New Kansas City restaurant will offer ‘fine dining menu with an ambiance of a lounge’

Timothy Harris’ late grandmother had a catering company but always wanted to open a restaurant. Now he will carry out her dream.

Privēe Restaurant + Lounge plans a spring opening at 700 Southwest Blvd.

“Privēe by definition means ‘in the know’ and we are bringing this unfamiliar concept to Kansas City,” said Harris, who is owner with Marcus Easy. “It is a mixture of restaurant and lounge — fine dining menu with an ambiance of a lounge.”

Their executive chef, Jonathan “Jonnie” Wilson, is from Grenada and has been an executive chef at two upscale restaurants in Miami. He will relocate to Kansas City.

The dinner menu at Privēe (pronounced like privy) will include appetizers such as wings, egg rolls and a seafood tower with jumbo shrimp, oysters, crab legs and lobster tails.

For entrees, it plans lamb chops, steaks, lobster, crab legs, seafood Alfredo, glazed salmon and jerk chicken.

Sides will include grilled asparagus and lobster macaroni and cheese, and for dessert — crème brûlée, cheesecake, molten chocolate cake and key lime pie.

It also will have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays that will include shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, an omelet station and bottomless mimosas.

It will seat 250 in the first-floor bar, dining room, private rooms and patio. It also will have private dining rooms on the second floor.

The building has been home to several restaurants, including California Taqueria, Cafe Sevilla, Casa Grande and Jared Allen’s Sports Arena & Grill.