Other than decorating the table tops, there appear to be few changes to the building, which housed Arthur Bryant’s BBQ for about 15 years and closed without advance notice in 2019. Food is still ordered at a long counter.

We ordered a $19 half slab plate and a $18 brisket combo with one of the meats upgraded to pork belly burnt ends for $2. Self serve Coke fountain drinks are $3. In general, it felt a little pricey, but not way out of line. 

The pork belly burnt ends were finished in a deep fryer when ordered. They were crispy and my favorite item by far. The counter person asked if I wanted Korean BBQ sauce on the burnt ends and I ordered it on the side. The pork belly burnt ends were great without the sauce, but I felt the sauce made them even better. The serving felt small.

The brisket and pork ribs were also good, well seasoned from a rub and not really requiring sauce. The ribs were tender, but not so tender they fell off the bone. The brisket was thick cut and slightly fatty, the way I like.

Each entree came with the choice of two sides and we went with BBQ beans, green chili cheesy corn and fries. The beans and cheesy corn each had a unique flavor I can't really describe. I preferred the beans. The fries were above average.

I had my usual, the $12.50 mixed plate which comes with beef, ham, pork ribs and fries. There is a very generous quantity of meat for the money and I usually take about half of the meat home. The brisket is my favorite, very well flavored, tender and slightly fatty. This may be my favorite brisket in Kansas City.

The previously frozen crinkle cut French fries are cooked perfectly. They are golden and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

The page devoted to Jack's has been archived so its 50 plus year story will still be available.

I had lunch at Smoketown BBQ on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Overland Park, Kansas. Smoketown was open in September 2020, by some former employees of Johnny's BBQ which was located about a mile away in Mission, Kansas. Johnny retired and his restaurant closed 8 months earlier, after operating for 43 years. We tried this new restaurant a few weeks after it opened, but had not been back.

I ordered the The Big Memphis, a large pulled pork on a toasted bun topped with coleslaw for $8.99. I think it is the best Carolina sandwich I have had since Kansas City Masterpiece Restaurant closed years ago. I think it would be even better with crushed red pepper in vinegar served on the side.

The fries (6 ounce of frozen crinkle cut fries for $2.89) were crispy and meaty. The onion rings ($3.89) did nothing for me and I ate only a couple of them.

There are three sauces: regular, sweet and hot. They all have tomato and vinegar. The sweet sauce a little smoky. The hot sauce is a medium heat, which is hotter than most hot BBQ sauces in KC. I prefer a mixture of the sweet and hot sauces.

I enjoyed the 1970s & 1980s music which included artists like U2 and Led Zeppelin.

Smoketown BBQ

The beans were good, with thin slices of meat and diced onion & jalapeno. I enjoyed it, but would like it to be spiced a bit more. The burnt ends were large junks and I enjoyed the fatty cubes of meat the most. I think of them as closer to smoked brisket than burnt ends.

The sauce is hotter than most sauces in Kansas City. It doesn't grab you on the first taste, but if you use much sauce, you have a pleasant, mild heat in your mouth by the end of the meal.

The slaw had little dressing and the flavor of celery predominated. Not being a big celery fan, I had just a couple of small bites.

I also got a sausage sandwich and hot link sandwich to go. They were both on good 8 inch buns. The regular sausage was unsauced and could have used some. It was real good at home with some stone ground mustard. The hot link wasn't nearly as hot as the standard sauce, but had more seasoning than the standard sausage and I enjoyed it more. The hot link was much shorter than the bun and they cut it in half and put the halves more or less end to end. I felt there should have been more hot link.

No sauce was provided, though it was available to purchase at 50 cents for a small container.

sausage & hot link

Today I decided to go with The Vinnie (capicola, pepperoni, salami, pepperoncini, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, red onion, garlic vinaigrette for $9. I was surprised that the sandwich took 15 minutes to prepare, though they were not very busy. It is a good sandwich, which would be a little better if the ingredients were spread more evenly on the bun. It was thicker than it need to be in the center and things were a little thin at the ends. If I ordered The Vinnie again, I would ask for extra onion and vinaigrette.

Following lunch I circled through Shawnee, Kansas, to visit the Medicine's Hall of Fame and Museum which opened in 2020. I arrived when they were scheduled to be open, but it was all locked up. There was a vehicle in the parking lot, so I tried calling, but it went straight to voice mail without ringing.

I also noticed that the sign on the door (which agreed on the time it should be open) said that admission is $8 for adults and $4 for children, rather than the $6 & $4 they posted on their Facebook page 2 weeks ago. 

The museum is at the former location of the Johnson County Museum.

The Vinnie

Medicine's Hall of Fame and Museum

The burnt ends were closer to brisket, but still fine. The sausage had cheese inside and was quite enjoyable. I really enjoyed the first 3 or 4 cheese curds, but cared less for them as they cooled down and did not finish them. They were quite spicy!

The chili was a real treat. The serving was a full pint. There was lots of brisket and just a few kidney beans. I think this was my favorite chili at a Kansas City BBQ restaurant.

The sandwich and fries were both good.

I added a new page devoted to the Belshe Fire Hydrant Garden in Topeka. Claude Belshe started the collection in his yard by in 2005 and it has grown to around 100 fire hydrants. It is one of the 11 free attraction on our Guide to things to do in Topeka, Kansas.

I liked all the meats, with the brisket being my favorite. It my taste it has just the right amount of fat. The burnt ends don't have the texture I look for in classic burnt ends, but I still enjoyed them quite a bit. I'm not a big BBQ turkey fan, but these had more flavor from t he smoking than many and was quite good with just a little sauce. The sausage is mild and I definitely wanted sauce with it. The pulled pork was also mild, OK, but not as much a treat as I found with slaw to be on The Big Memphis sandwich. I brought home more meat than I ate.

The beans reminded me of canned Bush's Best, with a little less meat. Not bad, but I can easily get that from a can.

The toast was very good. Much better than the toast or plain bread at many KC BBQ restaurants.