Jardine's Restaurant   

4536 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64111
816-561-6480
www.jardines4jazz.com

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Kansas City residents don't like to admit it, but the city's once-vaunted jazz scene has mostly gone the way of streetcars and Lime Rickeys. What's left tends to be downtown (e.g. the Phoenix) or near 18th and Vine (e.g. the Blue Room). But for knowledgeable Midtowners who want to nod their heads in 5/8 time or sip a cocktail to the strains of a sultry sax, Jardine's is the destination of choice. The small bar/restaurant's dedication to music is apparent from the moment you step inside. Instruments provide the artwork in the candle-lit room. Saxophones, trombones, trumpets and clarinets are mounted to the walls like paintings. Framed pictures and posters of jazz musicians are interspersed, creating a museum-of-music feel. Instruments also become works of art in the hands of the skilled musicians who fill the nightly bill. No single style prevails, and all are welcomed. A given week might host a classic three-piece group, a Brazilian bossa nova band and a venerable torch singer. The music is nightly, and there's never a cover, though a two-drink minimum applies when the music's going. Reservations are advisable on weekends. Tucked into one of the small side booths, sipping a drink and drifting away to the strains of classic jazz -- this is the Midtown sublime.