Decorative Skulls, Chandeliers Part Of Decor At This New Restaurant. Guess The Theme

One of the newer restaurants in town, Lee's Summit serves upscale Mexican food and drinks in a recently renovated nearly 100-year-old building. Calaveras, named after the Spanish word for "hut," has a sophisticated Day of the Dead theme with black, white and silver decorations, plus a crystal chandelier and ornate skulls.

The new restaurant is owned by Josh, Jeff and Lanny Edwards, who also own Smoke Brewing Company located near Calaveras. The trio bought the building in late 2019, months before the pandemic put the project on hold.

The hiatus gave co-owner Lanny Edwards nearly three years to work on renovations and unique decor, and the restaurant opened in early November 2022.

"We took a 100-year-old building, literally gutted it and took everything out," he said.

The building was used as a Peanuts restaurant, located in downtown Lee's Summit, for several years before closing permanently.

Lanny Edwards says Calaveras was designed to serve as a special date spot, as well as a place for casual lunch, dinner or happy hour.

"We really wanted something that could be worn with leather pants and a sweater or nice shiny jeans and a T-shirt," she says. "We wanted a restaurant where you could dress up if you wanted and be on the lee."

The restaurant's menu includes staples such as burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas and green chili meat along with tacos, handhelds, apps and desserts. The bar serves craft cocktails, wine and beer.

Former sous chef Josh Loughketer of Kansas City's award-winning Bluestem restaurant (now closed) served as a chef at Calaveras.

Customer favorites include the black-and-white queso burrito with mole sauce, chicken chimichanga and scallops mole verde, according to Lanny Edwards. Popular drinks include Oaxaca Nights, classic Margaritas and Palomas.

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant has a patio that seats about 70 people. Edwards added that they plan to have an additional bar in the back near the patio with different frozen drink flavors.

Calaveras is located at 219 SE Main St. and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to midnight.

Frost Coffee & Tea is open downtown

Frost Coffee & Tea, located at the corner of Southwest Main and Third streets, opens Nov. 18 in Lee's Summit. Besides coffee and tea, beverages include hot chocolate and hot cider. Baked goods, breakfast, lunch and dessert are also available. Frost is open Monday through Saturday from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM and offers conference rooms for up to 10 people (first hour free).

Frost Coffee & Tea is owned by Stephen Stricklin, owner of Wise Wealth in downtown Lee's Summit. The site was once home to Jack Frost's Donuts, a former attraction in Lee's Summit that was open from the 1960s to the 1980s. Donuts are currently served on Fridays and Saturdays with frosted coffee and tea. According to Frost, the donuts came from Holt's Don-Nuts in Grandview, which used Jack Frost's old recipe.

It's open and on the way

▪ Jazzy B's BBQ has moved to a new location and is now open at 320 SW Blue Parkway in Lee's Summit. This restaurant specializes in barbecue, seafood and Cajun cuisine. Call 816-272-0654 or visit jazzybsdiner.com for more information.

▪ The popular Gus Fried Chicken restaurant will open soon at 636 NE Missouri 291, Lee's Summit.

▪ 7 Brew Coffee plans to open a coffee shop in late January at 1430 NE Douglas St., Lee's Summit.

▪ Slow Bar Lee's Summit Cafe will open in late summer The location has not been announced.

Lee's Summit Restaurant is closed

▪ Sabor Latino, located at 22 Southwest Third St., closed in late December after serving Latino food for several years.

▪ Sonic Drive-In, also located on Third Street, recently closed after years of operation in Lee's Summit. According to a spokesperson at Sonic's corporate office, the parking lot is expected to reopen at the new location, although a location and reopening date have not yet been determined.

▪ Krab Kingz at 320 SW Blue Parkway in Lee's Summit closed.

Hello Dry January

Diametric Brewing Company knows that many people are "dry" in January. The brewery owner took the opportunity to showcase their inclusive atmosphere and welcome everyone with no-power cocktails.

"We've worked hard to create a place where everyone in our community feels welcome," Diametric Brewing co-owner Sean Householder said in a statement. "On top of that, we're thinking about how we can continue to create places where people feel welcome here." For more information, visit diametricbrewing.com.

Kansas City Star reporter Joyce Smith contributed to this report.