Best Barbecue
If you Google “best barbeque restaurant,” you get only about 1,810,000 entries. Now, you know some of those are repeats. The same is true for the Gold winner this year, for the sixth year in a row, it’s Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. Next is newcomer to the list but not to devotees. Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue, in the gas station on County Line Road in KCK or the new one in Olathe, fires up for the Silver. It has the best fries in town, say many. Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, now a Bronze institution for these last three years, continues its tradition since the early 1920s at 18th and Brooklyn, and now has two other locations.
Best Box Lunch
A new category last year, this one has sticking power due to the number of us supposedly working during lunch. Soaring from second place last year, Panera Bread pleases most corporate types for the Gold. With more than 800 bakery cafes (16 local), this St. Louis chain has figured it out. The Silver belongs to Twenty 20, well located for downtowners at 20th and Baltimore and known for sandwiches, pizza and light Italian fare. The Bronze is a tie between Grandma’s Office Catering, with everything from full breakfasts to lasagna, and on Southwest Boulevard whose homebaked pastries and tasty lunches always satisfy.
Best Ethnic Restaurant
Recently, the president of a major restaurant chain noted that Kansas Citians were very cosmopolitan and sophisticated in their tastes. Aw, shucks, we knew that; it ain’t all steaks and barbeque here. For instance, Ingram’s discerning gourmets chose Garozzo’s Ristorante as the Gold winner for best Ethnic. Beginning with one restaurant in the City Market area, there are now four where chicken spiedini rules with the best Amogio in the state. And next, we have a tie for the Silver: Jerusalem Café in historic Westport and its neighbor, Thai Place with another three locations including a new one downtown. From Jerusalem Café’s authentic Middle Eastern and vegetarian cuisine (along with grocery items and a bakery) to Thai Place’s full explosion of nearly every Thai food known, diners have a vast array of “something different” whenever they want it.
Best Outdoor Dining
Ah, what is so fine as dining outdoors on a pleasant August evening? Ask a San Diegoan. On the other hand, there are a lot of great mornings, noons and nights when it is a pleasure to sit outside and watch the people go by. Best spot, best Gold spot, is the Classic Cup Café on the Plaza, for at least the fifth year running. In fact, the next awards also are given to Plaza locations—the Silver to Baja 600, where the sightseeing may be more important than the food, and the Bronze to Frondizi’s Ristorante, whose perch above the fray on a fan-cooled upper deck makes for tall delights. Try it on an unseasonably warm, December night.
Best Business Breakfast
W. Somerset Maugham said, “To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.” That wasn’t a compliment, exactly, but it is true that you could eat well in KC if you only ate breakfast at our Gold winning restaurant (though it’s not open for evening dining). First Watch wins big with its never-empty pot of coffee, smoke-free environments and many choices from healthy parfaits to honking big omelettes. The Classic Cup Café again scoops up the Silver, its Plaza location often the setting for big talkers, dreamers and eaters. And the Bronze? It goes to the Corner Café, that Westport old favorite where cottage fries, eggs and bacon truly can take you through the day.
Best Business Lunch
Competition was heavy here—it’s all about steak, atmosphere, service and the Plaza—and the result, a tie for the Gold: Plaza III - The Steakhouse and The Capital Grille. (But The Capital Grille doesn’t have meatloaf!) Still thinking meat apparently for the Silver, our voters chose the venerable Hereford House (since 1957) with its five locations, including the newest at Zona Rosa. And yet another tie duplicates the Bronze—the Plaza’s Grand Street Café slips from its perennial first place and Lidia’s in the Crossroads District climbs on up, offering fresh Italian specialties. Our advice on all these restaurants? Go early or go late because all of them are busy every Monday through Friday at noon.
Best Steak
Oh, my. Many, many votes were tallied and only one made the difference. For the first time in several years, the Hereford House wrestled the Gold from its longtime competitor, Plaza III - The Steakhouse, which still can be proud, of course, of its Silver prize. But what can we possibly say? Go to both and make up your own mind. No, actually, go to all three. Add The Capital Grille to your list as it sizzles along for the Bronze. Be brave and go beyond the KC Strip. It’s wonderful eating at all three, that we can assure you.
Best Business Dinner
The day goes by but work just never stops. But at least it becomes more enjoyable when you’re eating at The Capital Grille, which sizzles up from last year to the Gold. Is it the calamari, the stoly dolies, or the steak? Plaza III - The Steakhouse is still elegant, still delish and still perfectly serviced for the Silver. And how great, Pierpont’s at Union Station makes the list for the first time in the Bronze category. Its graceful interior, fabulous bar and variety of entrées speak “business-ease” readily.
Most Romantic Restaurant
What makes a meal romantic? After the right company, it must include a beautiful setting, superb and unobtrusive service that caters to nearly every whim, and, of course, exquisite food beautifully plated. For the Gold then, our readers rightly chose the American Restaurant, which has been in the top two or three for at least the last 10 years. Next is The Raphael Restaurant, whose oh-so-private tables tell no tales, even for the bestowal of the Silver. For food, music, wine, dancing—slow and close, of course—and its view and no doubt its newly attractive decor, Skies at the Hyatt Regency takes the Bronze.
Best Caterer
Lon Lane and his The Catering Company for the third year gratify the tastes of the elite as he serves up delicacies—from barbeque to very upscale—better than homemade for the Gold. The Silver belongs to Absolute Catering this year for the first time; they can serve everything from a private dinner for four to brunch for 4,000 with panache.
Best Coffee House
Well, you just can’t beat success, and Starbucks’ nearly 9,500 locations in 35 countries attest to that. Once again, it captures the Gold—more for its huge variety of coffee choices, probably, but we’re impressed by the fact they have a senior VP whose sole charge is “Corporate Social Responsibility.” Gulping up the Silver is LatteLand Espresso on 47th Street, whose baristas pour Seattle renowned Café D’Arte Espresso hot or iced. There’s more of course, including granitas, Halian sodas and muffins, scones, bagels and desserts. The Coffee Girls on Southwest Boulevard provide the Bronze action, and their up-town and cozy location is perfect for take-outs or stay-ins.
Best Dessert/Presentation
Taking the Gold, The Cheesecake Factory wowed Kansas Citians, who voted them their favorite. Guess there’s nothing more satisfying to the heartland than 30-plus different cheesecakes and other cakes and desserts of all kinds, including a brownie ice cream sandwich that can make a grown woman cry. The Cheesecake Factory swiped the Gold from McCormick & Schmick’s this year, which still ranked waaay up there with its Silver award. Final great “dessertier” for the Bronze this time: The Peppercorn Duck Club, whose chocolate bar at the end of a meal really should come first.
Best Place to Eat with a Group
Of course, the best place to eat with several probably depends on who’s doing the eating. Ingram’s readers have chosen three that can make even painful events more enjoyable. First, for the Gold, it’s Buca di Beppo again. Italian meals are served here family style, even if your family has none. Stroud’s, that long-time tradition chicken road house, fries up the Silver for its huge portions that taste better than Gramma’s ever did. And for the Bronze? Why, it’s Manny’s Restaurante Mexicano, where huge tables of hungry gringos are served with aplomb.
Best Wine List
Local oenophiles (grape nuts we like to call them) probably will all agree on the Gold winner, since the same one has been chosen for many years. It’s JJ’s, which has won more awards for its wine selection than we can mention here. The Silver salutes Plaza III - The Steakhouse, whose selection is varied and extensive and works with more than just your usual steak. The Bronze slides to Joe D’s Winebar-Café & Patio in Brookside, an apt award for a place that began (many bottles ago) as a wine-tasting bar. Ovid wasn’t wrong, you know, when he said, “When there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing.” Not that you need an excuse.
Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests
When company arrives from out of town, you want them to leave having tried the archetypal Kansas City meal. Of course, that means only two things: barbeque or steak. Our readers agree, giving the nod, and the Gold, to barbeque and Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. Is it the ribs, the pork, the onion rings? Dunno, but it’s all great. And for steak, Plaza III - The Steakhouse savors its Silver award with its superb meals, a steakhouse with a truly elegant flair. And then, just to prove we’re more than beans and meat, Piropos Restaurant in Parkville, with its authentic Argentinean fare, parades its Bronze award.
Best Restaurant (Platte & Clay Counties)
So you don’t live near the Plaza or in the southern suburbs. There still are many choices for our gourmands who selected Piropos in Parkville, for its unique spices, unusual foods, hearty meals in the treetops make the experience there truly Golden. Another Parkville favorite savors its Silver award, Café Des Amis, whose menu is unmistakably French and unmistakably delightful, but whose service and attitude are decidedly American friendly.
Best Restaurant (Johnson & Wyandotte Counties)
It was a Gold tie for the best in Johnson and Wyandotte counties between 40 Sardines, run by husband-wife team of Smith and Gold, and the Bristol Bar & Grill, both ever so happily ensconced off 119th Street. Their main competition, winning the Silver, is nearby Yia Yia’s. Diners out south can take their pick and, without driving far at all, be so happy. And yes, midtowners, they’re all worth the trek.
Best Restaurant (Jackson County)
Move east a bit to Jackson County and once again, find some familiar names and locations. Zooming to the Gold is The Capital Grille once more for its steaks, friendly and large bar, and much more. The Silver belongs to Plaza III - The Steakhouse, for many the quintes-sential place for steaks, prime ribs and the best hash browns you’ve ever had. The American Restaurant delivers the Bronze, when near-perfection is all you want.
Best Seafood
We eat a fair amount of fish in Kansas City, and it must be fresh and prepared just right. McCormick & Schmick’s knows exactly how to do that, and includes the best oyster selection in town every day as well. No wonder it was selected once again for the Gold. Moving from the Plaza to the Leawood-based Town Center, our readers told us they’d give the Silver award to the Bristol Bar & Grill for its great chowder, mussels and vast variety of seafood. Ummmm, those biscuits. The Bronze is bestowed upon an old-time favorite, here since the 1800s: the Savoy Grill, whose lobster dinners are legendary and who still make a Caesar salad at the table. What a gift!
Best Restaurant (Kansas Suburban Counties)
So you’re willing to drive a bit and try something different? Our readers chose two in Lawrence to tempt wanderers. In first place, for the Gold, it’s Pachamama’s, where a bucolic setting, huge windows and stunning meals remind you that eating is a visual experience, too. The Silver goes to Free State Brewery, where a friendly wait staff serves up medium-priced food that’s always tasty. And a barbeque (that’s dry barbeque, not pre-sauced) joint not so far, far away captures the Bronze. It’s list newcomer, Guy & Mae’s Tavern on the main drag in Williamsburg, Kansas (off I-35 towards Emporia, 15 miles west of Ottawa), which has been winning raves since 1973 for its delicious ribs.
Best New Restaurant
Nothing is more fun than trying a new restaurant, and this year there were several to decide among. First choice, the Gold selection, this year is Brio Tuscan Grille whose prime Plaza location, outdoor decks, busy bars and consistent food made it one of the places to be. More unique perhaps is the Silver winner, 1924 Main, whose prix-fixe meals offer beginnings, middles and ends just perfectly. Grasping the Bronze is the Sour Octopus, this time a seven-course meal where you choose not. Although the original far, far north location recently closed, its many fans eagerly await its new incarnation, expected to be in Columbus Park in mid-September.
Best Service
Bad service can make a great meal bad. Great service can make a mediocre meal better and a great meal memorable. For the Gold, it’s The Capital Grille. For the Silver, The American Restaurant takes the honors. For the Bronze, it’s Plaza III - The Steakhouse. For those of you who really pay attention—yes, indeed, this is exactly the same as last year but with all new responses we promise you. It goes to show that consistency is rewarded, and that great service is remembered.
Best Overall Restaurant
Perhaps the most coveted category—what is the absolute best restaurant in the metro area? Our readers speak loudly. It’s (drum roll please), The Capital Grille for the Gold. Plaza III - The Steakhouse, owner of so many awards by our readers, snaps up the Silver, for even its meat loaf for lunch is fabulous. The Bronze belongs to Pierpont’s this year, its delectable dishes and gorgeous surroundings adding even more to the Union Station experience.
