The burger Andy Reid loves + Tangy German duck
Happy Friday, and welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City.
This week’s dishes prove nostalgia comes in many forms, from a classic, affordable KC diner to an upscale German restaurant: I taste the cheeseburgers at Town Topic, a childhood favorite, and my editor Hannah reminisces on the rich duck breast at Affäre.
Plus, stick around for a mouthwatering suggestion from one of our readers.
Cheeseburgers at Town Topic
More than eight decades have passed since Town Topic first opened in the Crossroads, but not much has changed.
Famously 5 cents then and $4.75 now, Town Topic’s cheeseburgers are hands-down the best in the city. Midsized patties sizzle on the grill right in front of you, smashed atop grilled onions, then layered with pickles on a toasted bun and adorned with just the right amount of ketchup and mustard.
It’s just better than your average burger. Even Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a man who loves his cheeseburgers, has said Town Topic serves the best in town.
“The process hasn’t changed a bit,” explains Misty Waite, a manager at the diner for 13 years. “It’s simple, but it always worked.”
Simple is perhaps the best description of the food. It’s greasy, for sure, but miles better than greasy fast food. The grilled onions elevate the burger’s juiciness, and every bite is a perfect medley of cheese and meat and condiments.
Read more about my favorite diner in the city here.
Duck at Affäre
Audience development editor Hannah Wise loves traditional German cuisine. Schnitzel, wurst and tangy sauerkraut are all wonderful. But she says Affäre, a modern German restaurant in the Crossroads, really excels at showcasing the best local, seasonal ingredients from the KC region in thoughtful and unique dishes that go far beyond what many Americans imagine from European cuisine.
Take the Gebratene Entenbrust ($38) — that’s German for roasted duck breast.
The lean and succulent Pekin duck is lacquered in a Lebkuchen-citrus glaze and served with an orange-peppercorn sauce, sweet carrot purée, vegetables and duchesse potatoes.
It’s tangy and rich, and the natural sweetness of the gingery carrot purée adds a refreshing balance to the duck breast. The Lebkuchen glaze is infused with notes of clove, allspice, cardamom and orange, just like a traditional German Christmas cookie. The duck breast rests on a bed of demi-glace sauce made from the duck breast trimmings and white peppercorns.
Hannah says she simply hasn’t had a single dish in Kansas City deliver the same rush of joy, nostalgia and relief that she felt during her first meal at Affäre.
Read more about her experience here.
My standout dish of the week
Last Sunday, when my co-workers and I were hunkering down in the newsroom to cover the Chiefs’ magnificent Super Bowl appearance, Hannah brought in a few pizzas from Waldo Pizza to sustain our energy throughout what turned into a long (and incredibly exciting) night.
Now, I’m a big supporter of pineapple on pizza. And Waldo’s Hawaiian pizza only solidified that. It’s served topped with pineapple and Canadian bacon, of course, but the real star here is the cream cheese.
I’d never tried cream cheese on pizza before, but it’s a winner. Creamier and richer than other cheeses, it adds dimension to each slice, perfectly balancing the savoriness of the ham and the sweetness of the pineapple in every bite. It was a meal fit to celebrate the end of an awe-inspiring Chiefs season — and celebrate we did.
Your top eats
Reader George Costello responded to our poll asking readers about their favorite local dishes with a review praising the Chicken Spiedini at Johnny Cascone’s.
Marinated slices of chicken, skewered and grilled atop a traditional amogio sauce and pasta sugo, Costello says the mixture of flavors is “pure magic.”
“Cascone’s (Sicilian-inspired) marinara tomato sauce on the pasta is simply the best tasting red sauce available anywhere. It’s my favorite dish of all time (and at 80-years-old, I’ve tried ‘em all),” Costello says.
Do you have a favorite dish you think I should include in this newsletter? Email me, abooth@kcstar.com, or fill out this form to let us know.
À la carte
✴️ A fried chicken spot in Johnson County, a classy bar on the Plaza and an Italian coffee shop in the Crossroads: At least 14 new places to eat or drink in KC have opened in the past month. Check out the new spots, plus what’s closed and what’s coming soon.
✴️ Two lifelong friends are opening another pop-up of their Bay Area-inspired sandwich shop. Here’s where you’ll be able to snag a sandwich with their beloved Dutch Crunch bread.
✴️ If you’re looking for a different area of KC to explore, take a look at our 18th and Vine neighborhood guide. From Black-owned restaurants to age-old barbecue, the neighborhood cuisine is brimming with history.
✴️ Five metro restaurants, including a family-loved breakfast spot in JoCo and a KCK taco shop, were cited with seven or more priority or critical health code violations in recent inspections.
Hungry for more?
We want your opinion: Do you have a favorite dish at a KC restaurant you think we should try? Let us know here, or email Sharon Hoffmann, our editor coordinating this series: shoffmann@kcstar.com.
Check out all the restaurants we’ve covered in this series here.
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
