Ralph Macchio Likes BBQ!

I'm Full

Gates and Sons Toothpick Verdict

Stroud's Pan Fried Chicken - Kansas City, KS

Steve and I headed across the state line to dine in Kansas City, Kansas, about ten minutes from our hotel. I never piloted an SUV before. These are some big vehicles, but I adjusted. Stroud's Pan Fried Chicken receives kudos as some of the best fried chicken in the US. I hope it lives up to expectations.

Vile Weeds!

Fried Chicken Livers

I had to try the fried chicken livers I read about. Giant, crunchy nuggets of salty, fried organ meat. You can't beat this dish's nutritonal value. And this was the half-order size!

We Ate Just a Little Bit of Food

I was underwhelmed by Stroud's, a victim of both excessive praise on internet food forums of over-cooked chicken. It was still good, but not on the national level. Willie Mae's in New Orleans was in another league. The chicken came cooked-to-order, too hot to eat for almost ten minutes. The family-style portions were huge!

How To Eat Fried Chicken

Barbecue Flavored Dental Floss?

I wonder if barbecue flavored dental floss exists. I Googled it and found this web site for bacon flavored dental floss. Crazy. And no, I did not buy any, yet.

http://www.mcphee.com/items/11847.html.

Arthur Bryant's Barbecue

Arthur Bryant's Barbecue is legendary in the BBQ world. Arthur Bryant's Barbecue receives acclaim for brisket, burnt ends, ribs, and, of course, it's BBQ sauce. I have to try the burnt ends sandwich. I have read rave after rave about it on different BBQ and foodie forums. I like the photo of the restaurant as we drove up to it. It sounds crazy, but I cannot explain how excited I am!

A Peek Inside . . .

Barbecued Beef Sandwich

Steve ordered the BBQ Beef sandwich with french fries. He claimed it was one of the best he has ever tasted. I had a bite and almost wished I could change my order.

Burnt Ends - Open-faced Sandwich

Arthur Bryant's Burnt Ends - Open-faced Sandwich. I ordered french fries with mine, too. The bread the burnt brisket ends and sauce are served over is actually Wonder Bread. I completely understand why the line of customers stretched out the door. The burnt ends were tender and spicy - a really nice mouth-warming sauce. I purchased two bottles of their Sweet Heat and two bottles of their Original Spicy Hot BBQ sauces, along with one container of Arthur Bryant's spice rub mix. Who will be the lucky recipients of these treasures?

Are You Finished with the Photos? I'm Hungry!

Mmmmm . . . Barbecued Beef Sandwich

Jealous?

You Could Say We Were Satisfied

That was gooood!

Steve Finally Arrives!

Steve was less than one and a half hours late; call me impressed. There is not a lot to do in Terminal B of the Kansas City International Airport. Another reason to own an MP3 player (I bought my first one for this trip). Also included is a photo of our ride.

It’s a Small World After All

Apparently a spring break roadtrip is not complete without an Anderson encounter. Guess who also happened to be flying to Kansas City? Mr. Lowe! Here is a photo, taken by Mrs. Lowe, of Mr. Lowe and me riding the tram from terminal E to terminal B to catch our connecting flights to KC. I am wearing my Katz’s Deli t-shirt, purchased from pastrami capital of the world in NYC. True foodies like to show-off, I mean advertise, their culinary conquests.

Next, when Steve eventually makes it to the KC airport to pick me up (he is one hour away on I-70 as I type this), we will head to Arthur Bryant’s, a BBQ Mecca, for some burnt ends. What are burnt ends, the BBQ ignorant ask? The burnt pieces of a brisket smothered with sauce. More later.

Kansas City to Memphis, Riding on BBQ

The venerable Steven Epstein, Esq., (pictured left) and the youthful Mark Matluck (pictured right), will embark upon a challenge the second week of April, a challenge known to many, a challenge that might lead them to food Nirvana or to a pharmacy for lipitor, a challenge that will be an intense indulgence of the culinary art of BBQ in the midwest states of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee starting Saturday, April 4, 2009, and ending, Thursday, April 8, 2009. Extensive and, at times, maniacal research has yielded us twain a smorgasboorg (sp? yet interesting word choice) of potential BBQ hot spots throughout the midwest region of the United States. "BBQ three times a day" appears to be a short-lived rallying cry for this pursuit of some of the seven deadly sins, but I am confident one motto or another will stick like BBQ sauce, literally and figuratively, to the spirit of this endeavour. Expect photos of pork and its glistening fat. Expect images of varying sauces, puppies, platters, and surprises. This roadtrip will also include an exploration of the best fried chicken the US has to offer, not to mention many sites worth savoring, including Graceland, that we will capture via digital photography. I am unable to satisfactorily answer inquiries about Mr. Epstein's ability to consume BBQ with only a few teeth. Stay tuned to the blog to satisfy your curiosity!

To my students: Thanks for checking in with me. I cannot help but analyze anything I do through the lense of benefitting all of you! If you can respond to this blog, then I cannot wait to hear (or read) from all of you. Otherwise, have a happy spring break and leave me alone. Oh, and a bottle of world-class bbq sauce to anyone who posts!

Join me on a fun adventure and do not dispute the accuracy of these photos! If anything else, my reputation rests upon my honesty.

Mark