Save the Mango Room and Other Independent Restaurants!

In a further irony of downtown redevelopment, one of Kansas City's underappreciated gems is threatening to close its doors. The Mango Room is a locally-owned, minority-owned, woman-owned restaurant located in the street-level space of the Town Pavilion. I've eaten there a few times, and the food is truly excellent. Oxtails. Jerk spices. Yum.

Unfortunately, the downtown construction, which will soon (oops - make that "someday", since the out-of-town developers are failing to live up to their commitments, and postponing the openings) bring us a gaggle of share-holder owned chain restaurants like Famous Dave's Suburban Minneapolis Barbecue and Planet What City Am I In, is choking off access to the restaurant with heavy equipment and porta-potties. The constricting world of corporate mediocrity is killing off another one of the points of authenticity and distinction in our city.

I've developed a bit of a reputation at the office for being a weirdo when it come to local food. When others drive through Wendy's, I'll swing by Kitty's on 31st Street for a burger that is so much better that my coworkers oggle it at the lunch table. When others drop by Taco Bell, I head over to Pancho's on Main, for absolutely incredible tacos, tortas, burritos and tamales, with the amazing salsas that you ladle yourself rather than squeeze from a plastic packet. Don't even get me started on Pizza Hut . . .

Kansas City is blessed by great restaurants, but you need to think about it. We get to vote on what kind of city we are every day that we spend money in our town. When you go to McDonald's or PF Chang's or the Olive Garden, you are voting for homogeneity over individuality. When you go to Town Topic or Princess Garden or Marco Polo's, you are voting for a more varied and interesting city. On top of that, you get better food, usually made with fresher, local ingredients, at a better price.

(If you really want to make a difference with the votes you carry around in your wallet, spend your money in the places featured at The Viable Third.)

To me, this is an quality of life issue. I feel like Kansas City is a better place to live because of places like Lill's on 17th Street, (recently labeled Kansas City's Cozy Spot by Kansas City Daily Photo), but a new Chili's doesn't have that same impact.

This is not just another burst of mid-town superiority, either. There are good, family-owned restaurants serving great meals in Lee's Summit, the Northland, and even - gasp! - Johnson County. (Wyandotte County is packed with them.) Some of them can be found in strip malls, and others are off the main drag a few blocks.

I challenge each of you - starting now and continuing through the month of August, to seek out Kansas City restaurants whenever you eat out. Find a Winstead's instead of a Burger King. Blow a bucket of money at Plaza III instead of at Morton's. Come back and comment on your experiences and recommendations (and disappointments, too). If commenters participate, I'll bump this to the top of the page for the duration. If you are a fellow blogger, post something on your site about your favorite local places, and encourage your readers to share their thoughts on your blog. Let's see if we can save the Mango Room and the other gems that make Kansas City different from Indianapolis or Milwaukee or Akron.

(Update: While I was typing this post, I got an email from a great local lawyer, reporting "Last night my husband and I stopped by Scottie’s on 39th, the old Macaluso’s, and had a great meal. We both had salmon, two different ways, and it was terrific. I had the Szechuan style, and it was one of the best and most creative dishes I’ve had in a while. There were a lot of other interesting dishes on the menu, as well. The prices were really decent, too, for an upscale kind of place. It’s worth stopping by." Thanks for kicking this off, T!)