New Kansas City jazz venue, The Kill Devil Club
New Jazz venue The Kill Devil Club debuts in the Kansas City Power & Light District on Friday evening.
The club fills the space vacated by Southern restaurant Peachtree, above Fran’s Restaurant at
Ryan Maybee of
General Manager Scott Tipton said he hopes to attract some of Maybee’s following, as well as a clientele that wants to dress up to listen to jazz music and sip high-end cocktails in an area that hasn’t had such a venue.
“We hope to take some of (Downtown) back and make it local and cool,” Tipton said.
The menu features a variety of cocktails with made-from-scratch elements, such as syrups and fresh-squeezed juices. For example, the Tempest includes Gosling’s Black Seal rum, ginger syrup, lime and five pepper-infused tequila. The complex elements and high-end liquors mean a slightly higher price tag (Tempest sells for $11), but Tipton hopes customers will realize they’re paying for high-quality ingredients.
“Running a craft cocktail bar is like running a mini-kitchen,” Tipton said.
Food offerings, which feature small plates and sharable items, rely on farm-to-table ingredients, with choices such as ahi tuna tartare, serrano ham croquettes, a charcuterie board and
“It correlates well with craft cocktails, with everything being fresh,” Tipton said.
The 5,400-square-foot club will seat about 120 and employ 16.
The Kill Devil Club will be open from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturdays, with live music every night the club is open. A $10 cover charge will apply after 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Its name comes from a traditional name for rum, Kill Devil, which is 350 years old, Maybee told the Kansas City Business Journal in June. A colonist to Barbados said the drink was potent enough to kill the devil, and the name stuck until the drink became known as rum years later.
The club is owned by an affiliate of district developer The Cordish Co. — Entertainment Concepts Investors LLC.