My husband treated me to a dinner at the Raphael for our 10th anniversary because of its reputation as one of the most romantic places in KC. We were sorely disappointed in all respects. The decor is dated -- think your great grandmother's house -- heavy green and maroon tapestry and wallpaper, finished off with a garish floral rug. The booth we sat in was encircled with worn green ""pleather"" and the green and maroon wallpaper has clearly seen better days. The servers were lovely -- in fact, the bus boy was the best part of the experience as he was attentive and courteous. To be fair, the piano singer was also a nice touch, but that ends the positive experience. For the non-smoker in KC, this is definitely not the place. Even sitting in the furthest booth away from the bar, I walked out with the stench of someone else's cigarette smoke! The clientele is very mature -- not the place for the hip and happening crowd. The most disappointing aspect was the food. Large, bland portions of fish and meat. Desert was no better -- I think they tried to pass off cool whip and jello pudding as chocolate mousse. After beaming at my husband for an hour, I had to tell him that we needed to leave and have dinner elsewhere. He leapt at the chance and we headed straight for a lovely, very romantic spot in Parkville and started with a fresh dinner. We laughed and talked until the wee hours of the night -- at another restaurant.
Pros: Bus boy, wait staff, piano player
Cons: Food, decor, cave-like atmosphere
more