Whopper Bar - P&L District

Everyone has a weakness. Superman had kryptonite, Goose Gossage had George Brett, George Brett had the shits at a club in Las Vegas, Salt n' Peppa had "men", Winnie the Poo had honey, Dick Van Dyke had that silly little stool. Hell, even Chuck Norris had this little kid.

Me? My weakness is a Burger King Whopper. It's always been my Achilee's Heel. When I was a kid riding around with my brother in his 1975 Chevy Caprice Classic, he taught me just how good of a deal 2 Whoppers for $4 after 4 p.m. was. I've never looked back. Add in the fact that I've lived approximately 3 blocks from the same Burger King practically my whole life, and that spells trouble.

My love for the Whopper is undying. Yes, I know there are a million better burgers on the planet that I could enjoy instead of a Whopper. Actually, there are probably about 5 other burgers on BK's menu that are better than the Whopper. But somewhere along the line, the Whopper has ingrained itself into my heart and mind, just like Demi Moore did to Michael Douglas in Disclosure.

So, needless to say I was ecstatic when my friend Stephen threw out the word's "Let's go to Whopper Bar" last Tuesday.  Since it opened in March, I've been trying to find an excuse to head over to the Power & Light District in downtown KC to try it out. But it's hard for a 30-year-old to get anyone to go grab fast food with him during the business day. But when you do, that's when, as America's poet and prophet Tracy Lawrence would say, "you find out who your friends are."

It takes a certain kind of friend to not bat an eye when you order a Double Whopper. It takes an even better friend to order one for himself, as well. Fortunately, I had a two good friends with me. Joe, Stephen and I each ordered a "Double Whopper with Cheese." I got mine with BK's spicy "Angry Sauce", too.

Double Whopper...You vixen, you.

If you haven't heard of the Whopper Bar, it's a new concept by Burger King, this one located in the Power and Light District in downtown KC. It offers about a million options to "Have it Your Way." They offer the basic Burger King menu, but they also have all sorts of add ons that you can't get at the 72nd and Wornall location (my personal BK headquarters). Plus, the Whopper Bar serves beer. So you don't have to sneak it in, like we did in college (high school).

Anyway, I of course ordered the "value meal" which came with fries and a drink. Have you heard of these "value meals", by the way? It's a heck of a deal...all the fast food joints are doing it these days. I think the idea might stick. But it's still too early to call...

Burger King's fries are weak, for the most part. I ate them all anyway though. I have a problem.

Anyway, the burger was great. Pretty standard stuff, all in all. I mean, what did you expect me to say? Fast food is fast food is fast food is fast food. I do offer two observations:

1. The Whoppers at Whopper Bar are a truly made to order. So it was definitely a "fresh" burger. I liked that. Classy.
2. And this is a negative...I ordered "Angry Sauce" on top of the normal mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. Now that is a lot of sauce, you'd think, right? Well, they BARELY put any of each of those condiments on my burger. It was a bit dry. Not the burgers themselves, but the bun and condiments. I had to ask for more and got squeeze packets. Yeah! And the same went for Stephen's and Joe's orders too.

Now that is unacceptable. I love "sauces". If you don't believe me, just ask the security cameras at Chik-fil-a. I'm like Public Enemy number one at the condiment counter there.

But that was my only knock on the place. The service was very friendly and the price was pretty good...it's fast food so it better be. But what I like the most is that a "new concept" like Whopper Bar is taking its chances in a place like Kansas City. Don't be shy, go check it out.

And tell your Whopper hi for me. Do you think it likes me? What did it say? Like, what was its body language like? Did it sound excited when you said "hi" for me? Should I call it? Nevermind. That would be silly. But should I?

Don't you hate that post-fast-food feeling?
I wanted to burn that tray and act like it never happened
...until next time!

- BTF

Ninfa's Tortillas & Taqueria

Every once in a while there is a little restaurant in Kansas City that I'd never heard of and I think I'm the first one to find it. But the second I start bragging about how I ate at this unknown, incredible place, every one I tell about has already been there. Always the last to know...

That was the case this week, when a family friend treated me to lunch at Ninfa's Tortillas & Taqueria in KCK. It's a classic Mexican joint along Kansas Avenue ... just down the street from one of my favorite places in all of existence: El Pollo Rey...where the only choices on the menu are a "whole" chicken and a "half" chicken. But that is for another day...and it will be a glorious day when I go there again.

Back to Ninfa's - After just one visit, I think I may have found a regular spot to visit. I thought my lunch mate John had opened eyes to a place no one had heard of before. Boy was I wrong. I quickly learned that Ninfa's was one of my Papa's favorite restaurants. Then, after telling a friend about my awesome lunch, he promptly said, "Yeah, I was there on Tuesday. I love that place." Damn. I'm not as tapped in to the Kansas City restaurant underground as I thought.

The place is known for its home made tortillas. Let me tell you, they are ridiculous. Fresh, warm, and perfect with salsa and squeeze butter. Yes, squeeze butter. Each table is manned with a bottle of Parkay. Yes, Parkay. I didn't even know they still made Parkay. I'm pretty sure Ninfa's may be keeping that company in business.

Ninfa's salsa is unique. It's nice and chunky, almost relish-y. Loved it. One thing absent from the table was the endless chips and salsa that so many Mexican joints offer. It was actually a pleasant surprise, especially since the chips were replaced with the homemade tortillas. I'll take that trade any day.

Speaking of tortillas...for lunch I ordered the fried flour tortilla tacos. It featured two massive tacos in a flour tortilla deep fried and flaky. It wasn't greasy at all. The waitress suggested the beef as the perfect meat to go with the fried flour tortillas. With the fried corn flour torillas, she suggested pork. Just an FYI. I made a mental note for next time.

Anyway, my dish was awesome. The tacos broke a part on me a little bit, mainly because of the size of the tacos. I happily scooped up the remainder with a fork. The meal also came with beans (standard) and rice, which was a little different. I can't really explain it, but normally I pass on the rice and beans option. This time, I was happy I allowed it onto my plate.

We asked for extra tortillas, and we ate them all. It really was an impressive meal. I suggest you head over to KCK and check this out soon.

Next time, I'm going to get the tamales, which I hear (from all those folks who already know about this place) is the best thing on the menu. On our visit, they were fresh out. Maybe that was just there way of making sure I come back...which I will, and soon!

- BTF

(Note: Where's the photos, you ask? My phone ran out of batteries on my way down to the restaurant...But here's a mental picture: There was a ton of food on my plate when it arrived. When I was finished, all that was left was lettuce. Well done, Ninfa's. Well done.)

The Past Month...

Sorry for the little hiatus the past month. I have a few excuses, one of which involves me at an all-inclusive Mexican resort....where they served approximately ZERO mexican food. The other excuses aren't nearly as exciting. So I'll spare you the details.

I don't want you all to think I wasn't eating while I was away, however. While I didn't have time...actually, I was just too lazy...to post a blog or three, I did hit up some great places that I at least wanted to mention:

The Jazz (39th Street Location) - Chicken a la Mer was rediculous. Yes, I got the full portion for lunch. And yes, that is rediculous. But it's sooooo good. Check it out.

Anthony's - This legendary Italian spot at 7th and Grand is a throwback. It has a great lunch menu. It's lasagna is top-notch. Plus, you get a house salad, great Italian bread and a side of pasta with each lunch entree. Can't beat it.

Los Tules - I've worked near this little Mexican joint on Broadway for about 4 years, and I've always wanted to try it. It's located across from the nearly completed Kauffman Center for Performing Arts. It has great chips and salsa, and incredible Mexican chili. It's loaded with pork and a little soupy. Great for dipping warm tortillas in. I loaded up about 5 other tortillas with the hearty portions of pork. Well worth the visit.

I wish I could write more about these places. Trust me though, I will be back to each soon enough.

- BTF