An antique Hamms beer sign hangs above the opening to the kitchen at Third Street Social.

Dining With Flair at Third Street Social

We were looking for a restaurant, that presented dining with flair, in downtown Lee’s Summit. We decided to visit Third Street Social, which is located at 123 SE 3rd Street. Third Street in downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri offers up an eclectic collection of dining opportunities. Burgers, tacos, wings, bar grub, pizza, and many other food groups are presented in around two dozen locations. All of these are in this downtown area, and all within a short walk from each other. It would be safe to say that just about every level of dining option is covered. Here you will find anything from fast food joints to fine dining restaurants.

Stark tables and plush booth seating offer the seating options at Third Street Social. High wood beam celiengs rise above the indutrial style interior.

The Dining Space

The restaurant resides in Arnold Hall, which was originally built in the mid-1940’s as a manufacturing facility. The building is on the National register of Historic places. Inside you will find an exposed beam ceiling, plush booths, and a large open kitchen. Guests can relax on leather sofas, which flank the fireplace. Nearby the bar area features shining metallic accents. Our visit was to test a couple of their savory dishes, so a dinner reservation ensured we would find seating on a Friday evening. Since we had sampled an appetizer at the bar next door, we bypassed the shareable options offered here.  We did take note of a couple of interesting items, like Korean Steak Tacos or Queso Fundido, for a future visit.

Two tufted leather sofas flank the fireplace. An antique American flag habgs above the fireplace as decoration.

Our Choices

Crystal had noted the Truffled Grilled Cheese sandwich, and asked our server about the amount of mushroom flavor. After a short discussion on the topic, she returned to the menu to select an alternate. The server had mentioned that Tomato Bisque was the soup of the day. I knew it would make an excellent accompaniment to the Truffled Grilled Cheese sandwich. Ordering them together made for a classic American restaurant meal. I could hardly wait to taste the combination. The soup was creamy, and had a nice basil undertone. It had plenty of body, and was a great compliment to the sandwich. The Third Street Social grilled cheese is made with Taleggio, Fontina, and white cheddar cheeses. The addition of Telaggio brings a fruity tang to the sandwich, and compliments the fairly pungent Fontina.

A white plate holds a dinner combination of grilled cheese sandwich, picle slices, and a bowl of tomato bisque. A package of oyster crackers and a spoon rest near the bowl.

Crystal finally picked her second choice, the Chicken Pot Pie. The chicken is braised with a red wine, which adds a heartier flavor to the dish. The filling is covered with a homemade pastry, which is crisp and flaky. After our orders were placed, the server rushed back to our table to tell Crystal that there were mushrooms in the pot pie. A decision was made to forge ahead with her choice. She was pleasantly surprised that the mushroom flavor she dislikes was not apparent in the finished product. We had been testing drinks and foods throughout the afternoon, so we found ourselves too full to eat much of our dinners. I knew that soup is difficult to transport, but Crystal desired to have the remaining portion of her dinner boxed up for later. By the way, it made for an excellent lunch the following day.

A handmade crust caps a bowl filled with wine roasted chicken, and vegetables in this unique Chicken Pot Pie. A small grouping of cooked peas decorate the middle of the crust.

The Extras

Our server asked if we would like to see the dessert offerings. We thought it would be good for us to see what was available. Although we were stuffed, the Pecan Pie was a very tempting treat. After just a quick deliberation, we decided to pass. I’m confident that we will savor these on a future visit. The presentation certainly helped with the appeal. Our server assured us that they tasted every bit as good as they look.

A tray holds an assortmenyt of dessert options. Pecan pie is drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with a dollop of ice cream. Twin Whoopie Pies rest on a caramel drizzle, and are sprikled with powdered sugar. A slice of baked apple pie rests beside a scoop of ice cream. A fruit filled croissant sits on a drizzle of fruit puree, and is topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Back on the street, we spoke for quite some time about the fabulous dinner we had just enjoyed. Owners Domhnall Molloy and Andy Lock have hit another home-run. This is their third restaurant in the Kansas City metropolitan region. The open air feel makes Third Street Social an appropriate name, and the place can get a little loud when full. The menu features a scaled back number of options, compared to its sister site, the Summit Grill in Waldo. We are sure over time the made from scratch offerings will increase, but we hope that the attention to detail remains. As long as they stay true to this concept, then we expect many years of success.

 

the authors signatures.

22 thoughts on “Dining With Flair at Third Street Social”

  1. Tom @ Adventurous Travels

    The food looks delicious and I’m hungry now and this post made me even hungrier 🙂 I would love to try that chicken pie – especially that I love mushrooms and add them everywhere 🙂

  2. Oh my goodness! The food looks heavenly! My only regret is staring those photos late night that made me so hungry. I’m suddenly craving for a grilled cheese sandwich. Waaa!

  3. The restaurant setting looks nice. It has a rustic feel to it. Food looks great. For someone with the sweet tooth like me, the dessert looks divine!

  4. travelwithtarah

    My mouth is literally watering!! I am actually impressed you were able to pass on dessert haha I have no will power and don’t think I could have done that if I was really full!

  5. The Pecan Pie does look yummy….Right now am craving for my sugar rush…and the only thing appealing is that dessert. Pity you passed it. 🙁

  6. Oh em gee, truffled grilled cheese. Did you die and go to heaven?? Truffled anything is amazing but a grilled cheese? Ugh. I need to try that now. Then you have the chicken pot pie, I mean, shit. This looks like the best comfort meal for a rainy day! Thanks for making me hungry! Great place to eat!

  7. I don’t know how you resisted those desserts! Yum! I love the vibe of this place – I could hang out on those leather couches all day!

  8. Stella the Travelerette

    This does look like a wonderful restaurant! I especially want to eat that pecan pie. But I’m sure every dish is amazing. I’m going to Missouri for the first time in April and I’m very excited about it.

  9. Wow, this place sounds amazing, and the food looks delicious! I’m weak for desserts, so I wouldn’t have been able to pass! Those pies look incredible 🙂

  10. Great Review! The restaurant looks amazing and its decor is quite relaxing. The food looks incredibly delicious too!

  11. I’ve been here 3 times in the last 4 months and I have had fantastic food and service every time. Their shrimp & grits and the corned beef hash off the brunch menu are the best in the KC metro area

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