What To Eat in Kansas
The three foremost culinary lures of Kansas are barbecue in the east around Kansas City, fried chicken dinners nearly everywhere but especially in the town of Pittsburg, and itty-bitty hamburgers, aka sliders, which were originally served in Salina at the still-thriving Cozy Inn.
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The town of Pittsburg, Kansas, population 20,000, has six restaurants that specialize in chicken dinner. The bird itself is beautiful, fried to red-gold perfection, but these meals are unique among the nation's chicken dinners because of the German accent of their side dishes: vinegar-and-oil (not mayo) cole slaw and a similar tart-tangy potato salad. Delightfully unctuous onion rings are not to be missed.
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Burnt ends, also known as brownies, are analogous to Creole debris – the shreds, nuggets, strips, and chunks of meat that fall off the barbecued brisket as it is carved. Most are outside pieces with crusty-crunchy areas and thick ribbons of melt-in-the-mouth fat. They are to pit-cooked meat what clotted cream is to milk: the distilled essence, flush with wood smoke and oozy protein satisfaction.
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Dating back to 1922 and therefore source of America's original slider, the Cozy Inn of Salina claims high moral ground in terms of burger purity by refusing even to offer cheese. You could get one without pickles, but that would be a mistake, as the deuce of dills in the bun actually outweighs the meat and contributes significantly to the Cozy Inn magic. Grilled onions are mandatory; their smell is as much a component of the little sandwiches as meat itself. Just as the burger has not changed (except for price), so the Cozy Inn remains the 6-stool eat shack it was nearly a century ago.
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Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
Even sauceless, Joe's pork is fantastic:, radiant with smoke flavor. Best dish is the Smokie Joe sandwich, which combines pork, beef, and zesty sauce.
Woodyard Bar-B-Que
Woodyard's BBQ burnt ends are available in a sandwich or as the topping for chili. One of Kansas City’s best smoke-house restaurants.
Roy’s Hickory Pit BBQ
Top-notch BBQ at Roy's of Hutchinson, Kansas, includes brisket, ribs, Polish sausage and hot links sided by Texas toast and a graze along the salad bar.
NJ’s Cafe & Bakery
NJ's Mediterranean cuisine encompasses Italian, Greek, Lebanese, and French, by way of Ellis Island and an influx of Lebanese Christian Arab immigrants.
Barto’s Idle Hour
Barto's Idle Hour serves the best fried chicken in Kansas, sided by German potato salad, cole slaw, onion rings, and famous bread baked by Frontenac Bakery.
Martinelli’s Little Italy
Boasting outrageously large portions at bargain prices, Martinelli's is an oasis of good Italian-American food in the heart of Kansas.
Chicken Annie’s
Pittsburg, Kansas is famous for chicken restaurants; Annie's is one of the originals, serving pieces with chewy, fat-rich skin and tender insides.
Nu Way Cafe
Nu Way is a small Wichita, Kansas chain featuring Iowa loosemeat sandwiches beautifully seasoned and sided by superb onion rings. To drink: homemade root beer.
