Kansas City BBQ and hidden gems on the Missouri River Runner
This adventure was a whirlwind for both planning and execution. We had the idea and the plan in place on one day, on the next we had our reservations for a trip that would begin in 4 days! Since we had traveled to Memphis for BBQ, the next logical choice was to visit Kansas City to experience that style of BBQ. We both managed to pick up around 1,030 Qualifying Points towards Select Executive status and logged 1,700 or so miles on trains. So, tag along and enjoy the adventure with us!
I left Grand Rapids on 19 Feb on the Pere Marquette and JoeG left Carbondale on the Saluki. We met up in the Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station about 1pm. We had 2 hours until the Southwest Chief departed for Kansas City. Since we were riding in coach, we decided to eat a hearty late lunch to avoid getting hungry on the train and be tempted by the café car microwave. We exit the station at Adams Street next to the bridge, walk north along the river 92 steps (for accurate reporting we DID count them!) and you are at Boston Blackie’s. We have tried all of the burger selections here, so today's selection for me is the Blackie’s Burger (with grilled onions and bacon) and JoeG has the Chipotle and black bean burger. We had time for a couple of adult beverages, hustled back to the station and departed on the Southwest Chief #3 for Kansas City.
Our first important mission in Kansas City was getting to our hotel. We reserved rooms at the Q Hotel in the Westport area, two nights for the price of one, making our rooms average out to $74 per night. On subsequent stays, even if this two for one is not in effect, the rate is $105 for returning guests. We will definitely return to this area during the summer season. The hotel is very clean, staff is very friendly and accommodating, and the location is very good... lots of neat places to shop and “relax”. But the best hidden value is complimentary transportation. The hotel picked us up at the train station and delivered us to the hotel that evening and explained that this service was available to anywhere within 3 miles of the hotel. We figured we saved about $70 in cab fares by taking advantage of this service. BTW, shuttle service begins at 7am and is available thru the evening. We arrived in town at 10:30pm and there was no question about picking us up.
The next morning the hotel shuttle took us to the Crown Center. Our first stop was Fritz's hamburger joint. We were drawn there because the theme of the place is TRAINS. You make your food order on a telephone at your booth. Pretty soon an engine comes tooting out of the kitchen on a track near the ceiling. Your order is in a basket riding under the tracks. When the engine gets to your table, it hits a switch, the food basket drops on a tray, and the tray descends to your table. Remove the food basket and the tray returns to a position just under the tracks. There were lots of kids oohing and aahing when the train came around, but we were the biggest ducks in the puddle. We spent our whole time there snapping pictures and figuring out the switches, solenoids, and hydraulics involved in the process. Don't go here for the food; go because you are a “foamer”!
From the Crown Center there is a pedestrian bridge that takes you over a couple of major streets and deposits you in the terminal area of Union Station. At the back of the station (trackside) there is another pedestrian bridge (elevators are available) that will take you across several sets of tracks and you descend at Fiorello's Jack's Stack BBQ. Most of the locals we talked to don't recommend this place. It's like Yogi Berra once said "nobody goes there any more, it's too crowded". We arrived right in the middle of the lunch crowd so we had about a 10 minute wait. We both opted for the soup and sandwich. The soup on Mon, Wed, and Fri is burnt ends stew. The sandwich was average BUT the stew was outstanding, you must try to get there on one of those three days! The vegetables and the broth were exceptional, and the cubes of burnt rib ends were just frosting on the cake! As an aside: if you are doing a points run from STL, there is time before the return train to cross the bridge and have a taste of Kansas City BBQ at this nice restaurant.
This evening we planned to eat in a gas station! Once again the Q shuttle delivers us to Oklahoma Joe's Gas Station and BBQ. Our driver was Luther Solomon, a competition pitmaster. He and his team, “Hooked and Cooked” have won several competitions in the local area. He highly recommends the ribs at Oklahoma Joe's, so we both obediently order the ribs. I get slaw on the side, JoeG gets BBQ beans and we split an order of french fries. We had been warned that the fries were very good and a very large portion, correct on both counts. The ribs were awesome; I couldn't eat the whole portion so Luther got a three bone "tip" to-go box when he picked us up.
We returned to the hotel about 8:30. On the way back, I spotted a “watering hole” called Buzzards Beach about a block from the hotel. We stopped in, had a few adult pops and had a lot of fun with several of the locals. When we got ready to leave I had been noticing the bartender’s hoodie and asked if they were for sale. They were $30 apiece! I asked for two and when they were delivered, Sam Kirk, owner of the joint, gave them to us. He considered us a good advertising investment! BTW, the reason I really liked these sweatshirts was the back, it said "K.C.'s only Five Star Dive", and it lived up to its motto!
The next morning a snow storm was looming with the prediction was a foot of snow. Being from Grand Rapids, I didn't see the big deal, but it was causing all sorts of local concern. We had reservations on the morning Missouri River Runner, so we beat the storm out of town. This is a short run train using Horizon equipment. It operates between Kansas City and St. Louis two trains each day, both directions and is very popular. We wanted to ride business class but since we only made these plans a week ago, BC was sold out. Coach was very comfortable (and quiet) for our 3 hour run to Hermann.
Hermann is a village with distinct German heritage. That translates to great smoked meats, especially sausage, and lots of beer gardens, even a brewery. We arrived at the height of the snowfall. Our first stop was the Hermann Wurst House. We were greeted with two very good things; 1) The wonderful smell of meat smoking in the smokehouse and 2) Friendly and gracious people. The first person to meet us was Mike Sloan the proprietor. He saw our suitcases and offered to store them in the back room while we looked around the village until we caught our afternoon train (7 hours later). He was also the wurstmeister and later gave us the full tour of the smoking operation which was impressive. It was lunch time, so let's eat! I had the Mettwurst sandwich with a side of kraut with sweet and sour dressing, a delicious choice. JoeG tried the daily special, a smoked pork burger with a wonderful, smooth homemade German mustard. Of course a beer from the towns Tin Mill Brewery was mandatory with the meal. This place demands a return trip with an ice chest. He has dozens of smoked sausage choices and smoked slabs of bacon!! This place is definitely the “best of the wurst”!!
By the time we were ready to venture out, the word was out that most of the town was shutting down about mid-afternoon. Mike directed us toward the Opera House, home of the Barrel Bar and Grill. When we got there the bartender and wait staff were planning to close at 5pm. We checked around and this was the last place open so we were looking at a couple of hours of “outside” time before the train arrived. Fortunately, the owner showed up about 4pm and he decided that being the only place in town that was open was not a bad thing so he extended closing until 8pm. A good deal for us! A few minutes before boarding time we trekked back to the Wurst House (it was closed but Mike had given us his personal phone number since he planned to be there all night smoking). We grabbed our bags, and had an uneventful trip to Kirkwood, a beautiful suburb of St. Louis. Our adventure takes an icy turn upon arrival at Kirkwood.
The plan was to call a cab for a ride to our hotel, about a mile away. The storm had traffic at a dead stop. In fact, all of the cab companies were closed and buses appeared to not be running also. Kirkwood is advertised in the timetable as unmanned. But, there is a museum/art display in the station that is operated by the Kirkwood Train Station Volunteers. That particular evening there was an angel working as a volunteer. Katie Coyle was listening to our plight as we tried to get taxi service. She offered to take us to the hotel if we were willing to wait for her to lock up the station. Where were we going?!?! We jumped at the offer and did all we could to help her lock up. Katie delivered us to the hotel and the problem was solved. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Kirkwood Station, please don't miss the opportunity to say hello and get some information from the Kirkwood Volunteers!!
We wake up Friday morning to minimum improvement in the St. Louis roads. Phone calls for a taxi inform us of a minimum 2 hour wait so we slog out to a bus stop conveniently located right in front of the hotel. We are waiting on S. Lindbergh Ave, a major thoroughfare, so the hope is that a bus is at least close to the every 1/2 hour schedule. After about 5 minutes, a cab appears. We hail it and 5 minutes later we are back in Kirkwood Station. Our plan is to ride the River Runner toward Kansas City and stop in Washington, Mo., the first stop and a convenient 1 1/2 hr turn for the sister train back to St. Louis. This station is also advertised as unmanned and while there is no agent here there is a volunteer with a wealth of information about this beautiful little town of wineries and B&Bs.
Right across the street from the station is the Landing, a very popular cafe and bar. We both order delicious Bloody Marys and there are enough veggies stuffed in the top to satisfy our minimum daily requirement. JoeG also orders some chipotle dusted fried pickles with a side of chipotle infused dipping sauce. I tried one and they are quite tasty but JoeG has a little more of an iron gut when it comes to chipotle peppers so I let him enjoy the whole order. As with the start of this adventure, we are at a quandary about dinner, because later this afternoon we are taking Lincoln Service to Chicago – Only Café service! Our decision, again, is to get a big burger and blow off grabbing any greasy stuff in St. Louis station at the last minute. This of course turns out to be a very good choice as the menu has a twist on traditional bar fare. JoeG selected the Landing’s Gourmet Jerry Burger (Ground Chuck, topped with: bacon, sautéed jalapenos, secret cheddar cheese & drizzled with sweet BBQ sauce) with a side of cottage cheese and I opted for the Bacon Bleu Burger (topped with bacon and Bleu cheese of course!) with a side of coleslaw.
The east bound River Runner was a little late so we were slightly concerned about our connection in St. Louis. When we arrived, we still had a few minutes in the station before we boarded the afternoon Lincoln Service to Chicago. The conductors opening announcements included the normal recitation of intermediate stops along the way. Then, almost giddy, she announced that we would be traveling at 110 mph on a short segment. It was as if we were getting the description of a ride at Six Flags. So the time arrived to get our 110 segment. I had my GPS humming away as we accelerated into the high 90's then we began to decelerate. I told JoeG I had felt this type of deceleration once before when we lost an engine, but he assured me he could smell the brakes as we slowed to a stop on a siding. Our sister train roared by at, what we assume was, amusement park speeds and we continued on our journey. Once again my GPS starts to reach into the 90's when we start to decelerate into the station. Averaging in the zero time, we figure our average speed on this “110 MPH” segment was about 35 mph!! Nevertheless, we arrive in Chicago on time and catch last call at the Metro Deli before heading to the hotel.
There is a Houlihan's on the bottom floor of the hotel that we check out for a nightcap. JoeG also grabs a cup (more like a bowl!) of mac and cheese with all sorts of other good stuff in it. He was happy and it's time for a little sleep before a morning points run.
In the morning, we head back to Union Station for a quick points run to Glenview. I have done this route before and have stopped at Grandpa's Place for a “pop” before, but never had anything to eat. Today we can't resist the Ruben. It is very good, very tender corned beef, fresh 1000 island dressing, and sauerkraut. The best part is that it was moderately priced and just the right size for lunch. So many deli's these days charge an expensive price and then deliver a sandwich that is about the size of your head. If you use Glenview as a points run I highly recommend this place that is 1/2 block from the station.
We catch the next southbound Hiawatha into Union Station. JoeG has just enough time to run down to Garrett's at Ogilvie station for a bag of cheesy popcorn. We part ways but look forward to Gastronomic Adventure #3 - just a little preview - we are heading to New Orleans for the Food Fest sponsored by roadfood.com another forum I belong to in late March. We will ride the Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, and the City of New Orleans and have lots of tales of food and fun to report as they take us for an evening adventure in the swamp for zydeco music, big pots of Cajun favorites, and ice cold beverages!!
