Arthur Bryant's Barbecue is the place writer Calvin Trillin of The New Yorker declared, without irony or qualification, the single greatest restaurant in the world. That was in 1974, and the declaration has followed the restaurant ever since. Arthur Bryant took over the restaurant from his mentor Henry Perry in the 1940s and developed the sauce and smoking technique that made the place famous — a vinegar-and-spice based sauce that is thinner and more assertive than the Kansas City norm, applied to meats smoked until the bark is nearly black.
But the most important innovation associated with Arthur Bryant's is the burnt end, which began here not as a menu item but as a throwaway. When briskets came off the smoker, the ends were dried out and crusty — so Bryant simply stacked them on the counter for customers waiting in line. People realized they were the best part.
What was once scrap became the most sought-after item in Kansas City barbecue, and burnt ends are now on menus across the country. Presidents have eaten here: Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama have all made the pilgrimage. The experience — linoleum floors, butcher paper, plastic trays — has not changed much.
Neither has the food.