Where are you embarrassed to admit you’ve never eaten in KC?

• Flickr: John Bolwitt
• A place mat like this is in my future.

I’ve actually stepped foot twice in Manny’s. The first time, I was called away to the nearby Lulu’s in the Crossroads after my friends changed their minds about what they wanted for dinner. The second time, the line was simply too long to even put my name in.

It’s a hole in my dining repertoire — a Kansas City staple that I’ve never attempted to tackle with fork and knife in hand. But whenever I casually suggest it, most of my dining partners have either been there recently or admit to a bit of Manny’s fatigue. I never push the issue because too much time has passed (this will mark the fifth year I’ve lived in Kansas City) to admit that I’ve never been to one of the pillars of Mexican food in the city.

But it’s 2012, and I’m headed there this month. What should I order? And because this is a safe space, which restaurant are you embarrassed to admit you’ve never patronized?