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burgaholic · 6 years

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Q39

Currently listening to “Bellyache” by Spanish Love Songs.

In a world full of burgers, there’s always a little extra room for barbecue. This is the exactly how I found myself in Kansas City, Missouri. I arrived late on a Saturday morning and my mission was simple. I wanted to leave 18 pounds heavier than when I arrived. I bought a pair of Royal blue sweatpants from the airport gift shop and stuffed the pockets with any napkins I could find on the way out. From the moment I peeled out in my newly rented Hyundai Elantra, I knew my first stop was going to be Joe’s Kansas City, formerly Oklahoma Joe’s. This BBQ shack, which is attached to a gas station, became a state icon in 1996 and has trailblazed the scene ever since. It might not be the oldest rib and brisket joint in KC, but Anthony Bourdain and President Barack Obama love it, and the accolades keep piling up. Now, normally it takes me a good day and a half to recuperate from a huge, smoky meat filled meal, but we can’t stop here. This is fat country. After doing some ultimate touristy sight-seeing, I headed into the downtown area to check out the local beer scene and get my TJ Miller on. Oh wait, I meant the drinking part, not the bomb threat / sexual assault part. I popped into a handful of walking-distance breweries, but my favorite was Casual Animal Brewing. The tasty suds, good tunes, and modern laid back atmosphere help you forget that you’re on your fourth beer and you should probably get some food in your stomach before you stand up wobbling and look like the losing end of a Mortal Kombat dual. FINISH HIM.

I knew that I wanted to sink my fangs deep into a tasty sangwich that would turn any vegetarians heart to stone. I wanted a marriage between a tender, juicy burger and some delicately smoked 'cue. And after all, that mawwiage is wat bwings us togedder tooday. I popped into a hip BBQ joint located towards the southern end of town, pretty close to the Missouri/Kansas border. The drive in led me through a small hilly neighborhood, which I was quite sure was the wrong way. Then, out of nowhere I see a ton of cars in the parking lot of a small shopping center. A whole mess of people were pouring in and out of the front door of a place called Q39, so I knew I had to be in the right place. I thought a reservation for lunch seemed a bit weird, but I’m glad I made one because this place was poppin’! Check it out!

The history behind Q39 is much like any success story that you wish you were a part of. The now-owner, then-head chef, cooked his way through various restaurants, moved to KC, mastered the art of preparing and smoking meats, won a ton of competition awards, and decided to turn his hobby into a full time job and treat all Kansas Citians to a very high caliber of a food. The only thing better than the story is the food itself. The inside has a clean, classy look, with a touch of vintage decor. Both young and old sat elbow to elbow at the bar, all trying to gather the same Sunday Funday vibe. There is a nice little patio for the days the weather wants to Bradly Cooperate, but can be screened in during Alec Baldwinclimate weather too. This monster facility offers multiple rooms for tons of lip smacking patrons like myself, which validates the 900 busy employees I counted. In particular, our waiter was very kind and patient and knew his way around the menu. It didn’t take long for us to see and smell the popular menu items being pumped out from the kitchen, but I was sold and set on getting a burg and a cold brew. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Burnt End Burger.

The BEB is comprised of an oak-wood-grilled ground brisket/Angus beef blended patty, sliced burnt ends, spicy pickle slaw, and classic barbecue sauce on a brioche bun. With only four ingredients in the burger, it’s pretty clear which one stood out the most. Of course I’m talking about the burnt ends. If you aren’t familiar with the term, burnt ends come from the point of the brisket. When the main part of the brisket is finally ready to come out of the smoker, the fatty end usually gets cut off, sliced, re-spiced, and put back into the smoker to render out the fat and collagen. What’s left is a melt in your mouth chunk of brisket that will quickly convert your taste buds into taste BFFs. The spicy pickle slaw was light, refreshing, and had the perfect amount of vinegar and zing to complement the warm barbecue sauce that was drizzled over the top. The one and only thing that could have upped the experience tenfold, was if I asked for well done burger patty and received a medium cooked patty. Instead, the complete opposite happened. It was spiced nicely, but left every bite with a very dry, chewy mouthfeel. The tender burnt ends and the double extra helping of sauce I doused on top helped the cause, but I still might file this into my “Bummer” folder. Either way, the service was great, the actual BBQ was solid, the french fries were golden crispy, and the cold Brew 39 Amber collab beer from Martin City Brewing was on point. All in all, this slightly just tips the scale to 4 of 4 burgz, and I would gladly come back and try everything else on the menu.

Kansas City will always be one of those places that I think I could go back to visit and never get bored. The food, brews, and active night life left a warm spot in heart, unless I’m actually just having a stroke from all that food I ate? Is that like, a thing though? Either way, I’ll put it simply. Get to Q39 and get your grub on.

Q39

1000 W 39th Street

Kansas City, MO 64111

www.q39kc.com

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