Is KC BBQ all that it is advertised as- read here to find out

Earlier this week I wrote an article about the Kansas City service industry.  Although the service in KC has not improved, there are many things to appreciate about this town.  Kansas City has a lot of similarities to Great Falls. Both cities are tied to the Missouri River and have a long history of settlers and fur traders.  Of course, most people know that the Missouri River begins in Montana, but did you know that the Santa Fe, California and Oregon trails began in the general Kansas City area?

BBQ is also something take KC is supposed to be famous for.  I am willing to say that Great Falls has some of the finest BBQ joints in the US (although I haven’t tried every BBQ shop in the US), and easily hold there own against KC BBQ.  I did try a local shop yesterday and was pleasantly surprised.  Burnt ends, Texas toast and a nice mix of tomato, cucumber and onion salad made for a nice dinner.

Something KC has that Great Falls, nor anywhere in MT offers, is the vast number and variety of shops, restaurants and attractions.  The hotel/ event center/ shopping mall that I am staying at covers an area about half the size of the Montana ExpoPark.  Once you enter the building, there is no reason to leave unless you want to see part of the town. The main hotel lobby leads into a hallway that expands into huge shopping experience that will cover almost any need.  I saw at least 10 different restaurant/ bar businesses.  There are clothing stores, convenience stores, boutiques and so much more.  There is an outdoor ice-skating rink in the back lot of the hotel. The cover picture was the dinner I had last night from one of the mall restaurants called, Burnt End BBQ. The following picture was an apple crisp that came with our wards luncheon ceremony yesterday.

Picture credit- Randy Bogden

I will be home tomorrow night and although I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and in charge of my own “service,” it has been a good trip and I look forward to next year when I will most likely be back here in KC for the NAFB convention.