Lights. Camera. Sandwich.
If you know me well, it’s likely you also know my quirkiest obsession. The McRib.
I already know what you’re thinking. How does the person who created a caviar-embellished ice cream (for Betty Rae’s in last month’s column) mark his calendar for that roughly month-long period in autumn when the famous rib-shaped pork sandwich graces the Golden Arches menu? If you don’t share the same obsession (trust me, plenty do), there’s little point in me explaining.
So, when Kelly Magee, CEO and founding partner at Q39, mentioned over dinner and a Broadway show that Q39 was working on a very special rib sandwich, I swear I heard church bells ringing.
To celebrate the (now officially kicked-off) football season, Q39 partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs new wide receiver, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, to create a limited-time sandwich. During this process, Hollywood shared some of his favorite foods, condiments, and flavor combinations with the Q39 chef, Philip Thompson. Together, they landed on the “Hollywood” Rib Sandwich.
The sandwich is comprised of smoked and grilled pork rib eye, garlic aioli, pickles, shaved onion, honey barbecue sauce, and potato straws on a hoagie roll. Thanks to Kelly, I was able to join Hollywood at Q39 for his first official taste. I can not-so-confidentially share that during the “tasting” portion of the photo session, Thompson had to quickly whip up another sandwich. Why? Mr. Brown liked it so much that he insisted on finishing it on the spot—leaving no morsel of a sandwich left to photograph. How’s that for an endorsement?
I, too, received a first-run “Hollywood” sandwich. And let me tell you—it was a culinary triumph. It had all the distinctive flavors of the quick-service sandwich I love, but elevated to an exponential level. The incredible smoky and juicy championship barbecue pairs perfectly with the tanginess of the pickles and onions and is further complemented by the sweet barbecue sauce—all products of Q39’s scratch kitchen. Everything is neatly nestled inside a hoagie bun with just the right amount of heft to support the substantial stacks of meat. It was sandwich perfection. If a single dish could be honored with a Michelin star—this would be so deserving.
I must regrettably report that, as you read this, the August-exclusive sandwich has been retired. A formidable substitute, however, would be the fan-favorite sandwich—Mr. Burns (cubed burnt ends, chipotle barbecue sauce, pepper jack cheese, onion straws, toasted bun). In addition to the 39th Street and Overland Park locations, you can check out the new Lawrence location, coming later this year. (A Lee’s Summit location is also scheduled for late 2025.) It was the most pleasurable experience sharing a sandwich with the remarkably humble Hollywood, but I look even more forward to watching him on the field this season.
A Special Collection
At the gentle but persistent encouragement of Petra Kralickova, the executive director at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, I finally paid my first visit to this treasured cultural institution. Located on the UMKC Campus, the museum’s purpose is to explore the meaning and significance of how art and play give meaning to our society. It accomplishes this by highlighting our shared history through the lenses of miniatures and toys. The museum is home to the world’s largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation’s largest historic toy collections on public display—with more than 93,000 owned objects.
As is often the case, I did not arrive with aimless exploring in mind. For that, I will return. And there’s little doubt I’ll want to tell you all about it here. On this particular occasion, I was visiting for the opening of Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff. It’s an exhibit that I’d been eagerly awaiting.
This distinctive exhibit explores themes of race, gender, and identity through the lens of 135 handmade Black dolls dating from around 1850 to 1940. African Americans created these dolls for the children in their lives, including members of their own families and white children in their charge. Woven among the dolls are numerous period photographs and paintings depicting Black dolls posed alongside both children and adults during this period. Adding further context is an African-American history timeline, alongside dolls from corresponding timeframes, providing a historical scaffold for these dolls’ place in time. A selection of more recent Black dolls from the Museum’s collection provides additional perspectives for consideration.
Also incorporated are a series of interpretative writings from prominent voices in Kansas City’s Black community, sought by the exhibit’s curators. These reflections on the collection offer yet another vantage point for rumination—the unusual ability to witness these dolls through another person’s eyes.
Speaking at the opening reception was a lovely and familiar face—Natasha Ria El-Scari. She spoke, as she often does, in part poem, part beauty-salon gossip vernacular. Listening to her always conjures joy. Natasha spoke about her role serving on the advisory group assembled by the exhibit’s curators. Hardly a DEI checklist (as she put it), this highly invested group had questions. “Who owns these? Where did they get them? Who made them? Why have we never seen them? Where has this history been? Is this OK? Is there a word for the feeling when someone knows the history of your people that you don’t?”
These questions and more required subsequent thoughtful dialogue and meetings, which led to changes, compromises, addendums, and retractions in the developing exhibit. The ultimate result is a case study in the power of inviting others into a sensitive process, with no fear, guardrails, or expectations for where that process may lead.
Natasha spoke about the advisors’ collective wish to protect what they saw while simultaneously shielding their eyes. It felt “inappropriate, hard, and unpleasant” and created a charge for which they weren’t prepared.
While viewing from an altogether different perspective, I was moved. These objects are a tangible manifestation of ordinary people’s ingenuity and resourcefulness. They used what was available to them—animal fur, wood, leather, feed sacks, paper, fabric remnants—and molded the common materials together into objects of love for children. The exhibit was assembled and presented with sensitivity, compassion, and intention. It also felt very important. According to sources, including The New York Times and The Smithsonian Institution, this collection is one of the finest of its kind ever to be assembled. You can visit the exhibit at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures through March 3.
Spotted: Patricia Miller, Susan Stanton, Amy Embry, John Paul Wong, Susan Spencer, Eric Dorfman, Don Schreiner & John Escalada, Adrienne Clayton, Rebecca Ehrich, Melvin Brooks, Hilari Holt, Kevin Church Johnson
Taco Trail Party Bus
I love tacos. And I love parties. So, when I heard about the KCK Taco Trail Party Bus, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. Operated by The Red Machine Bus, this bookable adventure will take you and roughly 20 others on an initial foray into the KCK Taco Trail, envisioned by Visit Kansas City Kansas.
Tours are scheduled roughly every week across the summer and autumn and are organized around a particular protein, e.g., al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, chorizo, etc. While carnitas is my jam, schedules aligned for me to do a chicken tour. And who doesn’t like chicken?
Each bus tour includes four KCK taqueria stops. At the conclusion of each tasting, guests rate the experience, leading to an overall taqueria winner. And, naturally, guests log each stop on the official KCK Taco Trail Passport, earning points along the way. In between stops, we sipped on the provided brews and gratefully accepted margaritas that one of our bus mates was shaking up. The power of community!
On this particular tour—again, arranged around chicken—we visited Tacos El Tio, Pollos El Junior, El Pollo Rey, and Tacos El Viejon. All were completely delicious, authentic, and meritorious of my return for a full meal. The surprising takeaway (for me and many others) was how different each taco creation was. There were wildly different chicken flavor profiles, due to preparation techniques. Some came with sauces or salsas; some were delightfully simple without. And there was an array of varying accoutrements. With tacos, the sky’s the limit. And what better way to experience one after another, comparing and contrasting, than with someone else driving you around in premier style? At just $30, this was also quite a value. We were positively stuffed by stop #4.
One final note: In addition to tacos, Red Machine Party Bus also operates a Chiefs tailgate bus. OK—awesome. Arranging transportation to the stadiums is always a chore. But this isn’t. Meet at the City Market pickup spot, and ride out to the stadium while someone else worries about the traffic as you pre-game. RMPB provides and sets up a grill, heaters, tents, chairs, tailgate games, and hot chocolate. You bring whatever food and bevs you like. Easy-peasy. Kind of like winning another consecutive Super Bowl. Right?
Pool-Cation
You might recall a tiny detail in my overview of last January’s ArtFaire event for the Kansas City Art Institute. I was the highest bidder for a silent auction item I knew I’d be grateful for in warmer months ahead. Well, dear readers, I just cashed in my weekend staycation at Cori & Matt Culp’s Brookside Airbnb pool house. With special permission from the owners, I invited a very tight group of friends over for a Saturday afternoon pool party. On the way, I picked up plenty of bevs from my go-to Mike’s Wine & Spirits and preordered a no-fuss catered taco bar from Tiki Taco for delivery. I’m here to tell you it was the perfect summer afternoon and one easily achievable for any reader. The taco bar was dynamite. And the experience was so, so easy—just like the Airbnb. While it had never occurred to me to rent a place in my own city for the weekend, I will absolutely be a repeat renter. Especially since my friends are already asking—when can we do that again?