Beating Owen Morris to the Punch - Top 10 Kansas City Foods to Eat Before You Die

Over at Fat City, Owen Morris is offering his take on the "Foods you must east before you die" meme, and he starts if off with a panegyric to the old-school Lamar's twist. I'm not ashamed of stealing a good idea and improving on it, so here's my top 10 list, all in one post, and all available today, not solely in the mists of memory. Mind you, this is my take on 10 foods that exemplify Kansas City's food culture - not necessarily my favorite foods in Kansas City, but foods that somehow have a Kansas City flair.

10. Povitica. You don't find this other places - yummy polish bread swirled with sweet fillings. Beautiful to look at, teeth-achingly sweet to sample, this is a treat from Kansas City's immigrant community. Back when immigrants were European, nobody complained when they kept their traditions and even published newspapers in their own language. Thank goodness that back when the Polish were coming to America, Bryan Pratt was not around to pass laws attacking them.

9. Winstead's Burger. Winstead's burgers are simply the Kansas City classic. Everything else there lives up to the classic diner standard - fries, onion rings, even malts. I've found better burgers, but this is the one that really screams Kansas City.

8. Chicken Spiedini. Sure, Mike Garozzo came to Kansas City from the Hill in St. Louis, but his signature dish, chicken spiedini, has earned a place in Kansas City's heart. Laden with garlic and toasted bread crumbs, nothing says old school Italian like chicken spiedini at the original location at 526 Harrison in the old Northeast.

7. Jess & Jim's Playboy Strip. Miles from the stockyard but on the railroad tracks, Jess and Jim's is an old-fashioned steak joint. Decades ago, they were written up in Playboy Magazine, and that faintly scandalous fame carries them to this day. It's really not the best steak in town, and the decor is anything but regal, but Jess & Jim's is the solid favorite in Kansas City's cholesterol-choked heart. You don't need to wear a tie or put up with waitstaff attitude to enjoy a great steak at Jess & Jim's.

6. Dog Day at Hooper's. For a buck and a quarter, you get a great hot dog covered with toppings. It's a Saturday classic, and even the irritable people who don't like kids in bars have to smile at the neighborhood atmosphere and kids in shin-guards fresh from a Brookside Soccer League game enjoying cokes with cherries and shuffleboard. The hot dogs are great - plump, juicy and just salty enough, but the feel of the place is what makes it a part of Kansas City.

5. Murray's Ice Cream. I know, all cities have great ice cream these days, but Murray's is something special. Maybe it's the quirky hours, maybe it's the location off the beaten path of Westport, or maybe it's some sort of drug they mix into their home-made ice cream, but Murray's Ice Cream is more "Kansas City" than any other ice cream place could ever hope to be. Go there for the ice cream, sit outside in the sun and eat it - wow, I can close my eyes and imagine a whole day spent wandering around Westport.

4. Manny's Chips and Salsa. Kansas City is blessed with a strong Mexican-American community, and, as a result, we have a fantastic assortment of great Mexican restaurants. Manny's is, in my opinion, emblematic of the group, though I agree that there are others that put out better, more authentic food. Manny's, though, serves all of Kansas City, with melted cheese and zesty but not spicy salsa. It's not real Mexican - it's Kansas City Mexican. Sitting there, chowing on the second basket of chips and dripping salsa onto your shirt - that's a piece of Kansas City.

3. Bread Pudding for Breakfast at the Classic Cup. Simple decadence. Breakfast at the Classic Cup is a place to see the powerful grabbing a bite before work, and sitting on the patio is both relaxing and exciting. Doing it with bread pudding with pecans and caramel sauce is beyond wonderful. Cares melt away.

2. Beef Sandwich at Bryant's. Don't even start with the arguments about Oklahoma Joe's or LC's or Gates or whatever. Say all you want about great barbecue places in Kansas City, Bryant's is the home of Kansas City barbecue. It simply is. There's really nothing left to say.

1. McDonald's Happy Meal. It hurts me to do this, but many argue that Bob Bernstein, a local ad guy, came up with the Happy Meal. The claim is disputed, but Kansas City's love of corporate, mass-produced crap food is beyond any dispute. I can insist on local restaurants all I like, but the truth is that the drive-throughs of Our Town are clogged with Kansas Citians looking to buy a meal they saw on TV. If you want to have Kansas City's top ten foods to eat before you die, you really ought to eat the one that we have brought to the world.