Load a jpeg picture pf the space. Have you considered Linoleum. It is a natural material perfect for kitchens.

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It would look nice with wood flowing through. As Hallett mentions, the extra layer of plywood could be cut at the toekicks with an oscillating saw or a special toekick saw.

A lot of cussing and extra oscillating blades.

A really good flooring person may be able to gradually transition the hardwood flooring from the adjacent room raising it gradually to meet the new floor (they would need to feather it all in and restain it)

i didn’t want a transition between our original dining room and an added on kitchen so the flooring crew gradually raised the hardwood over the length of the DR to meet the higher threshold of the kitchen so the flooring is seamless

"A really good flooring person may be able to gradually transition the hardwood flooring from the adjacent room raising it gradually to meet the new floor (they would need to feather it all in and restain it)"

That's a definite non-starter. In all likelihood the flooring is 3/4" thick. Architectural specifications generally allow a 1/8" variation over a 10' span, so this scenario would require 60' to rise 3/4", both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the existing wood. Far simpler to remove the extra layer of subfloor in the kitchen. It would look best to stagger the end joints as you mention, rather than using a flush divider.

This can be done so talk to the flooring installer they will explain what needs to be done .

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We're going with the hardwood, and I'm pretty handy with that oscillating tool, so let the buzzing begin. I'll post picture of the finished product.