If you asked someone who had never ventured to Kansas City to name one thing about the metropolitan area, odds are they would mention barbecue. So it seems like a fitting place to begin a blog about discovering the City's identity...
In fact, barbecue will be a consistent theme here at the KC Explorer, so much so that we'll have a segment entitled: "Battle of the BBQ." Each time we explore a new barbecue joint, we'll give a general review of the place, as well as a rating in four separate categories: the overall taste, the tenderness of the meat, the quality of the sauce, and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Each category will be given one to five "hogs" with "five hogs" being the highest ranking.
One final note before our battle begins, the objective here is not to obsess over which KC BBQ place is the best (as we'll find out, different joints have different loyalists). The point is to explore, and enjoy, barbecue in Kansas City... however, if our exploration gives rise to a bit of healthy debate, well that's just all in good fun.
And now, without further ado, we thought the best first-step to our exploration of Kansas City barbecue was to go to the place where it all started. Welcome to...
Arthur Bryant's has a direct lineage with the first true barbecue joint in Kansas City. In the early 1900s a man by the name of Henry Perry, later dubbed "The Barbecue King," started selling barbecue from a stand on Banks Street, just a few blocks away from the old Municipal Baseball Field. Perry had a young "apprentice" by the name of Charlie Bryant. In 1931, Charlie's little brother, Arthur, having just finished college, came to visit Charlie in Kansas City and never left. Arthur learned the barbecue business from Perry and his brother, and eventually opened what's now known all around the U.S. as the most famous barbecue joint in the country. The restaurant was always beloved by locals, but after Calvin Trillin, a columnist for The New Yorker, wrote that Arthur Bryant's was "the best damn restaurant in the world," the little barbecue shop had national fame. Presidents Truman and Carter stopped by for a bite, as well as countless famous actors.*
The Kansas City Explorer stopped by on a Saturday night and unsurprisingly, there was a significant line at the counter. We were immediately impressed by the authenticity of the place. There were no frills: no fancy lighting, no menus flashing on a flat panel TV and no cartoon mascots of the animal we were about to eat. Just a good ol' fashion barbecue joint. The menu was simple, essentially you can choose from ribs, burnt ends or a selection of other meats over white bread. We felt like it lacked some type of signature dish with a creative name like most barbecue places have, but it seemed to fit with the no-nonsense theme of the place. Orders are placed with cooks across a window and customers can see straight into the kitchen while guiding their plates along the counter to the cashier. While our party ordered a variety of dishes, for the purposes of ranking our categories we'll examine the dish made famous at Arthur Bryant's: the Burnt Ends.
Apparently, Gates (another famous restaurant here in KC) refuses to serve burnt ends, claiming they don't like to burn their meat. Bad move. These ends are good and when burnt, they're even better, earning a "Taste" score of three and a half hogs. We did notice that the meat was a bit fatty in certain bites, which limited the "Tenderness" score.
There were a selection of sauces at each table and in efforts to remain uniform, we scored the Arthur Bryant's original sauce. The original sauce earned only two hogs; it was a bit grainy for our liking, though the flavor was good. Our favorite sauce was the "Sweet Heat." Like the name implies, it hit the perfect mix of sweet KC flavor and spicy BBQ kick. The food was excellent, and finding our favorite combo of meat and sauce will warrant a trip back, but the Kansas City Explorer's favorite thing about this place is the atmosphere. The pictures of famous visitors accent the restaurant's history, but the location still looks like a 1950s barbecue joint should: simple, bright and all about the food.
So basically, if you're looking for solid Kansas City barbecue, look no further than where it all started: Arthur Bryant's. Now, it's worth mentioning that two members of our dining group adamantly claimed that Oklahoma Joe's, another KC barbecue place, was far superior. Both were accountants, so take that for what it's worth, but they assured us that Oklahoma Joe's was not an Oklahoma restaurant chain but instead an authentic KC barbecue joint located in -- of all places -- a gas station. Perhaps it will be KC Explorer's next stop in the Battle of the BBQ.
In fact, barbecue will be a consistent theme here at the KC Explorer, so much so that we'll have a segment entitled: "Battle of the BBQ." Each time we explore a new barbecue joint, we'll give a general review of the place, as well as a rating in four separate categories: the overall taste, the tenderness of the meat, the quality of the sauce, and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Each category will be given one to five "hogs" with "five hogs" being the highest ranking.
One final note before our battle begins, the objective here is not to obsess over which KC BBQ place is the best (as we'll find out, different joints have different loyalists). The point is to explore, and enjoy, barbecue in Kansas City... however, if our exploration gives rise to a bit of healthy debate, well that's just all in good fun.
And now, without further ado, we thought the best first-step to our exploration of Kansas City barbecue was to go to the place where it all started. Welcome to...
Arthur Bryant's
"The best damn restaurant in the world."
"The best damn restaurant in the world."
Arthur Bryant's has a direct lineage with the first true barbecue joint in Kansas City. In the early 1900s a man by the name of Henry Perry, later dubbed "The Barbecue King," started selling barbecue from a stand on Banks Street, just a few blocks away from the old Municipal Baseball Field. Perry had a young "apprentice" by the name of Charlie Bryant. In 1931, Charlie's little brother, Arthur, having just finished college, came to visit Charlie in Kansas City and never left. Arthur learned the barbecue business from Perry and his brother, and eventually opened what's now known all around the U.S. as the most famous barbecue joint in the country. The restaurant was always beloved by locals, but after Calvin Trillin, a columnist for The New Yorker, wrote that Arthur Bryant's was "the best damn restaurant in the world," the little barbecue shop had national fame. Presidents Truman and Carter stopped by for a bite, as well as countless famous actors.*  |
| Danny Glover, stopping in for some BBQ before filming Lethal Weapon 17 |
The Kansas City Explorer stopped by on a Saturday night and unsurprisingly, there was a significant line at the counter. We were immediately impressed by the authenticity of the place. There were no frills: no fancy lighting, no menus flashing on a flat panel TV and no cartoon mascots of the animal we were about to eat. Just a good ol' fashion barbecue joint. The menu was simple, essentially you can choose from ribs, burnt ends or a selection of other meats over white bread. We felt like it lacked some type of signature dish with a creative name like most barbecue places have, but it seemed to fit with the no-nonsense theme of the place. Orders are placed with cooks across a window and customers can see straight into the kitchen while guiding their plates along the counter to the cashier. While our party ordered a variety of dishes, for the purposes of ranking our categories we'll examine the dish made famous at Arthur Bryant's: the Burnt Ends.  |
| Burnt ends were created when Arthur decided to pile up scraps of charred meat customers could pile on a plate... for free |
Apparently, Gates (another famous restaurant here in KC) refuses to serve burnt ends, claiming they don't like to burn their meat. Bad move. These ends are good and when burnt, they're even better, earning a "Taste" score of three and a half hogs. We did notice that the meat was a bit fatty in certain bites, which limited the "Tenderness" score.
There were a selection of sauces at each table and in efforts to remain uniform, we scored the Arthur Bryant's original sauce. The original sauce earned only two hogs; it was a bit grainy for our liking, though the flavor was good. Our favorite sauce was the "Sweet Heat." Like the name implies, it hit the perfect mix of sweet KC flavor and spicy BBQ kick. The food was excellent, and finding our favorite combo of meat and sauce will warrant a trip back, but the Kansas City Explorer's favorite thing about this place is the atmosphere. The pictures of famous visitors accent the restaurant's history, but the location still looks like a 1950s barbecue joint should: simple, bright and all about the food. So basically, if you're looking for solid Kansas City barbecue, look no further than where it all started: Arthur Bryant's. Now, it's worth mentioning that two members of our dining group adamantly claimed that Oklahoma Joe's, another KC barbecue place, was far superior. Both were accountants, so take that for what it's worth, but they assured us that Oklahoma Joe's was not an Oklahoma restaurant chain but instead an authentic KC barbecue joint located in -- of all places -- a gas station. Perhaps it will be KC Explorer's next stop in the Battle of the BBQ.
NEXT POSTING TEASER: Next time, however, we'll move on from barbecue. Instead we'll examine one of the best places in KC to find a good deal on high quality wine... and a way to get to taste before you buy. Hint: the location-to-be-blogged is NOT your neighborhood Hy-vee Wine and Spirits.
*The Grand Barbecue: A Celebration of the History, Places, Personalities and Techniques of Kansas City Barbecue, by Doug Worgul was consulted in researching for this blog. It is a great publication and, if you're ever interested in reading up on KC BBQ, it can be found at your local library.
*The Grand Barbecue: A Celebration of the History, Places, Personalities and Techniques of Kansas City Barbecue, by Doug Worgul was consulted in researching for this blog. It is a great publication and, if you're ever interested in reading up on KC BBQ, it can be found at your local library.
If you go to Oklahoma Joe's go to the original location, not the Olathe one. I thought the original location was better.
ReplyDeleteLove your posting! Makes me want to go eat BBQ! I agree with Geiger- you must go the the original Oklahoma Joe's for the full experience.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'll make sure to head to the original Joe's for the next installment of Battle of the BBQ; thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice post. I dig the historical information, the only thing you need to do is make sure you let me know when you go to OK Joe's so I can go with.
ReplyDelete