Kansas Visitor's Guide 2007/2008 - (Page 72) You’re never far from your next memorable meal in Kansas. And there are plenty of orchards, u-pick farms, roadside stands and shops that serve up the bounty of one of America’s preeminent agricultural states. If your travels bring you close to one of the following towns, you’re in for a treat. Brant’s Meat Market in Lucas. Abilene The scent of chocolate greets you at the doors of the Russell Stover Candies Factory Outlet Store (90 miles west of Topeka). And for good reason. The shop, next to the local factory of the world’s largest producer of hand-dipped chocolates, practically overflows with deeply discounted boxes of Russell Stover, Whitman and Pangburn candies. www.russellstover.com. Alma From pepperjack to Parmesan, the cheeses stocked in the factory shop of the Alma Creamery are flavorful reminders of a renewed tradition in this tiny I-70 town (about 25 miles west of Topeka at Exit 328). Reopened in 2004, the creamery produces hand-crafted, all-natural cheeses. www.almacreamery.com. Assaria Venture out year-round to see the buffalo herd, and shop at Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center northeast of town (20 miles south of Salina). In the summer, plan your stop to include the Saturday “Evening with the Buffalo” meal and tour. www.bisonfarm.com. Cimarron At the Kansas Wheat House (20 miles west of Dodge City), wheat growers Shirley and David Voran convert part of their harvest into delectable snacks. Shirley’s popular “Cow Patti’s” blend wheat nubs and sunflower seeds with caramel and chocolate. www.kansasgrown.com/kswheat. Kansas City Oklahoma Joe’s earns rave reviews in this barbecue-savvy city. The restaurant resides inside the Shamrock gas station, where there’s always a crowd at the counter. People order pulled pork, smoked brisket, chicken and ribs served with an assortment of sides. www. oklahomajoesbbq.com. Lawrence The greenhouses and aromatic shop of Pendleton’s Country Market rise amid the fertile Kansas River Valley. John and Karen Pendleton welcome visitors to pick asparagus and buy produce, plants, flowers and hydroponic tomatoes. www.pendletons.com. Lucas Since 1922, Brant’s Meat Market has been the place to go in this little farm town (65 miles northwest of Salina) for dry-cured bacon, savory Czechoslovakian ring bologna, sausages and fresh meats. Marysville A steady stream of locals head for Wesley’s Wagon Wheel downtown (60 miles north of Manhattan) for breakfast and lunch. Later, dinner customers savor steaks, as well as chicken and ribs. Oberlin The former lobby inside the historic 1886 Bank of Oberlin (about 60 miles northeast of Oakley) houses the Landmark Inn restaurant. It features daily lunch specials and a dinner menu that stars thick steaks and fresh seafood. www.landmarkinn.com. Overbrook Kids love picking apples and Asian pears at Ken and Nancy Krause’s Fieldstone Enterprises near Overbrook (20 miles southeast of Topeka). One reason is that guests bounce through the orchards in fun-to-drive golf carts. www. fieldstonee.com. Overland Park Rancher’s Gourmet Meats in this Kansas City suburb sells prime ribeye, Kansas City strip and porterhouse cuts that help satisfy this state’s craving for top-notch steaks. The store also sells gourmet quality pork, poultry and seafood. www.ranchersgourmet.com. Pittsburg Dry-aged filets and succulent sirloin tips are among the favorites at Jim’s Steakhouse and Lounge, a classic steak house at the north edge of downtown (30 miles south of Fort Scott) that’s been wooing diners since 1938. Homemade onion rings and handcut French fries are popular sides. Scammon Sarah Sapoito and her daughter, Shelly Lero, cook 20 gallons of tomato sauce each day for the Italian fare they serve at Josie’s Ristorante in this small, onetime coal-mining town (16 miles southwest of Pittsburg). Lasagna with four kinds of cheese is a big seller, along with deep fried ravioli. 72 Official Kansas Visitors Guide PHOTOGRAPHS, FROM FAR LEFT: KING AU, JOHN NOLTNER M OR E G R E AT TA S T E S http://www.fieldstonee.com http://www.fieldstonee.com http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com http://www.russellstover.com http://www.ranchersgourmet.com http://www.pendletons.com http://www.almacreamery.com http://www.bisonfarm.com http://www.kansasgrown.com/kswheat http://www.landmarkinn.com
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