By Mike Thayer
Signature dishes, it’s food that embodies a region, it’s a celebration of iconic cultural flavors, where natives and tourists alike embrace that bowl, that plate, that sandwich, that finger food and say, “You HAVE to try this!”….
Examples of iconic signature dishes includes the Rueben sandwich in New York; crab cakes in Baltimore; The Philly Cheese Steak in Philadelphia; Fried Chicken in Atlanta; Deep dish pizza in Chicago; Bratwurst in Milwaukee; Gumbo in New Orleans and Cedar plank Salmon in Seattle.
So with all that iconic food in mind, does Wichita have a signature dish, or is the Mid-Continent City a melting pot of foods and flavors?
Braum’s Double Cheeseburger & Fries
Having fun and inspired by this Signature Dish Challenge, I decided to visit Braum’s which has Kansas roots (Emporia) dating back to 1957.
I sauntered in just after 6pm on a Wednesday. There were quite a few patrons inside and a line of cars in the drive through.
I was greeted right away by a lady behind the counter.
ATTENDANT: What can I get for you?
ME: What is your best selling burger?
ATTENDANT: The single cheeseburger, #1 on the menu.
That was pretty matter-of-fact response, I thought to myself. A straight forward and obviously honest answer, you have to respect that, but it wasn’t exactly the friendliest or most conversational way to hype up the restaurant’s menu.
ME: I’ll take the Double with fries and a drink.
C’mon, you KNOW I can’t go with just a single burger, I HAD to do a double!
Just LOOK at all that beef!
The attendant rang up my order which totaled $7.84. This girl was no-nonsense, strictly business. After being given my drink cup, I served myself some flavored iced tea and sat down to wait for my order to come up.
ATTENDANT: Number 283!
As soon as she announced it, she was gone, leaving my bag on the counter – no “thanks for coming,” no smile, no “Come again” or “See you next time.” There were other people working, it was steady busy but not slammed busy, so it’s not like a smile and a polite acknowledgement of some sort would have hurt.
I picked up my to-go order and looked at my phone, in and out in less than five minutes.
So, how was my Braum’s Double Cheeseburger you ask?
Classically delicious!
This is a tall, classically stacked burger with two quarter pound 100% pure beef patties, real dairy cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and special sauce. Served on a sesame seed bun baked fresh in Braum’s own bakery this burger was juicy, seasoned perfectly and while the fries were also fantastic, I virtually ignored them until I finished off the burger that’s how good it was. I didn’t want to put it down. It was classic perfection!
The classic Crinkle Cut fries were also delicious, perfectly seasoned with salt after coming out of the fryer, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
Folks, with Braum’s crafting burgers like this throughout the Air Capital, there is no reason to go to a McDonald’s or a Burger King. Braum’s is superior. Period.
My double cheeseburger, fries and drink meal was wallet friendly, made quickly and it really hit the spot! Braum’s gets just four out of five stars though, the service, while matter-of-fact fast, was not smiling face friendly. The burger and fries though, most DEFINITELY a repeat buy!
The Braum’s visited is located at: 1261 S Rock Rd, Wichita, KS 67207
Their classic Double Cheeseburger does the Air Capital proud!
Don’t go to McDonald’s, go to Braum’s instead.
Don’t go to Burger King, go to Braum’s instead.
But my search has only just begun…. I’ll be visiting a large variety of restaurants and sampling all types of food, getting input from patrons and restaurant gurus alike, trying to get a feel for what Wichita’s Signature Dish might be….. Oh, and national chain restaurants will NOT be a part of this challenge, I’m keeping it as local as possible, a true evaluation in finding what might be Wichita’s Signature Dish.
Stay tuned!
What a challenge huh? I am SO looking forward to the rest of this challenge!
What do you think might be Wichita’s signature dish? Comment below.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or a monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike
In search of Wichita's Signature Dish – How well does Braum's represent the Air Capital? – Bachelor on the Cheap
By Mike Thayer
Signature dishes, it’s food that embodies a region, it’s a celebration of iconic cultural flavors, where natives and tourists alike embrace that bowl, that plate, that sandwich, that finger food and say, “You HAVE to try this!”….
Examples of iconic signature dishes includes the Rueben sandwich in New York; crab cakes in Baltimore; The Philly Cheese Steak in Philadelphia; Fried Chicken in Atlanta; Deep dish pizza in Chicago; Bratwurst in Milwaukee; Gumbo in New Orleans and Cedar plank Salmon in Seattle.
So with all that iconic food in mind, does Wichita have a signature dish, or is the Mid-Continent City a melting pot of foods and flavors?
Braum’s Double Cheeseburger & Fries
Having fun and inspired by this Signature Dish Challenge, I decided to visit Braum’s which has Kansas roots (Emporia) dating back to 1957.
I sauntered in just after 6pm on a Wednesday. There were quite a few patrons inside and a line of cars in the drive through.
I was greeted right away by a lady behind the counter.
ATTENDANT: What can I get for you?
ME: What is your best selling burger?
ATTENDANT: The single cheeseburger, #1 on the menu.
That was pretty matter-of-fact response, I thought to myself. A straight forward and obviously honest answer, you have to respect that, but it wasn’t exactly the friendliest or most conversational way to hype up the restaurant’s menu.
ME: I’ll take the Double with fries and a drink.
C’mon, you KNOW I can’t go with just a single burger, I HAD to do a double!
Just LOOK at all that beef!
The attendant rang up my order which totaled $7.84. This girl was no-nonsense, strictly business. After being given my drink cup, I served myself some flavored iced tea and sat down to wait for my order to come up.
ATTENDANT: Number 283!
As soon as she announced it, she was gone, leaving my bag on the counter – no “thanks for coming,” no smile, no “Come again” or “See you next time.” There were other people working, it was steady busy but not slammed busy, so it’s not like a smile and a polite acknowledgement of some sort would have hurt.
I picked up my to-go order and looked at my phone, in and out in less than five minutes.
So, how was my Braum’s Double Cheeseburger you ask?
Classically delicious!
This is a tall, classically stacked burger with two quarter pound 100% pure beef patties, real dairy cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and special sauce. Served on a sesame seed bun baked fresh in Braum’s own bakery this burger was juicy, seasoned perfectly and while the fries were also fantastic, I virtually ignored them until I finished off the burger that’s how good it was. I didn’t want to put it down. It was classic perfection!
The classic Crinkle Cut fries were also delicious, perfectly seasoned with salt after coming out of the fryer, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
Folks, with Braum’s crafting burgers like this throughout the Air Capital, there is no reason to go to a McDonald’s or a Burger King. Braum’s is superior. Period.
My double cheeseburger, fries and drink meal was wallet friendly, made quickly and it really hit the spot! Braum’s gets just four out of five stars though, the service, while matter-of-fact fast, was not smiling face friendly. The burger and fries though, most DEFINITELY a repeat buy!
The Braum’s visited is located at: 1261 S Rock Rd, Wichita, KS 67207
Their classic Double Cheeseburger does the Air Capital proud!
Don’t go to McDonald’s, go to Braum’s instead.
Don’t go to Burger King, go to Braum’s instead.
But my search has only just begun…. I’ll be visiting a large variety of restaurants and sampling all types of food, getting input from patrons and restaurant gurus alike, trying to get a feel for what Wichita’s Signature Dish might be….. Oh, and national chain restaurants will NOT be a part of this challenge, I’m keeping it as local as possible, a true evaluation in finding what might be Wichita’s Signature Dish.
Stay tuned!
What a challenge huh? I am SO looking forward to the rest of this challenge!
What do you think might be Wichita’s signature dish? Comment below.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or a monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike