Arthur Bryant's
Encyclopedia
Arthur Bryant's is a restaurant
located in Kansas City
, Missouri
. It is considered by many to be the most famous barbecue
restaurant in the United States
.
from an alley stand. Perry moved to the 18th Street and Vine neighborhood where he sold barbecue for 25 cents a slab from a trolley barn at 19th and Highland.
Charlie Bryant worked for Perry and was soon joined by his brother Arthur Bryant
. In 1940 when Perry died, Charlie took over the restaurant. Arthur in turn was to take it over.
The restaurant was located for many years at 18th and Euclid Streets in the inner city
neighborhood of 18th and Vine. Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn, in 1958. In the 1950s and through the early 1970s, it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium
, home to the Kansas City Athletics
(1955–67), Kansas City Chiefs
(1963–71) and Kansas City Royals
(1969–72). The stadium was located five blocks south of the restaurant before being razed in 1976.
The restaurant has never strayed far from its unpretentious decor with formica tables, fluorescent lighting, and jugs of sauce placed in the windows. While Arthur Bryant's is known for the full range of barbecue dishes, its acknowledged specialty is burnt ends
, the flavorful end pieces of smoked beef brisket
; burnt end sandwiches are served open-faced at the restaurant. Its sauce (which is characterized by tastes of vinegar and paprika rather than sweetness) is sold on the Internet and by mail, and at various locations including Kansas City International Airport
.
The restaurant gained fame over the next several decades, and notable diners included President Harry S. Truman
. However, it became the subject of international attention when, in 1974, writer Calvin Trillin
wrote in Playboy
that Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City was "...possibly the single best restaurant in the world." Since then, it has been frequented by a number of famous visitors, including Tom Watson
(the 8 time major golf champion is a native of Kansas City and currently lives in Stilwell, Kansas
), Steven Spielberg
, Bryant Gumbel
, Jimmy Carter
, Jack Nicholson
, James Spader
, and in 2008 by Republican presidential nominee John McCain
and his running mate Sarah Palin
, as well as barbecue
aficionados.
Arthur Bryant died in 1982, and the restaurant is now owned by Gary Berbiglia and Bill Rauschelbach, who expanded the restaurant to the Kansas Speedway
and Ameristar Casino
.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
located in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It is considered by many to be the most famous barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
restaurant in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The restaurant can trace its descent from Henry Perry, the "father of Kansas City barbecue", who in 1908 began serving smoked meats to workers in the Garment District in Downtown Kansas CityDowntown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
from an alley stand. Perry moved to the 18th Street and Vine neighborhood where he sold barbecue for 25 cents a slab from a trolley barn at 19th and Highland.
Charlie Bryant worked for Perry and was soon joined by his brother Arthur Bryant
Arthur Bryant (restaurateur)
Arthur Bryant was a purveyor of Kansas City barbecue who operated Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, Missouri.Bryant was born on a farm in Branchville, Texas in Milam County, Texas. He attended Prairie View A&M College, an all-black school in Texas...
. In 1940 when Perry died, Charlie took over the restaurant. Arthur in turn was to take it over.
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
neighborhood of 18th and Vine. Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn, in 1958. In the 1950s and through the early 1970s, it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
, home to the Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1955–67), Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(1963–71) and Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
(1969–72). The stadium was located five blocks south of the restaurant before being razed in 1976.
The restaurant has never strayed far from its unpretentious decor with formica tables, fluorescent lighting, and jugs of sauce placed in the windows. While Arthur Bryant's is known for the full range of barbecue dishes, its acknowledged specialty is burnt ends
Burnt ends
Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the point half of a smoked brisket. A traditional part of Kansas City Barbecue, burnt ends are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end removed and cooked further, or the point and...
, the flavorful end pieces of smoked beef brisket
Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving...
; burnt end sandwiches are served open-faced at the restaurant. Its sauce (which is characterized by tastes of vinegar and paprika rather than sweetness) is sold on the Internet and by mail, and at various locations including Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
.
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. However, it became the subject of international attention when, in 1974, writer Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
wrote in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
that Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City was "...possibly the single best restaurant in the world." Since then, it has been frequented by a number of famous visitors, including Tom Watson
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
(the 8 time major golf champion is a native of Kansas City and currently lives in Stilwell, Kansas
Stilwell, Kansas
Stilwell is a small unincorporated community in Johnson County in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a southern outlying suburb of Kansas City.Stilwell was named for a conductor on the first Missouri Pacific train to arrive in the community in the 1870s. Stilwell is mostly farmland, but in recent...
), Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
, and in 2008 by Republican presidential nominee John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and his running mate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, as well as barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
aficionados.
Arthur Bryant died in 1982, and the restaurant is now owned by Gary Berbiglia and Bill Rauschelbach, who expanded the restaurant to the Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
and Ameristar Casino
Ameristar Casinos
Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is a casino operator based in Paradise, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The company has eight properties in seven markets, including four in the United States’ largest 30 metropolitan markets.The company...
.