Barbecue for lunch… and baseball soon
Posted on August 8th, 2008 – 1:19 PMBy Howard
Hello from Kansas City, where the weather is warm and the barbecue tour has begun with lunch at Gates. Tomorrow, it’ll be Arthur Bryant’s (the original, of course) for late lunch after a visit to the Negro Baseball Museum. Next order of business is sitting by the pool and finishing Joe Posnanski’s wonderful “The Soul of Baseball” — his book about roadtripping with the legendary Buck O’Neil.
Haven’t seen outdoor major league baseball since a Safeco trip in 2005 and we’ve already spotted some Twins caps and jerseys. We expect to find a lot more of them in and around the Sheraton that’s diagonal from the ballpark. Talked to some Red Sox fans this morning who were leaving town after watching their team. They love the park, and had a great time detailing their trips to Fenway with its $40 parking (higher for the Yankees) and uncomfortable and expensive seats. It almost sounded cheaper to come here. They had great accents.
Ms. Baseball has her Radke jersey. I’m incognito right now in a Cade McNown jersey and Sprewell Racing cap.
I’m leaving the baseball talk to LaVelle and Joe for now. I can’t top his encouraging note about Alexi Casilla’s thumb. It would be great to have him back, although I suspect there will be serious caution taken.
I can tell you that we are totally psyched to be here. More later this weekend.
35 Responses to "Barbecue for lunch… and baseball soon"
You will not be disappointed with Arthur Bryant’s, great BBQ.
“The Soul of Baseball” is a fantastic read- anyone that follows this blog will love it.
“Never walk by a women in a red dress.”
-Buck O’Neil
Hey Howard, since you’ve been to Safeco I have to ask…is the sound of the train whistles as annoying in person as they are while watching on TV?
Average Joe
Not as annoying as on TV but I thought they were a little much.
Although I have a feeling I would gladly take the whistles over the burning garbage smell at the new Twins stadium.
Hopefully a UCLA cade mcnown jersey.
jama,
The burning garbage is going to be artificially laced with hot dog smell. You’re gonna love it. Mmmmmm hot dogs and outdoor baseball.
Of course, you could miss the dingy roof overhead and the nice sight lines where you get to check out the ear of the guy/gal sitting next to you.
there is no burning garbage smell at that site. shame on you for believing coleman’s bizaare rants against the twins new stadium. he acts like the twins kicked him in the nuts, then got funding for a stadium, just to spite him personally.
The burning garbage is going to be artificially laced with hot dog smell.
Considering what goes into a hot dog…you sure that smell would be artificial?
dome dogs smell worse than garbage, anyway. just the sight of those things makes me ill.
There is no burning garbage smell next to the garbage burner. Don’t take my word for it, go on down there and sniff. The County had to put a ridiculously expensive scrubber on that smokestack in order to suck the acid out of the smoke. Acid etches glass, and the downtown building owners insisted on this.
Also, the garbage burner is located at the end-points of a couple of trains (North Star commuter and Hiawatha LRT). With gas over $3.50/gallon and climbing, that location is too valuable for housing. I think the garbage burner will be gone in a few years.
Sweet, no garbage smells!
Update… the only smells at the new outdoor ballpark where we get to sit under the glorious sunshine and wispy clouds watching a game without getting kinks in our necks, while Craig is checking out the fairer gender, will be newly mowed grass, peanuts, and beer.
I’ve been down to the new stadium. If it isn’t the garbage that smells what is it? I can guarantee you it isn’t Roses and perfume.
Did you step in something? Lots of people don’t clean up after their dogs. Or it could be the leftover stench of the timberwolves putrid play.
Seriously, though, it’s the trucks hauling the garbage that stink, not the burner itself. If they do not haul garbage during the games, we should be ok.
Seriously?! As a Minnesotan (forced to turn) Kansas Citian, you should be told the truth: Gates and Bryant’s ARE NOT the best KC has to offer for BBQ. You should really check out Jack Stack or Smoke Stack, as well as LC’s (about a mile or so from Kauffman) or any other family/hole in the wall place. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
I believe it. Often, real shithole bars serve fantastic food.
Ate at a barbeque place called Bandana’s while I was in St. Louis once…and it was good! I also ate at a Denny’s when I was in KC once. Not so good. And it was in a really crappy neighborhood.
I grew up in MN. My job moved me to Sacramento 5 years ago. I am begging my employer to move me either to K.C. or St. Paul. I have nothing out here. Oakland A’s Triple A team, no football, and no BBQ. Yes, that’s right. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Mexican joint, but BBQ is impossible to find. Anybody in MN or KC should enjoy life…..
Going to Safeco in late Aug to see the Twins. Can anyone recommend a place at or near the stadium to enjoy a cold beer before I have to pay $10 for one in the stadium?
The hippies in seatle drink coffee and lattes and such. I’m not even sure they know what a beer is. They have good bud, but it’s not beer i’m talking about.
The hippies in seatle drink coffee and lattes and such. I’m not even sure they know what a beer is. They have good bud, but it’s not beer i’m talking about .
Answers to your questions and comments:
Joe:
The train whistles at Safeco start out cute and do get annoying.
Kidding:
It’s a Bears’ McNown jersey. Sometimes, there’s no accounting for taste. (I also own a Bret Boone Mariners BP jersey.)
G&B,
If we went everywhere suggested on this trip, I’d weigh about 350.
RK,
There’s a bar/restaurant across the street from Safeco that has wicked microbrews. Can’t remember the name. Maybe someone can help.
Question: Are the train whistles as annoying as the one screaming/hooting fan at the Metrodome? Why does only his hoots come over across the tv? Does he own his own tv broadcast microphone?
“brewpub” across from Safeco is a Pyramid Alehouse. They are ok, with an occasional “very good”, but there is (much) better beer to be had elsewhere in the city. Pyramid now has alehouses across the west coast (one opened in downtown sacramento 2 years ago).
word to Macleod: no kidding. California is a bbq wasteland. Console yourself with the beer. Rubicon (on Capitol), Sacramento Brewing Company, Brew It Up, Elk Grove Brewing Co. and Sudwerk (Davis) all have excellent beers and edible bar food. Plus the afore-mentioned Pyramid and a handful of other places.
and Macleod, how can you complain about AAA baseball? The River Cats are a lot of fun and the stadium is beautiful (and always has a good crowd for games).
plus, lots of very good Thai restaurants in the area, some good dim sum, good sushi, and assorted other worth-a-try restaurants.
brian,
“Brewpub” was prol’ly an overstatement because the place is huge, but my pregame there was “very good.” Still, a good place to pick up ballpark vibe.
Allow me to just say, I take back everything negative I ever said about the FO if they could somehow score Street from Oakland. Just tell them they can have Rochester. The players, the managers, the freaking stadium. Get this team some bullpen help, PLEASE!
Jack Stack is the best in KC. Also, the pulled pork sandwich at Oklahoma Joe’s will blow anything at Gates out of the water.
Howard-
I’ve been to Safeco, but not to KC…curious to know how you compare the two parks…
KC became my favorite stadium to visit as soon as it was built. I loved it then and I still enjoy going down there. Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday.
Agreed on Gates and Arthur Bryant’s … you can do better. I lived in KC for four years and implore you to go try either Oklahoma Joe’s (the Z-man sandwich), Jack Stack, LCs … or my new favorite, Brobecks.
check out this site for more on these, and other great BBQ options known best by the locals:
OK, I need to correct you on one thing. LC’s is the best
BBQ place in KC. There is not another place. None. Arthur Bryant’s is good but you can do better. LC’s is the best. Have the beef tips.
RK
Seattle is a wonderful beer town, and there are some great bars near Safeco. Sluggers, right down the street from the ballpark, is a just an old-school taproom with a decent selection of micros and domestics on tap and lots of sports memorabilia on the walls. There’s also Swannies, which is a similar kind of place but even more of a dive. Visiting ballplayers sometimes drop by there after games, though, so it might be a good place to check out afterwards for that reason unless it’s a getaway day (the owner knows a lot of people inside baseball). But I must emphasize, the place is a dive.
The Pyramid Alehouse is decidedly more upscale, and it’s right across the street. A nice pub menu and many Pyramid brews on tap (yes, they make more than Hefeweizen). FX McRory’s is also nearby. It’s a mediocre to decent steakhouse but perfectly fine for a beer or two. Tiki Bob’s cantina is a party-atmosphere bar nearby.
No shortage of bars in Pioneer Square. They’re all trashy and that’s part of what makes them fun. One day in the Merchant’s Cafe I noticed that behind the bar they had maybe a dozen potted Venus Fly-Traps but still a noticeable fruit-fly problem. The Central Saloon is probably the best one to visit: a spacious place that’s pretty dark even during the day (probably to cover up the less-than-pristine cleanliness of the place). Note: Pioneer Square is a little “rough around the edges” after dark.
So anyway, I like dives so take my suggestions with that in mind.
I’ll defer to the KC residents- if a place is better than Gates’ it must be good!
