WINING AND DINING
BEST BARBECUE
First on the list every year is that world-renowned Kansas City staple: barbecue. And the Gold, since 2000, goes to Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue, with four locations and the claim to “Zagat’s highest- rated barbecue in the country.” Must be true, according to Kansas City fans. Still, Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue gave them a run for the sauce, and slides again into the Silver place, while Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q finishes up with the Bronze.
BEST BURGER
We’ve added a new category, and it’s a biggie. The perfect burger is big, juicy, and done to the proper temperature. Its accoutrements must be fresh and classic. Five Guys Burgers and Fries claims there are over 250,000 ways to order theirs—and readers agree: Nobody does it better. They’ve won the Gold—the chain’s eight local shops (nine, counting Lawrence) serve up what GQ called the best $5 burger a man can eat. For the Silver, blanc burgers + bottles offers gourmet burgers cooked just right and a selection of fries—none of which you should miss. BRGR Kitchen + Bar, “a modern burger joint,” also offers more than burgers and fries for the Bronze.
BEST BUSINESS BREAKFAST
A business breakfast requires a decent-size table, plenty of good coffee, possibly WiFi and oh, yes, good food, with plenty of options. First Watch takes the Gold yet again, their 10 locations surely helping to bolster the vote. The Classic Cup Café, another perennial fav, savors the Silver with quite a bit of class and some great pancakes. Tying for the Bronze are eggtc. and Le Peep, both always dependable and tasty.
BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
Some people still get to take a couple hours for lunch and call it business. When they do, their Gold choice is The Capital Grille. An $18 “pick three,” slightly lighter special lunch dishes, and your choice of anything on the dinner menu make an expense-paid lunch ever so nice. And if you get the deal, even nicer. Not quite as elegant but probably quicker, old time Houlihan’s jumps on this category for the first time and is awarded the Silver for consistently good meals with great variety. And newcomer to our list, The Café at Briarcliff Village, is loved especially for its varied menu from liver and onions to Three Little Pigs™ barbecue to burgers, pasta, and coconut chicken salad, plating the Bronze.
BEST BUSINESS DINNER
Business or otherwise, The Capital Grille takes the Gold again in this coveted category. If you throw caution to the river, start with a Stoli Doli and calamari and business colleagues soon become friends. The excellent service, wine list, and ambiance all help make a memorable evening. Our readers chose Plaza III–The Steakhouse for their Silver accolades, noting that this Kansas City tradition holds its own against all others. Lidia’s gets the Bronze, managing to be fun yet serious about great food, service, and atmos-phere that allows business conversations to flourish.
BEST CATERER
Catering in Kansas City has become a tough, competitive business, and very few can do it perfectly. One who has been doing just that for years is Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions and his many clients clearly vote for him for the Gold. Elegant displays and inventive food are his trademarks. Tying for the Silver are the more casual Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and Hy-Vee. The surprise there may be the latter. Really? A grocery store? Ingram’s readers can’t be wrong. Another dead heat for the Bronze: Brancato’ Catering and Grandma’s Catering. Brancato’s has catered for clients as varied as the Chiefs, UPS, and Friends of the Zoo with full scale catering; Grandma’s is perhaps best known for box lunches, but they also do larger-scale events, as well.
BEST CHEF
Wow. This is a biggie, and it’s filled by the top contenders among Kansas City’s many great chefs. The Gold winner is Colby Garrelts, chef-(co)owner of bluestem and Rye, two very different restaurants except for their devotion to excellence. And finally, after seven nominations, the James Beard award for Best Chef of the Midwest went to him in May of this year—it’s about time. No, it’s past time. Michael Smith (Silver) and Debbie Gold (Bronze) have both won this award in previous years while, at separate times, cheffing at The American Restaurant. Gold is currently a partner in a new restaurant chain, the Red Door, her latest venture.
BEST COFFEE HOUSE
Well, in America, if you’re talking coffee, you’re probably talking this Gold name. Starbucks, where isn’t one? From the kind of coffee that will put hair on your chest all the way to frou-frou multiple-named concoctions, this Seattle-based worldwide firm has made its mark on KC. The Roasterie pours Silver, the home-grown creation expanding slowly, carefully, and deliciously with three locations and one roof-top airplane. Lattéland Espresso & Tea, now with six locations, cherishes its cozy, hometown feel and vows never to lose it—or its devoted customers, who awarded it the Bronze.
BEST DELI
The definition of deli may be slightly different here in Kansas City, we must admit. But part of the definition is high, well-packed meat sandwiches; perhaps for that alone, Jason’s Deli wins the Gold. Perhaps even better known for the last part of its name, d’Bronx Authentic Deli & Pizzeria was hugely popular in its Westport location, and now that it’s expanded to three additional spots, it nails the Silver—sandwiches, subs, even salads, lasagna—and latkes. Forthe Bronze, try Jersey Boyz Subs & Deli from Stanley to Riverside and points further.
BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
Families and fried chicken—nostalgia or reality? It’s real if it’s Stroud’s, established way back in 1933, and still winning prizes, including our Gold award. Though the road house on 85th Street is long gone, their two locations in north Kansas City and Fairway remain havens for pan-fried chicken and cinnamon rolls. Catfish, too. Applebee’s succeeds for the Silver, its consistent entrees and reasonable prices attracting both families and groups. Tying for the Bronze, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and historic Houlihan’s kitchens create happy kinfolk.
BEST GROCERY STORE AND/OR CHAIN
You have to eat at home sometimes, right? And when you do, Hy-Vee with a friendly smile in every aisle has vaulted upward for the Gold. Home-town grown Price Chopper, a Cosentino brand and one of 26 stores, has captured the Silver. Hen House, another local grocery begun in 1923 and now a multimillion-dollar corporation called Ball’s Food Stores, has 11 metro locations. It gains the Bronze along with Cosentino’s, started back in 1948.
BEST HAPPY HOUR
It’s simple: happy hours must include good drinks and food at reduced prices in a fun atmosphere. Slurping up the Gold is Kona Grill on the Plaza for its $3 bites—try the avocado egg rolls—and reduced-price drinks. For the Silver, go to Bonefish Grill for its $5 drinks, specialty cocktails, and “Bang Bang” shrimp tacos, among others. Last but certainly not least, the Bronzed La Bodega has a happy hour that’s simple: Almost everything is half price and you can start early, as in 2 p.m. In fact, often you need to be there by then to get a seat.
HEALTHIEST RESTAURANT MENU
Being healthy and delish restaurant meals do not have to be sworn enemies as these four restaurants readily prove. Skinnying up again for the Gold is Seasons 52, a chain that does seasonal changes and fresh food right. The Mixx moves up, but ties, for the Silver, its off-Plaza and Power & Light locations beckoning salad lovers who can also forge into great sandwiches and the best melt-on-your tongue coconut cookies anywhere. Its compatriot in Silvertude, Panera Bread, sets a standard that can be as healthy as you want. And newbie Café Gratitude, fresh from California, savors its Bronze prize for excellent vegan tacos, sandwiches and salads which you order by platitudinous affirmations.
BEST OUTDOOR DINING
Moving up two notches to snatch the Gold is Gram & Dun, an “American Gastropub,” whose stunning Ward Parkway patio should win awards all by itself. Oh, guess it has, here. But from brunch to happy hour to late-night dinners, this bread-and-butter concepts restaurant has made its mark. Trezo Mare in Briarcliff soars for the Silver with probably the best view of Downtown Kansas City, winning accolades for its first appearance on this list. Long-time favorite The Classic Cup Café ties with Lidia’s, new to this category, for the Bronze prize, proving that train whistles can add to excellent food, bricks and greenery.
BEST PIZZA
There’s probably one by you: Minsky’s Pizza serves far more than pizza and cherishes its Golden reputation (and Wine Spectator award). Who knew? Proving that pizza doesn’t have to be prosaic, home-grown, home expanded to five here in town, Spin! Neapolitan Pizza rides to the Silver. It doesn’t hurt that their salads are fresh, their gelato bella, and their wines inexpensive. A tie for the Bronze: Waldo Pizza (try their scrumptious desserts, too) and newcomer Pizza 51, fabulous gas-station conversions in Missouri and now in Kansas.
BEST PLACE TO EAT WITH A GROUP
How many is a group? At least five, and the best place for five or 15, Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue, smokes the Gold. The Cheesecake Factory with two local eateries probably wins the Silver due to its capability of pleasing every palate with its gigantic menu of well-prepared meals. And the Hereford House, with steakhouse attitude and ambiance, earns the Bronze.
BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS
Well, there’s no question that if company comes to town, they have to eat our famous KC barbecue. But which one? The number one and Gold choice, no surprise, is Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. Be sure to have them get the onion stack. For the Silver, nothing beats waiting in line at a converted gas station (original location only) to convince visitors that everything’s up to date in Kansas City—that could only be Oklahoma Joe’s. For the Bronze and the place that put Kansas City on the world barbecue map, have them go to Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque joint, especially the original on Brooklyn since 1930, and try the paprika-rich sauce.
MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT
Walking down those carpeted steps and gazing into the streets and skies of Downtown Kansas City paired with delightful food and perfect service, our readers again bestow Gold on The American Restaurant for an intimate dining experience. New executive chef Michael Corvino will be raising the bar even higher at this beautiful venue. Returning to this list and sharing Silver is Chaz on the Plaza; its airiness, private booths, and live music (and even dancing!) adding to superb works of eating art by chef Charles d’Ablaing. bluestem claims the Bronze with its delicious array of culinary delights.
BEST SEAFOOD
Fresh, fresh seafood in the Midwest? Yes, indeed and it’s at the Bristol Seafood Grill’s two local spots in Leawood and Power & Light, where the fresh fish and oysters hook the Gold again. McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks again catches the Silver, for some of best grilled fish around. Local Bonefish Grill devotees voted the Bronze to its way-south and way-north restaurants, two among those in 32 states.
BEST SPORTS BAR/GRILL
Tanner’s Bar & Grill scores the Gold with seven locations, plenty of big-screen TVs, an array of meal choices but more importantly, “boogas” and Taters-au Tanner, which you must try. The three 810 Zones tied with the six Johnny’s Taverns for the Silver. And voters continue to be challenged by the wealth of sports bars in town; we have another draw for the Bronze: Coach’s Bar & Grill, established in 1982, where you can even get pot roast to go with that game, and Buffalo Wild Wings, which offers much beyond its namesake.
BEST STEAK
A sizzling contest always, and this year the best steak medal goes to The Capital Grille. Their in-house, dry-aged and cut beef, broiled at very high temperatures, ensures their Gold reputation. For the Silver, ever favorite Plaza III–The Steakhouse, about 50 years old, offering prime beef, seafood, and the best hash browns ever. There’s another tie for the Bronze: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, with the extra butter patted on the prime steak and Hereford House, which charcoal grills for extra special flavor.
BEST WINE LIST
Despite the tragic explosion and fire in February that destroyed one of KC’s all-time favorite restaurants, JJ’s has earned the votes to be recognized with an honorary Gold, in this, the 15th consecutive year of claiming Gold for its extraordinary selection of domestic and imported wines. Perhaps Ingram’s reader’s affinity for JJ’s will encourage the return of this fallen star.
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Take an award-winning chef (afore-mentioned Colby Garrelts) with a yen for and belief in home-cooked food, the kind your mama never really did make, and you have Rye, our Gold award-winning new restaurant. It’s in Leawood, among many others—and it’s the best newbie around, say our discerning readers. The Jacobson, tucked into the Freighthouse District, with its fabulous patio, offers libations and hearty camaraderie, and gobbles up the Silver.
BEST SERVICE
Aristotle, though not exactly a restaurant critic, said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” The restaurant with the best service habits this year is The Capital Grille, which moved up to the Gold for its excellence. New in the category and helping itself to the Silver is Fogo de Chão, which has to balance buffet service with meaty interruptions by servers offering still more. And The American Restaurant, known for service and ambiance, acquires the Bronze.
BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT
We’re only listing the Gold this year, perhaps because of a vast difference from the pack. And that Gold is awarded to The Capital Grille, by now a most familiar name.
BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT
Chinese, if you please. It’s pure Gold: Bo Lings, with imaginative food beautifully presented, in attractive and even stunning environments. The Silver sings for Fortune Wok Chinese and Sushi Restaurant with two Overland Park locations and a way with a wok that brings everyone good fortune. RA Sushi Bar Restaurant offers Japanese and Asian-fusion dishes as well as sushi in southern Leawood for the Bronze.
BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT
Our insightful readers know great French food when they taste it. Hence, their choice of Le Fou Frog close to the River Market as the Gold victor. Intimate dining, a cozy bar, and both bistro and haute cuisine dishes add to the surprise that is the crazy frog. Set amid old homes and quaint shops is Aixois, either the restaurant south of the Plaza or the new Brasserie Downtown, which combine to win our Silver reward. Café Provence in Prairie Village sautéed the Bronze and we think we’ll be hearing more about its talented team. Try the four-course prix fixe menu on Tuesdays—magnifique.
BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Kansas City’s superb excellent Italian restaurants are not clustered all in one claustrophobic hill. The Gold Garozzo’s Ristorante (also in Overland Park, Olathe, and Lee’s Summit) is a mainstay whose famous chicken spiedini has been savored since 1989. The Silver winner, Cascone’s Italian Restaurant, is on North Oak and also in Overland Park, has been serving classic Italian fare since 1954. And Lidia’s, newer to town but with its own long-time tradition in New York, sauces up for the Bronze—its pasta trio just one of the winners.
BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT
But if it’s Mexican food you desire, Ingram’s readers choose Jose Pepper’s for their Golden accolades: Tex-Mex at 10 locations here in the Kansas City area, where a party atmosphere and reasonable eats reign supremo. Manny’s Restaurante Mexicano sings for Silver on Southwest Boulevard; you can try the Lopez family’s sauce at many grocery stores but you’ll likely never find a cantina bar like the nostalgic one at Manny’s. A draw for the Bronze between two authentic Southwest Boulevard favorites: El Patron and the elder Ponak’s Mexican Kitchen & Bar. In any of them, you’ll shout olé!
BEST ETHNIC RESTAURANT
We’re not just white bread and barbecue. The Blue Nile Café, KC’s oldest Ethiopian restaurant, has introduced countless numbers of us to exotic dishes with vegetarian and vegan options and along the way, won the Gold. La Bodega, our Silver choice, was so popular on Southwest Boulevard, it opened another in Leawood, familiarizing even more of us with Spanish tapas. Korma Sutra, a popular Indian restaurant in Overland Park and Westport, offers a third ethnic champ for the Bronze. 
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