Let’s Dish, Kansas City: Welcome to our series showcasing favorite restaurant meals

Greg Farmer

A friend from college reached out several months ago.

She’s built a great life on the East Coast and was planning to spend a week in the fall relaxing and showing off Kansas City to a friend.

Her last time in town was days after we graduated from the University of Kansas in 1993, but she was still well aware of my longtime love for this city.

“I hear Kansas City has made a lot of great changes since I was there,” she said. “Tell me where to start!”

Beyond the sights and neighborhoods she should visit, she wanted to know one thing in particular: Where to eat.

“We’ll get barbecue, of course, but I know there’s more than that, right?”

My response: Hallelujah!

We all know that we in Kansas City love our restaurants.

They’re at the center of our going out plans, a huge part of our entertainment.

And we have a remarkable and diverse restaurant scene that offers some of the best meals you can find anywhere. It’s not just barbecue — really.

But the fabulousness of the Kansas City food scene is a bit of a secret, a life-changing fact we don’t seem to want to let anyone else in on.

We want to change that, and now’s a great time to get started.

Kansas City’s Restaurant Week runs Jan. 13-22, but it doesn’t have to be just a week, does it?

We like to think of it as Restaurant Winter, so here’s what we’re going to do: Over the next eight weeks, we will highlight some of Kansas City’s best restaurant meals in a running series we’re calling “Let’s Dish, Kansas City.”

Later this week and continuing for at least two times each week through Feb. 23, members of our staff will go out and eat their favorite meals at one of Kansas City’s great restaurants and then write about the experience, what makes the meal amazing and why we think you should go taste it for yourself.

We’ll package the story with photos and video so you can join in the experience, and we’re offering an email newsletter so you can be sure to receive every installment.

With each piece, we’ll be asking for your opinions and nominations as well. The series of stories will start with our staff members’ favorite meals but will expand by February to include your favorites. Tell us about them by filling out the form below or emailing the editor coordinating this series, Sharon Hoffmann, shoffmann@kcstar.com.

We’re excited to partner with you on this gastronomic adventure.

So back to my East Coast friend. What did I tell her?

I’m no expert, but I know what I like. So I suggested she start here:

  • Green curry at Lulu’s

  • A sampler platter at Blue Nile Cafe

  • The house burger at Anton’s

  • Blackberry salmon with spinach salad at Jack Stack

  • Lemon chicken at Lidia’s

I was able to meet up with them for drinks late in their trip. We had a lively discussion about my list. Let’s just say they loved most of them, and they were dead wrong about the other.

But they had found their own favorite – the chicken at El Pollo Rey.

“Melts-in-your-mouth delicious.”

Oh, yeah! It had been too long, so I made my way there for lunch the next week.

Greg Farmer is The Star’s interim executive editor.

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