We’ve arrived in Kansas City, home of Kansas City-style barbecue. Having only about 24 hours to really get a feel for the local flavour, we started with the super-well known Arthur Bryant’s, made famous in 1974 by Calvin Trillin, who proclaimed it the “Best Restaurant on the Planet.” That’s some bold shoes to fill, there.
Well, Bryant’s turned out to be a serious disappointment. Arthur Bryant himself died in 1982, so maybe something has fallen off in the 25 years since his demise. While the BBQ boys of G.A.S. gave Bryant’s a decent rating of 7.1, they didn’t get past 8 on their scale of 10. So I don’t feel totally alone in questioning the quality of this legendary BBQ joint.
Adding to the quality of the food issue is the value and customer service issue. I eat in a lot of “family owned” BBQ and soul food places, and there seem to be a fair number of restaurants serving those styles where the sky’s the limit on price and the service is “fuck you” oriented. A lot of these places are assembly line cash cows where local or national fame has been leveraged, but the quality of food has dropped off over time, especially at restaurants that continue past the death of their legendary founder. Flossie’s in Los Angeles comes to mind… The insult is furthered by the fact that most of these restaurants have no table service, own their own building or otherwise have much, much lower overhead than many other restaurants.
So when I come to your window, after dealing briefly with your idiosyncratic line-up policy, and announce my intention to plunk down heavy cash for your overpriced and over-hyped food – treat me with some respect. At Bryant’s, I got shit for grabbing a plate and silverware at the beginning of the line, like all the customers in front of me did, as there’s no handy chart telling the public which of your various dishes comes on a self-serve plate, or a kitchen-served plate. The drunk as shit dude who came in while we were eating and stumbled his way through the line, talking at everyone? No one gave him a hard time at all.
above – my open faced pulled pork sandwich, fries and Boulevard Pale Ale. Not the droid I was looking for, I’ll tell you. I went in planning on going for the ribs, but I saw a lot of people order this, and pulled pork is probably my favourite BBQ…
There are three styles of pulled pork that I’m familiar with. The first is “I don’t know what pulled pork is”, sliced pork passed off as pulled pork. The second consists of big chunks of pulled pork, served without sauce. The third consists of pork shredded into mush and doused in sauce. Bryant’s is of the third type, which is not my favourite. I’ve enjoyed it in the past, but this dish was typical of what I tasted at Bryant’s – no depth. It was edible, but it had more in common with wet dog food than it should. The meat didn’t have any real flavour, and the whole thing really required a dousing in sauce to have any character. While I’m expecting BBQ in Kansas City to be sauce-oriented, this stuff had no life outside of the sauce (like bad French food). They were generous with the white bread, though.
The fries were excellent, but as Michele pointed out during our meal, “Anyone can do good fries.” She’s right – I’m not coming here for the fries.
The beer, a Boulevard Pale Ale from a local brewery, was a decent beer, smooth, slightly hoppy, but far from IPA territory. Light in both flavour and gravity, it was easy to drink. The only bad thing I can say about it was the size of the mug – skimpy. I might have gotten another, despite the poor value, but I didn’t care to deal with the staff again, even the register and beverage girl who was kind of nice.
above – Michele’s coke, beans fries and brisket sandwich. The beans were beany, not candy sweet, but more smokey and meaty than some others. I felt they could have cooked a little longer to suit my taste, but they weren’t bad. That coke is big, but it’s mostly ice.
Michele is a brisket person, and I’ve never seen her less interested in brisket. I should have taken a picture of the disassembled sandwich, so you could see the quality of the meat. This brisket is from the “find the fattiest piece of meat you can find, cook the shit out of it, just shy of not being moist, and pile it too the moon variety. Maybe they’re trying to get the most out of their cuts, and brisket should have some fat on it, but this brisket barely passed my test, and I’m not fat-shy like Michele is. Having no real discernible smoke ring, I was pretty disappointed with the flavour of the meat as well. It’s not that it was bad, it’s just that it wasn’t there, there was no depth to the flavour of the food. When we left, we abandoned a half plate of brisket, and I’m notorious for finishing my food and then moving on to everyone else’s. After tasting both their pulled pork and their brisket, I really don’t have much interest in tasting their other meats.
The Damage – Neither I nor Michele got out of Bryant’s for less than $13, and that’s just for sandwiches and a drink. A rack of ribs here, plain, will set you back $17 before tax and beverage, a serious investment. With scores of BBQ joints on deck in Kansas City, I’d say just avoid Arthur Bryant’s – while it’s not a culinary apocalypse, you can certainly do better. Kansas City barbecue is famous for it’s sauce, and the original sauce at Arthur Bryant’s was a gritty, spicy mess – beware the sauce. There was this excellent chariot parked outside, though.
Technorati Tags: BBQ, barbecue, food, review, food review, Kansas City, Arthur Bryant’s
Sorry your visit was a disappointment. If you are still in town try Smokin’ Joes Oklahoma BBQ on the Kansas Side.
There’s a new/old place out in Downtown Lee’s Summit called Beauchamps on the Rail. It’s hard to get to because of road construction but I had the short end there a few nights ago and thought it was pretty good.
Hope you have a good stay!
Mike Lewis
WDAF TV
I’m out of town now, but I found BBQ heaven at Oklahoma Joe’s before I left. I’ll be back in KC around Christmas, so I’ll check out Beauchamps when I get back, and make another trip to Oklahoma Joe’s.
I agree with you on Arthur Byrant’s
My wife and I moved here a year ago and we have always wanted to try it, I think it was the name and notoriety that the place has. I have to admit I was not impressed. My wife took her chicken back because it was to dry.
We havbe found another place that is excellent outside of KC in a town called Soring Hill KS it is called K & M BBQ. Check it out that offer an item on thier menue that is called The Killer Combo, it is a 3 meat sandwich that will blow your mind.
Give it a shot next time you are in town.
and yes Oklahoma Joe’s is BBQ heaven
sorry for the TYPO it is Spring Hill KS
Thanks for the sympathy from a local – it’s apparently heretic to dislike Arthur Bryant’s, at least that’s what other websites have said about my post.
Sorry I didn’t catch you before your trip back last Christmas…if you make it back, I have to give a 2nd to K&M in Spring Hill. I went there for the 1st time this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also like Rosedale BBQ for their ribs, although I have never had any other items there…and of course, you have the obligatory Gates BBQ. Good, consistent food.
Have to jump in on the side of K&M in Spring Hill, KS. The quality and quantity can’t be beat. The sauce is about the best I’ve tasted. The meat is great. You HAVE to try the Killer….! The building is new and the service is outstanding.
In defense of Bryant’s, I really believe the “attitude” is a part of the overall concept. I just think it gives the joint a bit of personality. The beef is usually pretty tasty, and not overly smokey or fatty. The sauce in my opinion is the weakest aspect of the bbq joint. I have always likened to watered down, salted up, Heinze 57!
I would throw in GATES BBQ as a pretty good place to go. Great sauce, meat portions could be more generous for the price you pay. Like the site will post more in the future…
Thanks for the new updates. We actually never made it to KC for Xmas, but we’re definitely going in late July. I’ll be there for three days of BBQ eating and museum visiting.
I LIVE IN KC AND I MUST SAY THE BEST BBQ THAT I HAVE TASTED IS MOST DEFINATELY SMOKEHOUSE BBQ THEIR RIBS ARE SO JUICY AND TENDER AND JUST FULL OF FLAVOR VERY MEATY,I JUST LOVE THEIR BBQ YOU CAN SMELL IT FROM BLOCKS AWAY ONLY DOWNFALL IT TAKES A MINUTE TO GET YOUR ORDER SO I RECCOMEND IF YOU TAKE OUT TO CALL IN YOUR ORDER LIKE 30 MINUTES AHEAD.
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I will never read anything from your website again, after this review.
Enjoy not knowing anything about quality food, good bbq, local flavors, or writing for that matter.
I don’t know how I stumbled to this awful site, but you have ruined the rest of my day with your ignorance.
@ “I hate you”. Thanks for responding to my post with a fake name, url and Email address, because you don’t have the cajones to state your opinions without the shield of anonymity. Unless morons.com is your real URL, and you’re just too stupid to get it running right.
I’ve literally traveled across the entire United States several times in search of good BBQ, and Arthur Bryant’s remains one of the worst restaurant and BBQ experiences I’ve ever had. Their pulled pork is an insult to both pigs and the art of BBQ in general.
I absolutely stand by my assessment of Arthur Bryant’s as the worst the Kansas City has to offer. Having been to many BBQ restaurants in Kansas City, I feel that Bryant’s may once have been a great restaurant, but it’s glory days are long, long over. It’s a joke now.
[...] Read my review, here. Official-City on December 17th, 2010 [...]
[...] Read my review, here. Official-City on December 20th, 2010 [...]
[...] My review is here. [...]
[...] Read my review, here. [...]
I’ve lived in KC for 30 years, and I would largely agree with this review of Bryant’s. You must ask for extra lean meats, or you will not get them. Most of all, the prices are higher than other BBQ places and the portions are absurdly large. The location at 17th and Brooklyn is a good place to take visitors because it’s so awful that it’s awesome. The food isn’t, however.
You might try Oklahoma Joe’s, Jackstack, Rosedale, Gates, or to be honest just about any local BBQ joint. It’s all delicious.
Chris – I’m glad to meet someone who agrees with me on this, and I toally understand the idea of “so awful it’s awesome”. I’m devoted to Oklahoma Joe’s, and I think the wings and Jackstack are the best anywhere that I’ve ever had. Outside of town there’s a place called (I think) RJ’s Bob-B-Que, that’s also a favourite of mine. My dislike of Arthur Bryant’s only highlight’s my love of every other KC BBQ joint I’ve ever been to.
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