I read a lot of bbq reviews and I'm always perplexed at what passes for quality Q in KC. I'm convicted that I need to be much more specific and quantitative in my reviews of this unique cuisine. With that in mind, I now share my review of Woodyard. On our virgin visit to Woodyard, my wife and I were treated to the “first-timer’s complimentary drumstick”. I eat about one drumstick a decade so I was especially curious about this meat treat. Pleasantly surprised, the leg was nicely spiced with a peppery rub and had a hint of smoke, although the skin and meat was not at all dark from smoke. I give the drumstick an A-. I ordered the four meat sampler – brisket, sausage, rib, burnt ends. At $10 I consider this a good deal. Sadly, the sampler did not live up to the fowl foreplay. The meat simply did not meet the expectations of someone who knows barbeque. Brisket: The mother of all things smoked was tender enough, but only one side had about a sixteenth of an inch smoke “ring”. It was tasty, but not remarkable. I give it a B-. Sausage: Great grind! Though small in diameter, the sausage was lean, coarse, and savory. Limited smoke left the skin its original color. Still, very tasty. A-. Rib: The bone fell off the meat. (I meant to say it that way.) Overcooked and same problem with the smoke. C. Burnt ends: I should say “burnt ends” – they were neither burnt nor ends. This was an assortment of smoked pork and brisket well chopped and heavily sauced. The burnt ends were more like the drek Gates serves than the heavenly hunks found at Smokehouse and JackStack. I only took a couple bites and boxed the rest to bring home for bean seasoning. D. Wifey loved the potato salad. Although well seasoned, I despised the bbq beans (as I despise all navy / white beans – see review of Wil Jenny’s). The broader perspective: On an early Thursday evening in March, we were the only ones dining at Woodyard. The place looks like a scene from Deliverance with shanties and shelters scattered about the premises (this is Wyandot County after all). I hear the joint picks up traffic in the summer and I can imagine that more people and live music would improve the ambience. I asked the only employee present, Richard, about how meats were prepared. He allowed that the “dust” (not rub) was mostly pepper and lacked aromatics. He said the chicken got as much dust as the ribs which doesn’t make sense given the richer flavor of the pork meat. As I guessed, the brisket got no dusting at all. Crying shame. I asked if the ribs were cooked the day of our visit or the day before. He was uncertain… which says enough. I’m going to revisit Woodyard again in the summer and see what the place is like when there is a higher turnover of food and more life-forms present. (Restaurant.com has some nice discounts certificates – not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Normally I would not return, but since barbeque is the mother’s milk of the City of Fountains, I want to be extraordinarily fair.

Date night recently found us at OP1906 in the Overland Park Sheraton. On this visit, I wasn't overly impressed, but I definitely plan to visit again. Hefty prime ribs (close to 16ozs) were featured for $19.06. I like my steaks done extremely well. The chef relented and I had a wonderful prime rib with no pink. I was pleased. Wife ordered hers medium rare and found the steak to be on the tough side. She only ate about half of it (while I gloated). Perfectly cooked green beans, baked potato, and excellent bread accompanied the meal. Our waitperson, Clara, was of tremendous assistance. I give the experience a B- overall with a couple of admonitions. First, demand a table far from the restaurant entrance which adjoins the bar where over-served, middle-aged twits negotiate hook-ups in far too-loud voices. Second, expect a generic American menu. The only things "Southern" (as purported) OP1906 offers are fried chicken on a waffle and cheese grits. WARNING: If you have ever worried that you might be The Manchurian Candidate do not go to this Grill. For some reason, this "Southern" cuisine restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas is decorated with large face cards. Makes no sense, doesn't harmonize with anything at all. Very strange.

Barley's is a great lunch spot (and it looks like the evening crowd enjoys it a lot, as well). Food is well prepared, very tasty, and served with professionalism that is efficient, but not overbearing. Great place to dine often. Be sure and get a KC Hopps point card and earn some free food.

Not exceptional, but a nice local restaurant. The marina sauce stands out - robust and well spiced. A good place for a business lunch or a quiet date.

Dickey's is to barbeque what Chipotle is to Mexican food - food chain generic. Nonetheless, just as Chipotle has a following so does Dickey's. While the meat lacks significant smoke flavor, the sauce (I like spicy) is competent and portions are reasonably generous. Be sure to add fried okra! Family members are also impressed with the pickelus giganticus and the complimentary soft-serve ice-cream. When I go, I always see a tub of ValPak coupons, but they apparently only distribute them in the zip code where the restaurant is located. :(

Dickey's is to barbeque what Chipotle is to Mexican food - food chain generic. Nonetheless, just as Chipotle has a following so does Dickey's. While the meat lacks significant smoke flavor, the sauce (I like spicy) is competent and portions are reasonably generous. Be sure to add fried okra! Family members are also impressed with the pickelus giganticus and the complimentary soft-serve ice-cream. When I go, I always see a tub of ValPak coupons, but they apparently only distribute them in the zip code where the restaurant is located. :(

Yes, Zio's is a chain restaurant and as such it lacks granny's personal touch. Dishes are taste-tested to please to a generic palate. Nonetheless, the entrées are creative, well-prepared, and consistent. The Grilled Salmon is some of the best I've ever had. The Chicken Parmigiana is robust and generously portioned. The Spicy Chicken Alfredo is really outstanding. If you want to get your Sinatra on, go to Garozzo's. But I like the festive atmosphere of Zio's and the food is always appealing.

Date night recently found us at OP1906 in the Overland Park Sheraton. On this visit, I wasn't overly impressed, but I definitely plan to visit again. Hefty prime ribs (close to 16ozs) were featured for $19.06. I like my steaks done extremely well. The chef relented and I had a wonderful prime rib with no pink. I was pleased. Wife ordered hers medium rare and found the steak to be on the tough side. She only ate about half of it (while I gloated). Perfectly cooked green beans, baked potato, and excellent bread accompanied the meal. Our waitperson, Clara, was of tremendous assistance. I give the experience a B- overall with a couple of admonitions. First, demand a table far from the restaurant entrance which adjoins the bar where over-served, middle-aged twits negotiate hook-ups in far too-loud voices. Second, expect a generic American menu. The only things "Southern" (as purported) OP1906 offers are fried chicken on a waffle and cheese grits. WARNING: If you have ever worried that you might be The Manchurian Candidate do not go to this Grill. For some reason, this "Southern" cuisine restaurant in Leawood, Kansas is decorated with large face cards. Makes no sense, doesn't harmonize with anything at all. Very strange.

A completely forgettable experience. I ordered a Ribeye and was served a KC Strip. Service was amateur and indifferent. This place is probably popular with locals, but it doesn't hold a candle to any Kansas City steak house.

Gone from Alaska for 40 years, I eagerly anticipated introducing the family to the Great State in June 2009. I studied restaurants carefully and read all reviews possible. Girdwood's Double Musky Inn had a lot of comments and some devoted customers. Can't understand why. I've eaten Cajun food (their specialty) all over the nation - it's not hard to do well, and an eager chef can do it well without extensive experience. Double Musky has no capability at all. The gumbo roux was burned - the whole concoction was a nasty coffee brown. The jambalaya was gummy and lacked any character. There was an hour wait and then when seated the wait staff was completely apathetic; apparently more interested in turning the table quickly. Girdwood is a little remote, but there is no sound reason to go to this joint. Try Chair 5 instead and have a good time with some great food.

Bravo's offers Italian cuisine that is a notch above Olive Garden, but it is still heavily Americanized Italian. I've never had a great meal there, but I've never had a bad one. Service has never been appealing. Waiters don't seem to know how to serve without "reaching over". Waiters also seem to be trained with a sense of over-importance. It's hard to relax when they approach the table and demand your attention regardless of what you are doing. Overall, Bravo's is typical of self-indulgent little suburbs like Leawood. The regular clientele seems to feel gratified with swirling, fawning, preening wait staff instead of real authentic, quality food. In reality, this is just Olive Garden with better flatware. Go to Zio's instead.

A nice enough place with lots of blue hairs (this is Leawood after all). Decor was Irish-pub-wannabe. My wife had the fried shrimp. They were a very good size and a generous portion - and absolutely tasteless. I had the Monday special, 12oz blackened strip steak. I like mine well-done and was served a lovely medium-rare plank. I sent it back, they microwaved it and sent it back out medium-well. "Blackened"? No chance. Apparently, blackened now means dusted lightly with Sam's Club Cajun seasoning. It was virtually tasteless, only a hint of anything peppery and certainly no where near the blackened method that was the rage in the 1980s. O'Neills would likely be a good place to go and enjoy a bottled beer. As for the food, probably a good idea to pass on by.

Love Wil Jenny's! This homage to Texas Hill Country cuisine always serves reliably great food. Country cousins in Luling and Lockhart won't recognize the elephant-ear fans, but the Elgin sausage will take 'em straight home. The Ranch House beans may be the only *pinto* beans served in a bbq joint north of the Red River (and they're cooked in beer, to boot!). And as a man who has eaten well more than his share of chicken fried steaks, I haven't had finer fare since the Prufrock chain from Dallas shuttered-up. For non-Texicans, the menu features plenty of light and airy fare for with a Tex-West flare - there's something pleasing for everybody. The restaurant is clean, the decor is just Texan enough without thinking you're at Roadhouse, and the wait staff is quite possibly the finest in greater Kansas City. Ownership (not management - ownership) is hands on, remembers your face if not your name, and is always, always working the room. Whether local or just passing through, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't visit Wil Jenny's - soon and often.

Fortune Wok is our "go to" place for great casual dining. The decor is elegantly oriental, without being clichéd. The wait staff is attentive and unobtrusive. I eat there about once a month with both business guests and family and have never had a disappointing meal or experience. The best part is they feature lunch specials on Sunday! For well under $10 (in 2010 AD), a special includes soup, egg roll / crab rangoon, and a generous portion of wonderful, authentic Chinese food. I give Fortune Wok my highest recommendation (and repeat business).

My wife and I eat here at least once a month. We get the Sizzling Rice Soup (with shrimp instead of chicken) and Bo Bo Platter. Terrific soup and appetizers. I highly recommend this nice local Chinese diner.

One learns to have lowered and reasonable expectations for a townie joint. Talk of the Town sets a new low. This is a bar, with bar food, bar service, and bar quality. I live and work within a mile of TotT. I’ve eaten there about once a month for at least a decade. About a year ago, new ownership took over and things seemed to take an upward turn for a while. But it didn’t last. Now TotT is just nasty and boring. The food is painfully average and the service is deteriorating precipitously. The LAST time I ate there was for their new Sunday brunch. The limited fare was bland, boring, greasy and grossly overpriced at around $18 per person. There were also some “irregularities” in the bill – double charging for soft drinks and inconsistent sales tax charged. With Barley’s Brewhaus next door and so many other restaurants in close proximity, there is absolutely no reason to eat at this washed-up old haunt anymore.

This is a bar that serves tortilla chips and picante salsa... and tequila, I guess. It's boring. The food is boring. The wait staff is merely competent, nothing more. With Mi Ranchito in town (2 miles away on 95th between I-35 and Pflumm), there's absolutely no reason to spend a minute or a dime there.

This casual, contemporary pizza kitchen is always buzzing – usually filled with ladies enjoying lunch out with gal pals. There is a constant high pitched drone of conversation bouncing off the hard-surface walls. In Summer and most evenings, kids add to the din. This is not a place to relax. The food is above average for a pizza joint. The combinations are imaginative and appealing. There are several dishes other than pizza to be had, as well. The pizza crust is thin, crisp, and often singed in the open, gas-fired oven. If you like to chat up friends in a bustling environment or want a place for the kids a notch above fast food, SPIN is for you. If you need to decompress from a hard day spent slaving over a hot keyboard, I think you could find a better option (Pizza Shoppe comes to mind).

Finally, a real local Mexican food joint that doesn't make you wish you'd just eaten at Taco Bell instead (see Jalapeños / Tequila Harry's). Mi Ranchito has blown up in the JoCo area in the last couple of years because they dish up GREAT Mexican food. Everything is great - Carne Asada, Chili Verde, and the folks I hang with like the fish tacos (which I can't explain). The great thing about Mi Ranchito - that distinguishes it from Jose Peppers and Jalapeños, for example - is the authenticity of flavor and ingredients. Other restaurants taste like they were making food for Kansas Citians. Mi Ranchito tastes like it was made by Mexicans for Mexicans and we just get to party along with them. I won't eat at any other place but Mi Ranchito. And yes, get there early!!!!!

Jalapeno's is an up-scale Taco Bell. The dishes are unimaginative and the cooking is so far north-of-the-border, I don't know why people go there for "Mexican Food". Try Mi Ranchito instead.