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Kansas City is famous the world over for its barbeque. It all started in the early 1920s, when Henry Perry, the "Father of KC Barbeque," began selling barbeque that he'd cooked in an outdoor pit, wrapped in newspaper. Others emulated Perry's style, and the rest is history. Every local has his or her own favorite joint, but the undisputed "Big Three" of KC barbeque are Arthur Bryant's (1727 Brooklyn Ave.), Gate's (3205 Main St.), and Fiorella's Jack Stack(13441 Holmes Rd., near 135th St.). Though Kansas City barbeque is all slow-smoked, usually over hickory wood, each establishment has its own special recipe for meats and sauce. No matter where you go, make sure you try the KC's defining delicacy: burnt ends (the dry, blackened ends of the brisket).
You won't get stellar service, you won't have to dig very deep—prices range from $8 to $15 at all barbeque joints. The American Royal BBQ Contest (www.americanroyal.com) is a two-day festival held in the West Bottoms neighborhood each October. It's the largest amateur competition of its kind in the world, and it's a great way to sample a lot of local flavor in one stop.
Paintings by local artists, bronzed walls, linen tablecloths, and candles set the tone at this intimate midtown restaurant. House specialties include sliced chicken breast layered with spicy ham, Alfredo sauce, and cheddar cheese; steaks; and a range of elegantly prepared fish. There's entertainment on weekends.
Named 2007 Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation, Chef Celina Tip serves up a menu priced by course and organized by The Ocean, Land & Sky, and Sweets. Tip fuses contemporary technique with traditional American cuisine; try the olive oil–poached halibut, or horseradish–encrusted rib-eye steak. This midtown dining room has broad views of the Kansas City skyline.
The menu changes monthly at this local favorite, but you can always count on Swiss favorites like the cheese pie and the cheese, onion, and bacon quiche. Try the chocolate torte and European-style pastries, served in this chalet-style building just south of the Country Club Plaza. This is a non-smoking café.
Although there are more than 100 barbecue joints in Kansas City, Bryant's—low on decor but high on taste—tops the list for locals, who don't mind standing in long lines to order at the counter.
A bright blue facade and yellow door stand as beacons among dignified Victorian homes on this prominent corner just west of downtown. Inside, exposed brick walls and linen-covered tables play host to a menu featuring locally grown and organic ingredients. The rich bison burger melts in your mouth, as does the signature Blue Bird Salad, with its crumbled Maytag blue cheese, toasted pine nuts, candied red onions, and house–prepared blueberry vinaigrette.
Try the filet mignon or the grilled salmon with soy vinaigrette at this laid-back restaurant with a California feel in trendy Westport, 10 minutes south of Downtown. Open-air dining is on multilevel, terraced decks.
Celebrity photos line the walls of this Italian restaurant's intimate dining room on the north side of the city. Southern Italian fare dominates the menu; the restaurant has served more than 2 million helpings of its famous lasagna since it opened in 1954.
Just north of downtown, Chappell's is best known for meat entrées like the London broil and burgers, but it also serves lighter sandwiches and soups in an exceedingly casual, sports-bar environment. Chappell's houses the country's largest private collection of sports memorabilia displayed in a restaurant. A kids' menu keeps the little ones happy.
Situated on a busy Westport corner, this quaint eatery serves a variety of sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, the most popular of which are the "scramblefuls" and "potatofuls" (fried eggs or potatoes cooked with your choice of extras).
A casual dining room with celebrity autographs on the wall offers such dishes as tortellini Gina (stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, and chicken) and chicken spiedini (skewered, rolled in bread crumbs, and grilled with your choice of marinade).
This café at the east end of Country Club Plaza has an English setting with a botanical theme. Dishes include fish, steaks, and pork served with Grand St. whipped potatoes, a house specialty. There are no walls separating the kitchen from the dining room, so you can watch your food being prepared. There's open-air dining and a Sunday brunch featuring a breakfast bar guests can peruse while they wait for their entrées.
Traditional Cajun fare mixes with a variety of specialty pastas at this lively and boisterous downtown eatery. Neon lights together with zydeco, blues, and jazz performances give it the appeal of a Bourbon Street nightspot. Live music is presented every night.
An authentic tile-studded interior and open-air front patio help set the scene for savoring the hot and cold Spanish tapas served in traditional small portions at this eatery, a longtime local favorite. A generous happy hour runs from 2 to 6 pm Monday through Friday, featuring half-off on all tapas and drinks.
The fine dining menu at this come-as-you-are River Market area eatery offers a daily entrée chalkboard and two pages of hors d'oeuvres. The bohemian atmosphere compliments the Frog's contemporary French cuisine, which is rooted in traditional Provençal technique. Favorites include steak au poivre and filet mignon with lobster topped with a beef demi-glace and Boursin cheese sabayon.
Northern Italian cuisine, such as veal with spinach tagliatelle, is the house specialty in classic restaurant operated by Lidia Bastianich, New York chef and star of TV's Lidia's Italian-American Cooking on PBS. Locals flock to Lidia's for Sunday brunch, which features an antipasti course, entré menu, and dessert buffet.
Southern soul food—fried chicken and catfish, crawfish, cornbread dressing and collard greens—is the order of the day at Peachtree's two locations. Try the original buffet at 6800 Eastwood Freeway, or the newer location in the 18th & Vine Historic District. Top it all off with the house specialty: homemade peach cobbler. There's live entertainment Thursday through Sunday.
Honored with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, this Plaza steakhouse prepares double-cut lamp chops that are just as succulent as its menu's many beef selections. All meat entrées are served with your choice of diable, béarnaise, or beef pan gravy, and accompaniments are offered à la carte.
Nestled in Country Club Plaza's Raphael Hotel, this roomy European-style dining room is known for its New Zealand lamp chops and its rotating, prix fixe menu that features special wine pairings. There's live entertainment on weekends. There's also a brunch on Sunday.
This sprawling building on Kansas City's north side was once the first stagecoach stop for travelers on their way to St. Joseph. After feasting on fried chicken and homemade pies, take a stroll around the grounds, complete with ponds, geese, and swans.
Smack-dab in the middle of the aging yet charming flea market that gives it its name, this burger joint and bar is a hang-out for colorful regulars. The juicy burgers are made to order, and there are myriad beers on tap with which to wash them down.
