fish in kansas city

One man's quest for a decent piece of fish in America's Heartland.

photo © whole foods

BY ALEXANDER HOGAN

I don’t eat beef.  Don’t get excited.  It’s not a religious thing. It’s not a political thing. I just flat out don’t like the taste and texture of beef. I grew up in Kansas City, for some the Blues and BBQ capital of the Midwest. So take Mid-80s/Midwestern Masculinity and a boy who loves seafood and well you do the math on my childhood. Kansas Citians, who are honest with themselves, recognize that the only thing more difficult than finding good seafood in the city is finding an apartment in the newly revitalized downtown without drug-addicted, bass-booming neighbors. Difficult, but not impossible my pretties.

So let’s get serious here for a minute. Shellfish is easy to find in the area and you can acquire edible shellfish at any number of restaurants and local markets. The real problem is fish and if you say Trout… well get real! I sincerely believe that the only place to get fresh fish like Tuna, Tilapia and such is at the Whole Foods counter around 90th & Metcalf in Overland Park. They go to great lengths to make sure their seafood only comes from sources that use sustainable, ethical harvesting techniques.

Dining out offers an array of seafood experiences (not all good). Now I mean it should go without saying that when you go to a sushi bar in a town and find the vast majority of the maki to be deep fried that you’re in deep $#@%.  It seems everyone wants you to go to Jun’s or Sushi Gin in this city.  I am truly convinced this is only because of the aggressive ad campaigns these two places have mounted. Last time I was at Jun’s a woman grabbed me by the shoulder and began screaming incoherently at me. I also believe from the smell that she soiled her pants, although that fact was never confirmed. Now I do not mean to be insensitive to people who crap their pants and freak out in the middle of restaurants, but it was a miserable meal. To make things worse the staff did not seem to feel this incident required them to compensate me in anyway. I will admit even a free appetizer might have warmed my heart. C’est la vie!

The place to get sushi in the metro is actually Ichiban Sushi at 11809 College Blvd Overland Park, KS 66210. This Korean-run sushi house is truly a pleasure. They have a diverse menu and a pleasant modern atmosphere. Ichiban has one of the largest selections of maki in the area. I’ll mention briefly that right next door to Ichiban is one of the best Chinese restaurants around…a topic for another day.

If sushi isn’t your thing. Fine. Let’s go European. A lot of people will cite McCormick & Schmick’s but I have to be honest. I have experienced fabulous meals and mediocre meals there. Overcooked, dry fish is the biggest problem in this city. Frankly the “I want my meat dead” mentality of some of the residents is as much to blame as some the macho “grill-master” or meth-freak cooks that often inhabit kitchens in the city. All Kansas Citians know that meth-addicted cooks are far of an issue than cockroaches in this city. Perhaps its because we lack any exterminator service for this problem. If you’re going fish and you value freshness and taste there are really only three locations for consistency. 1) Le Fou Frog – a delightful French restaurant near the city market 2) Lidia’s – in the crossroads 3) Pot Pie’s in Westport where Spivey Norman’s used to be (for all those old punks and rivets who remember back when) What ever happened to Linda anyway? Is she still out there dating 20 year olds with her manic panic hair?