Kansas City, MO

I was in Kansas City for 3 days and gained 3 lbs. A good trip. I'm not particularly eloquent regarding food but since there are so few KC places listed I felt compelled to post.
Arthur Bryant's BBQ-Roadfood has a listing for this-generally considered the best all around BBQ. We had the brisket & burnt ends. Very tasty.
Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard 6235 Brookside Plaza-a bit southeast of Country Club Plaza-had "concretes"-I had a Sticky Hickey-marshmallow, caramel, chocolate chip. "A richer, denser version of ice cream" per Fodor's. Another location is 3832 West 95th Street, Leawood, Kansas. If you like ice cream...
Westport Flea Market Bar & Grill-817 Westport Road-the best burger in KC by popular vote since 1987-wins every year. I understand why. Cash only. Good chili too. From their website: "Drinks are delivered by a waitress; burgers are ordered at the bar counter. You pay each tab separately. Food is picked up at a pass-through window by one of the cooks. The guy who grills my patty fancies himself a comedian, singing, yodeling and making goofy rhythms with customer’s names." Beef is from a local supplier-McGonigle’s and it's good.
Stroud's for fried chicken. Roodfood has a listing for this. Sadly, we were too stuffed from earlier meals to truly appreciate it. Started off with a HEAPING oval plate of chicken livers which we packed away in short order leaving us too full before the bowls of mashed potatoes, slow cooked green beans, chicken & cinnamon rolls arrived. All worthy of the praise that gets heaped upon them.
The Upper Crust-Located in the lower level of the ultimate kitchenware store Pryde's Old Westport-115 Westport Road-this is open Friday & Saturday 10-6 and features good, solid pie. I bake and I'm a terrible snob where baked goods are concerned but this is the real deal. Pie crust so good I could've made it myself. I had the gooseberry (it's tart) and I wasn't disappointed. They also have mini-pies that looked pretty good. By the slice or get a whole pie.
Gates & Sons BBQ-Main Street location. The best sauce(s) per concensus. Really enjoyed it. Had a combo plate.
Winstead's for burgers. Roadfood has a listing for this. After the Westport Flea Market we weren't so impressed with this. Decent, to be sure, but not that special. If you want a truly great "crispy edged" burger check out Schoop's of the southern suburbs of Chicago/northwest Indiana.
Cascone's Grill-17 E. Fifth St-Hearty breakfast at this "since 1930" grill in the River Market 'hood. After breakfast we had a good piece of ricotta pie & a bowl of custard.
KC is a beautiful town-there is so much construction/rebuilding/restoring going on that I would advise people to think about hitting it next year when everything should be up and running. There are so many other BBQ options if you have the time.

cool report rutang. welcome. Gates are my favorite sauces too.
And a chicken liver lover too!

Thanks for the info on KCMO!! I am always amazed at the new roadfood places we hear about. I went to Mama's this summer and thought it was roadfood heaven. I get there about twice a year and always looking for new discoveries. Good report.

I've always loved Gates' sauce.

One time when I was traveling with a salesman from Austin, I took him to the Gates on Brooklyn. I had told him numerous times about the wonderful hickory-smoked meat with the awesome sauce.

He hated it. Growing up in Texas on nothing but oak-smoked meat with bland sauce, he thought it was awful.

Just shows that Texans aren't right about everything. Just most things. (I was born and raised in Springfield, MO.)

I always loved the Gates on Brooklyn. Red Leatherette booths and all.

I didn't realize Gates was also on Brooklyn Avenue? We went to AB's original store on Brooklyn Avenue. Rutang, which did you like better..AB's or Gates? KC is a nice town..I agree! I like the nights when you see all the beautiful building lit up.

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

I didn't realize Gates was also on Brooklyn Avenue? We went to AB's original store on Brooklyn Avenue. Rutang, which did you like better..AB's or Gates? KC is a nice town..I agree! I like the nights when you see all the beautiful building lit up.

If you go north on Brooklyn, you hit the (I believe) original Gates - south and you hit Bryan's. I prefer Bryan's sauce, and you don't have some one screaming "HI - CAN I HELP YOU" as soon as you walk into Bryan's.

Yeah, the orginal Gates and original Bryant's are only a few blocks apart on Brooklyn. The freeway runs right down the middle between the two of them.

There used to be another great little barbecue shack a few blocks south of Bryant's, right across from Memorial Stadium, where the Kansas City A's played. Baseball business probably had a lot to do with all three locations.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill B.

Yeah, the orginal Gates and original Bryant's are only a few blocks apart on Brooklyn. The freeway runs right down the middle between the two of them.

There used to be another great little barbecue shack a few blocks south of Bryant's, right across from Memorial Stadium, where the Kansas City A's played. Baseball business probably had a lot to do with all three locations.

great timing, billy b:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eccwVPktYo

Interesting, Bill V. Makes me want to go home!

Do you remember the name of the place that sat catty-corner to the ballpark?

I faintly remember it, but don't remember the name. The dixie-lan was somewhere around there, but I don't think that's it.
Being from Ks., we always went to the stadium by way of SW Blvd. and
19th street. On the way back home we would stop at Rosedale. That's pre I-35 time.

Man I miss KC, a former home of mine during most of the 80's. KC was the last place I ever ate a Naugles which sadly has demised. A non chain feeling chain. That place (at least the one I frequented in Overland Park KS, suburban KC) was like a mom & pop fast food Mexican. Wasn't fancy, wasn't stylish but man oh man, their macho burritos with some green chile sauce was the deal to eat after a night in Westport of barhopping.

I dearly miss my macho egg bean burrito's from Naugles.

On my last visit to KC this past June, it seems that KC is definetely another City with a definitive "Burger Culture" (Omaha was the other city) I look forward to checking out the Westport Fleamarket along with some other burger joints when I return to KC in 2010

Can't say that I agree with the Gates fans, sauce is tasty (esp. the spicy) but food varies too much from place to place and portions are small for the price, Bryant's beats them every way in my book, no way I'd take anybody to Gates.

Stadium was Municipal Stadium, not Memorial, grew up there in the 60's watching the A's lose, great memories of lunch at Byrant's and stroll over to ballpark

Hot new bbq joint in KC is Oklahoma Joe's, excellent stuff, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for this thread rutang, I live right by the Foo's in Leawood, agree with your assessment of Flea Market burgers, Strouds, Foo's, and Upper Crust, my wife loves Winsteads but I prefer Town Topic or Fritz's for thin crispy burgers, but hrere's a Winsteads close to home so we do that more.

B&F..Any update on AB's on Brooklyn Ave...

What about this place LC's? 

AB's is the best I've ever had, but it's been several years since I was there.

i'm a gates fan, not a bryants fan. i like spicy sause. was a place on johnson dr in the 70's, mission pit that was good. not a haywards fan. there is, or was a place in shawnee, big bams burgers that had great burgers. we went by last fall though and a sign said closed for remodeling. havn't been that way since though. also agree with town topic. great stuff. i love talking food.

Great thread

LC's has two locations, original by stadiums and 95th & I-35 in Lenexa, original was great but quality seems to have slacked in the new one, been several years, used to stop by original on the way to Royals games when I used to go to Royals games

Haywards was excellent20 years ago but has really slipped, went 5+ years ago and it was just fair, haven't been back since.

Bam Burgers in Shawnee is OUTSTANDING burgers, worth a trip,

Bryants on Brooklyn is #1, still the same, all this talk got me hungry, heading down there tomorrow for "beef & fries"

haywards was good when they were at 95 and antioch. bams is great. is bams still open? i stoped by last fall for lunch and he was closed. sign on door said remodeling. havn't been that way since. his cancun sauce was excellent.