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.

Winstead's Drive-Inn, Kansas City, MO (August 2011)

 On a business trip flying through Kansas City, I had a little time to kill and decided to see what the burger choices were there.  First up, Winstead's Drive-In, a Kansas City institution since 1940.    A classic American hamburger joint.  

Simple menu: burgers, sandwiches, sides fountain drinks and desserts.  I got there late in the afternoon and the crowd was diverse.   A table full of a high school kids.  A business meeting between a man and a woman.  A couple sharing a GIANT strawberry shake.  Two young women, waiting for their dates. Two older women, catching up. 

Very diverse crowd, all drawn together by the place.   I ordered a double with cheese and it was done well - two small patties, cooked to crusty, served piping hot.

The burger was very good.  But what really set the place apart was the drink. 

I ordered a cherry limeade.   This was a thing of beauty.   Lime sherbert atop chipped ice, with cherry juice, soda, a cherry and a slice of lime.  There is only one word that I can use to describe it:

Transcendent.  

This single glass transcended the glass line between drinks and dessert.  I could have drank seven - I held to one.   Absolutely amazing.