01/28/08

LC does it right.

by huck01

I love burnt ends. That said, LC's may very well be my favorite joint in town. It is not the atmosphere, or the neighborhood, no, it is all about the BBQ. The meat is so tender, and the sauce is delicious and plentiful. You must get the beans as well. To be honest, I can't drive past the exit and not think, "how can I get out of the office and get to LC's today".

• Pros: big portions, lots of sauce, out of this world beans
• Cons: service on styrofoam and plastic forks (i don't really care)

05/21/07

Maybe a top 10, but not at the top.

by richardpr

Talking about BBQ in KC is like talking religion or politics. People have their preferences and it's hard to change minds. I'm new to KC, and have set out to eat at as many BBQ restaurants as possible.

I rolled into LC's on a weekday at about noon. It's cramped, dirty, and short on atmosphere in about every way. I can hear it now: Oh, but it's BBQ forget about it being pretty. That's not it either. But having clean tables and something other than styrofoam plates is nice. I don't think that's asking too much. Hard to cut BBQ with plastic cutlery.

My benchmark for BBQ is the burnt ends. That's where KC BBQ begins and ends. Do up a burnt ends properly, and everything else will fall into place. I would say that LC's burnt ends are good, but not awesome. Their sauce takes high marks, but there's no extra sauce without paying extra. All I wanted was just a little spritz here and there, not a whole bottle.

I felt overwhelmed by their bread. It's just too thick and dense. I like the classic, unobtrusive Wonderbread which is pretty much the standard for BBQ. While it's much better tasting bread than other places, it dominated the food.

Service wasn't too bad. They keep things simple. The meat wasn't burdened with lots of spices to hide its flavor, but it also had enough flavor to keep things interesting. I'd like to go back again to sample their other selections.

As far as price, this was my biggest gripe. I have no problems paying a reasonable sum for a meal, but I want to feel like I'm getting a value. This was not a good value considering the issues noted above. I think my burnt ends entree was around $9 or $10. No drink, nothing extra. Take it down to about $7.95 and I'd have a different opinion.

There's a lot of BBQ in KC, particularly KCMO, and LC's deserves to be noted for having something decent. But it's not the best of its kind by a long shot.

• Pros: Quaint, out of the way
• Cons: Parking, plastic silverware and plates, tiny seating area.

03/24/07

No joke!

by ejergens

My Family thinks I fly to KC once a year from LA to visit them, but I really go for the BBQ! Don't tell. To be honest, I never had much of an interest in bbq chicken. When I get bbq, I go for the pork, piled high, very high, on white wonder bread, dripping with sweet, smokey, KC style sauce. Sometimes the smoked turkey sandwich. Definately babybacks! Well I went to LC's on my last KC visit and got pretty much everything they had on the menu to bring home and pig out on with the family. I tasted the chicken and could NOT believe my mouth. The seasoning was very different. A hint of cumin, and cinnamon I think. Smoked to absolute perfection. It fell of the bone and melted like butter. I have no idea how they do it. Chicken can dry out so easily. But this stuff is really indescribable, it is really like nothing I have ever tasted in my life. One more thing, the beans. I stuck my fork in the beans and fork stood straight up. I LOVE THAT! Go to LC's! The best bbq I have ever had in my life!

• Pros: TASTE!
• Cons: Odd Location