Uncommon Stock is an interesting place.  It’s owned by the same people that run Happy Gillis in the garage behind the restaurant.  It’s a “take and bake” type of place.  You walk in, place your order and take the soup home to reheat it.  Uncommon Stock is only open from 10am to 4pm Friday and Saturday and from 10am to 2pm on Sunday.  I wish that they would remain open until 5:30 on Fridays, that way those of us who still work downtown could pick up a quart before heading home.  At this point it seems that 3 different soups will be prepared each weekend. You can find out what soup’s on by checking out their web page each week.

I have tried four of the soups so far, first up, Lentil Soup with Autumn Vegetables and Sausage.  The sausage was crumbled into really tiny pieces, the vegetables were cut into tiny cubes as well; you could tell that someone had gone to a lot of work.  The vegetables hadn’t been cooked to mush; they were still slightly firm, which I like.  It had a great flavor, and a slight kick.  I would definitely buy this one again.    

I have also tried the Slow Cooked Beef and Toasted Barley Soup a classic, comfort soup. The ingredients were listed as: Tender butcher’s cut beef, pearled barley, onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, garlic, fresh herbs, rich stock, a splash of orange juice, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

They suggested pairing this soup with a warm baguette and soft, high quality butter with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. It was also sugguested that this selection would pair nicely with a Belgian Ale.

The tender butcher’s cut beef turned out to be ground sirloin. I was surprised and disappointed.  To me it was like eating a “loose meat” sandwich with vegetables in it, in a thin hamburger juice broth, not the "rich stock" I was expecting.  I guess I’m just not used to having hamburger in my soup.  It wasn’t that it was bad; I guess I was just expecting something different in a heartier beef broth. 

I’m going to continue checking this place’s website this winter.  I love the concept, high quality “home-made” soup to go.  I just have to reheat and eat.  It makes an easy Sunday night dinner.

Lidia's Italy - Kansas City

I am a big fan of Arancini.  At Lidia’s they are stuffed with Lobster, ever so lightly breaded and plated on a bed of pureed corn, drizzled with basil oil.  There aren’t words in the English language that can adequately describe the pleasure I receive by eating these.  Add a glass of wine, a few friends and/or family members that you love and they launch the start of a perfect night of dining out. 

I truly enjoy everything about Lidia’s; the setting in an old freight house, the atmosphere that the designers have created with the space, including the wisteria and mandevilla covered trellis that you walk under to the front door, the hand blown glass chandeliers that hang from the ceiling and the interesting way in which the space is divided to create more intimacy. 

I always order the Pasta Trio; mostly because I like pasta but also because I love the whir of activity that surrounds the table when the guys bring out the still sizzling skillets filled with pasta that they scoop directly onto your plate.  They will bring out more if you like, but I never do, I save room for dessert, you should too, their dessert chef just won a “Food and Wine” award.  There are always interesting options, however, one of us always picks something with chocolate that we all share, because as I always tell my son, money can’t buy happiness, but it CAN buy chocolate, so we do, and eat it while sipping a cup of good coffee.

The food here is always good and the service is some of the very best in the city.  I really enjoy spending an evening here eating, talking and laughing.  My son says he wishes that he could live here… yup, we like it that much.  As always, we have a great time, maybe next time you can join us.

Plaza III Steakhouse

Plaza III Steakhouse has a great reputation in town.  It is a place that many people go to celebrate special occasions in their lives.  It was my spouse’s birthday, so I went here on a Sunday evening with my spouse and my 17 year old to celebrate.  I hadn’t been here in years and I must admit that I was surprised.  When we walked in the door on Pennsylvania Street we were immediately greeted by an incredibly unpleasant smell.  It was a very strong distinctive sewer odor, as if theirs had backed up into the basement.  That smell was present in the dining room as well.  I understand that these things happen, so I don’t begrudge them for that, I just think we should have been told, “Hey look, our sewer backed up, you may want to come back in a few days after we have it cleaned up”.  But, my spouse’s heart was set on eating here so we did. 

The next surprise is that it was like stepping back in time.  I don’t think the decor had changed since the last time I was there a few years back, even then it was like a time capsule to 1978 – 1982, with one exception, it looks like hooligans were set loose to beat every surface with sticks and chains.  Everything is now very well worn and in dire need of an update. 

Lastly, the tables are very uncomfortably close together, so it’s more like eating in a bistro than an upscale steakhouse.  We could hear the conversations of everyone around us, which was uncomfortable for all.  The worst offender was a man, probably in his 80’s, sitting in the far corner by the windows that face Ward Parkway.  He needed to turn his hearing aid up.  He was making scandalously crass remarks about other diners in the establishment, some of which were racist.  He was doing this at full volume; everyone had to be able to hear him.  Luckily for the other diners, all those who were being viciously, verbally attacked, graciously ignored him and didn’t create a scene. 

Looking around the room, I noticed that nearly everyone was of retirement age (or getting there fast); we were the second youngest couple there.  The youngest couple was seated next to us but demanded to be moved.  They refused to sit at any table they were offered and were finally seated in a back room all by themselves.  This brings me to my final observation.  They level of pretention in this place is higher than anywhere else I’ve eaten in a long while (again, not Plaza III’s fault).  The fact that I’m not used to being around so many condescending, arrogant, nasty people, along with the fact that the tables are so close together, made this dining experience unpleasant.  The saving grace, I was with the two people I love most (and I drank the better portion of a bottle of wine).

The food wasn’t amazing by any means, it was just average, the service however was great.  The wait staff here earns every penny.  The patrons are people I’m glad that I don’t know.  I think it will be a while before I return.

Opera House Coffee and Food Emporium

This is a very interesting and eclectic place both foodwise as well as atmospherewise. First foodwise, it is a collection of three main businesses. A  coffeehouse, a bakery and a grill that serves burgers and tacos and the like; breakfast is also available.



Paleo Burger





Bacon Cheese Burger



The grill is called the Paleo Grill (as in Paleolithic), there was a well worn book propped up on a stand on the order counter entitled “The Paleo Diet for Athletes”.  In case you are not familiar with this diet, it’s based on a very simple principle, if the cavemen didn’t eat it; you probably have no business eating it either. Relax, they aren’t going to force you to eat this way, they have two menus.  The Paleo Menu is seasonal and changes based on the availability of the farm to table items.  This makes me wonder about sourcing during winter, but I guess we have something that the cave men didn't; freezers.  Is freezing food cheating?  The Paleo Grill guarantees that all of their meat and produce is certified naturally grown on a farm.  This means that the farmers did not use chemical pesticides or herbicides.  The animals used for meat were grass fed and not injected with antibiotics, steroids or growth hormones.  I like that idea a lot!  My spouse ordered a burger, sting beans and a side of guacamole from the Paleo Menu.  It was alright, but not amazing by any means.  I tried a bacon cheese burger and the pork carnitas from the regular menu.  I liked the pork carnitas, the marinade had a nice flavor and they were very juicy.  The bacon cheese burger was ok, but both of us thought the bun tasted odd, it was sweet, and that made it a no for me. 

We had two items for dessert from the Bake Haus bakery.  A macaroon and a lemon bar.  Both were good and went down well with a cup of coffee from the Classic Rock Coffee Company.    

The atmosphere is trashy chic done very well, an eclectic mix of industrial and urban modern loaded full of vintage bric-a-brac. It seems both hip and homey. Although I sure would hate to be the one to dust all of that stuff, I did enjoy sitting there looking at it.  There is a stage where music is performed, one of the guys there that we presumed to be an owner told us that they have applied for a liquor license and hope to have more live music once their license comes through.  I could see people hanging out there listening to music.  It’s a great concept, complementary businesses sharing a space, I know that we’ve enjoyed the time we spent there both times that we went, but we usually do. Too bad you couldn’t have been there with us.   

  

Local Pig

I first learned about Local Pig while eating at Haus.  Haus’ sausages come from Local Pig.  I hadn’t had exotic wild game sausages like those before so I decided to hunt this place down to see if I could buy some of those sausages myself to make at home for backyard cookouts with friends.  And hunt down we did, this butcher shop is well off the beaten path in the Northeast Industrial District, below the bluffs, south of the river and east of I-35.  Local Pig touts that they select only hormone, steroid and antibiotic free meats, most of which are raised near the city.  I like that.  I also liked the helpful guys working there on a Sunday morning. 

I chose a few pounds of bacon burger, hamburger with bacon ground into it, so ingenious in its simplicity that I had one of those “Why didn’t I ever think of that?”moments.  I’ve wrapped burgers with bacon, cooked bacon separately and placed it on top of the burger, but I had never thought about grinding the bacon into the beef so that it is thoroughly and evenly mixed.  The end result after grilling was an amazingly delicious bacon flavored burger.  We also requested 2” bone-in pork chops.  I’ve always liked going to the butcher since I was a kid.  It was always cool to see them picking up those big chunks of meat and either slicing or grinding it per request and then wrapping it in white butcher paper.  The Local Pig wraps theirs in the same white butcher paper but then places them in a cardboard box tied shut with twine.  Nice touch.   We ate the burgers for lunch and the 2” bone-in pork chops for dinner making us gluttonous local pigs ourselves.  

   

There are several great locally owned and operated butcher shops carving up a quality product that are much easier to get to.  I like Local Pig because they offer classes.  They offer a class that teaches you how to butcher a pig from snout to tail as well as one that teaches you how to make sausage.  Being a lifetime learner, I really like that.  The whole hog butchering class is probably a bit much for this city boy to handle, but I’m planning to get some guys together to go to the sausage making class, I think it would be a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, I’m sure we’ll have fun there, just as we always do, maybe this time you can be there with us.

Parkville on the Med

Odd little place, it seems that it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be.  The facade from 9 Highway looks like a decaying riverboat.  When you walk in, you walk down a hallway that has little rooms on the left with windows so that you can see that they are stuffed full of Native American paraphernalia.  A hand written sign on each window reads; “Not for sale, for display only.”  The dining area is a large, rather open area with a bar in the center surrounded by booths and tables.  There is an eclectic menu offering, American or Mediterranean cuisine. 

Our little trio tried the Chicken Noodle soup and the Lentil soup.  Both were very good and obviously house made.  The celery and carrots in my chicken soup were still a bit firm, I liked that.  The chicken had a nice flavor as did the broth, although it had slightly too much cracked black pepper for my taste.

I went with the Chicken Kebab.  It was served over saffron rice.  The pieces of chicken were huge, nicely seasoned, juicy and tender.   

My 17 year old chose Lahamei Pasta as his entrée.  It is lamb (you can also choose beef), with tomatoes,
onions and green peppers over linguine pasta in a zesty tomato fresh garlic dill sauce.  This sounded like it would be spicy, but it turned out to be sweet.  He didn’t like it and ate a couple of pieces of my chicken and the tomatoes from my plate instead. 

My spouse had the Be Dejaj.   It is the same marinated grilled chicken that I had on my kebab, so it was good.  It also comes with tomatoes, onions and green peppers but is served over Humus or Baba Ghanouj instead of saffron rice.  My spouse asked to have it served over half Humus and half Baba Ghanouj.  We enjoyed eating it with the pita wedges provided.

The only thing we did not like here was their house wine.  I had a Cab and my spouse a Merlot.  Both were beyond awful.  It’s as if they had been uncorked and left to sit out for a week.  Mine tasted like it had gone to vinegar.  I took three sips and left it.  My spouse’s was no better.  This must not be a wine drinker’s place… 

Although this isn’t may favorite Mediterranean place.  The food is not bad.  I will admit that my favorite item was the chicken noodle soup.  I wanted to buy a quart of it to take home.  The lentil soup is also good as was the chicken on this visit.

We had a great time here, just like we always do.  I wish you could have been here with us.

Are you Greatful?

I admit, I went here for my spouse, I wasn’t too excited to go to a place with an all vegan menu, in fact, I haven’t been to a place with an all vegan menu before but I found several Items on the menu that I liked.

The place is interesting and very “new age-y”, for example, our waitress came over to our table and told us the topic of conversation for the day was “Who inspires you” and encouraged us to discuss this topic amongst ourselves.  Now I have observed obviously married couples who sit across from each other in a restaurant and do not utter a single word to each other for their entire meal.  This may be helpful for them; they won’t have to stare at their plates, other diners, or risk almost falling out of their chairs because they are leaning over so far with their heads cocked to the side, straining to eavesdrop upon our conversations.  Seriously, it happens nearly every time we are out.  To those who are most blatant, one of us will look directly at them and ask them a question and try to draw them in to the conversation.  After all, they were already listening, they may as well engage, and most do.  It makes our outings even more fun.  Anyway, interesting idea and not one I’ve seen elsewhere, maybe it will save a few relationships.

Some items are listed as “live” on the menu, I asked the waitress what that meant (these are plants after all, once you harvest them, aren’t they dead)? It means that they weren’t heated above 115 degrees and therefore keep most of their nutrients and flavor. Many ingredients are organically grown locally at a farm named “Be Love Too”. Okay, so the name is a little odd, but I like the organically grown locally part.  I’m a big proponent of the whole eat local craze, at best, it is hopefully making me healthier, at least, it is supporting local family farmers and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.   

To drink, I ordered the “I AM EFFERVESCENT” (see I told you the place was “new age-y”) This concoction is house made ginger-ale served on ice with fresh ginger juice, lemon juice and agave topped with sparkling water.  I liked it, it was VERY “ginger-y”, if you like eating very sharp ginger snaps around the holidays, you’ll enjoy this drink.  The "served on ice" part is important.  You get a bottle of room temperature water on your table which is poured into glasses without ice.  "It’s better for your digestion".

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

My spouse ordered two items to drink; the first was some wheat grass concoction that was a deep green color and the second was a shot of “I AM ENLIVENED” which is live Klamath Lake blue green algae.  What would possess people to drink pureed Oregon lake moss is beyond me.  My spouse told me that this particular algae from this particular lake was supposed to have powerful therapeutic effects. I just kept thinking about what kind of diseases you could catch from ingesting it.  What did it taste like?  Please! What do you think pureed lake moss tastes like?  It pretty much tastes like it smells, so if you like the smell, you'll love the taste.

For an appetizer we had the “I AM CONNECTED” which was sprouted almond hummus & homemade crackers.  The crackers had a base of shredded carrots and were totally encrusted on both sides with sesame seeds.  Our waitress told us that they dehydrate the mixture and that’s what makes them crunchy.  I don’t know if the hummus was good.  It was served ice cold and after three bites, I could no longer taste anything but the large amount of hot sauce that someone had stirred into it.  Bummer.



wrap





I am humble



For an entrée, I had the “I AM HUMBLE”, which is Indian curried lentils over quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah, according to the waitress) with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes, drizzled with a spicy mint chutney.  I had never had quinoa before, at least not that I remember, to me, quinoa can best be described this way; If couscous could procreate, their infants would be quinoa (they seemed like baby couscous to me).  This was okay, but again, it had so much hot sauce in it that I couldn’t feel my tongue or the roof of my mouth after about the fourth bite.  I also burned the back of my throat and esophagus.  To me, this ruins the entire enjoyment of eating, why eat if you can taste nothing.  I only ended up eating half of it.  Maybe this stuff is awful and they hide that fact by making it mouth-burning spicy. My spouse had a wrap which was advertised as live.  It went half eaten as well.   

For Dessert, we shared a lemon, poppy seed pie which was nearly flavorless.  But maybe it only seemed that way because my taste buds had been deadened by the hot sauce in my meal.  The poppy seeds served no purpose other than being annoying objects that became stuck in my teeth.  I wouldn't order this again.

Anyway, we had fun together, just like we always do.  I wish you could have been there with us.   

That's Amore!

I've been coming here for 20+ years for the Spiedini alla Garozzo. It is one of the best chicken spiedini dishes that I have had anywhere I've been.  For those who may not know, spiedini is sort of like an Italian kebab.  In Kansas City, I would rate it number two after the spiedini made by the proprietors of Sorrento's Italian Restaurant in Riverside.  If you don't like garlic, don't order the Spiedini alla Garozzo, try one of the other spiedini dishes instead. They serve six variations, four made with chicken, one with beef and one with veal. My spouse’s favorite is the “Samantha”, it is chicken spiedini served on fettuccine with artichoke hearts and alfredo sauce. 

The Spiedini is the only food item that I think is great here. I like my pasta to be al dente and the pasta here is mushy, so I won't eat it and their red sauce is too sweet for me. I've never been to the suburban eateries, only the original. I come here for the Spiedini and the atmosphere.  It is incredibly dark, (I have to use my iPhone as a flashlight to see the wine list).  There is music from the Rat Pack playing in the back ground, you know, Dean-o and Frank favorites like "Come fly with me", "That's amore", "Ain't that a kick in the head", etc.  The owner, Michael, walks around and interacts with his customers, I love that!  It feels very comfortable here so I like to hang-out here, drinking wine and enjoying the time with my friends and family.

Family Style Comfort Food in a Historic Setting



 With 178 years of continuous service, J. Huston Tavern is one of the oldest restaurants west of the Mississippi River in continuous operation.  The Tavern is currently managed in conjunction with Hospitality & Tourism Management students at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.  Our waitress (who actually attends NWMS in Maryville) was working there as part of her internship.  She hopes to open her own bakery specializing in cupcakes upon graduation.  The tavern is just one of several old buildings in this historic town on the National Register.  In fact, the entire village of Arrow Rock has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  It’s very quaint. 

 

The restaurant is quite busy on the weekends in summer when the Lyceum

Theatre is in season.  Productions are performed on a stage in a converted and tastefully expanded old Baptist Church.  The professional company has staged productions every year since 1961.

Before the show (Wednesday through Saturday nights and again on Sunday afternoon), people file in to the tavern for dinner (or lunch on Sunday if you are keeping track).  This menu consists of a family-style, all you can eat Fried Chicken and Raspberry-Chipotle Glazed Ham dinner served with mixed fruit, cole slaw and potato salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with ham and onions, buttered corn, and biscuits.  You have a choice between regular and apple butter to spread on your warm biscuits.  The apple butter is very good by the way. 

There is a wide range of house made desserts.  I had the Santa Fe Pie, which is pecan pie “fortified” with oats, coconut and chunks of chocolate.  It was quite good and would have been even better with a cup of fresh brewed coffee.

Arrow Rock is 2 hours and 13 minutes from Kansas City.  It makes a nice weekend out and back trip.  We enjoyed ourselves, just like we always do; I wish you could have been there with us.

KC's Best Wurst?

This place serves up some of Kansas City’s best wurst!  The exotics are my favorites; I hadn’t had Buffalo & Beef Kielbasa Sausage, Elk & Beef Juniper Sausage or Wild Boar & Pork Porcini Sausage before coming here.  They are really very good and keep me coming back.  They are served on a fresh pretzel bun from Farm to Market Bread Company. I love these pretzel buns, but if you eat two sausages, the bread begins to become quite heavy.  You can choose two toppings from the following:  Sauerkraut, Caramelized Onions, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos and Hot Peppers.  I eat mine without toppings, the flavors are that good.  You can also choose a variety of different mustards to squirt on top.  The only side is fries.  You receive a large portion (three of us could have easily shared) but I don’t like theirs.  They also have “Belgian” waffles for dessert.  I was disappointed in these as well.  I was expecting these to be like the ones street vendors serve is Brussels, but they’re not, the ice cream in the description should have been my first clue. 

There are several individual tables to sit at, otherwise you have to sit at picnic tables which is rather off-putting to me, but I get it, it’s supposed to feel like a German Beer Garden.  The outside patio will be great once the bamboo grows in and shields it from the parking lot.

 For you beer aficionados, they have a selection of 20 different beers on tap, and even more in bottles.  The menu is very specific; wurst, beer, fries and a waffle, but it works.  We have fun when we come here, just like we always do…

Magnolia's Contemporary Southern Bistro

I really enjoy going out for breakfast.  Magnolia’s had 3 items on the menu that I wanted to try, so I made it a mission to get there to try them.  From the outside, it doesn’t exactly have a lot of street appeal, which made the inside a nice surprise, I was expecting a dive, what I found was a cheery space painted a soft yellow.  

 

Magnolia’s is made up of two small dining rooms, you walk into the first which contains six tables that seat four and one that seats two.  The second dining room is smaller.  It has a very long table in the window that seats 8, a four top and a 2 top, so it’s a pretty intimate space.  The tables are covered in white table cloths with a long piece of white paper on top.  Each table also had 3 freshly cut purple carnations.  Nice.  Around the tables are black metal and plastic chairs, the kind that you can rent for weddings.  These worry me; I’ve seen many a disaster involving these types of chairs and let’s say… Kansas City’s hefty set… whereby someone sits down only to have the chair collapse under their weight.  The music stops, everyone is quiet.  People try to help the person up as murmuring ensues.  Once the person is back up, the music starts again and everyone politely pretends like nothing ever happened.  Ok, right now, some of you are angry at me, but a few of you are smiling, why, because you’ve been at those same weddings, graduations, birthdays, etc., and you know exactly what I’m talking about.  Oh well, I’m sure those chairs will be switched out over time.

 

We were greeted and seated right away and our server brought a carafe of water to leave on the table as we browsed the menu.  There are only 4 options under the “Breakfast Plate” section of the menu:  “Biscuits and Gravy”, “Nutter Butter French Toast”, “Sweet Potato Pancakes”,” Bacon and Eggs”.  These items are served on Saturdays and Sundays only.  We ordered the Nutter Butter French Toast with cracked pepper bacon and Sweet Potato Pancakes with turkey sausage links.  The French Toast sounded very intriguing to me, it is made with “Farm to Market Bread Company’s” Challah Bread, (at least according to a tweet I read).  I know firsthand that Magnolia’s does use Farm to Market Bread Company’s bread because they received a shipment through the front door while we were there.  The biscuits however were being carried in by a woman from a house across the street, still on the baking sheet.  They truly were homemade!  They looked great; I’ll have to try those the next time.   

                                           



Nutter Butter French Toast



Anyway, back to the French Toast, you receive two pieces of bread, cut in half, and completely covered in finely crushed Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies.  On top of that was a generous helping of house made 

Cap'n Crunch French Toast;
image by Amber Thomas

whipped cream with a little bit of coffee in it.  Wow, very rich.  This is the most innovative French Toast creation that I have seen since trying “The Blue Moon Café’s” Cap’n Crunch French Toast in Baltimore.  The cracked pepper bacon was a good complement to the toast, it added a little heat to all of that sweet.   



Sweet Potato Pancakes



The Sweet Potato Pancakes were really very good.  These tasted almost like eating pumpkin pie because of the spices used, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  I could eat these for dessert.  They looked burned, but weren’t.  They were also very small, but after I started eating them, I was glad.  They were so rich I couldn’t possibly have eaten much more.   

I’m not fond of the coffee here.  I’m pretty sure that it is brewed in one of those machines that you put the little plastic container in that gives you one cup at a time.  Neither of us liked the coffee, but luckily our favorite coffee house, The "Filling Station” is just across the way and we could always go there afterward. 

 

Magnolia’s is not really a breakfast spot.  They don’t open until 10 am.  Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch and their breakfast plates are only served on weekends.  So, I don’t think that it will be a regular on my breakfast rotation.  However, I am coming back to try dinner some evening.  They don’t have a liquor license, but you can bring your own wine or beer.  There is a $10 corkage fee per bottle of wine and a $1 fee per two bottles of beer.   There is a patio behind the building with a small stage; the waiter told us that they hoped to begin having live music on weekends.  It might be fun to hang out here some evening.

I have just a couple of complaints.  One, It was hot inside; it would have been more comfortable if it had been cooler.  Maybe the air conditioner was acting up because there was a floor fan blowing air around.  Two, I don’t think the ventilation system is working well because when we left, we smelled like we had been cooking over hot grease all day.  Really.  Both of these issues are easily remedied and definitely not a reason to not try this place.  All-in-all, we had fun, just like we always do.  I wish that you could have been there with us.

My Favorite KC Barbeque Joint

This is my favorite Barbeque joint in the Kansas City metro area, even though it is in a gas station that is rather out of the way on Mission Road at 47th Avenue in KCK. This is where people who love good barbeque go to eat good barbeque. If you are one of those who want to be seen eating barbeque, you won't go here, you'll go to Jack Stack in the Freight House District (I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that!) Or, you'll go to Arthur Bryant's because Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. did. Hhhh. Go ahead and try those, but be sure and give Oklahoma Joe's a try as well. Seriously, if you are from out-of-town, find this place. If you are in a hurry, call and order take-out. When you get there, don't wait in line, walk right up to the counter and tell them your name. I have taken all of my friends and family members from out of town here, including a large group from Seattle and they all loved it and request it when they return.

This place is almost always busy, and for good reason. The flavor of the food is great. I always get a beef on bun; the beef is very tender and doesn't even need the sauce to make it great. However, their barbeque sauce is one of my favorites in Kansas City. The fries are seasoned and served in waxed paper bags… love them. I also order a side of barbeque beans. Theirs has a mixture of beans, including black, with chunks of various types of meat. These are not my favorite beans, but they're unique and have a good flavor.

I love to eat here. You will see a wide variety of people. At peak times it can be difficult to find a parking spot and the line can be discouraging but don't give up. All of these people are standing, waiting in line for a reason.

Oklahoma Joe’s third restaurant opened on July 5th in the multi-strip-mall madness that is Leawood Town Center. Very conveniently located just south of 117th on Roe, this former TGI Friday’s has never seen this much business! The building’s make-over is very nice. Now those people I know who are too persnickety to eat at the original location at 47th and Mission Road, (Yeah, you know who you are, and yes, I’m calling you out!) will have a place they can go without driving to Olathe. 

Order Queue



Dining Room

There is plenty of parking here; there is also quite a bit more seating. The interior design is industrial chic, with corrugated metal, rot iron and wood. It feels cozy. The order queue snakes along behind a corrugated metal wall to the right of the entrance. The rot iron toppers help shield diners from those waiting to order. This is all very much like the original space. They have a couple of guys stationed at the front door to explain how it all works. I was actually surprised by how many people had never been to an Oklahoma Joe’s before (everyone around us but us). Because there were so many new people experiencing Okie Joe’s for the first time, this is going to be a wonderful spot for them.




Beef on Bun

 Now on to the important stuff, the food, we each had beef on bun with fries and beans. The beef was the same great quality, moist and tender with a great smoky flavor. The fries are the same seasoned fries served in a white paper sack, however, we each complained about the beans. These were runny, sweet and had a dominant green bell pepper flavor; they were also missing their smokiness. It must have been an off night.
Overall, this place is great. I think they have a franchise ready establishment now. As long as they could keep the same quality and flavor, I could definitely see these places popping up all over the country.