Continuing with more of my upcoming trip and advice from people here. I've had great results in the first two areas, hopefully, that continues here. Coming out of Columbus in early August on a Sunday, I am looking for lunch recommendations for near St. Louis, preferably near Rt 270. I don't have time to stop and eat so it should be a place I can order ahead or get quickly if I order when I arrive. I will have a trailer so the place needs to be easy to drive to, preferably near a highway exit, and either have open easy parking or be near someplace with parking I can use temporarily (say a Home Depot or similar). If it also has a solid beer I can get to go and drink later, even better. Would be great if it had food that shows off local iconic foods. I am staying at a campground east of KC that night and will drop off the trailer. Then I am hoping to go to Bar K to get my dog some exercise for an hour or so. Not sure they will have anything particularly noteworthy, but I'll likely grab a beer there. I was thinking about trying to get some BBQ to go and bring back to the campsite for a late dinner. Currently, I am looking at Q39 midtown as an option that is open after 8 pm on Sunday and allows ordering ahead. Maybe a better option exists? Also curious if there is any beers I should try to grab from a bottle shop if one is open that late. The next day I am headed to Colorado, see my next thread on that topic. that being said I still have Kansas to get across and a similar lunch situation as St. Louis. I am guessing I will be on I70 near Colby for gas around lunch, so any locations in that area or as quick off the highway say 30-45 minutes before/after it. Same limitations and situation as St. Louis.
BBQ on Sundays is tough. Joe's is closed on Sundays period. Q39 is a great option, and for many, is a top choice BBQ place in the city. Char Bar is in the same area. Their Womp platter is spectacular, and a good way to share all sorts of BBQ meats with others. Strange Days Brewery is up by BarK and has a patio, should you want to stop for local beer. As far as the drive to Colorado, I've only ever stopped at Gella's Diner in Hays, KS for a beer. It was a slow stop. Not sure what else is on the way outside of fast food. Not sure on what's on local shelves. I did see a local stout I was sorta surprised to see at Mike's Wine & Spirits. I go so infrequently that I couldn't give you an accurate read though.
While I can't really offer suggestions about *where* you should get them in the parts of the St. Louis metro you're focusing on for lunch, the best-known regional foods there are St. Louis-style pizza and toasted ravioli. Depending on your interest level in trying local/regional chains, Imo's is the best-known one for pizza. Being in KC on a Sunday evening is a little rough - as @Harrison8 noted, there's not a whole lot open into the later evening hours. The two closest breweries to Bar K close at 7 (Strange Days) and 8 (River Bluff). Given that you are eyeing stops in midtown area of KC, there is a city off-leash park at 29th and Wyandotte (just south of the WWI museum) as well. While between the two, I'd probably give the nod to Q39 for food alone, Char Bar is open late on Sundays and has a very large (and very dog-friendly) outdoor space. There aren't any stores that stand apart for beer selection in the KC metro, but the Mike's Westport Rd. location makes sense for a stop if you're in the area. FWIW, neither Alma Mader nor BKS distribute to liquor stores, so if you'd to try anything from one or both breweries, shoot me a message in August. For your drive through Kansas, the pickings get very slim past Hays. I'll second the Gella's recommendation; if you're crunched for time, you can get a to-go order while having a beer there. There's also a gas station/convenience store in town that carries a number of locally-made snack items - Cerv's. The only non-fast food place I've stopped at between Hays and Denver and would recommend is The Dish Room, in Burlington, CO; it's about an hour west of Colby.
Now that I have finished my trip, I wanted to follow up on each respective thread as it relates to each of the regions I posted about. Each response is unique to that region so this starting text is the only thing I will be duplicating. First thank you to @swid for meeting me in KC and welcoming me to the area. The beers he brought to trade ended up being bridge beers to get me to later locations where I was actually able to spend time and experience more. KC was our overnight stop on the way to Wyoming and we had limited time there. We first went to Bar K to get my dog some exercise and grab a quick beer before dinner. The place is massive for a dog park and they had a decent selection of beers I was mostly unfamiliar with. If you have a dog and like beer, it is worth a go I think. After that, we grabbed dinner to go from Q39. Top-tier BBQ, so f-ing good. Went great with one of the beers from swid, Pillar from Alma Mader. The next day we trudged out to the Denver area. While very short, KC was a solid stop despite their highway interchanges seemingly being made to create accidents.
