Farina

Farina is a modern Italian fine-dining restaurant in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, opened in February 2019 by two-time James Beard Award–winning chef Michael Smith and General Manager/Wine Director Nancy Smith — the culmination of Smith’s three-decade commitment to anchoring Kansas City’s fine-dining scene.¹

Description

Farina occupies 5,500 square feet at the corner of 19th and Baltimore in the Crossroads Arts District, in a space formerly associated with the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The restaurant accommodates 90 guests across a main dining room, a small cocktail bar, a fresh oyster raw bar, and a 25-seat private dining room. The interior — designed by Helix Architecture + Design — draws on the rustic textures of Tuscany and Umbria: warm stone tones, layered wood, and a tactile materiality that anchors the room without grandeur.¹

The menu centers on handmade pasta — ten varieties in regular rotation — alongside antipasti, fresh fish, chops, and seasonal vegetables. In-house meat curing (salumi, charcuterie) extends Smith’s craft-forward approach into every plate. The name Farina is the Italian word for flour, a direct reference to the primacy of pasta and bread in the concept. The raw bar offers fresh oysters alongside the broader Italian menu. The wine program, overseen by Nancy Smith, holds approximately 1,200 bottles across 180 varieties and has earned Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence every year since 2008 — a run that predates Farina and extends back through Smith’s prior Crossroads ventures.²

Hours are Tuesday–Thursday 5–9 pm, Friday–Saturday 5–10 pm; closed Sunday–Monday.

Ownership and history

Michael Smith began his culinary career training in Nice, France, and then at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago — one of the defining fine-dining kitchens in American culinary history. In 1994 he moved to Kansas City to lead The American Restaurant, the city’s flagship fine-dining institution. While there, he won his first James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 1999 — the first time a Kansas City chef had ever won a James Beard Award. He won a second James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2002 while running 40 Sardines in Leawood, Kansas.³

In 2007 Smith and Nancy Smith opened Michael Smith Restaurant and Extra Virgin (a Spanish tapas concept) in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, planting a two-restaurant anchor that helped define the neighborhood as a culinary destination for the following twelve years. Michael Smith Restaurant closed in early 2019 after roughly twelve years as Smith pivoted to a new concept. Farina opened February 5, 2019 in its place at the corner of 19th and Baltimore, representing Smith’s continued investment in the Crossroads neighborhood and his evolution toward a more ingredient-focused, pasta-anchored menu.⁴

Nancy Smith has been Smith’s partner in every phase of the Crossroads chapter. Her wine program — Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator annually since 2008 — is one of the most consistent fine-dining accolades in the city.

Links

• Official site: https://farinakc.com/
• Phone: (816) 768-6600

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. KC Magazine — “New hot spot Farina shows why Michael Smith is Kansas City’s most celebrated chef” — https://kansascitymag.com/new-hot-spot-farina-shows-why-michael-smith-is-kansas-citys-most-celebrated-chef/ — Asserts: address (1901 Baltimore Ave), opening date, 90-seat capacity, 5,500 sq ft, concept description, ten pastas, raw bar, meat curing, Helix Architecture design. ↩ ↩²

2. Farina official website — Our Story — https://farinakc.com/our-story/ — Asserts: Michael Smith as Executive Chef/Partner; Nancy Smith as General Manager/Partner/Wine Director; Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2008; ~1,200 bottles / 180 varieties. ↩

3. KC Magazine / KSHB — Michael Smith career biography — Asserts: James Beard Award, Best Chef: Midwest, 1999 (The American Restaurant, first KC JB win); second James Beard Award, Best Chef: Midwest, 2002 (40 Sardines, Leawood); trained at Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago; joined American Restaurant 1994. Sources: https://kansascitymag.com/new-hot-spot-farina-shows-why-michael-smith-is-kansas-citys-most-celebrated-chef/ and https://www.kshb.com/entertainment/kcl/chef-michael-smith-celebrates-10-years-in-the-crossroads ↩

4. Feast Magazine — “Sneak Peek: Farina by Michael Smith Opens Feb. 5 in Kansas City’s Crossroads” — https://www.feastmagazine.com/the-feed/kansas_city_news/article_464547da-2411-11e9-b167-1fde4c543779.html — Asserts: opening date February 5, 2019; modern Italian concept; Michael and Nancy Smith as owners. ↩