Nightlife in Grandview

Fine Arts Theatres’ four venues surround moviegoers with classic silver-screen ambiance as they present the latest independent and mainstream film offerings. Lovingly refurbished neighborhood movie palaces such as the early-20th-century Rio Theatre now boast surround-sound digital audio, high-backed rocker seats with arm-mounted cup holders, and movie trailers acted out by gregarious ticket takers. In addition to flicks opening each week, Fine Arts Theatres hosts the Gathr Preview Series each Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The group also holds screenings for the annual Kansas International Film Festival, voted the Best Local Film Festival by readers of The Pitch in 2011, as well as a Latin American Film Festival every September.

The menu at Sully’s Pub & Grille tames fierce appetites by exposing them to an imaginative menu of sandwiches, burgers, and entrees. Satisfy gastronomic cravings with the bacon-crowned Tenderloin Magnifico ($8.99), whose porky portion shares a warm pretzel bun with globs of melted cheddar and homemade Horsey sauce. Thanks to a slick of marinara and the cover of melted provolone, the hoagie-cushioned meatball grinder ($8.99) easily sneaks into unwary stomachs to search for any recently swallowed contraband, and the Idaho Wrangler ($8.99) one-ups the traditional burger by piling a heap of onion-haloed mashed potatoes atop its A1-glazed patty. The Brinner Plate ($5.99), which caters to breakfast fans by letting them eat it for dinner, chaperones eggs and bacon as they traverse the gravy-flooded terrain of waffle fries.

Born of a union between Sports Radio 810 WHB and the restaurateurs at KC Hopps, Ltd., 810 Zone marries sports spectatorship with scrumptious sandwiches, burgers, and Kansas City barbecue. Gamblers can down a grilled salmon club at the Harrah's casino location or enjoy pizza at the Lee's Summit Zone, before a trip to the tables or before trying to pass off burgers as poker chips.

Spurred by a drive to instill children with a love for the arts and to build their self-esteem, professional actor Miles McMahon helms an array of educational programs at Theatre of the Imagination. He and his staff of local theater lovers build on more than 2,000 successful children's theatrical productions through creative summer camps, acting and performance classes, special workshops, and birthday parties for performers in prekindergarten through ninth grade. Miles writes a completely new work for each class and camp, using the script to immerse students in a cooperative, creative environment while freeing them from the pressures of lead roles, auditions, and autographer's elbow. Staff members can also conduct Movie Star Acting birthday parties, where they shoot a short film with the birthday child as the star.

When brothers Derek Boone and Dustin Craighead made the leap to restaurant ownership from backgrounds in the electronics industry and tattoo-parlor business, they probably didn't guess that they'd be serving some of their signature dishes to Guy Fieri. Their rustic, roadhouse-like gastropub, Swagger Fine Spirits & Food, was featured in an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Fieri looked on as Chef Jerry Forness prepared the tempura-battered suribachi burger, which sizzles the taste buds with hot asian mustard and sriracha chili sauce. After he took a bite, Fieri noted the crunchiness of the tempura and the piquancy of the wasabi coleslaw, saying, "That is a lot of flavor, man." Of the chili made with Flying Monkey Amber Ale, the gregarious foodie murmured, "Mmm. That's a meal right there, dude."

The episode also showcased dishes such as the hot wings and a pulled-pork sandwich made with smoked pork shoulder and handcrafted barbecue sauce. Patrons balance out the spicy, savory flavors with close to 50 draft beers and more than 50 types of whiskey—about the same variety you'd expect in Hemingway's liquor cabinet.

As sister bars, The Well and Lew’s Grill & Bar make a perfect pairing for parties. For their St. Patrick's Day party, hours of live Irish folk and rock music at both bars combines with corned beef and cabbage for a celebratory Celtic event. During the rest of the year, The Well's rooftop bar lets patrons relax under the stars as they drink from a selection of more than 30 tap beers and bottled brews. The Well's upscale cuisine spans Black Angus burgers, Baja fish tacos, and penne chicken carbonara, and for pub food with a twist, Lew's serves blackened catfish, meatloaf, and 12 burger varieties. Das Boot, Lew's signature drink, is an 84-ounce boot-shaped beer that comes with an optional challenge: patrons who can imbibe the full boot, plus 2.5-pounds of cheeseburger and fries, win a free T-shirt and the honor of proving they have a stomach that is bigger on the inside.

More than 20 years after first opening the doors to their rustic, wood-paneled bar and deli, Quintons Waldo Bar continues to blur the line between lunch and late-night revelry with a menu that couples deli-style sandwiches with satisfying bar fare. Cooks assemble a triad of Reubens stacked high with mountains of corned beef, cracked pepper pastrami, and turkey. Napkins work overtime beside the divinely messy chicken-salad sandwich, which overflows with chicken breast baked fresh daily alongside a slew of other succulent meats. Frothy ales pour forth from the bar’s taps during festive nightly events such as DJ sets, when the steam that rises from potato-bacon soup stands in for fog machines.