Best classic dumplings + A fiery seafood dish
Hello, and happy Restaurant Week! Welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City.
This week, my colleague Randy Mason tries the handmade pork dumplings at Bo Lings, and Katie Moore takes us to Brookside Sushi to taste the Dynamite, a glorified scallops flambé.
Dumplings at Bo Lings
Randy, a video journalist at The Star, admits he doesn’t have an incredibly complex palate. But one dish pleases him more consistently than any other, and it’s the essence of simplicity: the steamed pork dumplings at Bo Lings.
To Randy, they’re “little pillows of pleated perfection, delectable dough babies born to bathe in simple, sympathetic dipping sauces.” A basket of them (eight for $10) makes a meal in itself.
Richard Ng (he’s the Bo and his wife, Theresa, is the Ling) told Randy the recipe is the same one the couple started with in 1981, at their first Bo Lings in Overland Park. It’s the same one still used at all five Bo Lings locations around the metro — flour, water, napa cabbage, green onions, ground pork, ginger and a few other seasonings.
And always, always handmade.
Read more about Randy’s ultimate comfort food here.
Dynamite at Brookside Sushi
Brookside Sushi’s Dynamite dish is a melt-in-your mouth scallops flambé — lemon butter scallops, mushrooms and spicy mayo stuffed in a half scallop shell and served, as the name suggests, on fire.
A server will set the dish aflame right at your table, where you can feast your eyes as the fire spreads, searing the scallops and mushrooms. After it extinguishes, you dig in, savoring the richness and satisfying texture, which Katie says is an important quality of the meal.
“It’s very popular here,” owner and chef Salvador Ortiz says. And it costs $13.
Read more about Katie’s experience with the Dynamite and Brookside Sushi here.
My standout dish of the week
There’s more to Kansas City’s food scene than barbecue. I know that, and I know you know that. That’s part of the reason The Star started this project — to bring attention to the fantastic dishes KC has to offer outside of the ones we’re known for. But this week, I found myself at Slap’s BBQ in KCK for the first time, and I can’t not talk about it.
My family and I have a habit of rating the best parts of KC’s barbecue restaurants. At Joe’s, it’s the sauce. At Jack Stack, the sides. And at Slap’s? The burnt ends, hands down.
They’re perfectly crispy and crunchy on the outside, but soft and tender in the middle. Neither texture overpowers the other — they’re not too hard, and not too chewy, either. These burnt ends are the magic sort that make our city’s barbecue so legendary.
À la carte
✴️ That time of year we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Kansas City’s Restaurant Week 2023 begins today. Over 190 local restaurants are participating in the 10-day event, which features discounted multi-course meals at many of your favorite spots. Here’s how to make the most of it.
✴️ After over four decades under the same owner, Kansas City’s iconic Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque restaurant has changed hands. Meet the century-old staple’s new owners and learn more about the changes they’re planning.
✴️ Your newest late-night snack spot just opened in KC. This ghost kitchen, which offers to-go and delivery only, serves up barbecue with a Hawaiian twist until 3 a.m. on the weekends inside a popular area bar.
Hungry for more?
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Best classic dumplings + A fiery seafood dish."