A BBQ platter between buns + Gluten-free joy

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City.

This week, we finally dip our toes in the vast greatness that is KC barbecue, and taste some gluten-free sweets at a small KCK bakery.

Plus, stick around for a mouthwatering suggestion from one of our readers.

Burnt Heaven at Char Bar

When Star reporter Jonathan Shorman walked into Char Bar in Westport last week, he could have sworn he’d been eating there — and having the Burnt Heaven sandwich — for over a decade. As it turned out, the restaurant has only been open since late 2014.

Kansas City Star reporter Jonathan Shorman chooses The Burnt Heaven Sandwich from the Char Bar in Westport as his Let’s Dish favorite.
Kansas City Star reporter Jonathan Shorman chooses The Burnt Heaven Sandwich from the Char Bar in Westport as his Let’s Dish favorite.

But the fact that Jonathan felt like he’d been eating the Burnt Heaven for that long speaks to what a big impression the sandwich has left on him. Regardless of the occasion, he will order the Burnt Heaven nearly every time.

It’s not so much a sandwich as a BBQ platter between buns, he says.

First, there’s the sausage — pork butt and chuck tender with garlic and other seasonings. Then you add the burnt ends, which have been smoked 12 hours overnight with hickory wood, said Char Bar executive chef Drew Prewitt. Add ‘slaw, fried jalapenos and chipotle BBQ mayo, and you’ve got a Burnt Heaven.

Of course, when you pick it up, half the sandwich will fall out. But to Jonathan, that’s half the fun — there’s practically half a meal remaining after you eat it.

The flavors are grand. The smoke from the burnt ends, along with the spice of the sausage and the jalapenos, give the thing some heat that’s balanced by the creaminess of the slaw and mayo. It’s not overly smothered in sauce — the meat is the star.

Read more about the classic KC barbecue spot here.

Gluten-free cupcakes at Emily Kate’s Bakery

You might’ve heard of a gluten-free diet — but do you know what that actually means?

No wheat flour. Which means saying no to cakes, bagels, pizzas, sandwiches and more.

For Star reporter Matti Gellman, this proved to be one of the toughest parts of moving from New York City to Kansas City last year.

A vanilla cupcake with Chiefs-themed cream cheese frosting at Emily Kate’s, a gluten free bakery at 3008 S. 44th St., Kansas City, Kansas. “There’s some real science in this that I won’t be able to get into,” said kitchen trainer Michaela Sewalson.
A vanilla cupcake with Chiefs-themed cream cheese frosting at Emily Kate’s, a gluten free bakery at 3008 S. 44th St., Kansas City, Kansas. “There’s some real science in this that I won’t be able to get into,” said kitchen trainer Michaela Sewalson.

That is, until she found Emily Kate’s bakery, a small, gluten-free shop with around 10 kitchen staff, tucked away in a Kansas City, Kansas, warehouse at 3008 S. 44th St.

The shop sells to a number of local cafes and Whole Foods, where they provide cookies, cakes, biscuits and cinnamon rolls. Matti bought her first box of cupcakes to bring to a friend’s dinner party.

Far too often, she’s confronted with crumbling mounds of pseudo-flour passed off as a gluten-free snack. They’re usually dense, and fall apart in her hands because the dough doesn’t rise as it would with wheat flour.

But Emily Kate’s cupcakes are soft and fluffy. Their cake has flavor: a sharp tang cuts the richness, another rarity in the gluten-free world. By her first bite, she was hooked.

Read more about the local bakery here.

My standout dish of the week

This week, I made my way over to Kobi-Q’s Crossroads location with my colleague Irvin Zhang, who’s writing about the restaurant’s Korean fried chicken in a Let’s Dish column coming soon. We ordered a mix of both flavors — the spicy sichuan dry rub and the sweet garlic-glazed.

Their KFC (as they’ve named it) is perfectly crunchy and delightfully battered. The flavors are unique in their own right, but balance each other’s spice and sweetness. I’ll let Irvin tell you more about his favorite comfort food in his column, which comes out in a few weeks.

Your top eats

A reader recently told us about his favorite burnt ends sandwich in KC — and it wasn’t Char Bar’s. Reader Benjamin Denton is sure Gates Bar-B-Q serves up the best burnt ends on a bun.

“With every bite, you get all of that smoky, burnt, meaty, greasy, bar-b-que-y taste you expect from burnt ends,” Denton says. “The sauce is just as good as the meat is.”

Do you agree? Disagree? Have another favorite local 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

✴️ After 10 years in business, this locally owned taco restaurant has closed its KCK location. You can still snag one of their street tacos in Johnson County, though.

✴️ A West Plaza pizza staple is setting up shop in the Crossroads’ Parlor food hall, starting with a pop-up in the space this weekend. Here’s when it’ll officially move in.

✴️ Thirsty? One of the largest independent retailers of fine wine in the nation is coming to KC — and maybe Johnson County. Its expansive selection includes over 2,500 beers and more than 3,000 different spirits.

✴️ This celebrity-owned burger chain has closed its Olathe location, five years after it opened. But its franchisee says it plans to open over 20 new spots across an eight-state region.

Alison Booth, audience growth producer
Alison Booth, audience growth producer

Hungry for more?

Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.

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