Virtual Events, At-Home Festivities, and Epicurean Pop-Ups in Kansas City

The Music of Motown – through Feb. 6 – Purchase Tickets Here 

The pandemic has hindered in-person performances but that doesn’t mean you can’t take in a live show. The Music of Motown, presented by the MTH Theater at Crown Center, is a riveting virtual showcase of hits from Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Supremes, and more. The production features top Kansas City musicians and is live-streamed from the Crossroads Hotel’s gallery space. 

For $39 per household, you receive a link and password to the show that are valid for forty-eight hours. The 7:30 p.m. performances will be streamed on the video app Vimeo but attendees can also watch via smart TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Love Hate – 213 S.E. Main Street, Lee’s Summit – love.hate.bar on Instagram

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Kansas City businesses The W, Smoke Brewing Co., and Liquid Minded Concepts are teaming up for a month-long pop-up that caters to singles, groups of friends, and couples with romantic comedy-themed cocktails, snacks and sweets like Christopher Elbow chocolates. To execute the Love Hate concept, half of the space will be decked out in traditional red and pink, hearts, and cupids while the other half will take a different approach to the holiday with dark purple and black decor. Each side of the bar will feature its own drink menu with options like the As You Wish, The Princess Bride-inspired concoction of vodka, strawberry, vanilla mascarpone, and lemon verbena, and the If He’s Not Marrying You, a tequila, black cherry, toasted cinnamon, and lime beverage based around the movie He’s Just Not That Into You. Love Hate opens February 4 and runs through the end of the month. Text 816-287-7777 to make a reservation.

Nelson-Atkins @ Home – Nelson-Atkins.org/Nelson-Atkins-At-Home

Kansas’s City’s renowned art institution offers a virtual museum experience that allows you to look, learn, listen, and create without leaving home. Log on now to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 12, with digital offerings including a lion puppet craft, a zodiac animal hunt game, and two new videos filmed at the museum that highlight Chinese dance, dress, hair styles, makeup, music, embroidery, and other cultural traditions. 

Beyond the Lunar New Year festivities, the Nelson-Atkins @ Home series also includes live art classes, on-demand tutorials on everything from drawing and painting to printmaking and stop-motion video, as well as, online exhibitions, audio tours, and more. 

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts – The Dining Experience: At Home – KauffmanCenter.org/The-Center/Dining-At-Home

While the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is unable to operate normally due to COVID-19, executive chef Laura Comer is still preparing her seasonal gourmet dishes for people to enjoy safely at home. Cheer on the Kansas Chiefs with the Super Bowl Tailgate meal, which features a nacho bar, classic hot wings, French Dip sliders, and red and gold butterscotch blondies. You can also add a bloody Mary kit to your game day celebration, which comes with everything you need to serve six people. 

The three-course Valentine’s Day menu includes potato leek soup, pan-seared Hatfield Beef strip coupled with lobster risotto cake and lemon butter broccolini, spiced pear bavarois, housemade truffles, and a bottle of sparkling wine. Make sure your sweet tooth is satisfied with the Valentine’s Day truffle gift set (shipping available) that includes a dozen treats in dulce de leche, strawberry rum, coconut, key lime, mango, and caramelized pineapple flavors. 

Let the good times roll for Mardi Gras with strawberry pecan salad adorned with sweet onion vinaigrette, shrimp and cheesy grits, corn muffins with honey butter, greens, and housemade King Cake. 

In addition to holiday fare, there are also weekly seasonal offerings. All to-go meals are delivered directly to your vehicle on the Kauffman Center south drive. 

Sura Noodle Bar – Parlor Food Hall – starting February 4 – SuraNoodleBar.com 

Starting February 4, comforting bowls of warm housemade broth and fresh noodles will welcome diners on the second floor of Parlor Food Hall. Chef-owner Keeyong Kim (who also runs Sura Eats at Parlor) will host a three-month pop-up that expands on his current Korean-inspired menu. 

Kim plans to serve up dishes such as Kimchi Shin Ramyun (pork broth, noodles, pork belly, kimchi, shiitake mushrooms, roasted seaweed, a soy marinated egg, and chile-sesame oil) and Chicken Kalguksu (chicken broth, chicken, noodles, zucchini, carrots, roasted seaweed, and soy-scallion sauce). There will also be side dishes like spicy cucumber salad, popcorn chicken tossed in soy-sesame citrus sauce with garlic-chile mayo for dipping, and cauliflower bites coated in a housemade spice mix with a vegan garlic-chile mayo. In addition, Kim will create rotating specials with other local Asian American chefs. Sura Noodle Bar will offer dine-in, take-out, and delivery. 

Photos // Tim Scott, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Aaron Leimkuehler, Laura Comer