Left at the Fork

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Category: Kansas

The hottest pickles you've ever tasted.

Hot Chili, Hotter Pickles, and a Political Rite of Passage in Topeka

May 28, 2016 / / 0 Comments

In the Little Russia neighborhood of Topeka, KS (settled by Germans by way of Russia, not Russians) sits a modest town grocery with an adjoining deli that was founded in 1947 by a man named Charlie Porubsky. Today, anyone who is anyone in Kansas politics (except for one important guy) makes a point of stopping by to join the regulars for lunch. Charlie’s son and daughter run the place today, still making a daily pot of their famous chili in the cooler months (but no chili on Fridays and Saturdays!) and marinating pickles in so much horseradish that Senator Jerry Moran says “some of them are edible and some of them are impossible to eat.” Continue reading

Burnt ends at Gates really are the fatty trimmings from the smoked beef. If that sounds like your kind of thing (it's ours!), you'll enjoy these. This sandwich actually includes a portion of regular sliced smoked beef.

LAF in the A.M. February 25th, 2015

February 25, 2015 / / 0 Comments

A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

HAPPY NATIONAL CLAM CHOWDER DAY!

Gates Bar-B-Q of Independence MO Burns Down

Shake Shack Coming to Japan Next Year

Graeter’s Coming to Tennessee and Cleveland?

Giordano’s, Stunned by Indy Success, Plans Further Indiana Expansion

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We recommend the amazing burnt ends at L C's of Kansas City.

LAF in the A.M. January 1st, 2015

January 1, 2015 / / 1 Comment

A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

Fire at L C’s Bar-B-Q of Kansas City

Gino’s East Coming to South Barrington

Fuel City (And Its Tacos) Coming to Mesquite TX

Racine Native and Former NBA Player Jim McIlvaine on Kringle

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In our opinion, Louis Mueller is the source for the finest smoked brisket in Texas and, therefore, the finest in the country.

LAF in the A.M. December 29th, 2014

December 29, 2014 / / 0 Comments

A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

Barbecue on Sunday

How Is Shake Shack’s ‘Shroom Burger?

Stroud’s Bringing Fried Chicken to Independence, MO

Al’s #1 Italian Beef Groupon

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The ribs at Gates are among the smokier specimens you'll find in Kansas City.

Gates Bar-B-Q, Kansas City MO

December 16, 2014 / / 1 Comment

REVIEW

As soon as you walk in you are hit with a greeting of “Hi, may I help you?” Of course, if you’re new here then at least a quick scan of the overhead menu will be necessary. So step aside and listen to the regulars place their orders: it’s like another language. Folks here are very specific about how they want their meats cut, their meals prepared. Slice this cut of beef in such-and-such a manner from that side, extra meat on a roll. None of these options appear on the menu, mind you; they are simply the requests of experienced barbecue eaters who know what they like. Newcomers can get flustered and overwhelmed. Continue reading

Mile High Cream Pie at Norma's Cafe in Dallas

LAF in the A.M. November 19th, 2014

November 19, 2014 / / 0 Comments

A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting

Norma’s Cafe Serving Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Grand Central Holiday Fair

Moody’s Diner of Maine Loses Religious Discrimination Ruling

Oklahoma Joe’s Now Officially Joe’s Kansas City

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The New Braunfels Wurstfest Wurstkabob features pork and beef sausage, bratwurst, jalapenowurst, cheddarwurst, and applewurst. Yep, you get 'em all!

LAF in the A.M. November 10th, 2014

November 10, 2014 / / 0 Comments

A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting

New Braunfels Smokehouse and the Wurstfest

One of our favorite all-time festivals is going on right now. The Wurstfest, in New Braunfels, Texas, is a German/Texan celebration of beer, sausage, and music. The eating, for carnivores, is spectacular, much of it supplied by the New Braunfels Smokehouse, which produces those sausage kabobs you see pictured at the top of this post. In all, the NB Smokehouse expects to sell over 40,000 pounds of sausage at the Wurstfest. Read more about the New Braunfels Smokehouse and the Wurstfest in The Herald-Zeithung. The festival continues through Sunday the 16th. Continue reading

Ribs smoking at Joe's Kansas City

LAF in the A.M. October 31st, 2014

October 31, 2014 / / 0 Comments

A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting

Maybe Billy Butler Shoulda Had the Brisket

Professional baseball players, on the whole, are a pretty superstitious bunch. If they called their mother and didn’t shave the morning of a win, you can bet Mom will be receiving wake-up calls and that beard will continue to grow as long as the team keeps winning. KC Royals DH Billy Butler had lunch at Joe’s Kansas City Tuesday and the Royals that night proceeded to win game six of the World Series 10-0. Butler had a double and an RBI. So there he was at Joe’s Kansas City again Wednesday, dining on ribs, beans, and Mountain Dew. Unfortunately for Butler and Kansas City fans, Butler singled in four at bats and the Royals lost the final World Series game to the Giants, 3-2. Continue reading

Ribs from Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, one of the barbecue joints you might visit on a KC Barbecue Tour

Take a KC Barbecue Tour!

October 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Are you planning a first-time visit to Kansas City? Or maybe you’re a frequent visitor, or even a resident, who would just like to get a better handle on, and a behind-the-scenes look at, the local Q scene. If so, you might want to consider taking a tour with KC Barbecue Tours. They offer two different tours. The midday Original Kansas City Barbecue Tour visits four Q joints. The four may vary but one recent visitor said they went to LC’s, Woodyard, Gates, and Arthur Bryant’s, all, in our opinion, worth a visit. Continue reading

The Pitch says Joe's Kansas City serves the best ribs in KC.

Ribs at Joe’s Kansas City KC’s Best, Says The Pitch

October 8, 2014 / / 0 Comments

The Pitch, KC’s alternative weekly, has just released its Best of Kansas City 2014 results, and the winner for best ribs went to Joe’s Kansas City. The Pitch calls these ribs “dependable, mouthwatering hunks of meat that never, ever fail to satisfy.” They recommend you beat the lines by calling in your order in advance. Continue reading

Ribs and beans from Fiorella's Jack Stack

Fiorella’s Jack Stack Edges Joe’s Kansas City in KC Poll

October 7, 2014 / / 0 Comments

In a poll conducted by a KC polling firm, Fiorella’s Jack Stack edged out Joe’s Kansas City for KC-area residents’ favorite barbecue joint. Gates came in third, Arthur Bryant’s fourth, and LC’s finished sixth. Interestingly, when broken out by gender, Joe’s just nips Jack Stack among men. Those polled also named beef brisket, by a hair over pork ribs, as their favorite barbecued meat and baked beans as the decisive side of choice. We like ’em all but we’ll take burnt ends at LC’s. Continue reading

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