Restaurant Review

Johnny Rockets

On vacation this year, the fam and I visited the Johnny Rockets location in South Padre Island Texas.

#GoogleLocalGuide

Johnny Rockets is a 50’s themed diner. They specialize in burgers, fries and shakes. The interior has tables, booths and barstool seating.

The menu is a mixture of various burgers/sandwiches, traditional fast food sides (fries, tots, rings) and drinks (including shakes).

We ordered an Original, a Rocket Single, a Rocket Chili Dog, a Smokehouse and a BBQ chicken sandwich.

Original: seasoned 1/3 lb burger with shredded lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, relish, pickle, mustard and mayo.
Rocket Single: cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, white onion and special sauce.
Rocket Chili Dog: split 8 inch Nathan’s dog in a bun topped with all meat chili, shredded cheese and chopped white onion.
Smokehouse single: beef patty, applewood smoked bacon, crispy sourdough onion rings, cheddar cheese and smokehouse bbq ranch.
Smokehouse Chicken: grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, crispy sourdough onion rings, cheddar cheese and bbq ranch sauce.

The food was all made to order and it was tasty, but not a single dish really stood out to me or my family. It was just OK.

Johnny Rocket’s theme sounded really interesting to me, but ended up just being an expensive, classic burger joint. The location and decor was the most interesting part of this culinary adventure. Final score, 4 out of 5 stars.

Ambiance, 1

Food, 1/2

Hospitality, 1/2

Selection, 1

Location, 1

Johnny Rocket’s total score = ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#NatsJourneys #FoodieFriday #RestaurantReview

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Foodie Finds

Chili Dogs

Like my old pal, Sonic, always says, “There’s nothing like a chili dog!”

I LOVE chili dogs! Especially chili cheese dogs. I’ve been traveling around for sometime now trying out all the chili dogs that I can find. They vary greatly in price, style and flavor. Today we’ll look at a baker’s dozen chili dogs that I have tried and compare them.

Sonic

The Sonic Chili Cheese Coney. This is probably the chili dog most people are familiar with in the center of the country. This classic Sonic offering is how I first fell in love with the chili dog. For me at least, this is the standard that all other chili dogs are compared to.

Nuway in Wichita, KS

The chili dog at Nuway looks really gross. Granted, most of the food at Nuway looks unappealing. The hotdog is simple, the bun looks store bought and the chili is unimpressive. The only thing that gives this chili dog any spark of flavor is the mustard on the bun.

Dairy Queen

The Dairy Queen chili cheese dog is small yet satisfying. It tastes similar, but in my opinion, slightly better than Sonic’s chili cheese coney.

Smitty’s Garage Burger and Beer in KCMO

They call it the Fork & Knife. It’s a long, bright red dog, a lot of bean chili with diced onions and shredded cheese on top. Big enough to be your entire meal with a price that matches. The frank has a good snap to it. In all honesty, it was too big for me to eat all at once. I took home leftovers.

Bigg’s Burgers in Lawrence, KS

With the hot dog is split open to cook on the grill top, the chili dog at Bigg’s is filled with chili, cheese and diced onions. You’ll get messy eating it with your hands. Utensils are recommended.

Dog n Shake in Wichita, KS

The chili dog at Dog n Shake was cheaply made and looked disgusting. It’s looks liked canned chili, a slice of pasteurized processed cheese food with a store bought hot dog and bun. They put a line of mustard down the bottom of the bun. I can make a better chili dog at home and it would be significantly cheaper.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers

The Freddy’s chili dog has a long, skinny hot dog that had a good snap to it. They always ask if you want the onions on top. This is a good addition because the chili wasn’t all that flavorful by itself. Messy enough you’ll want a fork.

Tay’s Burger Shack

Truly a chili dog worthy of praise. It is expensive, but delicious! It includes a quarter pound all beef hotdog. The chili reminds me of my mother’s homemade chili. It had big chunks of ground beef, beans and what looked like freshly chopped tomato. That style of chili certainly doesn’t fit well on the dog, but that’s part of it’s sloppy appeal. It’s topped with a liquid cheese. You will need a fork to eat this. And yes, you can order the chili by itself as well. 😉

Leeway Franks in Lawrence, KS

Leeway Franks is known for it’s variety of hot dog creations. Their chili dog has mustard, chili, diced white onions and an excellent all beef frankfurter that snaps when you bite into it. Not too messy, so you can eat it by hand.

The chili dog at Winstead’s was pretty tasty. The chili had beans in it. The shredded cheddar was well melted. It was a little messy, but worth it.

Two Brothers BBQ in Wichita, KS

This chili dog was loaded! A split Nathan’s quarter pound kosher dog on a toasted bun with mustard topped with smoked brisket chili, red onion and shredded cheese. Both impressive and expensive. Definitely messy.

A classic coney with mustard, chili, cheese and topped with diced white onion. J’s Carry Out is classic old school and their chili cheese coney is as well. This is the flavor your taste buds remember from your childhood. Delicious!

Johnny Rockets in South Padre Island, TX

The Rocket chili dog was decent. It was a split dog to cook evenly on the grill. The chili was standard and the cheese shredded. Overall, pretty average.

For the most part, every restaurant had their own variation of the chili dog. Some were cheap and some were expensive. Some included cheese. Some included mustard. Most included diced onions. The chilis varied greatly from dish to dish.

Based simply on taste, not price, I would have to give the award for best chili dog to…..Tay’s Burger Shack. It’s big, it’s messy and it’s filling. I devoured this chili cheese dog and greedily scooped up all the extra chili and liquid gold cheese that fell out of it with my fork. I certainly didn’t want to leave even a tiny bit of this culinary masterpiece behind! 😋

Runner up: Two Brothers BBQ The red onions were a nice addition, but the big difference is the SMOKED BRISKET CHILI!!!

Where do you go to find your favorite chili dog?

#NatsJourneys #KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #ChiliDog #FoodieFriday

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Foodie Finds · Restaurant Review

Red Robin

My visit to Red Robin in Wichita was an extra special one for me as the #FoodieBuddy joining me was my nephew, Griff (the Wichita Donut Kid).

We went to the Red Robin location in northeastern Wichita off of 13th street north.

#GoogleLocalGuide

The interior was nice. Lots of decorations to look at. The lighting was nice. We found a booth and our waitress, Whitney, arrived promptly. Whitney brought us menus, water and our first serving of bottomless steak fries. She answered all my questions and checked on us often. Excellent service!

The appetizer round started early with a free basket of steak fries. The fries at Red Robin are unlimited. They were served with ranch and campfire sauce (a bbq mayo blend).

The fries are thick cut steak fries with a nice seasoning on them. The ranch was ok, but the campire sauce was the standout hit of the appetizer round.

The Pretzel Bites were pretty decent, but the cheese sauce was only average. Perhaps I had my hopes set too high, but I was expecting a good beer cheese dip for the pretzels. Maybe I just spent too much time at German restaurants this summer.

The Fried Pickle Nickles were average. They went well with ranch. Griff liked dipping them in the Campfire sauce. Granted, Griff dipped everything in the Campfire sauce. I think it’s safe to say the Campfire sauce was Griff’s favorite part of this culinary adventure.

The appetizers (and bottomless steak fries) really filled us up, so we just ordered one burger to share. The Royal Red Robin Burger was a nice, thick patty with american cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayo and a fried egg on a sesame seed bun.

The most satisfying part was slicing the burger in half and watching the yolk run down the burger. It was a good bacon cheeseburger. Griff was a bit jealous that my half ended up with more egg yolk on it. Delicious, but messy.

For dessert, we tried the tower of cinnamin sugar mini donuts (small size). It came with two dips: chocolate (Griff’s fav) and caramel (my fav). I was a big fan of this, but Griff was unimpressed. I guess it takes something a little more to impress the #WichitaDonutKid.

The staff at this location definitely made this experience a good one for both me and my nephew. We were very well taken care of while we enjoyed some quality eats. I recomend the Royal Red Robin Burger, and as for Griff, he absolutely recommends the Campfire sauce. Until next time, happy eating! 😁

#NatsJourneys #KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #WichitaKS #Foodie #FoodieBuddy #FoodieFriday #WichitaDonutKid #RedRobin #Recommended

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Foodie Finds · Travels

Des Moines, Iowa

This past July, I wandered about the greater Des Moines Iowa metroplex. The metro is made up of several cities along I35 and I80 that all converge around the capital city of Des Moines. I stayed in a couple different hotels, drove around several popular areas, toured shopping districts, hang outs and (of course) restaurants. 😉

This city lies smack dab in the middle of Iowa. The population of the greater metro is around 700,000.

SHOPPING: the Des Moines metro boasts several indoor malls: Jordan Creek Town Center (newest, biggest and best), Valley West Mall (used to be awesome) and Merle Hay mall (was cool in the 1970s). All three are still in operation. There are also multiple shopping districts around. These include retail, hotels, restaurants and even apartments (i.e. West Glen Town Center).

Jordan Creek
Valley West
Merle Hay

ENTERTAINMENT: DesMoines has no major league teams, but a ton of minor and club teams to watch (baseball, soccer, arena football, hockey, etc…). They host major tournaments for several sports.

Des Moines boasts a beautiful riverwalk, a biodome, a science center, several theaters, a thriving arts scene, a plethora of public parks (that includes the nation’s largest skate park) and even an amusement/water park called Adventureland.

As for me, I spent my time at the popular Smash Park. This large facility is a bar, restaurant and entertainment venue in the city of West Des Moines. It boasts many pickleball courts, as well as bocce ball, darts, cornhole, etc… They host gatherings, leagues and tournaments year round.

DINING: Classic, local restaurant chains, like B’Bops (burgers, fries) and Tasty Tacos (Tex Mex fast food) can be found all over the cities.

Several local eateries have been making waves statewide and even nationally. Zombie Burger (2 locations) with their “Walking Ched” (a maccy cheesy burger with 2 breaded and fried mac and cheese cuts making up the bun. Also Fong’s Pizza (2 locations) with their Crab Rangoon pizza and Dragon Balls (cream cheese and jalepeno stuffed inside chicken wrapped in bacon)

Zombie Burger’s Walking Ched. It’s supposed to have a small serving of mac & cheese on it too, but I ate it separately (too messy)
Fong’s famous Crab Rangoon Pizza
Fong’s Dragon Balls

With low housing costs, growing industries and a growing arts and dining scene, people are flocking to Des Moines. If you’re looking for a new place to transplant to, or even just want to take a weekend vacation and explore; follow my advice and check out Des Moines. You won’t be disappointed!

#NatsJourneys #WanderingWednesdays #TastyTravels #ExploreYourCity #DesMoinesIA #CulinaryAdventures #HighlyRecommended

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Movie Review

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn brings the irreverent, bloody comedy of the comics to your screen. The deaths are sudden, intense and continuous. Neither fan favorite actors or even beloved characters are safe in this film. It definitely lives up to it’s name. *SPOILERS

The Suicide Squad (or their official name, Task Force X) is a black ops unit of captured villains held at Belle Reve, a top secret government prison in Louisiana.

Led by Amanda Waller, Task Force X is used by the U.S. government to do things the government doesn’t want the general populace to know about. Each prisoner is implanted with a tiny bomb at the base of their neck, so they can be executed if they don’t obey orders.

Team #1: Weasel, Blackguard, Mongal, Javelin, Captain Boomerang, T.D.K., Savant and Colonel Rick Flag

The movie starts out quickly, introducing Savant, Colonel Rick Flag and his team that consists of Blackguard, Mongal, Captain Boomerang, Weasel, Javelin, T.D.K. and finally, Harley Quinn. They are put on a chopper and sent to the island of Corto Maltese. The chopper drops them off and they begin their suicide mission…..literally. Almost all of them die within the first 12 minutes on screen.

We then learn that there is a second team also landing on the island. This team is led by Bloodsport and it includes Peacekeeper, Polka Dot Man, Nanua, Rat Catcher 2 and her pet rat Sebastian.

This is when the title comes up and the movie begins. A bouncy song about death plays while the camera pans over all the corpses and the government employees exchange money from their bets on who from team #1 would die during the assault.

Polka Dot Man, Peacekeeper, King Shark (Nanaue), Bloodsport and Rat Catcher 2 (with Sebastian on her shoulder)

The main movie follows the story of team #2 and the surviving members of team #1 (Rick Flag and Harley Quinn) who they “rescue”. The big bad guy is Starro the Conqueror, a giant intergalactic Starfish that can control peoples minds through attaching little starfish to their faces.

Starro the Conqueror

The action is intense, bloody but not too overly grotesque. Definitely deserves it’s R rating from the blood, the nudity and the language. Do NOT takes kids to see this movie!

The fighting is intense, the comedy is laugh out loud funny and sometimes adult oriented. It also has strong emotional moments, an entertaining soundtrack and a solid storyline which is actually relevant to today (surprise, surprise the real bad guy is the U.S. government).

I would list The Suicide Squad as a solid entry into the DCEU. You don’t need to know all about the comics or movies to enjoy this. It works well as a stand alone film and at the same time fits in the #Snyderverse by not contradicting anything from those films. I quite enjoyed it’s story and style of humor. P.S. watch ALL THE WAY through the credits

Score = 82%

#NatsJourneys #MovieReview #MovieMondays #NatApproved

I hope to see Weasel in more films.
RIP Polka Dot Man. You were my new favorite super hero 😔
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Foodie Finds · Restaurant Review

Prost: authentic German dining in Wichita, KS

Prost is a restaurant that serves traditional German food and lots of Bier. It is located inside Revolutsia; a unique shopping district built out of old shipping containers.

The interior of Prost is made up of 2 shipping containers stacked on each other. The upstairs has extra seating and even a small gift shop and the downstairs is the restaurant/bier hall. It really looks and feels like you’re in Germany.

We have a good deal of German in my family’s history. My elder sister was even born there. My foodie buddies and I (me, my sister Hilary and my nephew Griff) ordered a variety of dishes in order to try a lot of flavors. Between the 3 of us we all got to try quite a few authentic German dishes.

Brotzeit Teller: platter of assorted meats and cheeses, radishes, dill pickles, bread and pretzel with a side of mustard and butter.

The Brotzeit Teller was a charcuterie platter. Several meats, cheeses, pickles, bread and a big pretzel. I ordered a side of Käse to go with it as German mustards are usually too strong for my tastebuds.

Hilary was the only one to eat the Leberwurst as Griff and I do not like the taste of liver. The Brotzeit Teller was OK, but not really all that impressive. We didn’t get all the way through it before the entrees arrived.

Jagerschnitzel: breaded and fried pork cutlet with creamy mushroom gravy served with homemade Spätzle.

Hilary ordered the Jagerschnitzel mit Spätzle. It was pretty standard as Jagerschnitzels go. Breaded pork smothered in mushroom gravy is always delicious. It was good, but didn’t really stand out from a Jagerschnitzel at any other German restaurant. The Spätzle was…..Spätzle. Spätzle is egg noodles. Bland on their own, but usually come in a variety of flavors (cheese, garlic herb, etc…). This one of course shared the mushroom gravy with the schnitzel. In general, most German food (like Spätzle) is delicious, heavy and filling.

Knockwurst mit Kartoffeln Salat und warm red cabbage

I ordered the Knockwurst (beef with garlic sausage) on a roll. It was a good Knockwurst. I know this meal looks simple, but it was packed with all the German flavors I was craving at the time. Since I plan on doing a series of German restaurant reviews, I chose wurst to be main dish I review. Wurst should be standard fare at German restaurants and they are cheaper than other traditional dishes likes Schnitzels.

It came with Kartoffeln Salat (German potato salad) and a warm red cabbage known as Rotkohl (or Blaukraut, depending what part of Germany you are from). I had seen the warm red cabbage on German menus before, but I had never ordered it. I’m glad I did this time! The warm red cabbage and spices made for a delicious side dish. I will definitely order this every time I see it on a menu from now on. 🤤

Bierock

Griff ordered the Bierock with Pommes (fries) and Kartoffeln Salat. I think he was a bit nervous to try unfamiliar flavors. He knows Bierocks because his mom and grandma both make them. And what kid doesn’t like fries and potato salad? Griff mentioned that he enjoyed the potato salad, quite different from our American version of the dish.

Overall, Prost was an excellent dining experience found in a place I never would have expected. If you live in or near Wichita, KS be sure to visit Prost for authentic German cuisine!

#NatsJourneys #KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #WichitaKS #Foodie #FoodieBuddy #FoodieFriday #HighlyRecommended #RestaurantReview #Prost

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Restaurant Review

Chosun Korean BBQ

This was my first ever visit to a Korean BBQ restaurant. I had been wanting to go for a long time, but the high cost is prohibitive. My #FoodieBuddy, Nesfeder, had never been to one either, so we got together and tried it out.

View from inside the front door
The dining area goes back quite a ways and seats more people than you would expect after seeing the front of the store.

We came for the BBQ experience and were seated at a table with a built in grill.

The grill in our table

You cook the meat yourself in the center of the grill. The meat cooks in just a few seconds. You are only supposed to flip it once. Once cooked, you move the meat to the edge of the grill to keep it warm.

From top going clockwise: pork belly, thinly sliced seasoned beef rib eye, unseasoned beef rib eye cap, seasoned pork shoulder.

The meat selection was good. The seasoned meats were the best. The pork belly was pretty disappointing.

They give you a LOT of items to eat with the meat (rice, salad, kimchi, sausage, seasoned cucumber, seasoned asparagus, fish cake, etc…) and several oils and dips to use as well. We didn’t realize how many things were included with the meats, so we ordered several side dishes as well.

Mul Naengmyeon: buckwheat noodles in a cold broth with sliced beef/cucumber/radish/boiled egg

The cold noodle dish was an excellent side dish. It was flavorful and the perfect balance to the hot grilled meats. The noodles are in a big ball in the middle of the broth. They include a big pair of scissors to cut the noodles with.

Haemul Pajeon: seafood and scallion pancake with mussel/squid/shrimp

The seafood pancake (which sounds disgusting) was incredible. This was a huge surprise to me. On a sad note, the leftover pancake does not reheat well.

Steamed Egg: steamed egg custard topped with scallion

The Steamed Egg is a hot dish that comes to your table boiling. It looks weird, but it was incredibly tasty.

“I could come to Chosun and eat nothing but the side dishes and still leave full and satisfied” #NesfederNotes

Korean BBQ is really expensive, but the meal was filled with excellent flavors I rarely get the opportunity to taste. From cooking your own meat, to the variety of flavors; dining at Chosun is more than a meal, it’s an experience. A true #CulinaryAdventure

#KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #OverlandParkKS #FoodieBuddy #FoodieFriday #NatApproved #HighlyRecommended

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Restaurant Review

Sandwich Bowl

I first heard about (and decided to visit) Sandwich Bowl when I saw an advertisement about their pickle sandwiches. The idea of replacing the bread on a sandwich with a hollowed out pickle intrigued me.

I had heard of these so called “picklewiches” before and had wanted to try them. Now a local establishment (ok, ok…an establishment a couple towns over from where I live) had decided to offer them for a limited time. I knew this was my chance!

A club picklewich
The picklewich was cut in half for easier eating
Bacon and turkey falling out the side

Several of their cold sandwiches were offered as picklewiches. I chose the club sandwich: ham, turkey, bacon, white cheddar, lettuce and tomato. As you can see by the pics, they really stuffed the meat and cheese into it. The bacon was so abundant it began to fall out side of the hollowed out pickle bun before I even took a bite.

The club picklewich was incredibly messy, but absolutely delicious! I was afraid the hollowed out pickle bun would override the other flavors, but thankfully I was wrong. It was a perfectly balanced sandwich.

I ordered the soup of the day, beef stew, as a side. It was warm and tasty. A perfect side to go with my cold picklewich. Unfortunately it was mostly vegetables: potato, carrot, celery Only two pieces of beef were included in my cup of soup.

Better Than Sex cake

For dessert I ordered a piece of “Better Than Sex” cake. It was a chocolate cake base with fudge and chocolate chips and a whipped frosting and caramel. Definitely deliciously decadent, but I think the name is false advertising. 🤷‍♂️😂

My culinary adventure to Sandwich Bowl in Lawrence was a pleasant experience. The staff was very friendly, the decor was interesting and the food was quite good. They had several other sandwiches that I would like to try, so I’ll be stopping by here again the next time I come through Lawrence, KS. Until next time “Happy Dining”!

#KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #LawrenceKS #FoodieFridays #RestaurantReview #SaladBowl #NatApproved #Recommended

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Restaurant Review

The Old Spaghetti Factory

I (and 2 of my closest #FoodieBuddies) recently visited The Old Spaghetti Factory in Wichita, KS. This location is in the northeastern part of Wichita in the Waterfront business center off East 13th Street North and North Webb Road. The Waterfront is home to lots of businesses and more good restaurants like Bonefish Grill, PF Chang’s and several others.

Bar dining room

As you enter the restaurant there is a beautifully decorated waiting area that looks out into the bar dining room. There are several dining rooms here including a large one that has a trolley car inside of it that you can dine in.

The restaurant is ornately designed with stained glass, old fashioned seats and chandelier lighting. It looks really fancy. We dined in a booth seated high above the floor with a horizontal metal bar to rest your feet on. Our booth even had curtains that we could close if we wanted for a private dining experience.

Regular menu

The menu was decent sized. They offered a drink menu and a lunch menu (with smaller portions) as well.

We were given fresh baked table bread and butter while we ordered drinks and looked over the menu. The bread was pretty basic. Very crumbly. I ordered a BlackBerry Italian Cream Soda in a collectable glass so I could take home a memento of my culinary adventure.

Blackberry Italian Cream Soda
Came in a collectable glass
Table bread and butter

My party all chose items from The Complete 3 Course Meal. This came with soup or salad, an entree, and a scoop of Spumoni ice cream for dessert. I ordered the soup (minstrone) and the Garlic Mizithra entree.

Minestrone
Garlic Mizithra: spaghetti with Mizithra cheese & browned butter with a delicious blend of garlic, bacon and mushrooms.

The Minstrone was decent, but not spectacular. The Garlic Mizithra; however, was absolutely amazing! It was packed with bacon crumbles and mushrooms. The browned butter coated every noodle allowing the Mizithra cheese to stick to the spaghetti.

Gourmet Jumbo Crab Ravioli: large ravioli stuffed with savory crab meat and ricotta cheese topped with a rich Pesto Alfredo sauce.

The Gourmet Jumbo Crab Ravioli was a disappointment. It had really large ravioli, but the taste was off. Perhaps it was a different kind of crab than I am accustomed to. The description said “savory” crab meat. Up to this point I had always found crab meat to be sweet. These ravioli left a fishy aftertaste. Luckily the Pesto Alfredo sauce was quite good!

Meat Lover’s Treat: Sicilian meatballs, Italian sausage and spaghetti with meat sauce.

The Meat Lover’s Treat was good. The Italian sausage was flavorful and not too spicy. The Sicilian meatballs were tasty and the meat sauce was hearty.

Spumoni

We finished off the meal with a scoop of Spumoni ice cream. Spumoni is a mix (like Neapolitan) of three ice cream flavors: cherry, chocolate and pistachio. A perfect way to top off a good meal.

Overall, The Old Spaghetti Factory made for an impressive culinary experience. There are several other recipes on the menu I want to try (spinach tortellini, spinach and cheese ravioli, etc…) so I plan on retutning some day.

The Old Spaghetti Factory rating: 92%

#KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #WichitaKS #Foodie #FoodieFinds #TheOldSpaghettiFactory #Recommended #Mizithra #WichitaEats #NatsJourneys #GoogleLocalGuide

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Foodie Finds

Tenderloin Battle in KC

KS vs MO

Who will claim the title . . . “Best Tenderloin in the KC metro”

Christy’s from KCK vs Christine’s from NKC

I recently had joined an online group that was all about discovering and sharing info on BPTs (Breaded Pork Tenderloins). I found two in the KC metro that have been getting a lot of attention. One claims to be the best in Kansas City. The other is so big that people literally travel from hundreds of miles away just to try it. So I grabbed my #FoodieBuddy Nesfeder, and we set out to explore and decide which is the better tenderloin.

Christy’s Tasty Queen at 1405 South 55th Street in Kansas City, KS 66106

The first stop was the KCK location near Nesfeder’s childhood home that claimed on their sign to have “KC’s best tenderloin”. Christy’s is a longstanding dive. It’s a lunch counter with a huge menu. There are no places to eat inside the building, but there are several picnic benches behind the building. Due to amazing weather, that is where we sat down to try the KS hopeful for the coveted position of Best Tenderloin in the KC metro.

This is just the food menu.
A second menu for all the drinks and shakes is on the opposite wall

The Pork Tenderloin sandwich was $7.15. The breading had a unique texture that reminded me a bit of corn flakes. There seemed to be no seasoning or flavor in the breading, it was kind of bland, but the tenderloin was nice and juicy. It was freshly made when ordered so it took several minutes to get it.

Christy’s Tasty Queen BPT

The tenderloin exceeded the bun by a fair amount. It was topped with mayonnaise, white onion and shredded lettuce.

“This tenderloin is MOIST!” #NesfederNotes

Once we has tried the sandwich from Cristy’s, we hopped back in the car and headed across the river (and border) to the town of North Kansas City.

Christine’s Firehouse bar & grill at 2012 Swift Street in North Kansas City, MO 64116

Christine’s had lots of indoor seating as well as a patio, games, bar, jukebox, etc. It’s menu was smaller, but seemed like the kind of place you spend hours in hanging out with your friends, playing games, talking, eating, drinking, dancing. It often has live music. A nice place to hang, but we came for one reason only…to try the tenderloin.

The tenderloin was absolutely MASSIVE!
No, really. Even after eating a bunch off the end, it was still as big as my face!

The tenderloin cost $11. It had lettuce, tomato, pickles & white onions and came on a kaiser bun. It also came with two sauces (horseradish, mayo or horsey sauce) and a side dish.

For $1 you could get an extra bun and greens (lettuce, tomato, onion & pickle)

It was a bit thinner and drier than Cristy’s. The breading had lots of black dots I assumed was black pepper, but I couldn’t taste it. The breading was fairly bland. Only the addition of sauces and toppings brought any significant flavor to this tenderloin.

In the battle between these two competitors, Cristy’s was cheaper & jucier, but smaller and had less toppings. Christine’s was bigger and had more toppings, but was more expensive and drier.

Unfortunately, I could not in good conscious crown either of these the “Best Tenderloin in the KC metro”. They were just OK. Nothing special. Both were rather bland and required sauces and toppings to make them edible. Instead I’ll point you in the direction of my favorite (so far…) tenderloins in the KC metro.

From top left…the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, the Tenderloin Smashed Box, the Big Piggy, the Squeal Parmesan.

If you’re in the KC metro and you want a good, flavorful tenderloin, head on over to Strip’s (2 locations, KS & MO). Their tenderloins are juicy, the breading is flavorful and the variety of styles will keep you returning over and over until you’ve tried them all and can pick a favorite.

#NatsJourneys #FoodieFinds #KCFoodie #CulinaryAdventures #ExploreYourCity #Kristys #ChristinesFirehouse #Strips #BreadedPorkTenderloin

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