Eventually
our leisurely drive along US 50 westward through Missouri brought us to our destination
for the night…the Kansas City area. Laurie
had set up a visit with a classmate from her high school in Maplewood
Missouri who now lives in the KC area. I’d
planned to take us all to dinner at one of the restaurants in town that I’ve
had in my mind for a revisit for many years…
Here is
Diana, Laurie’s former high school classmate, posing with Laurie at Diana’s
home. Social media had been instrumental
in bringing them together again. Even so, they
spent a lot of time catching up and remembering other classmates… We visited
for a while and toured Diana’s new home before heading out to have dinner.
I spent
many years working for different retailers and at least 3 of them had stores or
other facilities in the Kansas City area that I would visit in my capacity as
the head of those company’s loss prevention efforts. First there was Venture Stores, then T.G. and Y. Stores and finally, there was Montgomery Ward.
In any
case, I spent a lot of time in this market and I ate at a lot of
restaurants. Laurie and my favorite BBQ
is Kansas City style and that’s always been a source of conflict for me. If I was in town for a night, did I go for
the great BBQ or did I eat at Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor? (Photo above)
As
proven by the many folks waiting outside for a table, Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor is a
long-time favorite dining establishment in the Kansas City area. The original Stroud’s started as a BBQ
restaurant in 1933 and remained as such until World War II. During the war, because beef was being
rationed, Helen Stroud started serving pan-fried chicken!
The two room log cabin that is the core of Oak Ridge Manor was built in 1829! In 1977, the original Stroud’s was purchased from the founder. After inheriting a couple of Helen’s cooks and recipes, the new owners came up with the menu they still serve today. In 1983, the owners purchased Oak Ridge Manor and they’ve been operating at this location now for almost 32 years.
The
inside of Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor is decidedly casual with 3 or 4 dining areas. Despite the size of the place, waiting for a
table is part of the scene. They do not
take reservations…
We
waited in the bar…and the ladies got chatting with some patrons who had been
waiting a while. So when those folks’
names were called, Diana and Laurie got a couple of seats in the small and
crowded bar. That was a good thing as
our wait took over an hour.
Note: We almost never wait anywhere for more
than a half hour. We usually just go
elsewhere. In this case, I didn’t have a
backup plan and the wait gave the ladies more time to catch up. Besides…I was determined to have another meal
at Stroud’s!
This
was Laurie’s entrée…the Chicken Fried Steak with creamy pepper gravy. ($16.95) Cottage cheese was chosen for her side
dish. She enjoyed her meal but it was
way too much food! Diana ended up taking half of it home.
Knowing
that the portions at Stroud’s are huge, we didn’t order any appetizers…
Besides, all dinners come with a salad or homemade chicken-noodle soup and a
choice of potato. I didn’t bother to
take photos of the soup or salads…but the chicken-noodle soup was just as good
as I remembered!
Diana
ordered the Chicken Dinner…with dark meat and a baked potato on the side. ($17.95)
She had plenty of leftover chicken to take home for the next day! Both ladies had salads instead of the soup.
I
ordered my long-time Stroud’s favorite...a pair of 10 oz. Pan Fried Pork Chops.
($22.95) They came with applesauce.
Maybe you just can’t go back or perhaps the recipe has morphed…or my
tastes have changed. The chops were
juicy but the crust was so thick that it was like a shell around the chops
instead of being an integral part with the meat. I admit disappointment…
Did I
mention a couple of the sides that come with everyone’s meal? The cottage fries were pretty good if not
great. But, as per my memory, I really
did enjoy the ‘sticky buns’! They just
kept coming…and I must admit to eating more than 2 of them…
OK…
Once again I’ve proven that one usually can’t go back and completely recapture
their memories. Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor’s
food didn’t ‘ring my bell’ or Laurie’s either…like it had in the past. The good news is that we had a great time
with Diana and I’ve now determined to focus on BBQ the next time we return to
the Kansas City area.
Stroud’s
Oak Ridge Manor is located at 5410 Northeast Oakridge Road in Kansas City
Missouri. Phone: 816-454-9600. Their website is at http://www.stroudsnorth.com/.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
I have that happen often and never know if the food is not as good or it's what Chris Grove calls nostalgia creep.
ReplyDeleteHi Dave! Yes, I think sometimes you just can't go back, I think probably, our tastes change. We just had that happen the other day at a burger place we used to love, we wondered what happened to them. This food all looks delicious though, and it is definitely the wrong time of day for me to be looking at all of it, drooling non-stop! Those chops look fabulous and so does the Chicken Fried Steak. And the sticky buns, who can eat just one or two of those! Yummy post!
ReplyDeleteOh boy does that food look amazing and well worth the wait!!! Those sticky buns are calling me. Looks like the ladies had a great time :)
ReplyDeletexo,
Tammy<3