Capital City Family & Food Truck Festival

The second annual Capital City Family and Food Truck Festival was today, Saturday June 11th, 2016, in Gage Park. I've been looking forward to this ever since last year when the first one ended. I knew that this year would be something to look forward to. How can you go wrong with over 20 food trucks from three different states, entertainment for the entire family and a beautiful summer day? You just can't.

I arrived early so I could get a good parking spot. For those who came later, Visit Topeka had free shuttles set up with Topeka Metro to get people from Hayden High School to Gage Park, that way people didn't have to fight for parking within the park. Smart move. Still, there seemed to be a few spots here and there so if you were intent on parking inside the park, you probably were able to.

This year, the trucks were all lined up on the same side of the road, pointing the same way so the lines were all formed easily and it was easy to figure out which line went to each truck. Last year I know there was a problem with that, but that wasn't even an issue this year. Also, because there were so many trucks, lines weren't long and wait times were short and sometimes non-existent. I hardly waited for anything I ordered, so that was nice. I've waited as long as an hour before for a food truck.

For my first venture, I tried Twisted Asian. This particular truck

was at last year's festival and was one of the first trucks to run out of food because it was so popular and everyone wanted to try it. I didn't get any then and was looking forward to trying it this time. It was the first truck I went to and I ordered something different than I originally planned because I asked the guy what he recommended. He said to get the Twisted Lomein and I did. The noodles were sauteed in what tasted like a peanut oil with cabbage, fried egg and just a little bit of Sriracha sauce on top for a nice kick. The noodles were tender and fried just right to where they weren't chewy at all. My friend Kelly got the Chicken Fried Rice and that looked amazing as well. She even let me try a bite and I think that's what I'll be getting next time, only with the pork. The fried rice is on the bottom, then it's topped with shredded meat of your choice -- they have pork or chicken.

Next, I wanted something cold and something sweet, so we went to Coffee Cake KC. I've been to this food truck in the past but that's okay, I remember loving their coffee cake and had to get more. I also tried the Baron, a frozen chocolate coffee drink that's to die for. I told the lady I wanted something with chocolate and coffee and asked her what she would recommend. She said, "The Baron," and it was perfect and exactly what I was looking for. I got my caffeine fix and my chocolate fix at the same time, while also cooling down with something frozen.

I walked by a tent where fourteen chunks of fudge of all flavors were lined up for sampling and purchase. I had to try some and I sure did -- I probably sampled six different fudges before settling on the Black Cherry Bourbon fudge to take home. This place was called Chocolate Moonshine Company and I'd never heard of it before. I was happy to sample their fudge and would love to do so again in the near future. Note to fudge lovers: Ants love fudge, too so don't leave your bag of fudge sitting anywhere because ants will swarm and steal said fudge before you blink an eye. So yeah, don't do that.

For my next meal I wanted something different. I'd been walking by this one truck all day that kept catching my eye. The name: Fine Thyme Foods. The menu featured items that seemed a little different than the other trucks I'd seen at the festival. Their Blueberry BBQ Pulled Pork had me intrigued but even more were the crepes. Made fresh inside the truck, the crepes were filled and topped with interesting flavors I just had to try. I went for the Good Vibrations, a vegetarian option. I felt like most places had pulled pork on their menu so I chose something that would be a little harder

to find elsewhere. This crepe was filled with quinoa, topped with a kale mixture and dressed with a lemon poppyseed sauce. The crepe was light, fluffy and warm and I would love to eat one just alone, maybe with some powdered sugar on it or something like that. The poppyseed dressing had a honey flavor to it that I enjoyed and the kale had a slight crunch to it. I do wish there was a little more texture to it, but overall I enjoyed it. I look forward to trying their other menu items, too.


After all this eating I was thirsty. I kept seeing people walking around with these huge cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade and knew that I wanted one as soon as possible. Later, when I looked at the temperature gage on my car it read 97 degrees, so I know I needed something cold and refreshing. The stand was called Poppin Squeeze and had all sorts of flavors for their lemonade and they sold kettle corn. I got a regular lemonade because I'm not much for the syrup that's used for flavors. Half the fun is watching them make your drink: They cut the lemon, squeeze it with a hydraulic press then add sugar, water and ice and shake it up until the sugar dissolves. Yum. It's so sweet but that's okay. As it melts it doesn't matter because the ice doesn't really water it down or anything.

I was pretty full at this point so I took a break. It was cool because a few friends and I were sitting on a curb and all of a sudden, this guy showed up and started juggling fire and doing tricks and entertained us for over 30 minutes. At one point, I looked around and saw a good sized crowd of people gathered around applauding and oohing and aahing and I felt like I wasn't even in Topeka. It's pretty cool that things like this are happening in Topeka.

After hanging out for awhile, I decided it was time to eat more food. Kelly wanted tacos so we went to Taqueria Mexico Lindo. I ordered two tacos, one asada and the other pastor, both came on fried corn tortillas topped with fresh cilantro and onion and a side of hot salsa verde. Ah, so good. The tacos are exactly what I wanted, fried but tender, stuffed with meat and cilantro, (I take most of the onions off, but leave a few). I stupidly didn't taste the salsa before pouring it all over my tacos. Bad idea. It was spicier than I would have liked it, although the flavor was undeniably tasty. I got over the spice and ate them anyway and enjoyed them still. Next time I will sample the salsa before drenching my food in it. I should know better!

For my final two stops I decided to get items to take home since I was so stuffed and it was hot. I knew as soon as I cooled down I would be hungry so I wanted to be prepared. I went to Torched Goodness, which I've talked about in the past at a different food truck festival in downtown Topeka last fall. I think I even tried them at another festival in Lawrence, KS. This time I asked for just the custard and no brulee because I can do that myself at home. I just wanted them for later. He happily obliged and sent me on my merry way. I have those beauts in my fridge for later tonight and tomorrow.

My last stop was at the bacon food truck. The name is Bacon Wagon and they're from Ozawkie. I had heard someone talking about their pulled pork donut and was intrigued. I know I said pulled pork seemed to be on every menu, but this was being served in a unique way and I wanted to give it a shot. I found out it was called the Maple Bacon Pulled Pork Donut. At first I was hesitant about the maple part of the whole thing but the guy let me sample it before ordering and it wasn't that corn syrup stuff that's sold at stores, this is real maple syrup and I can get down with that. The donut as built like a sandwich with pulled pork and bacon in the middle and the maple syrup drizzled on top. It all sounds so strange but went together pretty well. The pulled pork and bacon were smokey, the donut sweet and the maple syrup complimented both. I do think a knife is needed to eat this one, since you can't really pick it up with your hands unless you want to be sticky for the rest of the week and the bacon is hard to cut with a plastic fork. Still, I enjoyed it.

The entire festival was a fun time for me and my friends. Everyone seemed to be happy with the layout and the variety of trucks. I had no complaints and can't wait for next year. I saw where the shelter houses around the park were open to the public and those are air conditioned. That was a great option on a 100 degree day in June. I'm exited to see what's in store for next year.

HHB BBQ

Downtown Topeka has a great spot for some tasty barbecue. HHB BBQ -- I should've gone there a long time ago.  But, this is the place that burnt down in January, and then opened up a new spot in May. There was a food truck around but I could never catch it. What matters is that I finally got down there and it was as good as everyone has been saying it is.

To start, I ordered some pulled pork nachos for an appetizer. This could be ordered as a meal and devoured by just yourself. Crispy tortilla chips topped with smoked pulled pork and nacho cheese sauce with your choice of other toppings like shredded cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and sour cream. I enjoyed these nachos a lot. They were different than taco nachos but the same, I liked the twist. The pork was smoked and tender and the portion was large. I liked that you could add your own toppings because I like lots of sour cream and tomatoes. Even eating half of this monster I got pretty full. Honestly, there's not real taco flavor at all, but I didn't care -- the smoked pork was enough for me.

For my entree, which I really didn't need, I had three sliders: One with pork, another with turkey and the third with brisket, served with your choice of a side. I chose potato salad. I was so full but it was all so good. There are a few different sauces available to try and I wasn't a fan of all of them. I like mine a little more thick and sweet-tasting, so I don't enjoy the ones that are too vinegary. There was one sauce -- Cousin Terry's Tangy Carolina sauce -- that I didn't enjoy much because it seemed kind of clovey to me and I'm not a fan of cloves. I liked the other one, I think it was the original sauce. Ryan, of course, really liked the tangy Carolina and he said it was the best on the turkey.


The turkey was juicy, smoked and pulled. I like it pulled instead of sliced because I feel like it's juicier that way. The brisket was good but I was so full I only tried a small bite. Ryan ate the rest of my meal, including the potato salad. I wasn't a fan of the mainly mustard salad -- I don't like yellow mustard and that's all I tasted. I prefer more mayo in my pot sally. There are other sides to choose from, such as smoked mac and cheese, corn, smoked baked beans, cheesey taters, pasta salad or chips. Ryan ordered the smoked mac and cheese, but I didn't really pick up on the "smoked" part. The mac was good, though and I would order it again.

I'm excited to see that HHB BBQ came back from a the fire that burnt down their original location and opened a new one. Click HERE for more information about the fire. The new place is fresh, sharp and clean. The staff is friendly and my food didn't take long, either. Even though I didn't like the potato salad, I plan to return and try other side items. The bbq is good and that's what counts.

Capital City Food Truck Festival -- Day 2

I returned for Day 2 and wasn't disappointed.

First, Visit Topeka fixed some of the initial problems by moving the food trucks apart and spacing

Pulled pork, Mr. Nice Guy's

everything out a bit more. There were also better markers indicating where the lines should go and end, so there was less confusion today. There were just as many people, though.

Topeka definitely turned out for this event, and organizers were not expecting the turnout. I heard over 4,000 people attended on Friday alone, and even more are coming out today, (Saturday). Some food trucks were running out of food, but that happens with food trucks. They only have a limited amount of space, so that happens.

Philly Cheesesteak, Mr. Nice Guy's

When Ryan and I first got there today, we jumped into Mr. Nice Guy's line, which didn't seem too long. We only waited about 30 minutes to order and a few more for our food which was acceptable. We got a pulled pork sandwich and a Philly cheesesteak. The pork sandwich was good, but nothing special. I think they roast the meat as opposed to smoking it, which is fine with me, it was still tender, juicy and good. My favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's was available for smothering so that was a plus.

The Philly cheesesteak is what I'd write home about, though. I've heard people talk about how Mr. Nice Guy's, located in Oakland, has the best cheesesteak in town, and now I know they weren't lying. I don't even like green peppers but I could eat this sandwich without complaint. I tried a couple bites of Ryan's and couldn't get over the fact that the green peppers didn't bother me. The meat is tender, steaming hot and the melted cheese sauce makes it that much better. I would order it again, never mind the pulled pork.

Chocolate avocado smoothie,
photo courtesy of Bailey Mushok

Next, we tried the Purple Carrot Co-Op, where you can find vegan cuisine. Their line wasn't long but they always seemed to have one. We had to try one of their avocado chocolate smoothies because we kept hearing good things from other people. The smoothie was  definitely different, but still good. It was bright green with chunks of dark chocolate floating around in it. At first I wasn't sure about it, but after a few swigs I quickly realized I really liked it. I The chocolate chunks melted in your mouth and blended well with the strong avocado flavor and I thought the two flavors worked together.

As we were waiting for our shake, X-Marks the Spot showed up so I jumped in line to wait for them to open. We waited for about an hour because they were being inspected, (Blue Moose had the same thing before they could open), but then only waited about 10 minutes for our food to be cooked. I got a grilled chicken wrap and Ryan got the Wrigley Dog, which seemed like a Chicago dog just with a different name. It was a little different, but pretty much a Chicago dog.

I appreciated the chicken wrap because it featured salad greens instead of iceberg lettuce, which most

Grilled chicken wrap, X-Marks the Spot

places use. The chicken was juicy and hot, the mustard didn't overwhelm me and I liked the tomato bacon jam. It was sweet and smokey thanks to the bacon. The tortilla didn't rip and everything stayed together until the very end. I would order this wrap again, but I may try the veggie wrap next time.

X-Marks the Spot was not serving their pickle fries, (my favorite) but with good reason. The pickles were messing up the fryer and causing longer wait times I'm sure, because when you batter and fry things, much of the batter separates off and leaves little floating pieces of overcooked batter which sticks to other fried items, wreaking havoc on your fryer. I don't blame them for taking the pickles off the menu. Hopefully that is only for the festival and the pickle fries will be back on their regular, daily menu. I didn't ask.

The Wrigley Dog, X-Marks the Spot

The Wrigley Dog looked pretty amazing, probably about like an authentic Chicago dog. The only thing that stood out to me as way different was the bun. It seemed like they weren't as soft and yeasty as the buns I remember in Chicago, they were a little more dense, but that's not to say it was bad. It's not from Chicago, so of course it will be a little different.

Overall, I feel like the Capital City Food Truck Festival was a hit. New events always have kinks to be worked out, and as long as the event coordinators are open to suggestions, things will be better next year. Even this year I thought was a great turnout, good, tasty food and Topekans showed up to support the event.

A Taste of Texas: Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q

This past Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I went to San Antonio. As a couple who grew up near Kansas City, we were interested in trying some authentic Texas barbecue. We had some car problems, so we asked the guy who worked at the mechanic shop we went to. He said to go to Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q because it was the best and most authentic in the area. There were a couple others around but he said not to go to those, go to Rudy's. So, that's what we did.

Chopped meat

Pulling up, it looked like a gas station, but once I got closer I noticed it was a restaurant with a gas station attached. There's an area to come in and wait in line for your to-go order, an outside, covered dining area and an inside dining area. First, we stood in line to order our food. Behind the counter, and right where you can see them, people are chopping meat to order. After telling the cashier what I wanted, he yelled out to the butchers what he needed, then built my order and I paid. Of course, Ryan and I got a little bit of everything.

The food is served on a tray with parchment paper that acts kind of like a plate. Although, there are no plates -- just meat on parchment. It works. I also bought a drink cup and the proceeds went to veterans in need. With Lackland AFB in San Antonio, there are all kinds of armed services benefits around, lucky for my sister and cousin who were with us, they got military discounts pretty much everywhere we went.

Fatty brisket. 

I wanted to try the chopped meat, which was a mixture of chicken, brisket and pork. It came in a sauce and chopped in small pieces, not pulled like I'm used to back home. I think I would have liked it more if I liked their sauce more. The sauce is made with a lot of black pepper and I couldn't get over that, I'm not a fan of a lot of black pepper. It was a thick sauce, just too much pepper. The meat was good, and I liked that they served their meats with thin-sliced white bread because I made a sandwich with the meat. It was good that way. They also give out little bags of sliced dill pickles and raw onions, so I added pickles to mine.

The brisket was my favorite. My only complaint is that I got fatty, chewy brisket that could hardly be eaten, but my mother got a better order of the lean meat, (not pictured), more of what you'd expect of brisket. It was smoked, juicy and tender. I didn't even use sauce because I didn't think it needed it. Same with the turkey and the half-chicken. My sister got the half-chicken and let me try a bite. It was juicy, smoky and tender. No sauce needed, which was good because as I said before, I wasn't a fan of the sauce. I like mine sweeter, maybe even with more vinegar.

Cream corn.

The sides were just as good as the meats.

I loved the cream corn. It's not your canned crap that's like mush. This was whole-kernel corn in a creamy, delectable sauce. The kernels are firm, but tender and the sauce is creamy. While waiting in line, I saw a huge sign about how it's a secret family recipe that many people have tried to figure out over the years. The cashiers hand out samples to guests in line, and I bet most people order the cream corn after sampling it. It's so good. If you don't like cream corn I would recommend trying this anyway, I think you'll like it.


The potato salad and cole slaw were both good. The coleslaw was pretty typical, and reminded me of coleslaw you can get most places like Long John Silver's or KFC. I loved the potato salad. It was creamy, mostly mayonnaise based with some mustard, but not too much. There were a few peppers and some onions, but not too many as to be overwhelming. I would order this potato salad again.

I enjoyed the food at Rudy's. If I come across one again, I would return. You can find their restaurants in Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. There are a lot more locations in Texas than anywhere else, of course, and I remember seeing quite a few of them on the drive home on I-35. For all of their locations, click HERE. I did like the food, I just wasn't a fan of the sauce. It was too peppery for me and not sweet enough for my tastebuds, yet I would return. The meat was smoked just right and everything was good. I'd recommend it to any barbecue fan, especially someone who wants to check out Texas-style.

I'm still a Kansas girl at heart and enjoy Kansas City barbecue the best. I like the Kansas City sauce better. It's thick, sweet and sometimes spicy. Plus, there's pulled pork, my favorite, and there was just none to be found at Rudy's. Texas did good, but KC wins this round.

Food Truck #2: Pacha's By The Pound

For my second food truck, I chose Pacha's By The Pound, currently found on 32nd and Topeka Blvd. I would follow their Facebook page, though, in case they move, which food trucks are known to do.

Pacha's can be found in the Gordmans' parking lot, and yes, there is plenty of parking. They do not, however, have any seating available. Plan to get your food to go, and don't forget to grab some napkins.

Featuring smoked meats, homemade pickles and sauce and some of the best candied bacon I've ever had, Pacha's By The Pound is some of the best bbq I've had in Topeka. Of course, I've only had the pulled pork so far, so I should say they have the best pulled pork I've had in town. I can't vouch for the other meats and items they have available.

I ordered the Piggly Wiggly, which I heard about from friends and my husband who've all said it's an amazing sandwich. A thick piece of toast topped with a large portion of tender, smoked pulled pork and crispy, sweet candied bacon -- you don't even need sauce. I still got some to try, but I'm not sure it really needed it. It was tender, sweet and juicy. The candied bacon tasted like cinnamon, sugar and maybe some brown sugar, oh and bacon goodness. The crispy-chewy sweet candied bacon was a great idea, I just wish there had been more. It paired well with the sauce, too, even though some may not think it would... oh but it does.

The Piggly Wiggly

On the counter, at the pick-up/order window, there are a variety of barbecue sauces. (You can also tip to help support the sauce.) I sampled the regular pork sauce and the all-purpose sauce. I especially enjoyed the pork barbecue sauce. It had a flavor of apples, vinegar and a slight spice to it, but nothing crazy, just enough so it's there but it's not actually hot. It's a nice blend and it pairs well with the pork -- almost like it's made to go with it! (note the sarcasm). The all-purpose sauce is named accordingly. It was a nice, thick sauce, with a sweet, smoky flavor. It was good, but the pork sauce was much better, at least with my dish.

I ordered some coleslaw and I thought it was a nice side item to accompany the Piggly Wiggly. It was apple-cidery, tangy and fresh with a slight kick. I thought it seemed to have a bit of a spice to it. It was a shredded-cabbage style coleslaw with a thin, mayo-based sauce. It seemed to be made fresh because the cabbage was still nice and crunchy.

Coleslaw. (I spilled it everywhere)

I also got some of their fresh-made chips. This was the only thing I didn't like. They tasted like they were fried in old grease, they were too think and most of them were chewy instead of crispy, like maybe the oil wasn't hot enough. The chips are sprinkled with what seems to be a Cajun or other spicy type of seasoning mix, which is good, I just wasn't happy with the the chips themselves. Skip those, go with the coleslaw or something else.

Make sure you go early because Pacha's is only open from 10 a.m. until they run out of food -- and that could be early, especially if you're thinking of a dinner date. I would go for lunch.

I payed $11 for the sandwich, the coleslaw and the chips. The sandwich was $8, coleslaw $2 and chips were $1. It seems to be a bit pricey for lunch, but the portion is huge and I couldn't eat all of what I got. You almost don't even need a side, but I like to try a few things when I go. I would say get one side if you have to have one, and maybe share with another person.

I'm excited to return and try other items on their menu and make sure they have the best barbecue in town.

Blind Tiger

I was invited to Blind Tiger for a friend's birthday dinner, so I decided I might as well do a review. Seemed like as good a time as any, plus, I could judge other people's food without having to order it, that's always a plus.

In case you don't already know, Blind Tiger is Topeka's one and only local microbrewery. It opened in 1995, so it's not historic or anything, it's just the only brewery in town. The building seems old, though, and I'm pretty sure it was a restaurant for years before becoming the Blind Tiger. Inside it's all wood, and when you walk into the main dining areas you will see stairs leading up to more dining nooks and other little areas. Up at the top you will find a banquet area for larger groups and parties. We sat in an area located at the back of the restaurant on the south side. The entire south wall is made up of large windows that over look a smoking balcony and the parking lot.

Fried pickles

I ordered some fried pickles and a pulled pork sandwich with seasoned French fries. A girl I sat next to ordered a sirloin, (I'm not sure the size) and another girl ordered the bacon cheese fries.

My fried pickles were pretty good. Here, they use the spears, but not your typical spears. These seemed to be like the hamburger slices that are long and thin. The breading was a little different than most places, which have an almost beer-batter coating to them. This coating was crumbly and more like an actual breading than a batter. The pickles held up well and the coating didn't slide off, leaving you with a hot pickle. These I was able to eat easily. The flavor was good, too, but the pickle did seem a little mushy and lost in the batter. I do with they were a little thicker, or maybe done a little less time in the fryer. Overall, I would order them again some time.

Side note: The fried pickles are NOT on the menu. I had to ask the waitress about them. The only place they appear on the menu is in the description for the Carolina-style pulled pork sandwich.

The girls next to me ordered some bacon cheese fries. All I really need to say about this monster is only order this if you have a large group, or you're ready to eat five people's worth of bacon cheese fries. This order is humongous, shaped by a bundt cake pan and fried, covered with cheese and bacon and served with ranch, this isn't for the faint of stomach. I wish I would have gotten a picture, but alas, I didn't. (If you have photo, please share.)

My pulled pork sandwich was dry. It was flavorful, and I enjoyed the sweet sauce, but I felt like I

Pulled pork sandwich with seasoned French fries

needed to add a lot of sauce because the meat lacked any juiciness on its own. I also ditched the wheat bun and ate the meat alone, so next time I should remember that. The sauce was sweet and reminded me of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce -- that's my favorite bbq sauce, yum. I had to ask the waitress to bring me pickles and then all they had were the spears so I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get dill pickle slices for my pulled pork sandwich. I lived, though, and settled for the spear. (It ended up working out because I didn't eat it like a sandwich after all.)

The French fries did not disappoint. Seasoned kind of like the curly fries from Hardee's only straight, they hit the spot. They were so crispy and tasty. I like dipping these kind in ranch dressing and they went well with the barbecue sauce, too. I was glad they brought two containers because I used a lot for my fries.

The service was pretty good. Our waitress took good care of all 15 of us, and was able to meet the demands of all of us, (at least from what I could tell, and I'm a pretty needy diner).  She got us refills when they were needed and she also turned my debit card in to the manager when I forgot it after signing my bill. She even promptly took back an undercooked sirloin for the girl I sat next to, although she ordered it well-done, it still came back around medium.

Blind Tiger is on the entire opposite side of town than I live, but if friends gather there I will return. I didn't have a real problem with any of my food, but none of it was out of the ordinary. I hear the beer is good, I'm just not much of a beer drinker. I do wish the pulled pork hadn't been so dry, but the pickles were pretty tasty.

Oklahoma Joe's Bar-B-Que

 After hearing about Oklahoma Joe's Bar-B-Que for years, I finally made my way there the other night for dinner. In my defense, the last time I tried to eat there was on a Sunday and I found out the hard way that they are closed on Sundays at all locations. Anyway, I finally got to try this famous barbecue I hear so much about.

Half slab of ribs

When we walked in the line wasn't too long and I've heard it's usually out the door. To order, you stand in line and can peruse the menu before you order. We got lucky that we didn't have to wait long.

Well, I've heard about it so much for a reason -- it is some good stuff. I went with my husband (surprise!) and we decided to order a smorgasbord of items -- ribs, pulled pork, smoked turkey, coleslaw and smoked chicken gumbo to name a few items. I mean, why drive all the way to Kansas City and not try everything? That would go against our nature.

We always order different items so we can share and try a little of each item. I recommend doing this if you don't know what to get. Everything we ordered was tasty and cooked to perfection. My husband said the ribs were some of the best he's ever had.

Smoked turkey and pulled pork

Speaking of the ribs, they were fall-off-the-bone-tender and smoked just right. They come slathered with Joe's Original BBQ Sauce and more sauce is available on the table. If you're sharing, I'd recommend the full slab because we only got the half-slab and wished for more. Looking back, instead of the turkey, I should have ordered ribs. The turkey was good, don't get me wrong, but the ribs were the star of the show.

Potato salad

The pulled pork was pretty good, but it was overshadowed by the ribs. The turkey was juicy and the smokey flavor was just right.    I enjoyed the potato salad but I picked out most of the celery because I am just not a big fan of raw celery and there seemed to be too much for my taste. I appreciated the hardboiled eggs, though. The coleslaw was good but nothing to write home about, so I won't go on.

Smoked chicken gumbo

For me, my favorite side was the smoked chicken gumbo. Thick, hearty and smokey, it was comforting with okra, rice and chicken. It had just enough spice and wasn't overpowering. The rice was cooked just right, not mushy but tender.

As I said before, everything we ordered was cooked perfectly, the seasonings were right on and I will definitely be back for more. If
you don't know what to order, I'm sure whatever you choose will be a hit. Joe's Kansas City BBQ hasn't seen the last of the Petersons.