Oklahoma Joe's BBQ

Okay, okay.  You know about Oklahoma Joe's.  I mean, Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the world, right?  So if you live within a 75 mile radius of KC, there's little chance that you haven't heard about this landmark.  

World-renowned chef, author and travel-guru Anthony Bourdain featured Oklahoma Joe's in a recent article in Men's Health magazine about the "13 Places to Eat Before You Die."  This world is a big place and there are LOTS of restaurants that serve ridiculously good food.  Bourdain's list includes elBulli, a Spanish goliath which offers a 34-course tasting menu and Thomas Keller's Per Se and The French Laundry, both American iconic restaurants.  To be on this list is special.  Bourdain knows his food.

There is always an ongoing debate about who has the best BBQ in Kansas City.  You have Gates, Arthur Bryant's, LC's, Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe's and a myriad of others.  In my opinion, you simply cannot beat Oklahoma Joe's.  From the atmosphere to the food to the sauce, it is the best in KC.

I love to hear the reaction of people when they find out that the best BBQ in KC is in a gas station.  No, not a building made for Oklahoma Joe's designed to look like a gas station, but an actual working gas station. 

Joe's does have another location in Olathe, which seats more and has that restaurant-feel but if you haven't been and you are planning on trying Joe's, you have to first eat at the original location.

One of the things about Oklahoma Joe's is that there is always a line.  It doesn't matter whether it is 11:00 a.m. in the morning or 8:00 p.m. at night.  They are always busy.  Our most recent visit was on a Saturday around noon.  Not suprising, the line was out the door.  However,  they do a great job of moving people through the line and what looks like a monumental line ends up being about a 25-30 minute wait.

  

So, what do I like at Oklahoma Joe's?  I'm partial to pulled pork regardless of the BBQ joint.  Easy enough, right? Wrong.  They don't just have a pulled pork sandwich. They also have the Carolina Style (which is the original sandwich with spicy slaw) and the Hog Heaven (sliced sausage and pulled pork). 

And while they have amazing pulled pork sandwiches, they also offer smoked turkey, smoked ham, or smoked sausage sandwiches. Or you can go for the Z-Man, which is their sliced, smoked brisket, topped with two onion rings and melted provolone cheese.  It is as good as it sounds.  What about their ribs, which are fall of the bone tender?  Or their smoked chicken which is moist and flavorful. Too many choices. What to order?  

After 20 minutes of going back and forth, I decided against all of them. Yep, that's right.  Instead, I pulled a fast one and ordered the "off the menu" pulled pork Z-Man.  It's their pulled pork sandwich, Z-Man style. Didn't know you could do that, huh?  Well, you can and it is awesome. The pulled pork has a perfect smoky flavor that isn't overpowering.  Add in an order of their self-proclaimed "best fries in KC" and you have one heck of a lunch.  

On Saturdays, and only on Saturdays, they offer burnt ends.  For those of you who don't know, a burnt end is created by smoking a brisket low and slow. When the brisket is done cooking, the point ("B") is cut away from the flat ("A") and is put back into the smoker to cook even more. 

What you have when you remove the point from the smoker is an incredibly juicy yet perfectly charred piece of meat. The point is cut into cubes, which have a crunchy "burnt" outside but a tender inside that literally melts in your mouth. 

On this particular Saturday, our friends ordered the burnt ends and ribs lunch.  Pair that with a couple of pieces of buttered Texas toast, some potato salad and a cold Boulevard Wheat and you have a meal. A man's meal.  And a delicious one at that. 

I'm not sure I can rave about this place enough.  It is really really really good.  I am proud to live in the BBQ mecca and am more than happy to wait 30 minutes to eat.  And after reading this, you probably didn't see or learn anything you didn't already know (well, except for the existence of the pulled pork Z-Man).  But when a BBQ joint is this good, people talk.  And people flock. 

Anthony Bourdain stated it best when describing this place. "It's the best BBQ in Kansas City, which makes it the best BBQ in the world."  Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Oklahoma Joe's BBQ

3002 W. 47th Avenue

Kansas City, Kansas 66103

913.722.3366

11950 South Strang Line Road

Olathe, Kansas 66062

913.782.6858

http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/

Taste

In recent years, one of the biggest fads in the restaurant business has been the introduction of Tapas bars to the U.S.  I guess the saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" holds true here because tapas bars have been popping up everywhere.

For those of you who aren't familiar with tapas, they are "small plates" or appetizer sized portions which are served both hot and cold.  Tapas originate from Spain, where it was a habit to place a piece of bread or meat on top of one's wine glass to keep out insects.  This edible "lid"served as the precursor to the modern-day Spanish tapa.

When I studied in Barcelona, we'd frequent tapas bars with regularity.  When I returned home, I explained to my grandparents of all of my visits to these "tapas bars."  They looked at me with disgust and I couldn't figure out why they felt the way they did.  After explaining what they were, they were relieved to know that I didn't spend my time abroad visiting "topless bars."

One restaurant that we recently visited which offers these delectable "small plates" is Taste, which is located in downtown Overland Park. 

Everytime I have eaten at a tapas bar or "small plates" restaurant, I have always found it amusing as to the order of which the food is served.  Since technically all of the dishes are appetizer portions, it doesn't really matter when you get each dish but it never fails that the "sweeter" dishes make it out at the beginning or middle and the savory dishes at the end.  Such is life.

We "started" with the Appetizer Plate (which ironically came out 3rd), and it consisted of traditional hummus, a white bean salad with goat cheese spread and an olive tapenade. 

The white bean salad and goat cheese spread was fantastic, plus who doesn't enjoy creating their own bruschetta.

The next dish, which we thoroughly enjoyed, was the braised short rib with a sweet potato hash and bacon viniagrette.  Being from the Midwest, I really enjoy a well cooked piece of red meat.  The more tender the better in my opinion.  If you know anything about short ribs, they are not tender pieces of meat.  That is, until they are cooked for a very long time.  Braising is a method by which the meat is typically quickly seared over high heat.  Then a type of liquid is added (stock, wine, etc.) and the temperature is cranked down to low.  The slow cooking process breaks down tough connective tissue and leaves a tender, juicy piece of meat.

This particular short rib may have been removed from the pot a bit too early because it wasn't as tender as I would have liked it.  However, it paired beautifully with the sweet potato hash and the warm bacon viniagrette.  I'd definitely order it again.

The third dish we ordered was the baked Lobster Mac & Cheese.  This type of dish just calls out to me.  I am a glutton for lobster and I dare you to find someone who doesn't like mac and cheese.  In fact, I don't think such a person exists. 


As excited as we were for this dish, it really failed to live up to our expectations.  When I think of mac and cheese, I want a creamy and cheesy dish, not a bland sticky pasta dish which tastes like it was made days ago.  Unfortunately, we got the latter. 

This just wasn't all that impressive.  While the pasta did have a hint of seafood, no lobster was present.  A small piece of lobster on top of the pasta was the only thing that distinguished this dish from regular ol' mac and cheese.  Unfortunately, at $13, I think the restaurant won this battle.

Our final dish was the Shiitake Mushroom Rangoon Pillows with Sweet Chili sauce.  These things are GOOD!  What the mac and cheese lacked in flavor, the rangoon pillows made up for and then some.

These are basically sauteed shiitake mushrooms mixed with a creamy cheese and wrapped in phyllo paper.  They are topped with a sweet and savory sauce that I could drink by the glass.  While these are meant for an appetizer, we usually get them as our dessert because of their sweetness.

I really can't describe in enough detail how good these are.  They just might be my favorite "appetizer" in the entire city.  In fact, we usually end up eating an order of them and then re-ordering another plate.  You have to try these!

I'm sure you have seen tapas restaurants throughout the city and beyond.  The reason that I love them is because I am able to try so many different items on the menu.  And that bodes well for me since I often have a difficult time picking my meal because of the multitude of options.

I suggest you head over to downtown Overland Park and give Taste a try.  They often have live music on the weekends as well.  Great value, good food and a nice atmosphere awaits. 

Taste

7938 Santa Fe Drive

Overland Park, Kansas 66204

913.766.0320