Is The 'Manliest Restaurant In America' A Barbeque Joint In A Kansas City Gas Station?
By Anthony Todd in Food on Nov 27, 2012 9:20PM
Oklahoma Joe's, via Facebook.
When you think of "manly" restaurants, what comes to mind? That could actually be a really great question to ask a potential boyfriend, now that we think of it. Do you think of a classy steakhouse blaring Sinatra, an old red sauce Italian mobster hangout or a dive bar with beer spilling on the floors and peanut shells? If you're Men's Health magazine, you think of none of those. Instead, the winner of the "Manliest Restaurant in America" contest was a barbeque restaurant on the Kansas side of Kansas City housed in an old gas station.
Men's Health revealed the winner of the competition in this month's issue. Chicago's own Kuma's Corner was in the running (we voted for it) but Oklahoma Joe's managed to beat Kuma's. Maybe it's time to challenge them to some sort of sporting event.
What makes a restaurant so manly? Well, according to Guy Gourmet editor Paul Kita:
"These are restaurants where grunting is a sign of appreciation, where items on the menu have been around longer than some sports teams, and where, ultimately, the food satisfies what it means to be a hungry man. Round up some buddies, bring a date, and put in some extra sweat equity at the gym—these spots are best enjoyed with good company and a serious appetite."
Fair, though we wonder a bit at the idea of a "men's health" magazine suggesting that we chow down on barbeque all day. The director of marketing for the restaurant (A gas station restaurant has a director of marketing? They're more serious than we thought) told KCTV5 "We're a meat-centric restaurant. We cook food over flames, that is pretty macho. It's a fun thing to win."
Maybe we're the wrong kind of man for Men's Health. We love a good plate of barbeque, but if there's grunting, we assume someone is choking - or we politely ask the waiter to calm them down. Plus, does "what it means to be a hungry man" really mean anything different than "what it means to be a hungry person?" This sort of article continues to perpetuate the stereotypes that men don't like cocktails that don't involve bourbon, don't eat vegetables or anything green and are only interested in what restaurant has the largest pile of meat. If that's your thing, more power to you. For the rest of the men in the world, we'll be waiting for you with a really nice Caesar salad and a steak tartare at a quiet, grunt-free restaurant for our manly meal. We'll even sit in a leather chair.