Restaurants in Leavenworth

“Laissez les bon temps rouler” is a favorite saying at Jazz, a Louisiana Kitchen; translated from French, it means, “let the good times roll.” With a blend of Cajun cuisine, cold drinks, and live music, the restaurant recreates the rollicking atmosphere of New Orleans' French Quarter. In the kitchen, chefs orchestrate multiple Gulf Coast flavors in classic louisiana catfish po'boys and blackened-shrimp platters, or let simple, properly prepared oysters and broiled crawfish stand on their own. Servers draw frothy mugs of beer from local breweries CIB and Keg Creek or mix specialty cocktails and frozen daiquiris. The lively atmosphere has drawn musicians such as two-time Grammy nominee Gerald Clayton and Mr. Tambourine Man.

Break from the rapid beating of seasonal gingerbread batters and take refuge in a European-style café that has a variety of Thanksgiving meal-ending stomach-pleasers. For $8, today's Groupon gets you $16 worth of freshly baked bakery bites at Jay WaLe’s Bakery-Bistro, named 2009’s Best Bakery by The Pitch, and, unlike most bakeries, it's not also the headquarters of a cookie-gang.Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.

Family is important at Cascone's Restaurants—Johnny Cascone's in Overland Park and Cascone's in Kansas City, Missouri—a fact illustrated by the portraits adorning their lobby walls and the relatives working side by side in the kitchen and dining room since the first eatery opened four generations ago in 1954. Chef Victor Cascone draws from the family's Sicilian heritage to plate traditional pasta and meat dishes. He also draws inspiration from family members young and old to put a fresh spin on time-tested dishes, as evidenced by nachos made from pasta. That sense of camaraderie spreads to the spacious banquet facilities at both restaurants, making them suitable venues for families gathering for birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, and spaghetti-slurping contests.:

In the long, narrow dining room of the historic Majestic Restaurant, one wouldn't have a hard time imagining the spirited saloon that once resided there. Behind the restored 19th-century bar and under a pressed-tin ceiling, barkeeps shake, stir, and pour classic craft cocktails alongside more than 100 types of whiskey. Downstairs, a speakeasy-style jazz club features live performances nearly every night of the week, which are best enjoyed while wearing Prohibition-era garb such as top hats filled with beer. Both the main dining room and downstairs club serve a full dinner menu of tender steaks, cold-water lobster tails, and classically prepared Scottish salmon.

Shift your appetite into gear with farm-raised, cornmeal-breaded catfish fingers ($9) or the peachtree collard-green dip, a creamy herb and collard-greens blend served with tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa ($10). Crisp greens kicked up with sharp cheddar, fresh-baked croutons, and tomatoes ($8) are an airier eat. Less-demure diners dig into Peachtree’s signature entrees, including Southern-fried chicken and catfish with rémoulade sauce ($19), pork chops doused in gravy ($16), and hand-carved steaks such as the 12-ounce rib-eye brushed with tangy pineapple glaze ($28). Vegetarian options include a grilled-tofu and soybean veggie burger parked on a toasted bun with all the fixings ($10). For dessert, try a fresh-picked peach cobbler ($6) housed inside a homemade shell. View the complete menu here.

With a more casual dining experience, The Grille by Piropos in Parkville sets itself apart from its fine-dining sister establishment Piropos Restaurant. Nestled high in the hills of historic Parkville, it sits above the landscape, allowing diners to take in visions of Park University's beautiful gothic architecture or watch as the sun sets and the moon rises in the evening. Not only a restaurant for special occasions, it is also a favorite spot for everyday casual dining.

This vista-induced amnesia, however, doesn’t tend to last very long, as the aromas of South American–inspired food soon draw diners’ attention to the new casual-dining menu’s signature dishes from Venezuela, Mexico, and Argentina. This cuisine makes itself at home inside the dining room, where large, colorful murals and lavish wood furnishings give the restaurant an upscale, rustic ambiance. The outdoor patio, meanwhile, features views of the horizon and a fireplace, meaning at a certain time and from a certain angle, the sun is setting into the fire.