Feb 282011
 

Exterior

Danny Edward’s BBQ began life as a little shack in heart of downtown Kansas City, known for cranking out delicious barbecue to lunch breakers, mostly on a “to-go” basis due to its small capacity. It was also known as “Lil Jake’s Eat it an’ Beat it,” a reference to Danny’s nickname as a kid. Danny’s father, Jake, was a well-regarded local purveyor of smoked meats in his own right for more than 40 years.

Danny Edward's BBQ, Downtown KC

I moved here in 2006 when Lil Jake’s/Danny Edward’s was still very much alive downtown but increasingly dwarfed by the scope of construction at the new Power & Light District which, if you recall, made that part of downtown virtually un-navigable. Apparently, the area didn’t have much to recommend it before the arrival of P&L, but by all accounts Lil Jake’s was not part of the problem. Nonetheless it was inevitably forced to yield under the duress of eminent domain, for the “public good” of a tax-subsidized entertainment district. In with Famous Dave’s, out with Danny Edward’s, a tenant of more than a quarter century.

It is the greatest regret of my culinary life not to have eaten at Danny Edward’s downtown location before it closed and moved to Southwest Boulevard. When I started this blog on January 1, 2007 I worked at the downtown library, a 10-minute walk from the little BBQ shack, but somehow I let the construction and the potential annoyance of a small, busy restaurant keep me away. Within a year it was gone, only later to reappear on the city’s west side.

To their great credit, Kansas City barbecue enthusiasts proved more than willing to make the short car-ride out to the Boulevard and the new Danny Edwards has succeeded mightily in newer, larger, more modern digs. While the whole relocation story makes me a little sad, I’m nonetheless thrilled that this place not only does brisk business, but serves great barbecue on top of it.

Indeed the food at Danny Edwards is practically as good as the esteemed Oklahoma Joe’s, without the attendant enthusiasm of people who deluge Twitter and Facebook with uninformed assertions about BBQ sandwiches with cheese on them (click at your own risk). And while I am not immune to the appeal of Joe’s excellent barbecue, I can’t recommend it in my capacity as a lunch blogger because the wait is simply too long during the noon hour.

I’m also much more excited about eating at a place with the Edwards pedigree. Danny’s father was slinging ‘cue on the right side of the state line five decades before Joe’s set up shop in a KCK gas station.

The hand-cut fries at Edwards are similar to those at Joe’s, right down to the salty and unnecessary seasoning powder applied at the end. You can request them without seasoning and I recommend doing just that. Better yet, forego the fries entirely in favor of some of the best onion rings in town.

Beef sandwich

The brisket is hard to ignore. Once you enjoy the thick-cut, tender chucks of smoky beef, you’ll be hard-pressed to order anything else. Sure, I prefer a thinner slice such as that at Gates or LC’s and the Edwards’ brisket has all the marks of having been steamed in foil to achieve extra softness. But any complaints I have are purely related to personal preference rather than any failing on the restaurant’s part. The flavor and texture are truly sublime.

Beef and Ham

Beef and Ham

Edwards does a nice job with their burnt ends too. Their predilection for buttery, grilled kaiser buns adds an element of decadent richness, but certainly doesn’t hurt anything. Edwards has excellent baked beans with understated sweetness and good bean flavor accentuated by many tender chunks of pork. Their sweet potato fries aren’t bad either.

Ol' Smoky (Burnt Ends)

Southern Style

I’ve eaten here a number of times but have yet to try the ribs, which look excellent. But I can vouch for the beef, pulled pork and ham. What I can say is that Danny Edwards has the best, friendliest service of any BBQ joint in town. This is a table service place and you will never want for a a refill, to-go box or check when you need it. These people are pros and they will get you out in a hurry if that’s what you want. While places like Gates pay lip service to friendliness with their calculated “How may I help you” training regimen, Danny Edwards is service in action. Pay a visit and see if you don’t agree.

Danny Edwards is used to regulars and it is possible to order before your seat is warm. Get your check at the table and pay at the counter, where, more often than not, the restaurant’s namesake and his wife are running the show. Don’t let the modern building fool you, this is old school Kansas City barbecue at its best.

Danny Edwards Boulevard Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Danny Edwards Boulevard BBQ
2900 Southwest Blvd
Mon-Sat 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

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  12 Responses to “Danny Edwards BBQ: 2900 Southwest Blvd”

  1. I can only make it in for lunch on Saturdays (when they're open, they've been closed a couple of the times I've gone), but it's worth it. The service has been friendly and fantastic every visit, they'll have my drink to me before I even sit down. Great food as well

  2. Really like Danny's, probably more than any other BBQ, they may not have the best of everything but they have the best combination of everything. It's frequently full but there is never wait, even after them being featured on DDD.And Danny is always upfront.I ate at the old place and it was a tight hole in the wall where the waiter had to squeeze sideways between the people in line and the customers occupying all of the 13(or 18) chairs. I bet Danny is kicking himself every day for not moving years earlier to a place with a fryer (there were no fries) and a beer license.I bet he is now using his old charcoal shovel to shovel all the money. Which he really deserves.

  3. There are few greater crimes against humanity than putting cheese on a barbecue sandwich.

  4. I sometimes forget about Danny's, partly because it's only open for lunch. However, I've eaten there several times and really liked it. Their pulled pork is great.

  5. Their beef and ham sandwich is my favorite BBQ sandwich in KC. The saltiness of the ham combined with the moist, smokey brisket is magical.

  6. Also, I agree about the cheese/BBQ comment. Hell, in general, just because you can put cheese on something that doesn't mean you should.

    One last note – if the construction hasn't covered it up you can see a Toynbee tile in the street where Lil' Jake's was. I'm not sure where – I think on Grand crossing 13th

  7. Whoops, somehow I cut half my comment out. Before the "also" I agreed the place was good (much shorter than the original wording)

  8. JH somehow I managed to remain ignorant about Toynbee tiles until now. After a little reading, I'm kind of obsessed. I must know if it's still there!

  9. Yeah, those tiles are pretty interesting. I mean, they are pretty widespread. As one article said, there are copycats, but before it was more likely they were done by the same person or a small group because they were relatively unknown before the internets came along.

    If my link was messed up I'll post these for anyone who wants to check them out.

    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDEQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FToynbee_tiles&rct=j&q=toynbee%20tile%20kansas%20city&ei=b9NrTfSXBpHmtge_iYHnAg&usg=AFQjCNFS2lsi_GHr4zMs30oJ2qkVK44p1g&sig2=roct3yllE6uJFnrbuHKaRw&cad=rja

    http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2006/05/wheres_our_toyn.html

  10. I give up on the links

    I looked at Google Street View and couldn't tell if it got covered up or not.

  11. No worries, the last set of links work via cut & paste. Reading through some comments here and there, it looks like the tile disappeared due to repaving sometime 2006-07 when the Sprint Center construction was going on.

  12. Don't forget catering for parties. I order the meats, beans & slaw (heavenly) and show off to my guests. Most people who eat it say it's the best they've tasted.