The Carolina style pulled pork sandwich at OK Joe's is my favorite BBQ sandwich in the city.

Anybody tried the BBQ Shack out in Paola? I saw the Food Network stopped there and they were doing whole hog that looked outstanding.

Hayward's is still my sentimental favorite.

Even though I know it's gone WAY downhill....because I live in San Diego....I get ZERO BBQ here.

So every trip back to KC, I have to try to recreate the old days and go to Haywards.

Love their sauce, meat, etc.....but, seriously, I've never had a better onion ring than Haywards.

DAMN!!! I hate to agree with you. BUT, my last trip to Oklahoma Joes and Zarda.....cold food. Won't go back to either. My sentimental favorite is the original Bryants.... I love that place. Unfortunately, the Mrs. hates it.

I just had a Z man sandwich at Oklahoma Joe's yesterday. Very good. I love their gumbo. It's their best side. They give you a big bag of fries, but put too much seasoned salt on them. Okla Joe's Olathe restaurant is much nicer than the original gas station. Very nice place to have lunch.

BTW: I've decided that strawberry soda is the perfect non-beer drink with BBQ.
Gates, LCs and Okla Joe's all have Strawberry soda. Yum.

Jackstack Railyard still leaves me in awe.
We only went to Hayward's once and were similarly underwhelmed.
But for dependably good Q, if not transcendent, St. Louie import Bandanas has standards and practices down. And their addition of garlic toast to the Q repertiore is genious.

Good call on the garlic bread at Bandanas.

But for the best Q in town you gotta head out to Eureka and try SuperSmokers.

BL/OTW58:

Either of you guys tried Pappy's near SLU? Only been around a few months, but supposedly the best BBQ in St. Louis by far. Only criticism I've heard is that sometimes they close early, but it's because they do everything fresh and when they run out of food, they close for the day.

They gave it a great w/u in the RFT, but I haven't been there yet. Thought about taking the 'rents there next time in town.

NOT impressive.

Soured on my first experience at SS, had their pork medallions, supposedly the signature and pride of the establishment. Driest pieces of shoe leather I ever experienced, and tiny.

Actually, the best Q experience I've ever had was a big barn on the way back from rafting. Warehouse BBQ in Farmington. But that may have been tempered by roughing it for the weekend and being tired and starving, having only consumed beer for the past two days.

rated highly here; http://www.bbq-porch.org/reviews/mo.asp

Haven't tried it yet, but plan to.

The owner, Mike Emerson was once part of SuperSmokers...so I know the food will be phenomenal...

Hmmm.

I used to eat there quite a bit, and I've never seen medallions on the menu.

Was this recently?

Not nearly, 96?

Ah.

4 years before they won the World Championship down in Memphis in the Whole Hog category.