When it comes to BBQ I would like to think that I have become somewhat of an expert. Growing up in Kansas City, with a father who was in the meat business, how could one not become an expert? Imagine my surprise when I read about a terrific local BBQ restaurant in one of my favorite New York City blogs. Not only did I learn about it from NYC but I also discovered that a famous San Francisco chef, Mitchell Rosenthal had visited and written about his food experience too! That was enough for me to twist my family’s arm one more time so that we could experience another food field trip.
The Hillsdale Bank Bar B-Q was the star in these NYC posts and reports and after experiencing this local find first hand, I can certainly see why all the rave reviews. Not too far outside of Kansas City, south of Olathe, on 169 Highway, you will find Hillsdale Bank. What a breath of fresh air on a Saturday night! It was fun to visit small town Americana and enjoy the setting.
Our 14-year old insisted on starting our meal with onion rings. After remembering that this was not her idea of a terrific Saturday night, I consented to appease her. Wow! I was the winner of her selection. These had to be, hands down, some of the best onion rings I have ever tasted.
Now on to the main event. I selected the rib and meat dinner. The secret to the success of this BBQ joint is the fact that that do not use rub to flavor the meat. They prepare the meat slow and low with hickory. The result is beyond delicious. Topped with their famous sauce it is definitely blue ribbon quality. I liked to mix the two sauces, regular and hot. In addition the baked beans were sweet, delicious and obviously cooked slow and low too.
As we were leaving, after what I would rate as a #1 meal, I asked the owner if she knew that their establishment had been mentioned in a New York blog this week. She said that she did not know about the blog mention, but they were still reeling from the Southern Living Magazine mention of the sauce as one of the best in the country. On a side note, we will be returning soon as they have another claim to fame….pizza. We saw a lot of families enjoying pizza and it looked like some of the best.
After dinner, my husband, who is a saint for supporting all my food related adventures, gave us a tour of Hillsdale and showed us some of his clients’ store fronts. He was doubly rewarded because he mentioned he had driven by “The Bank” for years and didn’t know what a find it was. I see quite a few client lunches at The Bank in his future. To complete a perfect evening, he suggested that we check out this wake boarding facility on our way back to the highway.
Now our daughter can’t get this experience out of her mind and she has a new addition to her summer bucket list. I can see why–this looked like so much fun!
This is definitely another bold and highlighted bullet point as to why we live in the best part of the country. We get to enjoy THE very best barbecue and we love every finger licking morsel of it.
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