New Kansas City area biscuit & booze restaurant: Rib-eye, fried chicken, burnt ends
Popular biscuit pop-up District Biskuits is returning as a restaurant.
It plans a midsummer opening at 504 Armour Road in North Kansas City, in the former Subway/Rise & Grind Bakery building.
Owner Hakim Khalifah, also known as Chef Guroux, will offer specialty biscuits named after Kansas City area neighborhoods, people and businesses.
Some of the offerings:
▪ Wyco District — The Westside: Chicken chorizo sausage patty, smashed avocado, fried egg, cotija cheese and chives.
▪ Crossroads Arts District — The Charlie Hustle: Fried chicken filet with hot honey butter sauce, coleslaw, pickles and chives.
▪ Vine District — The Henry P: Smoked beef burnt ends, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, fried onions, pickles and chives.
▪ Country Club District — The Capital: Rib-eye steak, horseradish garlic aioli, caramelized onions and chives.
▪ Troost Ave District — The Wonder: Fried chicken filet, fried egg, American cheese, bacon and chives.
▪ River North District — Build your own: A choice of one protein ($2 more for rib-eye steak) and three toppings ($1.50 more for macaroni and cheese) and chives.
▪ Waldo Neighborhood District — The Show Thai-M: Fried chicken filet, Thai sweet chili sauce, sesame citrus coleslaw, peanut sauce and chives.
▪ Westport District — The Cure: Scrambled eggs, American cheese, bacon jam, caramelized onions and chives.
▪ P&L District — The KC Live!: Chicken sausage patty, American cheese, pepper jelly and chives.
He also will have specialty cocktails and plans to use Black- and brown-owned spirit and beer companies as vendors.
Khalifah grew up in Kansas City and attended the Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts Atlanta. He worked at the former Hyatt Regency Hotel, Treat America Food Services, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and at some area restaurants.
His mother often whipped up biscuits in her kitchen, and in his free time he aimed to perfect a biscuit recipe using his culinary training.
In 2017, he started The Distrikt Biskuit House as a pop-up at Lutfi’s Fried Fish on East 63rd. It was so popular he relocated to the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center across from the Truman Sports Complex. It closed at the start of the pandemic and never reopened.
Since then, Khalifah has kept busy working as a private chef, hosting pop-ups and catering.
Ilan Salzberg of Exact Partners LLC, a Kansas City and Leavenworth real estate development company, is now a partner in District Biskuits (the spelling has been tweaked from the original spelling) and recently purchased the North Kansas City building. It has been painted black with red, yellow and blue accent colors.
They hope to open multiple locations in the metro and perhaps in Denver, where Salzberg is based.
“I have been chasing him for years and years. I wanted him in one of our projects. His food is absolutely delicious,” Salzberg said.
District Biskuits will have a few counter seats inside with a large patio area in front. It also has about 20 parking spaces.
Khalifah also will host a Biscuits & Booze pop-up at Canary restaurant, 3835 Main St., from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays in June with Canary’s Mimosa Bar + Bloody Mary Bar.
