Kansas City, KS
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A Kansas City, KS Foodie Adventure

One city with diverse, world-class cuisine

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‘This is really amazing,’ I admitted, but only to myself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was back in New York.

“Come on, Lisa. Give it a chance,” Anne urged. I wasn’t sure if she was talking about the slice of pizza in front of me or the major life decision we’d made a few short weeks ago.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the aroma of basil and oregano and took a tentative bite. “This is really amazing,” I admitted, but only to myself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was back in New York.

We were in Kansas City, KS, halfway across the country on our big move, relocating from Brooklyn to just outside of Las Vegas for my wife, Anne's, job. She tried to sell me on the idea by turning it into an adventure. We’ve always wanted to take a cross-country trip.

I wasn’t sold on the idea. For the first 1,200 miles, I did my best to convince her we’d made a mistake. I loved our life in New York, and I was convinced that there was nowhere as chock-full of the eclectic dining experiences I so enjoyed.

‘This is really amazing,’ I admitted, but only to myself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was back in New York.

Piece of pie

The whole place, from the counter where you placed your order to the smiling man behind it was familiar and welcoming.

But at the moment we were seated at doily-covered booth at Italian Delight, a little pizza shop in an unassuming brick-fronted strip mall in Kansas City, KS. As I took in my surroundings, I had to admit that it wasn’t just the oversized slice in front of me that reminded me of home. The whole place, from the counter where you placed your order to the smiling man behind it was familiar and welcoming.

“Ok, but this place must be a fluke,” I claimed. “I’m sure there’s one great restaurant in every town from New York to LA.”

“Let’s stay in Kansas City for a while and find out,” she suggested. “We had one amazing slice of pizza here. How about we try another? I’m up for another option if you are!”

Fifteen minutes later we were seated in a cozy wooden and tufted leather booth at Chiusano’s Brick Oven Pizzeria. “You’re trying to bribe me with pizza!”

“Not at all,” Anne countered. “Oooh, look at this menu. How inventive!” Anne is really good at changing the subject and I’m easily distracted by good food.

I admitted that I was intrigued by the variety on the menu, and eventually decided on a mini Snooty Coyote pizza, which was topped with elk sausage and brie. It was amazing, Neapolitan style pizza, with perfectly charred edges and a thin, soft bottom-crust. I’d never tried elk sausage before, and the unique flavor complemented the pungent brie perfectly.

Comfortably full and road-weary, we checked into a nearby hotel and spent the rest of the day checking out Kansas City, KS’s beautiful green spaces. When dinnertime rolled around, Anne had a plan: we were going on another food adventure.

Taco the town

I haven’t had tacos this good since our honeymoon in Mexico City!

Our first stop looked right up my alley; a tiny storefront with a bunch of tables crowded tightly together and an open, equally tiny kitchen area. A pork shoulder on a rotating spit, topped with pineapples, glistened in the florescent lights. El Camino Real was, it seemed, the real deal. I had no beef with their pork tacos al pastor.

“These are amazing,” I mumbled through a mouth full of taco. “I haven’t had tacos this good since our honeymoon in Mexico City!”

“I told you, Lisa,” Anne chided. “And just in case you thought this was another foodie fluke, this isn’t our only stop tonight.” My stomach protested at the idea of yet more food, but I was still hoping to prove her wrong. After all, how international could Kansas City, KS be, really?

As it turns out, for the first time in our relationship, I just may have been in the wrong.

Any hopes of resisting the foodie pull of Kansas City, KS were dashed as soon as we walked into El Bonito Michoacan. “It’s a proper Mexican market,” I noted rather glumly. There was no denying it; I was starting to fall for this city. After pawing through the cactus flowers and aloe for sale in the market, we made our way to the rear of the shop where we found a cafeteria-style dining area. Offering platters as well as individual tacos and complete with a salsa and sauces bar, El Bonito Michoacan was another home run. We shared a small selection of tacos, selecting the traditional asada along with the lengua, made from beef tongue, and the barbacoa.

“OK. You may have found a few gems here. But pizza and tacos are easy,” I claimed, even as my confidence was wavering.

“Challenge accepted!” Anne proclaimed.

Diverse tastes

We did get to see America on this trip. It’s all represented here, in all of its diverse and beautiful glory, right here in Kansas City.

We slept in the next morning—a much-deserved rest after many days on the road and a full day of enjoying all the foodie finds that Kansas City, KS had to offer. We opted for a light lunch at Vietnam Cafe, a simple little shop serving up pho as good as I’ve had anywhere, made with rich bone broth and topped with fresh mint and bean sprouts.

For our final meal in town, Anne pulled out all the stops. The moment we walked into Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen, I knew I was done for. Live jazz was playing, which set the scene. The menu featured everything I love about Southern Louisiana. There was boudin. There were oysters, both raw and Rockefeller. There was cornmeal-crusted everything, and of course there were crawfish.

“Are you sure you can’t get a job here?” I asked, only half-joking, as I dug into a plate of alligator bites.

Anne smiled. “We have 1,300 more miles to go. Come on. Let’s go off to see America.”

I had to admit that Lisa was right. We did get to see America on this trip. It’s all represented here, in all of its diverse and beautiful glory, right here in Kansas City.

Come have your own world-class foodie adventure in the heart of Kansas City, KS, where you can truly have the world on a plate.