Kansas City Food Blog

​Last week's edition of "Where is it?" had an intriguing photograph of a sign that announced "Fresh chickens breaded daily." Only commenter Barry knew the location: The LC's Burgers on North Oak Trafficway. Sensational burgers, by the way. (I usually eat at the other location in the Northland because the one on North Oak Trafficway is drive-through only).

I've never eaten a chicken sandwich at LC's, but there's something reassuring about knowing that the birds are breaded daily -- in case I ever want to order one.

 

Give us this day our daily breading

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So, culinary detectives, where is this place that breads its birds daily?

​Earlier this week, in honor of National Sandwich Day, we asked where one could find the tasty Monte Cristo sandwich pictured above. All the guesses were correct -- it's the sandwich at the new Fran's Classic Diner in the Power & Light District (although when Realist commented that I had written about the Monte Cristo at Fran's before, he was actually referring to a post by Jonathan Bender.) Good eye, everyone!

Count your Monte Cristos until you can guess where to find this one

Because tomorrow (Tuesday, November 3) is officially National Sandwich Day, we decided it was a fitting time to address one of the more frequent questions we get here in Fat City: Where does one find the pefect Monte Cristo sandwich? Too often the sandwich passing itself off as a Monte Cristo turns out to be a panini or some variation on a grilled cheese. But a true Monte Cristo should be cooked chicken or turkey (and often baked ham) and cheese -- usually Swiss -- tucked between two or three slices of good bread, dipped in beaten egg and sauteed in butter until golden brown. It's frequently garnished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or maybe a side of jam for dipping.

Since there are similarities between the Monte Cristo and the classic Parisian bistro favorite the Croque Monsieur, it's easy to assume that the Monte Cristo is the American version of the French sandwich, which one Web site dates back to 1910. The site says that there's documentation to support the 1910 claim, but that the Monte Cristo was reportedly first served in California in the 1950s. Another Web site claims the sandwich first appeared in California in the 1880s.

But here in 2009, it's hard to find a first-rate Monte Cristo. But we've recently come across a contender: the sandwich pictured above. Do you know the name of the restaurant that serves it?

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No one came close to guessing the location of the most recent Where is it? Sure, it could have been anywhere, including here. But for the record, it's here.

 

 

Not a temple, not a shrine...a restaurant

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What is the name of the restaurant where this trio of figures greets guests before they step into the dining room?

Not included in this photograph, alas, is the newest addition to this glittering display: one of those motion-activated plastic animated hands that thrusts a packet of Halloween candy in your direction.

The City Diner can flip one flamboyant flapjack

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Lots of you weighed in on this week's Where Is It?, suggesting various restaurants that might serve the oversized pancake shown above. There were some interesting answers, but let's wave a stack of flapjacks in the direction of the highly astute ScooterJ, Darin and blini-loving Meesha V., who all came up with the correct guess: City Diner in the River Market.

If you've never started the day with one of these pancakes, it's a must. But bring cash: The City Diner doesn't accept credit cards.  

 

This full-sized flapjack can easily feed a family of three

​This may be the biggest flapjack in Kansas City, measuring well over 12 inches in diameter and hanging over the plate. Oversized pancakes are visually impressive but don't always taste so good: one might be doughy in the center or get cold before you can actually finish a third of it. But this platter-sized cake wasn't doughy and it wasn't too thick, it stayed hot and was fabulous with butter and syrup (the hot sauce on the table was for the eggs, not the pancake).

So, pancake lovers: Who serves this hot cake?

Farewell, fromage, farewell....

In this case, I'm sad to say, the question is: Where was it? I passed this bittersweet closing notice yesterday and it broke my heart. Not only because an apparently interesting culinary shop was out of business, but it verified one of my darkest fears: that the cheese I eat loves me more than I love it. Calling Dr. Freud!

Now where is this sign?

​We had a few guesses and one correct answer to this week's "Where Is it?" question. Only commenter Rob Torfulson correctly guessed -- on his second try -- that this creative patio ornament was on the patio behind the Cook's Shack Cafe at 8950 Wornall Road.

 

 

 

 

Tags: Where is it? Cook's Shack Cafe

 

Use the other sink to wash your hands before breakfast...

​Every restaurant patio needs a festive re-thinking of the lowly bathroom sink, don't you think? Where is this one?

 

​Unusual sign, isn't it? Where is it?

The tenderloins rule at Rob's Cafe on Highway 40

Over the weekend, we posed this question: Where in the Kansas City area could one find the Tom Boy Sandwich? Not every diner serves such a unique delicacy: a ground-beef patty, grilled medium, then hand-dipped, breaded and deep-fried "to a golden crisp" and topped with grilled onions, lettuce and mayonnaise." Not so good for one's blood pressure, maybe, but delicious.

A couple of Fat City readers ventured guesses, but no one could correctly identify the diner that serves this sandwich sensation: Rob's Cafe at 15014 East Highway 40. Rob's is better-known for its fried pork tenderloins and homemade pies than the Tom Boy, but not every restaurant offers a deep-fried burger. 

 

​We're giving you until Monday to solve this mystery: which local restaurant offers this artery-clogging sandwich sensation? We're particularly impressed that the breaded, deep-fried burger comes in two sizes. Oh, you can pay extra and get steak fries, regular fries or tots instead of chips.

OK now, where is the restaurant serving the Tom Boy Sandwich?

 

A sign of the times...

​It's a small town diner, not too far from Kansas City. Enough said. Have you eaten there? If so, where is this joint?

"Fill 'er up" means something else here -- but gas may result

 

You can't get leaded, unleaded or Ethyl at this station. But you can get a catfish sandwich.

Where is it?​

 

Tags: Where is It?

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There were several really excellent guesses for last week's "Where Is It?" photo -- but no one answered correctly: it's the front window of the Los Compos Mexican Restaurant at 5 East Kansas Street in Liberty, Missouri. There's a second Los Compas location too: at 18011 East 24 Highway in Independence.​

Tags: Liberty, Los Compas Mexican Restaurant, Where is it? It's Here

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 Sure, any walking talking pepper can wear a sombrero, but dark shades and high-top sneakers? These have to be the hippest jalapeno peppers in the metro. Do you know where this place is?

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Yes, it did flash though my mind, shortly before I walked up to the order counter at this imacculate venue, that $3.33 was -- gulp! -- half of the notorious Satanic sum of 666.

I tried not to let that bit of numerical trivia ruin my appetite, though. The two junior cheeseburgers were pretty big and were served on really good buns. It was all pretty devilishly fattening though, particularly the side of tater tots I foolishly insisted on adding to my order. 

So, can you tell me where this place is?

​No, no, this marvelous wall painting is not from Sea World! It's part of the exterior decor of the El Camaroncito Restaurant at 1022 Central in Kansas City, Kansas. One of our food-loving friends in Fat City visited the restaurant for big plates of garlic-grilled shrimp, noting that the camerones were the whole darn crustacean: "The whole shrimp," she wrote to tell us, "with heads, eyes and whiskers intact. We also ate seafood diablo a later regretted we didn't order the ceviche tostadas."

 

 

​Yes, of course you know where this is.

 Just tell us exactly where and what you ate there. And no, it's not a burger joint.

That's more than enough clues for today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

​A creamy soft-serve shout-out to Fat City commenters fikedogg and Karen Geary for correctly figuring out the location of last week's Where Is It? photo. Reader fikedogg correctly guessed that the sign stood in front of what used to be a Dairy Queen at 15902 East 24 Highway. But -- as Karen Geary knew -- nearly a year ago, the building was refurbished as a brand new Tastee Freez. It's the first local franchise of the Irvine, California-based Tastee Freez in at least 25 years.

"The last one in town was off the Paseo," a manager at the new Tastee Freez told me. There was also one of the restaurants at 75th and Metcalf in Overland Park. There are currently no Tastee Freeze franchisees in the state of Kansas.

"But you'll start seeing more of them," the store manager told me.

The Muppets used to appear in old Tastee Freez commercials. Who knew?

(Image via Flickr: The Downey Historical Conservancy)

 They say a picture tells a thousand words. This picture doesn't tell quite that many, but there's kind of an interesting story connected with this sign.

Do you know where it is?

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Where it it?

Our friend Amy from the Wort Hog Beer Blog read this week's "Where Is It?" quiz and correctly guessed the location of this enticing sign: The China Town Super Buffet in Waldo, which offers both Mexican and Chinese cuisine.

Amy will receive a complimentary pair of bamboo chopsticks for recognizing this as no ordinary buffet, but a Super Buffet.

 

Nothing says excitement like a Chinese buffet! This sign positively bursts with enthusiasm -- and the offer of a free drink! Do you know where this buffet might be?

Here's a clue: It's one of the few buffets in town where the cuisine literally spans the globe. No, not one of the casino buffets, but a more modest approach to the same multi-cultural theme.

Enough! Now where is it?

 

 

Tags: Where it it?

This week's "Where Is It" quiz stumped everybody -- including me! The building with the Flora's Cafe sign is on a desolate stretch in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri -- but I couldn't find out anything about the former restaurant or the building. Or Flora, for that matter.

Nut I'm sure there's a great story just waiting to be told.

I'm so sorry I missed Flora's Cafe -- wherever the hell it is. I mean, yes, I do know where it is: somewhere between hell and Hannibal. The question is, do you know where it is?

Judging from the peeling paint and boarded-up windows, I'm not sure this joint was even open in my own lifetime. Do you know where this building is? And, more importantly, do you know anyone who ever ate a meal in there?

You wanted a larger reproduction of the photo posted in Monday's "Where Is It?" quiz? Well, here it is!

Commenter Stacy N. got it right, however. This is the menu at the Georgetown Pharmacy's Old Time Soda Fountain & Espresso Shop at 5605 Merriam Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. They cook the burgers and hot dogs on a little grill just outside the pharmacy. The chocolate malts are indescribably delicious.

Tags: Georgetown Pharmacy, soda fountain, Where is it?

I scream. You scream. We all scream for an ice cream soda. So where is this soda fountain?

Don't all scream at once, now.

 

 

 

 

Tags: where is it?

I'll go anywhere for a decent ice cream cone, but this location isn't as close to Midtown as I'd like. Still, it's so damn cute...

Do you know where it is? And more importantly, if you do know where it is, what should I order when I actually step up to the little window in the center of that Pepto-Bismol-pink "cone."