Mmm ... give me a little taste of Kansas and Missouri

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This month's issue of Bon Appetit headlines its main feature "The United Plates of America." It's devoted to identifying the best and most uniquely American flavors in all 50 states. "Whether it's a slice of just-baked cherry pie in Michigan, an oyster and bacon sandwich in Louisiana ... there's always something delicious just around the corner in America."

What follows is a "definitive" list of each state and its best dishes, drinks and ingredients categorized into buying, eating and drinking. Here's what Bon Appetit says is the best in Kansas:

To Buy: Lapin Links from The Rare Hare Barn in Leon (east of Wichita)
To Eat: Grass-fed elk burger at Local Burger in Lawrence
To Drink: Oatmeal Stout from Free State Brewing in Lawrence

Again, Bon Appetit called these "definitive." Now here's the list for Missouri.
To Buy: American black walnuts from Hammons Nut Emporium in Stockton (a little more than two hours south of Kansas City)
To Eat: Grilled Berkshire pork ribeye and smoked crispy shoulder with chestnut risotto at Justus Drugstore in Smithville
To Drink: Chocolate concrete from Ted Drewes in St. Louis.

Not a bad list. Much better than what I was expecting. But the problem is I've never bought lapin links -- which is really just a fancy word for rabbit meat -- from Rare Hare Barn and neither have I eaten black walnuts from Southern Missouri. Plus there is no barbecue on either state's list.

That's unacceptable.

So without further ado I present my own list which ignores the state line and focuses on Kansas City.

To Buy: a porterhouse or similar cut from McGonigle's Market. A bottle of Gates' barbecue sauce. A pound of the Roasterie's freshly ground Euro bistro blend coffee. 
To Eat: Cream-cheese brownie from Dolce Bakery. A Z-Man sandwich from Oklahoma Joe's. The above mentioned dish from Justus.
To Drink:
A tour of the Boulevard Brewery, a Guy's root beer, a shake from Winstead's.

So I went a little overboard with too many picks. Now it's your turn. What does Kansas and Missouri taste like to you?
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