Cautious Kansas Citians take refuge at The Campground, where everybody knows you're vaxxed

In the West Bottoms, after workers leave century-old brick offices to go home for the night, after deliveries to and from warehouses come to a halt, a black-painted shoebox of a building sits among fire pits, newly planted pine trees, and a utilitarian pile of chopped wood covered in snow. In the window, dim lights flicker with the seductive smolder of a campfire.

Inside, couples huddle close over food and drink. A bartender surrounded by campy decor — like a taxidermied raccoon — prepares a house gimlet. The recipe calls for Douglas Fir tea, Douglas Fir eau de vie, and stone pine liqueur. It makes the air smell like Christmas trees.

This restaurant, named The Campground, has the vibe of a wooded campsite, if not the dirt underfoot.

"I want people, when they walk through that door, to hear and feel the music," says owner Christopher Ciesiel, who opened The Campground with his wife, Cristin Llewellyn, in 2018. "I want to hit all the senses: the smell, the temperature. I want people to feel like they're going to their friend's house and just be able to relax a little bit, you know? Let their guard down."