Here's the deal - the cheeseburger is the quintessential American food. A couple of years back, after reading a review in the Wall Street Journal about the best burgers in the country, only to find that three of the top five were in my own back yard, I decided that I needed to see for myself. With the help of George Motz's "Hamburger America", several lists, recommendations from friends and asking everyone about burgers from "their" town, this is the result...

If you're curious about my thoughts on foods other than burgers, check out my other blog Eat to Live? Or Live to Eat?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Town Topic, Kansas City, MO (August 2011)

Second stop, second dinner in Kansas City.   As I left Winstead's, I headed up towards the airport and made a stopover at Town Topic.  Open for 75 years, they once had seven restaurants around town.  Now they only have three and this is the only location open 24 hours (I had driven by another that was closed).


Classic diner, stools at the long counter and along the window ledge seating, griddle at the left end.  The waitress is at the grill cooking my burger - a double with cheese.   The lady in the foreground is a freelance photographer who was working on a documentary about Town Topic.  It was an interesting crowd.   I sat at the far right end.  To my immediate left, two twenty-something, cut off army pants, Doc Martens, long hair and beards and full "sleeves".  To their left, a man in his 70s in a black guyabera shirt and tan slacks, who turns out to be a retired priest.  Beyond these three, the short order cook is eating a bowl of chili.  There is a continuing conversation between all six people there.



The food?  The burger was very good.  I'm not an onion guy, but, apparently, everyone orders their burgers with onions grilled in.   The fries were tasty - Shake N Steak - like.  The amazing thing about dinner is that I managed to leave without ordering from the dessert menu.






Town Topic on Urbanspoon

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