word of mouth

by hampton stevens

Along the Tracks

Ah, the eternal quest for an appropriate place to take one's business associates to lunch. A never-ending battle between formal and free-wheeling, between nouvelle cuisine and down home cookin', between wanting to impress your companions and (Let's face it!) eating what you actually crave. Worry no more, dear reader. Kansas City's revitalized Freight House building will soon offer a menu to satisfy every taste - and every social situation.

Before we get to culinary specifics, however, a brief bit of architectural history. Originally constructed in 1887, the single story, red brick building at 22nd and Baltimore was first used as a conduit for cargo coming off "Milwaukee Road" trains and being loaded onto outgoing horse-drawn wagons. After the decline of the great railroads and following decades of disrepair, the Freight House has finally been reborn as a home for some of Kansas City's finest eating establishments. To wit, the instant KC classic Lidia's, the newly-opened Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue, and the forthcoming Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Local food fanatics already know of Lidia's fabulous Northern Italian fare. What many may not know, however, is that Lidia's Loft is now open for business. Seating 100 diners, it can be reserved for banquets, receptions or, perhaps, even a tastefully opulent surprise party for a certain local writer whose initials are H.S., and whose birthday just happens to be the fourteenth of this month.

At the western end of the Freight House building, a brand new Jack Stack Barbecue, the Martin City/ Overland Park classic, sits. Let's not kid ourselves, people. We are Kansas Citians and barbecue is what sets our collective pulse to pounding. Oh sure, we have Mongolian cafes and Chinese buffets and Mexican menus to make your mouth water, but that's all for variety's sake. When you get right down to it, the circulatory system of any true Kansas Citian runs thick with sweet, spicy red sauce. The smell of hickory burning, the taste of rich, juicy brisket melting in your mouth - these bring our souls to life.

The question arises, though, can we safely take a business client to a place where after-meal finger licking is considered de rigeuer? But of course! Do you really think your high falutin' out-of-towner clients want the same chichi, miniaturized meals they can get in any city in the country? Good grief no! They want the local fare, the specialty stuff, the decadent tasty treats that made us famous.

In that regard one can hardly do better than Jack Stacks. This monument to meat-eating was, after all, voted the country's best barbecue by Zagat's 2000 Restaurant Guide - proving even outsiders know good barbecue when they taste it. The final phase of the Freight House resurrection is perhaps the most exciting. The Grand Central Oyster Bar is moving to the tracks - the first time they've ventured out of New York City.

The original Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station is quite impressive. The handwritten menu, updated daily, boasts as many as 75 varieties of shellfish and seafood, often offering 20-30 different types of oysters daily - many available nowhere else. Opening in late January, the Oyster Bar will be a 200 seat, 6,800 square-foot facility which will include a private room for special events. A particularly exciting feature will be the seafood market where fresh fish and oysters from around the world will be displayed. The restaurant says it will offer the largest wine-by- the-glass selection in the city, an in-house bakery, and, for those in a hurry, a sit-down counter where the Oyster Bar's famed "expert shuckers" will work their maritime magic before your eyes.

The Freight House has clearly been reborn, converted from a transfer point to a destination in itself, offering three vastly different culinary experiences all under one historically significant roof. Now, if we could just figure out how one becomes an "expert shucker," we'd be all set.