![]() I also knew it to be warranted, as I’d been here once before in 2011 with my friend Sam Wilson and absolutely loved this chicken. Considering that he’s got one of the most sophisticated palates in the world, that’s pretty high praise. The restaurant has shown up on numerous restaurant shows, and esteemed judge and food blogger Simon Majumdar, one of my favorite Food Network personalities, has gone as far as to claim that if he had his choice for his last meal, he’d pick Stroud’s. Since embracing its status as the home of pan-fried chicken and changing owners in the 1980’s, Stroud’s has proceeded to win accolades from across the country. In fact, it’s only become more entrenched in Kansas City culture. They’re still choking their own chickens, as their shirts proudly say. The Strouds had discovered that their chicken was worthy of carrying the menu as their flagship entree, and 70 years later, that hasn’t changed. When the war ended, the Kansas City strip returned to the menu, but the brisket never came back. Well, that wasn’t going to work if the restaurant was going to stay in business, so the Strouds took advantage of the fact that chicken was not being rationed and began serving pan-fried chicken instead of barbecue. But in the 1940’s, World War II began, and suddenly, beef was being rationed. In fact, back in the 1930’s, Stroud’s was yet another Kansas City barbecue restaurant, serving mainly beef, not chicken. What isn’t confusing is the chicken at Stroud’s, and oddly enough, that specialty wasn’t a decision that Guy and Helen Stroud reached on their own. This place can get very confusing very quickly for the out-of-towner. There are also two Kansas Cities, one in each state, known respectively as KCMO (Missouri) and KCK (Kansas). Yes, for those who have never been, there really is a road called State Line Road that serves as the dividing line between Missouri and Kansas until you get to the Missouri River. Since the 1930’s, while most of Kansas City has elected to focus on pulled pork, ribs and Kansas City strip steak, Stroud’s has opted for poultry, shying away from the smoker in favor of old-fashioned pan-fried chicken at four locations on both sides of State Line Road. When everyone else is doing one thing, the easiest way to stand out is to do your own thing and make it the best that you can. Put simply, the City of Fountains is well-known for smoking its meat and doing it well.īut there’s more to Kansas City than just barbecue, as there often is in cities known for one famous dish. After all, this is a city that not only brings in barbecue lovers from across the country year after year for the World Series of Barbecue, but the local media managed to stage a 64-restaurant bracket competition this March, consisting solely of barbecue restaurants in Kansas City. just a thought.When one thinks meat in Kansas City, there’s a good chance that they’re thinking about barbecue. If you're going to have parking that patrons have to pay for to eat in your restaurant, you may just want to look into more lighting or something to make those customers feel safe about leaving their car there while eating. Several times, people who looked a little questionable walked by while we were leaving the car or returning to it, and I have to say, I was really glad when we got in and finally drove away. And the parking lot, honestly, does not leave you feeling very safe about either your car or yourself. Not sure if that's on the restaurant's website as an fyi to potential customers, but it couldn't hurt to know ahead of time. I was a bit surprised to learn that we had to pay for parking ($3) just to eat in the restaurant. The staff was great, very personable, welcoming. ![]() I think that we'll definitely stick w/the Lithonia location for any further visits. Lots of cheese in the mac and cheese, but no flavor, really. Ordered the exact same dish at both locations (smothered chicken), and the chicken itself was really good (and the gravy), but the rest of the meal was honestly just alright. by far, I think that the food at the Lithonia location is better. ![]() We visited the restaurant's location in Lithonia, and fell in love with the delicious food, so we figured we'd also try the downtown location as well when we returned to Atlanta.
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