old Everett’s location for a couple of months. I invited my wife to a date on a recent Saturday around 9:00 in the evening. The big crowd had departed and reservations were not required. We walked into an inviting entrance book ended by oil lamps. The use of fire within the facility is frequent, strategic and well-balanced. The motif is warm, natural and comfortable with a centrally located water feature. Western paintings adorn the walls. Modern elements are apparent throughout, especially in the bar side of the house.
The ambiance is nice, exactly what should be expected from a higher end restaurant, and though the lighting might have been dimmed a touch, it wasn’t obnoxiously bright. The host staff and waitress were professional and well-trained. The waitress was able to quickly adapt to our laid-back style and relax appropriately.
The wine-list was more than adequate for most tastes starting with reasonably priced and by-the-glass selections all the way up to those with more expensive palates. The wine “cellar” is centrally placed between the dining room and bar and choices are on display behind glass in the temperature and humidity controlled enclosure. I am a bit of a beer snob and was somewhat disappointed in their beer availability which seemed to be influenced strongly by Coors and InBev. Their choices could easily become more well-rounded by introducing several bottled varieties which pair well with beef and seafood.
Our first course was a calamari steak, breaded and sliced into strips; served in a generous appetizer portion. The challenge of calamari is that it has a tendency to be over-cooked, dried out, and rubberized. Not tonight. It was cooked perfectly and was an incredible second impression for Rumors to put on a plate. It was priced under $10, though I would not have been disappointed to pay more for an appetizer of that quality. It was the best calamari I’ve had since Downtown’s Braata went out of business in January, and it easily surpassed them simply because it was thicker and less well-done.
My wife and I opted to split entrées; she ordered the sea scallops and I the featured filet, Steak Diane. We selected from choices of soup, house salad, or Caesar salad. I ordered their steak soup as I do at most higher end steakhouses and she asked for the Caesar which was thoughtfully sliced into manageable bites. Frankly, I have higher expectations of steak soups. It was served with a buttermilk biscuit that was not fresh. I did not take more than a bite. I did finish the soup and the filet tips contained within were delicious but the broth was an overpoweringly thick mushroom based gravy lacking adequate simple seasonings such as salt and pepper.
However, the filet was cooked and dressed to perfection (medium-rare). The sea scallops are also challenging in preparation similarly to calamari and were perfectly cooked, orange dusted and sauced with a vanilla rum and toasted macadamia nut concoction. My wife could not stop commenting on how delicious the scallops were and savored every bite – no kidding. Such a young restaurant rarely performs so flawlessly on their meats and seafoods. Rumors did so and surpassed all of my expectations for less money than I would anticipate spending at a high end steakhouse. Both entrées were under $30 apiece and included the salad/soup and a side. I’ve paid $8-15 for sides and more than $50 for the steak alone at similar restaurants. They do have several premium sides from which you can select for a nominal $1.95 up-charge, but my (included) steamed vegetables were perfect with my entrée and paired nicely with the accompanying sauce. We did not order from the desert menu this evening.
The bar area was designed with much forethought. The night we dined happened to be during the recent Tigers’ upset victory over Oklahoma. The noise transference to the dining area was not disturbing. We moved to the bar for a post-dinner beverage and to finish watching the game. There are two patios with gorgeous fire-features centrally located and an optionally open-aired smoking bar as well. Viewing of sporting events is comfortable with HD flat-screens everywhere you need them, including above the urinals in the Men’s room.
Despite the minor discrepancies noted above, our date-night was excellent and we’ll be going back to Rumors in the very near future. We spent just over $100, but you could dine more frugally by ordering from the front of the menu and skipping the appetizer if necessary. Family dining is in play as well with kid’s meals priced at $5.95. Dispatch readers are encouraged to try Rumors for yourselves and share your own review with your neighbors and friends by posting it below.
Rumors Steakhouse is located at 4835 NE Lakewood Way, Lee’s Summit MO. Rumors offers a Happy Hour in their lounge area from 4 PM to 7 PM and 9 PM to close, in addition to all day Sunday. Appetizers are $6.95 from 4 PM to 7 PM and private dining rooms are available. Rumors also offers a Sunday Brunch from 10 AM to 2 PM. More information can be found on Rumors’ website.
