Kansas City makes national lists for chicken, sushi, pie. Here’s how they got it wrong

Websites love their national “best” food lists, and we like checking them out, just to see how well they know us.

Recently sites showcased such local favorites as Bob Wasabi Kitchen, The Upper Crust pie bakery and Stroud’s pan fried chicken.

But then other sites had trouble with geography or showcased so-called “popular” dishes that some residents say they never heard of.

Here’s a sampling:

▪ Bob Wasabi Kitchen on 39th Street made Yelp’s national list of the “Top 50 sushi bars in the U.S. and Canada” for Missouri, while Nagoya Japanese Cuisine in Lawrence made the list for Kansas.

▪ The Upper Crust in downtown Overland Park was No. 15 on 24/7 Wall St.’s list of “The 36 Best Pie Shops in America.” It based its list on the highest-ranked Yelp reviews such as “I had a slice of the Strawberry Rhubarb a la mode and could have sworn it came right out of Grandma’s oven.”

▪ Eat This, Not That has “The Best Chicken Entree in Every State.” Westport’s PotPie is listed for Missouri, with a shoutout for its chicken and vegetable pot pie (and chocolate chip bread pudding). Georges French Bistro in Wichita made the list for Kansas.

▪ Eat This, Not That also listed “The Best Seafood Restaurant in Every State.” Jarocho Authentic Mexican Seafood in Kansas City, Kansas, was named best in Kansas for items such as ceviche Pacifico and whole red snapper. For Missouri, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, just west of the Country Club Plaza, was showcased for its lobster macaroni and cheese, and chargrilled oysters.

▪ 24/7 Wall St. also had “The One Can’t Miss Restaurant in Every State.“ It picked the Overland Park Stroud’s for Kansas, and Crown Candy Kitchen in St. Louis for Missouri.

▪ Then there’s a Yahoo Lifestyle feature sponsored by Travel South, USA — but “all opinions are genuinely held by the Yahoo Lifestyle editorial team.”

Missouri, still in the Midwest (at least according to the U.S. Census Bureau) made the “Traditions of the South: The must-try dishes from the Southern states” feature.

So along with Kentucky hot browns, Georgia peach cobbler, Alabama’s fried green tomatoes, and South Carolina’s shrimp and grits, Missouri gets in the barbecue mix for its Kansas City rub of peppercorns, brown sugar, paprika, garlic and mustard seeds.

But here’s the rub: “most steak or ribs in the state will have this on them.”

That’s news to some local steakhouses.

Colby Garrelts, chef and owner of Rye restaurant on the Country Club Plaza and Leawood, said he only uses sea salt and black pepper.

“I really don’t know anyone that uses BBQ rub on steaks. Maybe they have a special seasoning mix but using BBQ rub would be bad because of the sugar in it,” he said in an email.

▪ And while not from a list, the Food Network’s “Midwestern” popcorn salad went viral this month with the Washington Post, the Today show and People magazine among the publications doing features.

“Popcorn salad is one of those classic Midwestern dishes that you would often find in a church basement potluck and it’s typically made of veggies, popcorn and mayonnaise,” says cookbook author and cooking show host Molly Yeh. “And you don’t think it’s gonna work, but then you taste it and it’s really good. Really nice and sweet.”

Midwesterners have been commenting on social media that they’ve never heard of it.

This story was originally published April 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.