THE REVIEW - Arthur Bryant's, Kansas City, Mo.

We went for a late afternoon meal at Arthur Bryant’s BBQ – www.arthurbryantsbbq.com – at the original location near downtown. Like Gates BBQ, Bryant’s is one of the more popular restaurants on the trip. Bryant’s appeal is not only its food, but its mellow nonchalant character. It’s a massively famous spot, but you wouldn’t know it from the modest establishment – regular tables, old chairs, in need of a new paint job, dated décor, etc. None the less, when we walked up the line was out the door and every table was filled. It was an order-at-the-counter place and you had to order quickly because the seasoned bbq veterans running the place didn’t mess around; order and get out of the way. Our expectations for the food were lofty and fortunately, we were not disappointed.

Arthur Bryant's original location near downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The menu at Arthur Bryant's

The smoke pit at Arthur Bryant's BBQ - Note the loaf of wonder bread on the left; there were stacks and stacks of white bread because that's what they used for their sandwiches

Arthur Bryant's modest interior added to the place's nonchalnt attitude

Sauce – 4 – Three kinds – Original, Rich & Spicy and Sweet Heat. Impressive all around and something for everyone. We enjoyed the sweet heat the most. Nice sweet flavor with a slight finishing kick, nice combination.

Sides – 3 – Beans were sweet with a nice bbq flavor. Potato salad was creamy with a sweet dill flavor. Both were good, but not great.

Slabs – 4 – Some of the best ribs we’ve tried. It was a nice combination of moist meat and crispy glazed skin. The tender meat fell off the bone with ease. Only drawback is they weren’t super meaty. Tasty and full of flavor, but a bit small.

Steaks – Didn’t order steaks.

Sandwiches – 4 – We had a terrific juicy pulled pork sandwich smothered in sweet bbq sauce. It was full of a nice smoke pit flavor. Only drawback was it was made with standard white bread, which is a major tradition here in KC; they give you four or five pieces, but with all the sauce the bread gets soggy. None the less, it was by far among the top pulled pork we’ve had.

The pulled pork sandwich came with multiple pieces of wonder bread

THE REVIEW - Gates Bar-B-Q, Kansas City, Mo.

Gates BBQ – www.gatesbbq.com - in Kansas City is one of the more popular bbq restaurants on the trip so our expectations were high. They have multiple locations throughout KC and we did lunch on Tuesday at the location nearest the Country Club Plaza. The fantastic aroma of smoke pit bbq immediately hit your nostrils upon walking in the door. It was order-at-the-counter style like a few previous places, but Gates was more expensive than others; I guess the popularity allows them to charge more. Although the smell was delightful and the restaurant was fun and active, we were slightly disappointed by the food; perhaps the hype had us expecting a lot more.

Outside Gates BBQ in Kansas City, Mo. - We went to the location nearest Country Club Plaza

Inside Gates BBQ - It was order-at-the-counter style joint

Inside Gates BBQ had a terrific smoke pit aroma

Smoke pits at Gates BBQ

A look at the vareity of food we feasted on at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, Mo.

Sauce – 3 –Gates had four sauces – Original, Mild, Sweet & Mild and Hot – and all were on the spicy side. Although they were all tasty and packed with flavor, there was no option for something regular.

Sides – 3.5 – All sides were freshly made on site. The veggies were crisp, tasty and had a seasoning that added a little kick; the veggies were my favorite part of the meal. The beans were sweet and complimented the spicy meat nicely. Potato salad was rich with a dill flavor. Solid all around.

Gates BBQ sandwiches with sides of potato salad, veggies and beans

Slabs – 3 – Expectations for the ribs were high and although a 3 is good, it’s not what we hoped for such a popular place. Definitely tasty with a nice dry rub and smothered in the mild sauce, but they didn’t blow us away. They were a little dry and tough. They lacked the moist-fall-off-the-bone characteristic that has made other ribs stand out.

Before - Full rack of Gates ribs

During - Me enjoying Gates ribs

After - Polished off the full rack of Gates ribs

Steaks – Did not order steak.

Sandwiches – 2 – We ordered beef and pork sandwiches. The beef was served in slices on a standard packaged white bun and it was a bit dry. It needed heavy sauce which made it a bit spicy. The pork sandwich was similar to the beef in its lack of moistness and it was served on standard white bread. Both very ordinary.

Beef sandwich at Gates in Kansas City, Mo.

Pork sandwich at Gates in Kansas City, Mo.