Affäre didn't change itself for Restaurant Week
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The outside of Affäre on Main Street. Photo: Abbey Higginbotham/Axios
Award-winning German restaurant Affäre is using KC Restaurant Week to remind diners why it is a Crossroads neighborhood staple.
The big picture: Affäre opened in 2012 and has participated in Restaurant Week for over a decade, using the event to introduce diners to its tasty German dishes with an easy-to-navigate menu.
What they're saying: Co-owner and sommelier Katrin Heuser says the condensed menu mirrors how they cook year-round.
- "We stopped trying to make something just to attract people," Heuser tells Axios. "Now we cook food that actually represents us."
- Seasonality drives the choices, she adds. "January doesn't let you hide. You cook with what's available, and that shows who you are."
Zoom in: The $65 prix-fixe four-course menu leaned into winter cooking, using preserved fruits, root vegetables and rich seasonings.
- The menu included wild game terrine, cream of salsify soup with chicken liver, duck breast with confit croquette and Rheinland-style cheesecake.
- The soup was the standout. Silky and savory, with chicken liver placed in the center, it felt built for cold weather. I don't usually order liver, but I would get this again in a heartbeat.
- Dessert follows the same logic. The cheesecake relied on preserved black cherries and berry coulis, with a hefty dollop of Chantilly cream.
💭Abbey's thought bubble: I have been eating at Affäre with my family for years, but still went in curious and left reassured and full.
The bottom line: Affäre used Restaurant Week the way it uses everything else — as a chance to cook exactly the food it believes in and trust diners to meet it there.
Go deeper: Restaurant Week is back.