CHAR BAR, KC : EATING OUT

Weeknights and eating out are fairly common for us, like most other suburban families. Be it exploring a new joint downtown, or going ahead to the neighborhood favorites, we make sure we are sampling something from someone else's kitchen. Its nice to sit back, relax and have someone cook for us and even serve you at the table. And don't worry about dishes and cleaning up the table. Last week I was attending the launch of THE BLOG GUILD downtown, and the Man and our daughter were spending some quality time, while running errands. So we decided to head out to dinner after all our individual plans for the evening had concluded.

The man had been talking of going over to CHAR BAR and this seems the perfect opportunity as we were almost in the neighborhood. So Thursday became a barbecue dinner night for us.

The large parking lot was indeed a blessing as most places downtown have a huge struggle with that. you often have to park at a nearby lot and walk up to the restaurant of your choice.But CHAR BAR had a personal, and fairly large parking lot of their own. Which meant we had to walk less.

The decor was like a typical gastro pub but I loved the brick walls all round. Gave it an old school rustic charm I felt. It was pretty spacious, with outdoor seating and even some option of some outdoor games to keep you busy while you wait for your food. Or if you just want to indulge in a game bout with your buddies while chugging on some local brews. Smoked Meats and Amusements, as their website claims.

When it comes to menus, the first thing we look for, are the options for kids. We opted for SMOKED MAC CHICKEN NUGGETS for our daughter. Rather than being nuggets, there were more more big chunks of country fried, smoked chicken pieces. It came with a flight of sauces or dips to dunk your chicken in: Buffalo Mayo, Spicy BBQ, Buttermilk Chive and Carolina Gold.

 The Crust had a good crunch to it and the smokiness are all prevalent. Maybe a bit too strong  for kids. But for a typical Barbecue loving toddler Kansan, it was right up the alley. The picky eater was surely digging in. Bon Appetit, Mommy said in her mind  !!

We started off with LOBSTER DEVILED EGGS. If deviled eggs were not decadent enough, then you add lobsters to it. I felt the presentation as way too sloppy. It looked like a thirteen year old, was having a first go at making deviled eggs, in terms of presentation. They would have looked better if the boiled egg yolks had been piped in, using a curly or star piping tip. Would have looked more professional. And the sauce was hastily smeared below. It looked very sloppy and unprofessional. But taste wise, they were pretty decent. The pea shoots added a nice crunch.

I had been sipping on some wine, at THE BLOG GUILD LAUNCH, so I opted for a beer to pair with my eats. ODELL'S MYRCENARY  DOUBLE IPA. The man was driving so stuck to his iced water. And boy did the Beer pack a punch. It was not your regular lighter beer which you can chug all night long, without even realizing anything This was strong and had a few layers of taste , when it hit your tongue. I am surely gonna be looking for this beer whenever I eat out next.

For our main course, we opted for the BBQ TRAYS with a choice of three meats. They came with a side of pickles and Texas Toast, a choice of sides. We decided on CRISPY JO- JO POTATOES for our side, which came in a nice mug. the LO made a dash for the mug the moment it arrived at our table. For our meats, it was BLACK ANGUS BRISKET , PULLED PORK BUTT and HAND CRANKED SAUSAGES . 

As Kansas City is the city of Barbecue, you always tend to compare the fare with the other local favorites. The brisket was the best of the three and had a nice smoke ring on it. The Pulled Pork was a tad bit dry and the sausage was  just about so so. Had we just opted for the Brisket, it would have been a smarter choice on our part.

The service was great and our server kept checking in on us, without being intrusive. I had a mind to try  my hand at the outdoor amusements in the backyard, but it was already getting late on a weeknight. Maybe next time. Want to check out their brunch fare, maybe on a cool crisp Fall Morning. Cant believe how short this Summer is turning out to be.

CHAR BAR
Website: http://charbarkc.com
Address: 
4050 Pensylvania Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64111

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and the dinner was paid for us in full. The opinions expressed are those of mine. 

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OKLAHOMA JOE'S: BAR-BE-QUE ROYALTY

If Kansas City is known to have the best of Barbecue in the world, then the city's best Barbecue joint, undoubtedly becomes the World's Best.Just to echo what Anthony Bourdain has to say of this famous Barbecue Joint. So when someone mentions Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City, they are referring to Barbecue Royalty.Tony lists Oklahoma Joe's as one of the 13 Places to Eat Before You Die, in an article in Men's Health. Not to forget all the episodes of No Reservations in the past 8 Seasons. As the promo of the 9th Season of No Reservations was aired, Kansas City found special mention in it.We can all guess very well, as to where Tony will head first,when he starts filming.

 For the uninitiated, Kansas City is home to a particular type of barbecue,which is very different from the Carolina style or the Memphis style of grilling meat. The KC style uses a particular type of wood to smoke the meat, which lends its signature flavour. Hickory seems to be the favorite for hardcore Kansas Citians. The next important element of any barbecued protein, is the Barbecue sauce with which it is slathered.Tomatoes and molasses are the key ingredients of the typical Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce, where local chefs add their signature special blend of spices.So when you are digging into Kansas City style Barbecue, make sure you roll up your sleeves a little bit, as it can get messy at times.

OJ's have two locations in Kansas City.While one is located closer to where we stay and is more contemporary in its decor and seating arrangements in general, its the older one, where the celebs head to. The older OJ's has limited seating, and is housed, in a gas station. Yes, you got that right ! People from all across, queue everyday, for a bite in this flavour haven. We decided to head to the older location, for our share of some meaty goodness. Just when you enter the location,the aroma of freshly grilled meat, hits you, and you just cannot wait, till you dig into your own plate.The walls are adorned either with awards and competition memorabilia or framed cutouts of newspaper and magazine articles. And as you wait for your turn to order at the service counter, you immerse yourself in simple awe, with the grilling aroma still playing teasing games with your senses.  As for the menu, we are supposed to pick up print outs of the menu, as we start off in the queue. So by the time, we reach the service counter, we know exactly what to order, with which sides. Since there was such a big choice, it was hard to decide what would be on our plates for that evening. The menu was a meat lover's delight ! Here's a peek :  http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/restaurant/menus/CarryoutMenu2011.pdf

 By the time, we had made it to the service counter, there was something I knew I had to try out, along with my choice of meat. It was the reference of Texas Chili which had caught my eye, at a few places around the restaurant. This particular side dish had an extra upfront payment, when one substituted it for the regular sides of fries or coleslaw. The reason being, this particular Chili had been a regular winner at competitions across the country, for years in a row. So I had decided on my side. Now to decide on the meat. Tony had recommended the brisket, burnt ends and the ribs, not necessarily in that order, though. We were a group of four, we decided to opt for all the favorites. So hubby decided on Brisket and Pulled Pork, and the two younger boys opted for Burnt Ends and Sausages.

In a move which will probably impress some Docs(read: father- in- law) back in the homeland, hubby ordered for a serving of a Pig Salad. I am sure, that when those Docs see what was on that Salad, they would rather recommend eating meat. The Greens were there, but so was the warm  Pulled Pork, in quite a substantial helping.Our choice of Honey-Mustard dressing was given separately, so that the salad did not lose its crunch. Well, I did not quite understand that, till we dug in. What we thought to be as Tortilla Chips, was actually fried Pork Rind. Decadence is the right word. The sharp Cheddar and the smoked and chopped Jalapenos, completed the party. If I am served salads like this one everyday,then I don't mind my greens at all.

Given the fact, how biased I can get at times, I decided to stick to my all time favorite. I opted for a Rib Dinner, with a bowl of  fully loaded Texas Style Chili.Half a rack of Pork ribs grilled to perfection and then smothered in the quintessential Kansas City style, sweet and spicy Barbecue sauce.A couple of slices of thick Texas toast and not to forget some pickled cucumber to cut through the grease. Well, we had skipped breakfast and almost lunch, to dig into this mouthwatering goodness at almost very late into the afternoon.

I decided to down a few spoonfuls of  Chili, before I started on my meat. I had asked my Chili to be fully loaded, which meant that the minced beef and beans stew, was topped with chopped jalapenos, red onions and some sharp cheddar. It was a dish fit for the Tornado Alley, as it created a storm of flavours inside. I could just polish off the bowl, by sopping it all up with the bread,and forget about everything else on my plate. I was on a Flavour High almost. Who said, that food cannot be a Hallucinogenic ! But it is not possible to avoid Ribs for a long time. Did my Flavour High mind imagine a halo around the ribs ? ! Nahh, it was my senses playing tricks with me. The Ribs had a lovely char on them, yet the meat was still medium rare and   was fork tender. Just the way I love it. There is a different decadence to medium rare red meat. Something which cannot be  explained in words so well. So I will not even try. No wonder the burnt ends of the Briisket are such a popular dish at this eatery. The char on my ribs was a proof of that. Luckily the ribs did not have a crazy amount of barbecue sauce slathered on them, hence I got away without rolling my sleeves up to my elbows. It was just the right balance of smokiness and flavour and piggy goodness. The pickled cucumber slices were a nice texture to the plate, in between every couple of ribs. It was perfection on a plate, if I might say so.I was supposed to go for some shopping after this lavish meal. Little did I know, that by the time, I finished my plate, I would be too full to walk up to the car, leave alone walk around around in downtown to shop. I did manage to sample some of the fare, which the boys had ordered.The Brisket did come a close second. Next time, I am in OJ's, I have decided to sample their Brisket sandwich.One look around the room, and I knew why Tony had spoken so highly of the Ribs here. Around 80% of the folks who were digging in, had Ribs on their table. Mind you, they were not a small portion(like a half slab of mine), but bigger and meaner portions. Ahhhh..I was in meat heaven !!

A film becomes a hit, when people return to the theatre, to watch it again. Similarly, eateries, become favorites, when people keep going back to them, over and over again.Well, OJ's have become a family favorite of ours, now that we have finally decided to no longer listen to the banter of the Docs back in our homeland(read: father in law), and stick to our love for the reds! So we land up getting our hands greasy a bit too often. Though I must add, that hubby is beating me to it, as he lands up there, every Friday, for lunch with his office buddies ! Well, when something is so good, then its hard not to indulge! Bon Appetit !

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