by Emma Willibey

Crossroads Arts District eatery Collection recalls the Quaker school that “Top Chef Masters”-featured owner Celina Tio attended, according to the Kansas City Star. However, aqua walls, Czar Bar views and a soundtrack showcasing Phoenix and Broken Bells create a slick aesthetic.

Within minutes, though, I recognize Tio’s communal vision. Feel-good favorites from baked rigatoni ($12/18) to pineapple cheesecake ($5) comprise the menu, while chalkboard-covered stalls leave the bathrooms adorned with notes like “Loved the beets!”

Collection’s commitment to rehabilitating the former Kansas City Café leaves me doubting the effortlessness of its contrasting cuisine and décor. Sous chef Dan Sowders said that since opening May 2, workers have so busied themselves repainting and constructing a back-room pub that food specials are underdeveloped.

However, Aug. 31’s offerings fit Collection’s creative-comfort-food mold: corn crepe chicken street tacos with pickled onion and cilantro ($7). Sowders said that 90 percent of Collection’s dishes “are made in-house” from local products. Not only does the preparation fulfill Tio’s fellowship goal, but convinces me that my Spanish mac’n’cheese ($11) is healthy.

Why count calories, though, when cooking is as refreshing as Collection’s? Minimalist interior cannot cool the restaurant’s home-style richness.