Funny story.

The online magazine The Daily Meal recently published a list of the best dishes in Kansas City. I thought they missed the mark, so I wrote the author and suggested that she might want to get input from a local. She responded immediately and suggested I submit my favorites to incorporate into the article. Her only guideline was that they needed to be dishes that an out-of-towner would associate with Kansas City or that I thought represented KC well.

When I actually sat in front of the computer to make my list, I realized that it’s not that cut and dry. People want to have a KC Strip when they’re here, but the best steaks in my opinion can be found at chain restaurants. We have a plethora of Mexican restaurants, but is there one iconic dish? Everyone would have a different opinion on where to get the best Mexican on Southwest Boulevard–I’d pick Poco’s because it’s fresh, creative and family owned. Others would pick Manny’s, Margarita’s or Ponak’s because they’ve been around for decades. Some might choose Frida’s because it’s authentic and innovative. Same with pizza. I love Pizza Bella and Spin; others swear by Minsky’s or D’Bronx.

And of course you can’t win picking a favorite barbecue joint.

Hence my dilemma.

I went ahead and picked 5, with a 6th as an alternative or spare depending on how many the author wanted to include.

She ended up with 9. Originally listing Oklahoma Joe’s for its burnt ends, I switched that out for Danny Edwards since that’s its speciality. She kept her other original 4 and added my 4 others. If you regularly read my blog or listen to me on KCUR’s The Food Critics, you’ll probably be able to guess which ones I contributed to the list.

Feel free to tell me what you’d have suggested!

http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat-local-kansas-city