BBs Lawnside BBQ

Cool Blues, Hots Ribs and Cold Beer: Kansas City's Best Under One Roof $$

ByM. Ruth Little, Freelance Writer

July 2007

A Den of Iniquity…my Father had warned me about this from childhood. He never told me exactly what it was, but I as I opened the door to this offbeat joint, I was sure this was it. Live Blues wailed and aromas of barbeque smacked you in the face. It was standing room only. I was expecting to see an opium pipe being smoked by some old lady of the night, but when my eyes adjusted to the light (or lack of it) and I could see around, I was wrong. I had landed in Kansas City’s only place where you can have your gritty live blues and the best true barbeque in town and wash it down with cold beer. BB’s Lawnside Bar-B-Q – what a find!

The motto of this place is, “Not renovated – Under Old Management.” There are no pretenses here. And there are no pretentious people here. A quick look around at the crowd jammed into this scrubby little place revealed that the people were just ordinary people – they were not the beautiful people or the hip set – in fact, there was a group from a big box store, one of them still wearing his “May I help you” vest. Just plain people having a howling’ good time on a hot humid Saturday night.

Kansas City is renowned for blues and jazz. Count Basie, Joe Turner and Charlie Parker used to hang out at Old Kentucky Bar-B-Q near 18th and Vine. Granite stones from the streets of that area were used to build BB’s barbeque pit in 1950. The results of this heat retaining, slow cooking (12-16 hours) stone pit are succulent meats with a subtle smoke flavor combined with a rub of spices and that grainy vinegar based sauce. The meat falls off the bones and the flavors explode in your mouth. Ribs, of course, are the favorite, but also offered are barbecued chicken, sausage, catfish and BB’s Louisiana entree selections.

As for the music, it was everything that gut-bucket blues could be – tight and soulful rhythms, slick harmony, full of guitar riffs and, of course, put together with pure showmanship. Henry Clay and the Full Grown Men, billed as Big Boned Blues, was the bill for the night. Henry, a big man with full cheeks and heavy jowls, wore all black with a hot pink shirt front and hot pink shades. He put forth “Easy Love”, “How Long”, “Another Mule Been Kikkin’ in my Stall”, and muscled in some Stones hits that blew the roof off the joint.

If You Go

1205 E. 85th

Kansas City, MO 64131

Phone: 816-822-7427

www.bbslawnsidebbq.com

Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am ‘till the band crashes (about midnight).
The kitchen closes at 10 pm and is open Sunday from 4 pm to 10:30 pm.