5. Gates Bar-B-Q

May I Help You? - Yes You May!
If you visit Kansas City, MO and don't make the trek to Gates Bar-B-Q at 12th and Brooklyn (1221 Brooklyn) you're missing some dawg gone good Kansas City Bar-B-Q. Some people just don't "get" what real barbeque is. To understand what it is, you have to understand what it isn't. It isn't normally newfangled, it's seldom upscale, it's seldom served in an operating room clean environment with nice linen napkins and table cloths, and a good barbeque joint isn't ever quiet. What barbeque is - is: tradition and history, it's a place where people gather and it's loud, it's smoky, it's messy, it's a pork rib where the meat falls of the bone and the flavor of the smoked meat with the right sause makes your tongue want to slap the back of your head. Exiting the vehicle the smoke wafts in the air and reminds your brain that something good is getting ready to happen, like has been happening since about 1945. I had a combination platter with ham, pork ribs and pulled beef. The portions were huge and it was served with four slices of white bread, a heap of sweet pickles and a mound of fries. If you leave hungry, something's wrong. The pork ribs (which in my opinion is traditional barbeque) were cooked to perfection. The spicy sauce was just that - spicy but not hot. They have a standard sauce and a sweet sauce, like just about any barbeque joint. I tried all three, all three were good. I preferred the spicy. I give the ribs four stars, I would have given four and a half but there are no half ratings. The spicy sauce, I give a good solid four stars. The only thing that could have been better was if the pork ribs were the slightest bit less greasy, which is virtually impossible to do with a pork rib anyway. Notice that I didn't review the restrooms or the floor or the fact that the people at the counter yell out "May I help you?". This is a barbeque review and the barbeque and the sauce were both great. A solid four stars. Excellent traditional barbeque. I'm lugging some of the spicy sauce home with me.

OK..not Great.
My wife and I just moved to KC and a couple people said we had to try Gates BBQ. It was ok. At first bite I was unimpressed. But by the end of the sandwich I was pretty satisfied. The sauce was decent. Not too spicy and not too sweet. Like I said, it was ok, but when people come to visit, I don't think we'll be heading there. Give it a shot and see for yourself.

We toured all 30 mlb ballparks and went to dozens of bbq joints.This is it- it is the holy grail-the quintessential Kansas BBQ joint.The ordering line is hectic,the washrooms are not antiseptic,but the staff and the BBQ make a spicey HOG HEAVEN