Oden's Family BBQ and Steakhouse

Out on the southeast corner of the KC BBQ debris field sits a little outpost the locals call Oden's Family BBQ and Steakhouse.  The restaurant has a rural diner feel with plenty of lovely locals working the tables.  Pardon the irony, but I find the (cigarette)smoker-friendly accommodations terribly disappointing - especially since the smoking section is merely "that side of the room" with second-hand choke freely wafting throughout the whole dining hall.  And if you ever wondered what happened to those fruit-themed, stained glass lampshades Ruby Tuesday had before it got all Pier One on us... Oden's solves the mystery.

For a family joint, Oden's is ambitious.  There is a full selection of burgers, sandwiches, and steakhouse entrées plus the BBQ options.  Prices seemed reasonable - a KC Strip (size not stated) was $18.99.  Sandwiches run in the $7-9 range.  BBQ meals were right in line with metro area competition.

Gorgeous and I beat the Wednesday night holiday rush by ten minutes. By the time we left at 7pm, 20 people were waiting to be seated. Mrs. Honey-Your-BBQ-Is-Better-But-It's-Nice-Not-To-Do-Dishes and I ordered big. We shared the Wed special of slab o'St Louis Ribs w/ two sides ($14.99) and an entrée of Burnt Ends (also w/ 2 sides $11.99). The ribs were PERFECT - tender, smoky, lean. PERFECT. The burnt ends were old school, stewed-in-the-pot not just cube-cut brisket. Some pieces were a tad tough, but the taste was wonderful. We saved half our bbq for the ravenous chil'ren back at the ranch and treated ourselves to a heaping mug-full of cherry cobbler. Spectacular. Oh, and KC fry cooks pay attention, if you want to learn how to cook perfect fries, get yourself an internship at Oden's. Best in KC!

My professional assessment (based on my scoring standards):

Burnt Ends... Taste: 9 Tenderness: 7 Appearance: 7 = Overall: 7.8

Ribs... Taste: 9 Tenderness: 9 Appearance: 9 = Overall: 9

Two big entrées, sodas, cobbler +tax +tip totaled $42 and change.  As stated, we brought home another meal and a half, to boot.

Oden’s good work earns FOUR piggies.

site: no company website / UrbanSpoon.com listing