New Kid on the Block: 54th Street Grill & Bar Review

by Chauntel Seminerio

54th Street Grill & Bar, new to San Marcos, located at 1303 South IH 35 opened March 14th, bringing all their Kansas City flare with them.

54th Street is a KRM, Inc. owned company based in Kansas City, MO. The casual, neighborhood grill and bar style restaurant offers over 120 menu items and craft spirits at considerably reasonable prices. Open daily for lunch at 11 am and dinner till 12 am Monday-Thursday, Friday, Saturdays till 1 am, and Sundays 11am-11 pm.

A comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, with a bit of a retro feel makes this new spot both family friendly as well as, fun and funky for those happy hour kinds of days, M-F 3 p.m.- 6 p.m. and every day 9 p.m. to close.

Stepping out with kids and hubs in tow seemed to be the best test run for San Marcos’ newest addition to the existing infusion of cultures and flavors.

Upon entering into the vestibule of the first set of doors, hangs an interesting plaque of information describing the eclectic collection of artifacts that adorn every inch of space from the floor to ceiling.

I spoke with Manager Shinna Mathews, and she enlightened me on the curation of the abundant décor pieces, most of which have been collected throughout the U.S. and even Europe. 54^th Street Grill locations collectively, hold the largest collection of antiques and artifacts in the entire United States. They actually have a decorating staff scouring the globe for these fun and familiar memorabilia pieces would make any first date less awkward with no lack thereof in conversation starters. My kids and hubs found enough to point at (even when mommy says “stop pointing, it’s rude) for entertainment while we waited for our appetizer.

A standard array of appetizers offers no surprises, only creatively named for branding. We indulged in classic mozzarella sticks because, well, I brought kids. Ditto for the kids menu selections pretty standard, and commonly priced.

Maybe it was because they’d only been open a week, or maybe we just got a new to the service industry server getting use to the job, but delivery times from the cokes to the appetizers to our meals were frustratingly slow.

The 54^th Street San Marcos location is the 25^th store of its kind for KRM Inc, opening 2 per year over the last 6-8 years, according to Ms. Mathews.

A staff of 90, Mathews stated “We adjust menus slightly per location, and always we welcome in house recipe ideas and creations for staff.”

I asked her for her personal recommendation, favorite menu item, to which she replied, “Rattlesnake Pasta.”

“Uhhhh…What do ya’ll eat up there in Missouri?” I remarked.

“Rattlesnake Pasta is, penne, red and green peppers, scallions, sliced chicken breast and tiger shrimp tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce with a smoky, earthy spice “bite.” Designed for spicy appetites”, as the menu describes.

While the hubs, nor I felt in a heavy pasta kind of mood, we stuck to our favorite go-to’s, as it will always give you the best first impression of a new place to order YOUR comforts.

The Devil’s Den Burger, topped with wing sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeno bacon and smoky sauce, passed my burger-connoisseur husbands’ grub-o-meter; burgers being his benchmark test to see if he will ever patron anywhere twice. I myself am a simple French Dip tester. It’s not rocket science, but for whatever reason some places cannot seem to pull of meat and cheese dip sandwiches, so I gave it a go. I can gratefully say, I have found a really good one at 54^th Street.

The highlight for me after dealing with fussy, hungry kids and slow service was their refreshingly appealing cocktail menu. I really did want to try them all. The Basil Lemonade, available in traditional or strawberry flavors, was a delicious concoction of Cruzan Rum, in-house lemonade, muddled with fresh basil and a sugar rim. This drink made me ready for our hot Texas summers.

One day, when the stars and moons align just right, the hubs and I will get to venture out again, without kids in tow and indulge in the “Island Fuel” cocktails at 54^th Street, perhaps on their back patio centered by a fire pit, surrounded by flat screen TV’s airing anything other than Paw Patrol, PBS or Sophia the First.

Until then, have a drink for me-Cheers!