Johnny's BBQ

I have a confession to make: I don't really like Sunday brunch. Don't get me wrong, though. I will eat brunch. I also don't discriminate against people who like brunch or places that serve it for that matter. It's a legitimate event in itself. However, I guess my feelings stem from the fact that I'd rather not combine my meals. I believe in breakfast, lunch and dinner. All three of them, no shortcuts.

I bring this up because it makes eating out for lunch on Sundays a little tricky. First of all, many places aren't open to begin with on Sundays. Which, if I owned a restaurant, I'd do as well. I think it's a classy move. However, that doesn't stop me from cursing places that are closed on Sundays (yes, I'm talking to you Oklahoma Joe's, Governor Stumpy's and Chik-fil-a).

Secondly, restaurants that are open on Sundays often serve only brunch-like menus during lunch time. This bothers me. Unless I'm there before 9 a.m., I'm already thinking about lunch. So please give me the "lunch" menu.

Thirdly, if I am eating brunch, I almost always crack under pressure and order Eggs Benedict. No matter what...Eggs Benedict. Even if the place doesn't have it on the menu I'll say, "No Eggs Benedict? That's fine. I'll just have the Eggs Benedict." Then the waiter will say, "But sir, we don't serve it." At which point I'll respond: "No worries. I'll just have the Eggs Benedict, then. I'm easy (forced laughter)"...

So, after that long and unnecessary rant, you now know why picking a place to take the family for LUNCH on Sunday presented a dilemma. I was craving a place that not only served lunch, but would also tolerate two wild and crazy kids - one who constantly sings songs at the top of her lungs, and one who sounds like a pterodactyl whenever he opens his mouth.

By the way, did you know that's how you spell "pterodactyl"? Neither did I.

Regardless, barbecue sounded good to me and my wife, Sarah. And it being Sunday and all, it gave us some time to spread our wings a little bit...and mosey on over to Mission to try a place that's been on my Brewster the Foodster Hit List since I saw the KC barbecue edition of Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins on the Food Network a few months ago: Johnny's BBQ.

The place is inconspicuously located on Broadmoor, a sleepy little street off Johnson Drive in downtown Mission. You know that old-timey looking McDonald's along Johnson Drive? It's right around there.

And let me tell you: It's worth finding. It's a quintessential Kansas City barbecue joint - both in ambiance and food. The ambiance doesn't try too hard. There's a paper towell roll and barbecue sauce waiting for you on the table and there is a good mix of 4-top tables and booths. You can order to-go at the counter, or take a seat to dine-in. The friendly waitstaff takes care of you.

The menu is robust, with a good mix of combo meat plates, sandwiches, wraps (suprisingly one of their top items), ribs and sides. There were about 10 dishes (not exaggerating) that I wanted to try. The items featured by King Doosh himself, Guy Fieri (I'm just jealous of the guy), on DDD are marked on the menu as a guide of what to try.

I really wanted to get the combo platter, which has beef, pork, ribs and sausage for $16. It's the most expensivie thing on the menu, besides a full slab of ribs $16.50. However, on Sunday and Wednesday the ribs are only $12. So...I almost ordered the ribs. However, something was pulling me toward the beef and pork, and I love my side dishes. So I ended up going with a beef and pork combo plate, with fries, slaw and beans. It was very good.

Combo plate with beef and pork...the coleslaw
kept butting its way into the picture.

As I mentioned, the food is KC barbecue at its finest. My meat came sauced up, which I liked. There was more than enough meat to load up on the two slices of bread that came with my plate of food. The slaw was ho-hum. But it did the trick. The beans were very good, and had a unique taste. I'm glad I got it.

Where you bean all my life?

Johnny's sauce has a spicy-ness to it. I'm the first to admit, I'm not good at diagnosing the exact taste of a sauce. All I know was that it hit the spot. It tasted good loaded up on my sammy, as well as sopping up my fries.

Sarah got the Spicy Chicken Wrap, with jalapenos, cheese and hot sauce, along with seasoned fries...the "seasoning" being Johnny's famous rub. It was very, very good. She loved it all.

Trust me...it looked better in real life.

The kiddos downed some Mini-Corn Dogs, and we shared some Fried Macaroni and Cheese (not a signature item of theirs...it was an impulse buy. I've made better choices in my life...such as marrying a woman who gives me death stares when I order such things! If it weren't for her, I'd have a weight prob...Wait a second!)

No, it's not fish n' chips. It's Macaroni and Cheese.
Fried, and cut into paper footballs.

Anyway, it was a great trip, and we all left wanting to go back and try a few other things (that's a good thing). Next time, I'll probably try the ribs, or the 1/2 chicken dinner, or the "sandwich & 1/2" with fries.

Point is...I'll be back, while everyone else is at brunch.

I snorted the rest of that sauce up with my drink straw...

- BTF