Dodge City, Kansas. The Wild West, Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, The Cowboy Band, the place Paul and I call home now. This is a great tourist destination for great steaks and burgers and the history of the settlement of the American West.
April 2018 – I have now spent three winters in Dodge City, Kansas and it still surprises me that it can snow in April! When I think about leaving Dodge (okay, getting’ the heck outta Dodge) I am sad to leave behind the restaurants I’ve enjoyed. My favorite place to eat is absolutely Tacos Jaliscos (on Avenue D and not to be confused with Tacos Jaliscos at the local mall). Tacos Jaliscos, locally known as TJ’s, has a simple menu of combination dinners that you order and pay for when you walk in the door. I usually order #6, three steak tacos with everything but the hot sauce. The hot sauce is crazy hot and makes your whole mouth burn. Each combo comes with rice, beans, a dollop of guacamole and a slice of tomato with mayonnaise on top. My favorite combo, however, is the two tacos and gordita. I had only heard of gorditas at Taco Bell and these are not like those. These are perfectly round corn cakes that are fried and vaguely potato-like. There are two of these corn cakes with steak, onion, and cilantro sandwiched inside. I’m starving just thinking about them. When you place your order you are given a small basket of chips and a bowl of very spicy salsa thick with cilantro. This is tasty but the main event of this place is the condiment bar. On this bar there are three gigantic bowls with small Styrofoam plates stacked beside them. One bowl is full of sliced limes, another is full of sliced radishes but the center bowl is full of heaven. It is a relish made of chunky pieces of celery, carrots, onions, cauliflower, jalapeno peppers, garlic cloves, bay leaves, cloves and magic. Paul and I pile a tall plate of this to eat with our tacos and gorditas. As we slowly eat through the meal we always try to guess the recipe for the clove-chili flavor on the relish. Each time we think of new flavors that we believe we’re tasting. We will truly miss this place on Avenue D!
Above are pictures of the Mennonite restaurant The Rolling Pin in Cimmaron, Kansas. This new addition to the cute little nearby town is delicious! You can buy to-go items from the bakery like blueberry rolls and caramel pecan rolls (heavenly). If you ever find yourself driving from Dodge City to Garden City, Kansas this is a must-stop bakery and restaurant!
April 2016 - Paul and I drove down a street in Dodge City we'd never been and found the I Don't Care Restaurant and Sports Bar. The catch phrase for this restaurant is "Where do you want to eat? I Don't Care!" I like Dodge City's slogan better: "Get the heck INTO Dodge!" In any case, I want to get the heck into every restaurant in town and this was a very relaxed sports bar with very good food. Paul ordered a bleu cheese bacon burger and I ordered a basket of tater tots and the nachos supreme. Everything was tasty and satisfying. The tater tots were as good as Westy's in Memphis and of course I ordered a side of ranch dressing to dip them in.
April 2016 - I'm so glad Freddy's opened in Dodge City. I'd never been to one before. It's delicious!! It's similar to Steak n' Shake in the South but the desserts are even yummier! I'm presently in love with the bacon cheeseburger and turtle sundae and especially the French fries!! The Hawaii sundae is insanely good too!
April 2016 - Paul and I love Osaki in Dodge City, KS. We're so glad it opened! Pictured below are the fried tofu appetizer and the very yummy Yam Yam Roll.
March 2016 - Paul and I have been trying the Dodge City food trucks and our favorite is the Pupuseria Marisol for everything on the menu. The pupusas are great but so is everything else!
October 25, 2015 - Paul and I are so glad that Dodge now has two sushi restaurants. Last spring there were none. My favorite is Osaki because I love the Yam Yam Roll and the fried rice pictured below.
It was payday so Paul and I went to Prime on the Nine again. Really, we need very little reason to go to this place. Soon we'll be coming up with excuses like: It rained, let's go there tonight! or I lost two pounds this week, let's go to Prime on the Nine! Below is the chicken cordon bleu and below that is the Jenga game of fried pickles. These pickles were dang good with the chipotle cream sauce for dipping. The chef really understands what makes food delicious!
Prime on the Nine, Dodge City. I love all the food on the menu!! Below is the brownie sundae and below that is the raspberry chipotle pork tenderloin with loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. And below that is the amazing mango habanero wings Chef Ryan prepares (along with a bloody Mary and a wedge salad).
Below is the Mexican Trio at Vallarta on Wyatt Earp. Dodge City has many Mexican restaurants but Vallarta is my favorite for the yummy strawberry daiquiris and the meal below. It has skirt steak, grilled chicken and bacon wrapped shrimp with all the sides. It comes with corn or flour tortillas.
Below is the cheese dip and salsa at Jalisco or as the locals call it, Jalisco's at the Mall. It is indeed in the mall and it is delicious. It is Mexican food that tastes like Memphis Mexican food. They have cheese dip and frozen margaritas just like the ones I spent my 20s and 30s consuming.
Paul and I love Central Station. It is right beside the old train depot and it has live music and some of the best food in town. I always order the build-a-burger with cheddar cheese and extra pickles. Almost every sandwich comes with a small portion of very creamy, sweet coleslaw. It tastes so good! Also Dodge City has amazing tortas (Mexican sandwiches) all over town but the best one is at Central Station: the torta supreme. It is heavenly! Get the chips on the side!
Imperial Garden has been completely renovated. It serves sushi, Thai food and Chinese food. Below are the spring rolls, veggie roll, honey chicken and XOXO roll. The drive-thru is a really nice convenience at this place but because of it, the service in the restaurant is EXTREMELY slow. While Sarocha Thai on Wyatt Earp is slow too, the food is totally worth the wait. Imperial Garden's food is not worth the wait.
Below is Billy Sims Barbeque. Paul and I were thrilled when it opened. It's good barbeque and the baked potato salad is delicious.
Below is Sarocha, one of the best discoveries we've made in Dodge City. This Thai food is delicious! Even though in the past the service has been very slow (prompting us to joke, "Let's go to Sarocha but don't forget the Monopoly game") the food is well worth the wait. Great food is all about flavor and this chef understands flavor.
