Chefburger

Remember the ad campaign for the Power and Light district? Specifically, the commercial that used that Petula Clark Downtown song?? I get that song in my head every time we drive through the P&L, and had it in my head during my entire dinner tonight at Chefburger. I forgot all my troubles and forgot all my cares. I employed jazz hands. I was kind of ecstatic about downtown, and with the soaring melody in my head, who could blame me?

I know it isn't fair to judge a restaurant on their third day of operation, but I was emailed today and told, in no uncertain terms, to "Go. Now." And so I did. The build your own burger operation that existed at the start of the week is now gone (possibly temporarily), replaced with eight Signature Burgers (available in beef, turkey, chicken, and veggie) and four Signature Hot Dogs. They have a standard Chef Burger, which comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and "chef sauce" for a terribly reasonable $4.99, or you can upgrade to one of the fancypants burgers for $5.99 to $6.99. My Hawaiian chicken burger was topped with bacon, pepperjack cheese, grilled pineapple, and Sriracha coleslaw. It was a gloriously messy wonder served on a big soft wheat bun with just the right proportions of everything. It wasn't a burger, it was a grilled chicken sandwich served like a burger - but it was excellent. The Chili Cheese Dog ($4.99) had black bean-chorizo chili and shredded cheddar cheese and got two thumbs up from across the table. The onion rings tasted beer-battered (yum!) and the sweet potato fries were crisp and perfectly salted. Both sides came in a generously-sized serving and were only $2.99.

If we had stopped there, I would have considered the meal to be reasonably priced for the amount and quality of the food. However, we decided to splurge and each picked a Spiked Milkshake for $7.99 each. They were worth it. The B-52 mixed Bailey's, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, and vanilla ice cream. My Alabama Slammer (with amaretto, Southern Comfort, butter pecan ice cream, and big toffee chunks) put me in such a good mood I gave an overly enthusiastic greeting to the Missouri basketball players that we encountered outside on the sidewalk. I was giddy - about my meal, about Kansas City, about downtown. If you'll indulge me...

"Things'll be great when you're/Down town/Don't wait a minute more/Down town/Everything's waiting for you."

Chefburger
1350 Walnut
in the Power & Light District

Grandstand Burgers

Grandstand Burgers is the kind of place that makes you feel happy inside. Two guys inside working the flattop and the fry basket, a pierced and dyed teenage girl manning the front counter and the constantly ringing phone. Delicious burgers coming off the line one by one; crispy fries and tots and happy folks chomping away at the picnic tables outside. I wish I had had the phone number on me to phone ahead, only because we were monstrously hungry, but the wait for our terribly fresh food provided an opportunity for people watching and soaking in the much needed sunshine on Sunday afternoon.

The burgers were perfectly cooked and juicy - "everything" meant lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo, ketchup and mustard on a slightly grilled soft bun. While we didn't try one, I watched many a "Kelly Burger" leave the building - it's a double cheeseburger with a slice of ham and two strips of bacon. It's a big beautiful burger. They bill themselves as the "Best Homemade Burgers in Town," and they were definitely worth our wait.

Grandstand Burgers
4942 Merriam Drive 913*362*0111

Mon-Tues 10am to 7pm
Wed 11am to 6pm
Thurs-Sat 10am to 7pm
Sun 12pm to 4pm

Lunch Lunch Lunch

A couple good lunches as of late...

** Golden Wraps is essentially Jerusalem Bakery's sandwich shop. It's the place you go if you don't want to partake in their delicious $8.99 all-you-can-eat buffet. It has a lot of things going for it, but the big one is that their delicious homemade pita bread is so fresh you could wrap it around a cotton sock and make a yummy lunch. They have a lot of options, but we were most crazy about the Chicken Schawarma wrap and the Sweet and Spicy Chicken. The wraps are loaded and messy and wonderful.

Golden Wraps
located right next to Jerusalem Bakery
at 1404 Westport Rd. in KCMO

** LC's Hamburgers has something of a rabid fanbase. Loyal LC's lovers will tell you that their burgers are better than Winstead's with a very straight face. They aren't kidding. They may fight you over it.
Not being much of a Winstead's girl in the first place, I happily drove through for lunch this week. We barely made it home without tearing into the bag; the smell was intoxicating. The menu tells you that regular cheeseburgers come standard with ketchup, mustard, and onion. What it doesn't tell you is that those onions are so perfectly cooked that they meld with the burger into this kind of happy marriage that I could eat every single day - they're probably grilled, but they were almost carmelized and sweet and delicious hiding under my thin and crispy edged burger patty. It's worth the drive to the Northland. Cross the river.

LC's Hamburgers Etc
7108 N Oak Tfwy in Gladstone
or 7612 NW Prairie View Road in KCMO

** I miss La Cocina del Puerco, too. Obnoxious partying pig mascot and all. But I was happy to find that the carnitas and mole at Austin's Cantina still hit the spot. They have pretty good specials - half-price carnitas on Thursdays, all-you-can-eat tacos on Tuesdays, and half-priced burgers on Mondays. Sources right across the table from me declared the burgers "awesome," and their Olathe and Gardner locations (of Austin's Bar & Grill) are popular spots for good bar food.

Austin's Cantina
9097 Metcalf Ave
in Overland Park, KS

Local Burger

Local Burger is the kind of place that makes you feel good about yourself and your food. The meats are locally raised, so you know where your food is coming from, and they put special emphasis on organic, gluten-free, and vegan ingredients. It's conscious eating. You know you're going to be making good choices right when you walk into the door, and then it pays off by being tasty to boot.

We each had a combo meal - the Elk Burger with Rainbow Slaw, and the Veggie Burger with the Progressive Potatoes. The grass-fed elk, raised in Winchester, made for a tender and lean burger which was proclaimed to be "succulent." ( I know, I rolled my eyes after he said it, too.) The slaw was dairy free but lightly tossed in a creamy dressing which had a hint of coconut. It was unusual and delicious. My veggie burger was exactly the way I like it - a crisp exterior with actual pieces of actual vegetables inside. The flavor was awesome and it wasn't weighed down by a ton of filler - it was freshly made and really good.

They have Boulevard Beer and several organic beers by the bottle, as well as regional and local wines. The menu includes fresh juices, smoothies, soups, and even local hot dogs, which have to be worth a trip back all by themselves.

Local Burger
714 Vermont in Lawrence, KS
785*856*7827

mon-sat 11am - 9pm
sun 11am - 8pm