No. 1: The beef sandwich from Arthur Bryant’s

To whet your appetite for The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue, we’re counting down our favorite Top 50 dishes each weekday until October 7.

If you’re lucky, the line doesn’t stretch out the swinging screen door at Arthur Bryant’s. Instead, it’s just long enough for you to change your mind a dozen times while staring at the laminated articles on the wall, which cover the history of everyone who has eaten at Bryant’s before you.

Stephen Spielberg is usually the moment I start craving burnt ends. James Spader is when I’ll know if rib tips are an option today. Jimmy Carter is where a tourist will typically turn around and ask what to get. By the time I get to Sarah Palin, I know I’m only two minutes from handing a plate through the counter window.