We arrived a few minutes before they open at 11:30 and there was already about 20 people in line ahead of us. We stood outside in the heat & sun for the first 25 minutes and ordered about noon. They were already out of turkey when we ordered and we got their last 3 ribs. We talked for quite awhile after eating and when we left about 1, saw a sign on the door saying they were sold out.

We ordered a Trinity which is suggested to feed 3-5 people and had plenty to take home. It has a pound of brisket, 1/2 pound of sausage, 1/2 slab of ribs, 3 large sides and 2 banana puddings. Since they had only 3 ribs remaining, the rest were replaced by bacon burnt ends. Our sides were smoked elotes and bacon & blue potato salad. Chef J does not have fries and the elote is still my favorite side.

The meats were all very good. Those that prefer lean meat liked the lean side of the brisket slices and I loved the fat half. The ribs and bacon burnt ends were very good.

There are only three two person tables inside and five more tables outside. The sandwiches are all cold, made with Boar's Head meat & cheese and they use locally baked bread, The menu is limited to 20 sandwiches (plus build your own). They do have things like olives and stuffed peppers which are sold by the pound. 

The sandwiches are named for rock bands and I went with Cure (turkey, sharp white cheddar, greens, tomatoes, mustard vinaigrette) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (turkey, hot sopressata, sharp white cheddar, fresh basil, pepperoncini, piquillo peppers, red onion, mayo, feisty sauce). They were $10.95 and $12.95 respectively.

They were both fine, but the bread to meat ratio was more than I would choose and if I went here again, I would as for all the fillings on half of the bread. I can get Boar's Head products at my local grocery store.

The Big Q Barbeque in Kansas City, Kansas was the only surviving restaurant which grew out of Quick's family Barbecue which began in 1953. The Big Q was started 1986 by Marvin Quick's son Rusty Quick and son in law Gary Wright. Rusty and Gary retired in March and it was take over by the Tolle family, who own the great Snack Shack on Johnson Drive in Mission. 

We decided to drive on to another Kansas City restaurant, and while leaving the neighborhood, passed The Anthology of Argentine Mural and saw sign's saying restoration was in progress. Jose Faus, one of the original artists, was at work.

The restoration project began in November and may be completed by August. The public is welcome to drop by.

The mural is one of the largest and most intriguing pieces of public art in the State of Kansas. It took 7 artists nearly 3 months to paint the 660' long, 23' tall wall along Metropolitan Avenue in 1998. The mural tells the history of the Argentine community of Kansas City, Kansas. The story starts at the east end and goes to the right, leading into the future.

Lunch was at El Pollo Rey, which serves only three dishes: a fire grilled half chicken, a whole chicken or chicken wings. We shared a half chicken for $13.68. Meals come with tortillas, rice, salsa & beans. Many people consider this their favorite chicken anywhere.

Supper was at the Mariscos KC in Shawnee, Kansas. They have a three years older location in Olathe, where we have dined before. and this one opened in November 2024. 

I like most Mexican seafood restaurants and this one was no exception. We had the Seafood Alfredo and Molcajete de Pulpo. My wife liked the alfrado, which included shrimp, octopus, mussels & broccoli but I was so-so on the cheese sauce. I loved the Molcajete de Pulpo. The octopus tentacles, shrimp, onion an spicy garlic sauce is served bubbling hot in a traditional volcanic stone mortar. It made a nice presentation and was a generous meal, that allowed me to take half home to enjoy later. The prices were $22 & $40 respectively. 

Jose Faus

Our sides were Fresh cut fries (with and without gravy) and onion rings. The fries were very good, but the onion rings were significantly over cooked to the point where it was difficult to even bit into them. We may have just hit an off day, but there are too many restaurants to try for us to return again.

Continuing west, we stopped at Yoder Discount Grocery, southeast of Hutchinson in Yoder, Kansas They have bulk food, locally produced prepared foods, baked goods, discount canned goods and friendly customers. When one of the customers learned we were on our way to a funeral, she came back to us when she finished her shopping and gave us a loaf of delicious lemon blueberry bread from Meridian Grocery in Newton.

We bought bulk items, primarily candies.

The next stop was a new mural in downtown Spearville. It was completed in June by Mindy's Murals and nicely compliments the 1938 band shell which was made by the WPA. Downtown, we photographed some older buildings and a church lining up in an interesting way with a turbine from the huge Spearville Wind Farm.

In Dodge City, Kansas we stopped at the scenic overlook which views the cattle pens, then the South Drive-In Theatre, which is the oldest drive-in theater operating in Kansas. They are open Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights and will have a double feature of Minions & Monsters and Toy Story 5 this weekend.

For supper we went to Prime at the Nine, a steakhouse at Mariah Hills golf course. We had a window table and an excellent view. They appeared to be short on servers and I believe the person who waited on us wasn't there to be a server. She still did an acceptable job.

We had buffalo chicken salad, Prime BLT (1/2 inch peppered bacon steaks, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, bacon-habanero mayo, sliced sourdough, & a pickle skewer), Bone Marrow Burger (1/3 pound angus beef patty, bone marrow, sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, & black garlic aioli), and 7 ounce filet. The fillet was $47 and the other dishes were $20 or less. 

The birger was ordered medium rare and cam well done. The filet was ordered well done and came medium. The burger and steak were well received, with the filet having a very nice flavor. French fries and roast potatoes were good.

We spent the night at the Quality Inn. Its online reviews hadn't been very good, bit we were all happy with it and the rates were the lowest which we saw in town. I was a little amused that they can remove a guest from the inn without refund if the guest becomes a person of general bad reputation.

Yoder Discount Grocery

Band Shell Mural

South Drive-In Theatre
 
 

Mariah Hills golf course

Lunch was followed by a visit to the Boot Hill Museum, which was little changed from my last visit in June 2024. The main difference was that a portion of the museum near the recreated cemetery is closed for renovation. 

I would really like to see the museum expand their exhibits related to the "People of the Plains." To justify the $20 addmission, I feel like it is necessary to be there during the gun fight, but it is only twice a day and did not fit our schedule.

Driving back across Kansas, we stopped to buy some apple brautwurst at Burkhart Meat Processing in Kinsley, Kansas. The third generation family busisness is over 50 years.

We stopped to briefly photograph and old home, former service station and the "The Founding of St. John Mural" in St. John Kansas. Also the rural Fairview Country Church.

We has heard great things about Coneburg Grill and Pub, but it was destroyed by a fire on December 8, 2024 before we could visit it. They rebuilt and reopened at the end of April and we finally got to try them tonight. 

We don't know what the dining area was like before, but it is now quirky and fun. We enjoyed chicken fried steak, catfish, crispy chicken salad and grilled chicken salad (not pictured).

Peabody, Kansas is lucky to have this restaurant and it is right off US Highway 50 with a giant "Eat" if you are coming from the west.

More to come...

Coneburg Grill & Pub

We stopped today at the newer location at 10460 W 103rd Street, Overland Park, and received a friendly greeting as soon as we entered. There were 10 flavors of made-from-scratch ice cream available and we were welcome to try small samples. We got $5.75 8 ounce cups of Cookies n Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip.

Supper was Bates City BBQ in Shawnee. Kansas. We usually split a half slab and order of fresh cut fries, but on Sunday slabs are $17, the same price as a half. We had enough pork ribs left over for 2 more meals each. I really do like the ribs here and while the fries look almost like scraps, they are fabulous. 

slab of ribs & order of fries

Lunch was at Tallboyz Garage in Overland Park, Kansas in the building which was once Brew Lab. Service was slow (perhaps because they weren't very busy. The menu doesn't exactly agree with what they charge. We had a Double Smash Burger and a Huck Fin Poor Boy. The poor boy was over cooked and the fries were not very good. The smash burger was pretty good. I would have liked it better with onion, but their charging for onion on a burger seemed petty. They also charged for the cheese, even though it is described as being part of burger on the menu. 

We followed up, checking out the recently reopened and expanded Overland Park Farmers Market.

Huck Fin Poor Boy

That is now less likely to be an issue as customers ordering steaks or chops may select two choices from heirloom tomato, bacon braised greens, local mushrooms, roasted farmer's carrots, crispy smashed new potatoes and Grandma's cornbread.

There is a nice cocktail menu and we opened with a round that included Peach Pie-tini (spiced peach vodka, amaretto, cointreau, Sr Germian), Spring Storm (Mount Gay rim hard cidre, ginger beer, lime), and The Frog (jalapeño infused castle Margarita with a jalapeño frog). The Margarita was my favorite of the three.

We had the Crown Jewels appetizer (Deviled eggs topped with everything bagel seasoning, paprika & caviar). The caviar was a nice salty addition to the eggs.

Our entrees were a  dry aged bone-in pork chop, venison osso bucco and wagyu ribeye steak frites.

Our only dessert was a frozen chocolate daiquiri.
  
  

Even after spending over 3 hours there, it is still a little hard to describe and I think part of it is intentionally keeping guests a little off balance. As we were in the "lobby" leaving, I found a "Briefing" panel which was not mentioned in the orientation and I think seeing it at the start would have made the visit more fun for me. It is next to a map, but I sisn't miss having that and checking at the end, I believe that we had visited all the spaces. I recommend having your photos taken in the free photo booth on the left, before leaving the lobby to move father into the building. The photos will be used repeatedly during your visit. The lobby also has free arcade games.

Entertainment in Atlas9 includes periodic performances by a jazz singer (sometimes joined by dancers or an aerial acrobat) in a small club and a performance by the same dancers and acrobat in the only space which looks like a movie theater. 

I should also explain that the entire structure was purpose built, it isn't a conversion of a former multiplex. Every inch of space seems thought out, though I did notice areas where more may be added to encourage repeat visitis.

Food is perhaps as limited as a 1995 multiplex, though the drink options are more elaborate and you are welcome to take their food and drink throughout the building. There is also a small speakeasy on the second level. We bought 7" personal pizzas: Mona Lisa (apple, goat cheese, red onions, 4 cheese, olive oil & balsamic vinegar) and Home Town (burnt ends, crispy onions, provolone, & bbq sauce). I liked the BBQ pizza, but probably would plan on only snacks and drinks on a return visit.

After leaving Atlas 9, we took some photos of the new Buc-ee's, which is being constructed nearby. Between not being able to get close to the new building, it getting dark, and my lens fogging in the muggy weather, the photos were not good. It does look like the construction is moving right along!

Live Entertainment
 
 
 
 

Buc-ee's

I had never been at the theater before and it is a very nice space for this show. The show delighted all three generations and continues to run until August 8. The youngest generation particularly appreciated meeting the cast following the show and one made a point of speaking to every member of the cast.

In addition to other food, the theater offered some decadent cakes and cheese cakes. The servings are huge and the desserts are rich, so splitting them is recommended. Our party had Birthday Sprinkles and the Reese's.

In the evening, we stopped by Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa to take pictures of Rose's Pond which is having restoration to preserve and strengthen some of the park’s most recognizable features, including the island, stepping-stone crossing and surrounding shoreline. 

The work is weather dependent and construction ws anticipated to take approximately six to eight weeks. It has been about 4 weeks so far.
 
 

Rose's Pond