Essentials: Bacon breakfast burrito at Red Kitchen, Lenexa, Kansas
On a locally made tortilla
“Burrito” can be a fraught term. Drop the word on a menu and some diners will think only of the rice-clogged two-handers at Chipotle. The breakfast burritos at Red Kitchen, a food stall inside Lenexa Public Market, are smaller, chaster, and much more delicious. Which is not to say they’re stingy. The pork-fat Caramelo flour tortillas (made in Lawrence, Kansas) are pliable enough to accommodate fluffy scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, and a low-heat (but high-flavor) tomatillo salsa. You can order the burritos with bacon or chorizo. You can’t go wrong with either, but bacon’s my pick for the crisp textural contrast and extra punch of salt. Even Texas Monthly’s taco editor, José Ralat, is a fan. —Liz Cook
Liz Cook is a Kansas City-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Pitch, Bon Appétit, Eater, and The Kansas City Star. She also writes the experimental food newsletter Haterade.
Kevin Necessary is a freelance illustrator and editorial cartoonist. He is currently the editorial cartoonist for The Cincinnati Enquirer. His cartoons are syndicated by GoComics, and his cartoons have been published in a variety of publications such as The Week and Politico. A Cincinnati native, Kevin will fight to the death defending Cincinnati chili. He lives with his wife, Julie, and three cats, Huckleberry, Grayson, and Bonnie.