If someone were to ask me to invent a restaurant I would want in North Missouri, the answer is…read morebasically Sebree's. It is a daydream come true (wistful, but more grounded in reality). And Sebree's manages to be better than I could have imagined.
Sebree's is the embodiment of what I hope restaurants in this part of the world can be. We have so much to offer, it's a matter of bringing it all together. And they do that so well.
They have admirably prioritized relationships with area farmers, showcasing local producers. Where they do go outside the immediate region (seafood), they make a point of keeping the same sort of relationships with small-scale, sustainable producers in those communities.
In our visit, the menu was very local - both in content and design. Consisted solely of recognizable dishes folks grew up with here - surf and turf, pasta, bread pudding, there were few surprises.
And that's where the surprise was: the execution is on an astounding level. I have seen variations on that menu in so many other places throughout Missouri and beyond. The dish names are the same, but none of them produce like this.
So think homestyle food, except in your house you have someone from Greentop who went out and cooked under French and German chefs, then came back for family. Normal stuff.
Even something as basic as the bread was excellent, and the honey butter they whipped up for it was ideal. The steak was the best we'd ever had in the area. And the bread pudding was outstanding - I'm still thinking about that caramel.
They are passionate about food here and it shows - curious and inventive, evolving the menu throughout the seasons based on what's available.
An example of this is their blackberry sorbet. It's lovely. Cindy, the front-of-house side of the wonderful duo who own and operate this place, explained "We ended up with a fantastic crop of blackberries in our garden this year, so I've been figuring out what to do with them ever since. We froze a bunch and I decided to try making a sorbet. So I learned."
Fantastic. I love that attitude, and they have the standards and abilities to make special things happen.
They pay attention to the quality of details, and it shows. Even the music - the played vintage Uncle Tupelo all through our time there, it was the perfect choice.
Maybe that's the metaphor: That combination of heritage and modern craft.
Is it perfect? No, of course not. It's very human and honest, and I love that about it. It's making things and tinkering and innovating, and that's much more interesting than the same polished menu with little variation.
The citrus slaw was good, but for us it would have worked better as a component in a larger dish - which I think is how it started.
The wine list fit in with what's generally available in the region, but it's also an opportunity to raise the level a notch above what you can get at Hy-Vee. Maybe the traffic through the restaurant isn't enough for it, which would totally make sense. Generally speaking, the drink program is fine but doesn't match the level of the food. There is a decent enough looking bar, but they may have been short staffed and this all could be remedied by the time you're reading this.
The atmosphere was one of transition, while still good. It and the menu graphic design are sneaky - they don't fully communicate the excellence coming from the kitchen. All of it is completely understandable, and I also would love to see this place playing to its heights.
None of these are big deals. We felt comfortable and welcome, and the night was a great time.
This place is a conversation with the local community. It makes so much sense. I would love to see that culinary conversation expand to include some of the additional flavors and traditions we have here - Salvadorean pupusas would be a perfect combination with that citrus slaw. It would be fun to see one dish on the menu that steps into more inventive and educational territory - but we've only been once, so they may already be doing that and we just missed it this time.
If possible, make reservations - they have a small team, so it's wise to give them a heads up that you're heading their way, right after we got there a table of 12 showed up and I gained an appreciation for Cindy's role as host/air traffic controller.
Let's wrap this up:
Kirksville is a place that is 3 hours away from the nearest airport, and even though it's just 17,000 people, it's the largest town for a wide radius. It is also a place where you can go from preschool to doctor without leaving the city limits. That's what I love about this area - when people only focus on the limitations, they don't see *us*.
And this is what they miss. Sebree's gave me a great meal, but it also feeds a sense of pride and possibility in where we are and who we can be.
Maybe that's lofty to say about a surf and turf platter with a house salad, but I defy anyone to come here and walk away with anything but respect.
