Buck Tui BBQ — Restaurant in Overland Park

I have to say it, Teddy and Pam have knocked this one out of the park. The atmosphere is exactly where it needs to be and I can't wait to see the finished bar area. The music was a positive bouncy mix of old, new, retro, and some solid modern styles.

With most Kansas City BBQ you come to expect specific staples on the menu like fries or pit beans. I mean, if you really want some fries, sure I guess... but there are some great combinations that meld amazingly well that will make you second guess ordering fries. Pit beans though, it's a bit over played, and for a place like this, it almost doesn't fit.

The Buck Tui Pickles are done so delicately, they shine on their own. It's a level of umami that is so well balanced and refreshing. It's not an over powered pack of punchy pickles... they are thin sliced with just the right touch of vinegar brine with a hint of floral peppery notes. I normally don't like pickles with most KC style BBQ joints as it's usually the nuclear-green Hulk-Smash hamburgar dills or the drastic valasic jar spears ready to lay claim to another victum. No, these are quite the refreshing palette cleanser. So much so, they stand out on their own.

For something crisp and refreshing though, the Papaya Slaw is another clear winner. Much like their pickles, it's an amazing palette cleanser. Also great if you get tricked into taking a shot of Pam's Tiger Cry Sauce. However, a small spoon of that sauce added to the Papaya Slaw was a wonderful match. The slaw already had a wonderful flavor and cooling notes, it was the Tiger Cry Sauce that just pushed it up past the next level of amazing.

This is all well and good, but what about the meats you say. Hold on to that thought as there are a couple apetizers I tried that need something said. Our group split the Sausage Dumplings and Brisket Eggrolls. If you have ever been to Waldo Thai, the dipping sauce for the ran-goons is either identical or nearly the same with minor adjustments for the Brisket Eggrolls. The Eggrolls were wrapped in a delicate wonton and lightly fried (almost "melts in your mouth" kind of fried). Two of the three had a great mixture with mouth watering brisket in the mix while the third one we were all convinced was a bit lacking in the lush meat department. However, the Brisket Eggrolls were a solid winner. You can't go wrong with creamy, crispy, smokey, cheesy any day of the week. For the other side of those notes, you have the Sausage Dumplings. These crunchy little succulent pockets of savory meat are something I had to stop and enjoy. The only thing I had a want for was a smidge more heat I could have added as an alternate dipping sauce. Perhaps something along the lines of a raddish aoli with a slightly smokey mustard back-note to emphasize the KC Style 'Queing with the Thai flair. The sauce that came with the Sausage Dumplings was spot on for that level of savory, I just had a want for a little more heat. Served with these Dumplings was a bed of perfectly pickled diced carrots, scallion whites, and I believe a note of garlic and ginger. Dipping the Dumplings in the sauce and dredging through this pickled bed mixture really does drive this dish quite well though.

What about the meats though? I have to say, I was floored. We had the full platter which consisted of Brisket, Pulled Pork, Sausage, Chicken, and Ribs. My absolute favorites were the Chicken and the Sausage. If I could get a to-go with a 1/4 chicken and a half link with a side... that would be my go to every day of the week. Of the two, the Sausage was King. The casing was perfectly snappy and caramelized and the sausage wasn't just a tube of smoked meat. You could taste the hint of basil and I believe leeks with a hint of shallot in the blend. A dab in the Tiger Cry sauce made it sublime. The Chicken was well permeated and smokey. The texture was perfect and the chicken skin was absolutely better than bacon...

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So let me start off by talking about the food. Absolutely fantastic, beautiful flavors and really awesome fusions. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it delicious? Absolutely. Have I been dreaming about the brisket crab rangoons? Of course! Everything we had was amazing and we are definitely going to come back for more at some point. Whoever they have on the smoker needs a raise because I've had a lot of BBQ around town because this was some of the most tender brisket I've ever eaten. The pork belly melts in your mouth and the pulled pork (which they've aptly named "Heavenly Pork" is just that, too good to describe.

It is a little expensive, between the two of us we had one appetizer, two entrees and 2 drinks. With tip we spent about $100.

Service on the other hand left a LOT to be desired.

We started off by waiting to be greeted by the hostess who was not at her station. We didn't have to wait long though, but we did have to wait while she pondered where to put us. I understand that every restaurant has a system, whether it be sections or rotating between servers. I requested a booth and the hostess was nice enough to comply with my request. A few minutes in we were greeted by a lovely server who told us our waiter would be right over. It took him the greater part of 10 minutes to come by after that point. He greeted us casually and asked what we'd like to drink, and gave us a lofty apology for the wait. We gave him our full order because we had plenty of time to decide before he had arrived. Our food was brought out by another friendly member of staff. It wasn't until we were approximately halfway through our meal before the server stopped by again to check on us and make sure everything was to our liking. I asked for a refill on my drink and he acknowledged my request but it took him about 5 minutes to bring it by. I had already finished my meal at that point but was happy to have the refill. We sat for another 20 minutes while he one-tripped us. By that I mean, we asked for a box to take the rest of our food Togo and our check, then came by again to refill my partners water, then finally asked us if we would like the bill (Which we asked for with the Togo containers). It appeared as though there were only 2 servers in the restaurant, but everytime I looked up I could see the second server but not ours. She was keeping herself busy and was always moving. I also understand that there is a lot of stuff that happens in the back of the restaurant in which customers do not see so I tried to remain understanding that maybe he had some side work that was keeping himself busy. I tried to chalk it up to them being busy, but only about half of the tables were taken up.

Regardless, I was disappointed in the quality of service provided by our server. For the price we paid, we left with a bit of a sour taste in our mouth. I remember his name so I will request to not sit in his section again, although I wish to not name him here.

I'm happy to change my review after our next visit, everybody deserves a second chance. Especially this place for how fantastic the food is. If you've been brave enough to read this overly lengthy review, it is definitely worth a trip in. Get the crab rangoons. Every table in the restaurant had them, and I...

Poorly run establishment. My wife and I checked-in Friday and were told it would be roughly a 45 minute wait but that the bar was open seating so if something opened we could grab it. Unfortunately, the bar was full, so we left our name and number and skipped up this street for drink while we were waiting. About 30 mins later, we came back to check in. We were told by the same two young ladies running the hostesses stand that it would be another 15-20 mins which was completely understandable. While waiting, I decided to use the restroom and, on my way, back to the entryway to wait, i noticed two recently vacated spots at the bar. The bartenders were busy making drinks, so I confirmed with server standing at the bar that the bar was open seating and proceeded to sit down. I called my wife, who was still waiting entryway, to let her know I just got two seats at the bar. My wife then let one of the hostesses know that we grabbed two open bar seats so that they could remove our names from the list, and she started my way. Around the same time, one of the two hostesses proceeded to the bar and asked what name we used to check in, to which I replied my wife checked us in so probably, Lacey. The second hostesses then appeared and the two of them went to an older lady bartender and had a brief, private conversation. Shortly, after the two hostesses left, the bartender told us we couldn't have the seats we were sitting in at the bar and told us we'd have to vacate the chairs. I replied that I had just confirmed with the server at the bar that it was open seating and that we were told it was open seating at the bar when we checked in. To which she replied, well it isn't anymore. In all my days, I've been told it's open seating by three different employees and then asked to leave my seats because it was no longer open seating. Nonetheless, we go back to the entryway and my wife lets the two hostesses know that we are back in line because we were told the bar is no longer open seating. Of course, the hostesses knew we were back in line waiting because they were the ones that asked the bartender to tell us to leave the seats (which they proceeded to give to two other people directly after we got back in line). We waited another 15 mins and then decided to leave as it had been nearly an hour wait at this point. We never did receive a call or text stating that our table was ready. The place seems poorly run or at least the hostesses have no idea what they are doing... I don't know. Either way, we won't be back. My recommendation for Thai food and great service... Waldo Thai or Bamboo Penny or if you want Asian inspired BBQ look up the Smoke N...