Best Fried Chicken

There's a reason customers continue to wait for a table -- sometimes as long as an hour -- for a platter of the legendary Stroud's pan-fried chicken. Just under that tongue-searing, crackling, golden crust is the juiciest, most flavorful bird in the city. The original Stroud's still looks like the roadhouse it once was (when the joint opened in 1933, this neighborhood was the far-out suburbs). That was back when no one gave a damn about cholesterol, and a sophisticated evening out meant chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and hot rolls. Here the rolls are compact biscuits glazed with cinnamon and sugar, and the gravy is dangerously thick. Over the years, Stroud's has become as much a Kansas City institution as Union Station, the Plaza and Walt Bodine.