Beef&Fries
ouch - Tman, just because you speak a lot does not mean you know of what you speak...
I've been eating at Bryants 3-4 times/yr for 20 years, first went in the '60's as a kid before A's games, was there twice in May, our bbq team's been cooking in contest's around the midwest for 20 yrs and collected our share of ribbons (and drank our share of beer)
my work takes me all over the country, 30-40 trips/yr (flying) for 20+ years and I've been hitting roadfood joints since the Stearns published their first book in the 80's, just haven't bothered posting until recently.
mostly because of elitist folks like you who are quick to put down others who don't measure up to your inflated opinion of yourself...sad
Oh good....now I;ve gone and offended someone else.
Look, I can't say for sure that you are guaranteed to get a bad meal at Bryant's. But, it is clear that their consistency is slipping. Our opinion (the three of us that took the trip last summer) is not alone. Again, I say
with regret that I would not, in good conscience recommend Bryant's - for someone with ONE MEAL in Kansas City for BBQ. However, this is a picture of my plate from last summer:
It even LOOKS in the photo as though the beef was horribly dried out. What you can't see in this visual is that the ribs were served at room temperature. The general concensus of the whole meal - between three very experienced Roodfooders - and previously unabashed fans of Arthur Bryant's - was that the best item on anyone's plate was the fries.
As for me being an "elitist," I assume that it is not based on my other choices of barbecue in the KC area (as I ate at Snead's, Woodyard, and LC's - none of which would be considered "high fallutin'"). If it is based on your perception that I am judging people by their number of posts - go back and re-read what I wrote. I said I do NOT put a lot of weight sheerly in one's number of posts - but, it is a reflection of their participation in these forums. I was putting much more weight on the opinions of a professional chef and one who works in the barbecue industry. If you hold similar credentials, I was unaware of them. I further went on to say that this was no reflection on your particular recommendation. However, it should be pointed out that you did endorse three other places besides Bryant's yourself - and said that if you only had time for ONE stop, it would be Oklahoma Joe's. And, your most recent comment included the phrase "Bryants is getting mixed reviews lately which is too bad but accurate..." Again, if you know something to be hit or miss, why would you send someone there for their ONE defining KC BBQ meal?
danimal15
Travelin' Man,
I am looking seriously at all suggestions, including yours. I really thought it might be a good idea to try a different place, and wanted to hear suggestions. Thanks for all of them. But my family (my mom and dad, my wife, my kids) is encouraging us to go to Bryant's (mom and dad were there recently and said it was great, and they've been going there for almost 30 years), so that has some pull with me, too.
I actually haven't made a suggestion in this thread. By the time I read the thread, my suggestions were already mentioned - in some cases repeatedly. I was just curious why you would solicit opinions and then completely disregard the overwhelming majority of those opinions. The lack of responses encouraging a visit to Bryant's should be taken as a serious sign. If you asked this same question 10 or 20 years ago, I doubt anyone would have
tried to talk you out of Bryant's.
