La Costa Mexicana is a locally-owned restaurant located at 5 E. Kansas Street on the Liberty Square – a couple minutes from the William Jewell College campus. They serve Mexican cuisine and offer a variety of dishes that cater to different tastes. The restaurant currently offers dine-in and carry out, and you can order online through their website. 

La Costa offers a variety of specials throughout the week such as Margarita Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fajita Night on Wednesdays, and happy hour every day from 2-5 p.m. Additionally, they offer lunch specials Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. I’ve taken advantage of their Taco Tuesday where you receive 3 tacos, either chicken or beef, with either a hard, soft or fried shell. The soft and fried shells are an additional $1 upcharge but worth the money.

Along with the weekly specials, La Costa Mexicana offers a large variety of Mexican dishes at different price points. There are spicy items on the menu as well as mild items available for those who may not enjoy heat. They serve typical Mexican dishes such as different tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas and enchiladas. Additionally, they serve seafood dishes, salads and combo plates. Most of their dishes contain meat but they have vegetarian options on their menu. Depending on the menu item you choose, entrees range from about $8-13. Their dessert menu includes items such as churros, sopapillas and Mexican ice cream. La Costa serves a variety of alcoholic beverages, as well as non-alcoholic beverages. 

The homemade chips and salsa is a great appetizer and tastes amazing. I would recommend ordering the guacamole, it was very fresh and tasty. The spinach white cheese dip is also very good. I ordered the soft shell chicken tacos and was pleased with the delicious taste and great deal. The tacos had chicken, lettuce and cheese – I added salsa to mine. One order of tacos was very filling as they’re decently sized. Although the tacos were simple, the flavor was pretty good considering the price point. 

I ordered the chicken tacos with a soft shell pictured above alongside the homemade chips and salsa.

Several Jewell students have frequented La Costa Mexicana and enjoyed their experience. 

“I really enjoyed the fresh warm chips and tasty salsa, I would recommend La Costa’s to a friend!” said Alaina Flory, first-year Oxbridge molecular biology major.

“I liked the fried tacos more than the soft-shelled ones, and I would recommend them, but the salsa was my favorite,” said Krista Halstead, first-year Oxbridge literature & theory and communications major.

I enjoyed the fun atmosphere of La Costa, with their Mexican-inspired decor and friendly staff. It’s a great place to visit with friends, and there’s lots of seating available for large parties. I’ve always had great and prompt service at La Costa Mexicana. I would recommend Jewell students take advantage of the specials and the student discounts. Overall, La Costa Mexicana provides tasty Mexican food at a great price, and I would recommend giving it a try. If you want to learn more about La Costa Mexicana you can visit their Facebook page or visit their website.

Sitting on the edge of the Liberty Square on the corner of Missouri and Kansas St. Sorella’s Deli – open from 11-2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday – provides its customers delicious no-frills lunch options. The brief time period the restaurant is open means Sorella’s can focus on what they do best: providing a scrumptious and filling lunch for a low price.

The restaurant offers sandwiches of all varieties – deli-style, hot sandwiches and paninis – as well as soups and salads. Customers can order a combo meal, which includes a half-portion of any sandwich and either soup or salad.

Besides their standard sandwich options, one can also order a heaping portion of spaghetti and meatballs, served with a house salad and bread. This dish is sure to leave you satisfied and left wondering how you possibly ate so much pasta in one sitting.

During my last visit to Sorella’s, I ordered the muffaletta – a hot sandwich with black forest ham, salami and mortadella meats with provolone cheese and the restaurant’s signature green olive spread on a hoagie roll – in a combo with their steak and mushroom soup.

The sandwich was delicious and provided a much needed source of warmth on a dreary spring day. The olive spread, although not something I would have thought to put on the muffaletta, ended up being a necessary component that made the sandwich much better. In all, the sandwich came together wonderfully – the cheese melting well with the meat and olive spread while the hoagie roll maintained its structure – creating a delicious and filling lunch.

The steak and mushroom soup – which included carrots as well as the aforementioned ingredients – was fresh and hearty. My soup of choice was Sorella’s soup of the day. That option, as denoted by the name, changes daily and varies by season. The restaurant does have one permanent option in addition to their soup of the day: pasta e fagioli, which includes tomatoes, white beans, italian seasonings and pasta in a savory broth.

Meat-free diners will not go hungry at Sorella’s, where there is a small but tasty selection of meat-free dishes. The veggie sandwich – piled high with havarti cheese, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, balsamic vinaigrette dressing and Sorella’s signature black olive spread – has an incredible flavor profile and can be toasted to fulfill any cravings for a hot sandwich instead of the traditional deli-style. As well, the garden salad and pasta e fagioli soup make for great meat-free additions in a combo meal.

While the presentation of the food isn’t very impressive at Sorella’s – everything is served on disposable dishes and the sandwiches are wrapped in paper – that is not the goal of the restaurant. Instead, Sorella’s succeeds at providing their patrons an efficient lunch option while maintaining great taste and a wide variety of deli options.

In addition to their fast lunch options, Sorella’s frequently offers take and bake lasagna as well as cupcake, cookies and other assorted desserts made from scratch. The lasagna is a great option for when you want Sorella’s for dinner – which they don’t offer – and don’t want to cook for yourself either. The cupcakes, usually offered in at least three flavors, are so scrumptious it’s worth the trip to the deli just to buy one – or more, if you have a sweet tooth and a big appetite.

Just a 10 minute walk from William Jewell College, Sorella’s is a great lunch option when one wants a break from the commotion of the Hill. Affordable and delicious, the deli is a great option for students wanting a great deli that won’t break the bank, or waste gas.

Opened in September of 2018, Wingz & More’s Liberty location is the second of its kind. The founding team conceived the idea for Wingz & More in 2016 and decided to open the flagship restaurant in Grandview, Missouri, in March of that year. Since then, the team has been working hard to expand their franchise, creating a five-year plan to open four more locations. Independence, Missouri, and the downtown Kansas City, Missouri, area are two prospective sites for future Wingz & More locations.

The Hilltop Monitor sat down with one of the owners of the franchise, Chris Murray, to learn more about Liberty’s reception of the restaurant, how to expertly navigate the menu and what makes Wingz & More unique.

When asked how patrons of the Liberty location have reacted to the restaurant, Murray readily answered that their reactions have been largely favorable despite its low profile.

“A lot of people still don’t know about us. Somebody came in yesterday and said, ‘You’re Liberty’s best secret,’” Murray said with a smile. “We’ve only been open a few months – it was a pretty slow winter with all the complications with weather. We started to deliver recently, and that’s kind of branched us out a bit, but for the most part, it’s going really good.”

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant specializes in chicken wings, though their menu extends far beyond that. Four main groups of food dominate the menu, with “wingz” heading the pack and “wrapz & saladz,” “sandwichez & dogz” and “burgerz” rounding out the “& More” of the promised culinary offerings. Entrees tend to hover around the 6-10 dollar mark.

Murray shared his tips on getting the best out of the Wingz & More menu.

“You gotta try the wings [sic]. Whether you do the boneless or the bone-in, it doesn’t matter. Burgers are a big hit because we patty them fresh here every day. Our philly cheesesteaks, our po’ boys – just things you can’t get in a normal run-of-the-mill [restaurant],” Murray said.

Wingz & More also offers unique comfort food specials on Sundays.

“One of our big sales is on Sunday. You can do what we call ‘Grandma’s Sunday Dinner,’” Murray said. “So every Sunday it’s something different. It can be anything from meatloaf to lasagna. For Easter, we did an Easter dinner. It was smoked chicken, cordon bleu dressing, macaroni & cheese and green beans.”

Murray emphasized that Wingz & More is one-of-a-kind and eager to serve their customers to the best of their abilities.

“If there’s something you want that you don’t see on the menu… we can always work it out. I like to say that if you have a flare for something – just ask! We won’t tell you ‘no’ – we’re gonna give it a shot. We try not to be so structured to where we can’t step outside of our own comfort zone,” Murray said. “We try to make it feel like home.”

And a home it is to several Wingz & More patrons, who laud the restaurant for its affordable and delicious meals, friendly staff and chill atmosphere. Contributing to this success, perhaps, is Murray’s personal philosophy, and the reason he loves what he does.

“Food kind of binds people together. Whether you have a little or you have a lot, [it] is just one of those things that brings people together,” Murray said.  

Wingz & More Liberty is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. It’s a quick 15 minute walk from the William Jewell College campus for any students looking for a restaurant that feels like a second home.

Metcalfe first started her venture into the confectionary world in 2005, watching the Food Network with her husband on Valentine’s Day.

“They were [showing] chocolate covered strawberries and different things like that, and [Metcalfe’s husband] said, ‘you have done that for years, you should have your own shop.’ At first I thought he was crazy,” Metcalfe said.

After consulting with friends, Metcalfe and her husband were able to obtain equipment fit for confectionary work from an old restaurant. Soon after, she contacted the owner of an end building on the Liberty Historic Square in search of a physical location.

“We [Metcalfe and her husband] chose the Square because people walk around,” Metcalfe said.

In addition to opening up shop with her husband, Metcalfe’s family has been integrated into every aspect of the business. Oftentimes when her children come home from college on their different breaks, they will work a shift and even know how to make every chocolate good Classy Chocolate has to offer.

Metcalfe noted that a huge part of being in business in Liberty is the daily positive interactions and community she has built over the years. During our interview, a family stopped by to pick up treats for their young children and spoke with Metcalfe, complimenting the shop’s new paint job.

Commonly out in public, Metcalfe mentioned that multiple times she has heard herself being referred to as the “Chocolate Lady.”

“When I go to the grocery store, little kids are pulling on their mom’s shirts [saying], ‘hey, its the Chocolate Lady!’ I don’t know their name and they don’t know my name… but I feel like I know them [through seeing them at the shop],” said Metcalfe.

Ultimately, Metcalfe’s favorite part of owning Classy Chocolate is the freedom that accompanies every self-employed business.

“I get to do what I want, really,” Metcalfe stated.  

Classy Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate goods, different cookies, cakes and cinnamon rolls on select days. I was fortunate enough to snag a chocolate chip cookie, which has always been one of my favorite items at the shop.

Be sure to stop by Classy Chocolate for a friendly conversation with Metcalfe herself or for the variety of sweets found in shop.

Photo courtesy of Classy Chocolate