CLICK HERE for KC's famous #BBQBible!
CLICK HERE for KC's famous #BBQBible!
FLYOVER
COUNTRY
IS A MYTH
www.kcdiscovery.com
Best in Dough!
A donut can be whatever it needs to be. The only limit is the imagination. Coming in many shapes and sizes, the possibilities for toppings and fillings feel endless. In Kansas City, donuts cast a wide net. A diversity of offerings from a wide spectrum of purveyors. In honor of National Donut Day, I celebrated the best of each variety.
Devan’s (Double) Dozen: Burger Edition, Part II
You’ve waited for it. You’ve anticipated it. Now, it’s here: my list of the Top 12 burger spots in Kansas City. As much as soul food likes to claim the comfort food title, for me, nothing beats a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. So if you’re hunting for the best burgers in Kansas City (based on taste, quality, and value), you’re in the right place. This is the definitive list of KC’s best local burgers; at least, according to me.
Devan’s (Double) Dozen: Burger Edition, Part I
From the paper-thin smashburger to the diminutive slider to the carefully constructed pub burger, I love cheeseburgers in all their glorious forms. As my list of Kansas City burgers conquered only grows longer, it felt like time to double down and return to the roots of “Devan’s Dozen” with a roundup of the best burgers in Kansas City from well-known hotspots, to must-try gourmet burgers, to the hidden gems you’ve never heard of.
KCRW 2025 in Review
Simply put, my relationship with Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW) is complicated. In recent years, the promotion does not represent the value it once did. However, it still marks the beginning of the calendar for any Fountain City Foodie. The opportunity to support businesses I love and try new things was too much to ignore. This year, I enjoyed five different spots during KCRW, which I chose to grade on meal quality, service, and promotional value.
Devan’s Dozen: Donut Edition
Donuts are a heap of wistfulness, deep fried in nostalgia, and glazed with childlike innocence. They have a way of transcending time and space to transport a person unlike any other food. There’s just something about donuts that makes everyone a kid again. And everyone has their favorite types and flavors. After over a decade of searching for the city’s best donuts, I decided to finally do a Devan’s Dozen for that food which a dozen comes most natural. These are KC’s best local donut shops.
Devan’s (Double) Dozen: BBQ Edition, Part I
After a year that took me to nearly every barbeque restaurant, joint, stand, pop-up, and concept in the Kansas City metro, a lot of readers were left asking the one question I had failed to answer, “Which is best?” Here in Kansas City, talking about barbeque is as common as discussing the weather or the local sports team, but far more precarious. The BBQ joint one person swears by will be the one another swears they won’t visit again. That didn’t stop me from weighing in with the first-ever double edition of Devan’s Dozen. This part contains a countdown from #24 to #13!
FCS: Best of 2023
For me, this edition of Fountain City Superlatives is always special as I get a chance to recap the year that I had. However, after a year of focusing on almost-exclusively barbeque, I worried that I may not have much more to give. Thankfully, that was not the case. This breaks down the best new things I tried in Kansas City in 2023. Some of the categories you know and love are missing. Some others are brand new. But here lies a, mostly, non-barbeque recap of my year.
FCS: BBQ Sides
Oftentimes, my recommendation on what BBQ joint a person should try is simply based on the question of “What do you like?” While that typically is all about the meats, the fact is that the side dishes are just as much a part of the barbeque experience. Typically, BBQ restaurants aren’t judged on everything else but as a follow up to my meat rankings, I decided to rank, well, everything else that can be found at KC BBQ joints.
FCS: The Meats
“With great palate comes great responsibility.” Perhaps that was not the line exactly as Ben Parker famously delivered it, but does it not hold true? Oftentimes, my recommendation on what BBQ joint a person should try is simply based on the question of “What do you like?” With that in mind, after a year that took me to every BBQ joint worth visiting, this column names the best BBQ joints in the metro, based on the cuts of meat where each spot excels.