Can someone explain the allure of Kansas City, MO?

[xenokc]

Technically KC is not in the Great Plains according to USGS even though represents the Plains economically. Denver city technically is in the Great Plains, not the Rockies even though it represents the latter. Denver, Chicago, Manhattan, entire state of Florida are flat, KC definitely not.

[xenokc]

Originally Posted by pacificwhim

One night. Then I feel completely comfortable disregarding your opinion here. One night in anyplace can suck. My first night in Paris was terrible. I think I was wise not to write off the City of Lights based on that experience.

Yeah, I travel the world often enough and can safely declare KC is a decent foodie town if you look or get involved. There are also many places that suck, just like any city, especially anything appealing to mainstream like touristy areas. Some of the worst meals I had were in SF and NYC - and also great too once you explore or know where to go. KC also has many James Beard winners, more than most cities in Midwest.

I help prep cook with pirate dining parties a couple weekends a month, run by local chefs/friends doing popups or pseudo-public unlicensed dining. Last weekend - puerco pibil - pork butt rubbed with Yucatan achiote paste wrapped in banana leaves drenched in bottle of tequila slow cooked in a deep pit, served S Mexico street taco style with fresh corn tortillas from a local tortilleria and cilantro/onion/lime. Weekend before another 'pirate dining' popup - Thai laab/larb with lemongrass, roasted jasmine rice powder, mint/thai basil/Vietnamese coriander - served with panko crab cakes/lime leaves/ginger/green curry in a sweet rice vinegar fish sauce and Thai fried chili paste. Weekend before that Cajun tapas mashup: shrimp gasms - sauteed in cajun spices, drenched in cilantro/shallot/olive oil sauce, dip with baguette (that we made). I'm the one who prepped for all of this and there is a significant KC scene of foodies doing this. When not involved with popups, I sometimes help prep cook for a friend in Hyde Park (midtown KC) who does 'pirate dining' in her Victorian home - unlicensed dining with community tables setup in first floor. Her kid does the service, Downton Abbey style - cool sh|te.

E Coast foodies can be overrated. Their idea of spicy/zest is black pepper and most places out there way overcook food. They visit a touristy area in KC (or a sports bar???) and judge entire city based on single experience.

Edit: Another KC thing most don't know... there are a couple hundred Sommeliers in KC (difficult wine certification), most under tutelage of Doug Frost who lives in KC, one of 3 people in world that is a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine. He taught me how to tell old world vs new world wine making by first taste.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by xenokc

Technically KC is not in the Great Plains according to USGS even though represents the Plains economically. Denver city technically is in the Great Plains, not the Rockies even though it represents the latter. Denver, Chicago, Manhattan, entire state of Florida are flat, KC definitely not.

But the city is nonetheless a city of the plains.

If you look at that map again, you will see that the Great Plains and the Central Lowland together make up the "Interior Plains."

The Central Lowland, however, is not as uniformly lacking in sharp local variances in elevation as the plains to its west, or, for that matter, as the Coastal Plain that begins a few miles southeast of where I post this in Philadelphia's Germantown section (which is located in the Atlantic Highlands; the fall line runs through the city).

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by xenokc

E Coast foodies can be overrated. Their idea of spicy/zest is black pepper and most places out there way overcook food.

The East Coast palate has come a ways of late, especially in cities with significant immigration from abroad; Thai, Indian and Mexican restaurants, to name a few where foods seasoned with more than black pepper can be found, abound, but East Coast heat tolerance remains below that found in Kansas City and environs. I remember buying the "hot" variety a popular brand of pork breakfast sausage in the Mid-Atlantic region ("More Parks sausages, Mom! Please?" is its ad slogan) shortly after arriving in Philadelphia and thinking, "This would be 'medium' for R.B. Rice's sausage." (Is Rice's still around?)

They visit a touristy area in KC (or a sports bar???) and judge entire city based on single experience.

Like this one, maybe?

I've got a great quote from R. Crosby Kemper III in the story.