In a city of carnivores, this hearty gift to herbivores is equal in taste and heft to the thickest, juiciest hamburger. Which makes your hunger for it equal to any meat eater's bloodlust. At last -- parity.
And it's every bit as properly messy as your tablemate's hunk of steer. Just look at that photo -- you gotta slice this mother in half to deal with it, and even then it's far from dainty. Which is the point. Burgers may look portable, but they're supposed to be big and sloppy (and unphotogenic).
Order it with cheddar. It doesn't come with ketchup or mustard, and you won't need them. The red-pepper aioli brings out the flavor and texture of the burger (and the bun) without an assist. Besides, adding a primary color to the earth tones on this plate would only be crass. (Put ketchup on your bread plate for the fries, which are among the city's very best.)
In the years since The Pitch named this Kansas City's best fake burger, in 2007, the sandwich has only gotten better, but it's still available only at lunch (for an affordable $7). Fair enough: The soul can absorb just so much salvation at a time.
Our list so far:
No. 50: Chocolate Malt from Fox's Drug Store
No. 49: Il Parma from Bella Napoli
No. 48: Italian sausage and eggs from Cascone's Grill
No. 47: Orange Roll from Clock Tower Bakery
No. 46: Tacos de cochinita from Frida's Contemporary Mexican Cuisine
No. 45: Barbecued pork bun from 888 International Market
No. 44: Tableside fresh mozzarella from Jasper's
No. 43: Gyro Sandwich from Mr. Gyros Greek Food & Pastry
No. 42: Apple strudel from Grunauer
No. 41: Rice noodle bowl from dim sum at Bo Lings
No. 40: E-Crush from Hi-Hat Coffee
No. 39: Flight of Freshness from Fresher than Fresh Snow Cones
No. 38: Curried chicken salad from Cafe Provence
No. 37: Apple fritter from John's Space Age Donuts
No. 36: Pollo con limone e olive from Lidia's Kansas City
No. 35: Wedding-cake cookie from LattéLand
No. 34: Stroud's cinnamon rolls
No. 33: Smoked Polish from Werner's
No. 32: Burger and frites from Westport Cafe & Bar
No. 31: Paletas from Paleterias Tropicana
No. 30: Goat korma at New Cafe Tandoor
No. 29: Lemon cake from Café Europa
No. 28: Chocolate Mousse Torte from Napoleon Bakery
No. 27: Spring rolls from Vietnam Cafe
No. 26: French fries from LC's Bar-B-Q
No. 25: Classic Cookie's herbed-potato-and-sausage casserole
No 24: Farmer greens salad at The Farmhouse
No. 23: Egg salad sandwich from You Say Tomato
No. 22: Waldorf Salad from Bloomsbury Bistro
No. 21: Pork tenderloin sandwich from Kitty's Cafe
No. 20: Root beer from Mugs Up Drive In
No. 19: Flank steak sandwich from Happy Gillis
No. 18: Chicken Picatta from the Hereford House
No. 17: Mom's Macaroni and Cheese from McCoy's Public House
No. 16: Fried green tomato salad from Café Roux
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