Brad Olson
TVWBB Platinum Member
My wife and I spent last weekend in Kansas City and our first barbecue stop was Friday afternoon at the Gates at 32nd and Main.
It's not a huge building but can still accomodate around 90 customers.
We'd just finished a chicken lunch at Stroud's about an hour before and weren't very hungry so I picked the "short end" ribs from the menu, figuring that they'd count as dessert.
Even though the ribs were sauced there were still a couple of bare spaces where I was able to taste the rub, and I liked it just fine. I'd never tasted the sauce before and didn't know what to expect; I've always read and heard that KC sauces tend to be sweeter but I didn't think Gates' version was too sweet at all. Plus it had a little bit of a kick and I liked it well enough to bring back some 3 oz. bottles to give out.
If I ever get back to Kansas City I'm going to visit Gates on an empty stomach so I can try a few more things.

It's not a huge building but can still accomodate around 90 customers.

We'd just finished a chicken lunch at Stroud's about an hour before and weren't very hungry so I picked the "short end" ribs from the menu, figuring that they'd count as dessert.


Even though the ribs were sauced there were still a couple of bare spaces where I was able to taste the rub, and I liked it just fine. I'd never tasted the sauce before and didn't know what to expect; I've always read and heard that KC sauces tend to be sweeter but I didn't think Gates' version was too sweet at all. Plus it had a little bit of a kick and I liked it well enough to bring back some 3 oz. bottles to give out.
If I ever get back to Kansas City I'm going to visit Gates on an empty stomach so I can try a few more things.