Jess & Jim's Steakhouse

Jess & Jim's Steakhouse
Crowd gathered in front of Jess & Jim's during the 2013 Martin City St. Patrick's Day Parade
Restaurant information
Established	April 15, 1938
Current owner(s)	Mike Van Noy
Food type	steakhouse
Street address	517 E 135th Street
City	Martin City
State	Missouri
Postal code/ZIP	64145
Country	USA
Coordinates	38°52′56″N 94°35′21″W / 38.88232°N 94.58918°W / 38.88232; -94.58918Coordinates: 38°52′56″N 94°35′21″W / 38.88232°N 94.58918°W / 38.88232; -94.58918
Website	jessandjims.com

Jess & Jim's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant located on 135th Street in Martin City, Missouri. Founded in 1938, Jess & Jim's has been ranked numerous times by national publications as one of the best steakhouses in the United States.^[1]

History

Jess & Jim's originally opened for business in April 1938, near the corner of 135th Street and Holmes Road in Martin City, Missouri, near the location that is now occupied by Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue. Jess & Jim's was started as a small bar and grill by best friends Jess Kincaid and Jim Wright. After a short time, Jess Kincaid got married and sold his share of the business to Jim Wright; however, his name "Jess" in the restaurant name remained as a lasting reminder of his contributions and friendship with Jim Wright. In 1949, Wright's cousin R.C. Van Noy began working in the business.

On the evening of May 20, 1957 the F5 Ruskin Heights Tornado passed through Martin City on its way to leveling the newly built Ruskin Heights neighborhood. The restaurant was not opened on that Monday night, which may have saved many lives. The tornado destroyed the original Jess & Jim's building, but the owner's parakeet survived unharmed. Following the tornado, Wright moved the restaurant to its current location at 135th and Locust Street, because R.C. Van Noy already owned the building, and they didn't have insurance on the other building that was destroyed. Before Jess & Jim's moved into its current home, the building housed a pharmacy downstairs and Huffy's roller rink on the upper level.^[2][3]

In the late 1960s, R.C. Van Noy's involvement in the business increased. Beginning in 1970, the two men split the business with R.C. overseeing the host duties and Jim as the cook. In 1972, journalist Calvin Trillin wrote about Jess & Jim's for an article in Playboy Magazine. In his article, Trillin called Jess & Jim's "the finest steak restaurant in the world." After the article was released, business increased so much that the building had to be expanded twice. The restaurant went from seating around 100 to around 250. The restaurant even renamed its 25-ounce Kansas City strip steak as the "KC Playboy Strip."

In 1977, Jim Wright's health was beginning to fail, and he moved out of the Kansas City area. R.C. Van Noy took over ownership of the restaurant from Jim. R.C.'s son Mike also began working at Jess & Jim's in the 1970s. In 1989, Mike Van Noy took over operations of the restaurant from his father.

Menu

Jess & Jim's is best known for its steaks, which are served while still sizzling. The 25 ounce strip steak is a signature item known as the KC Playboy Strip. Dinners include a unique appetizer of pickled beets. The restaurant is also known for its enormous twice baked potato, which is available as a side dish. The restaurant also serves very large steakburgers, which have been received well by critics. At Jess & Jim's, the focus is on the food rather than the atmosphere. The decor of the restaurant hasn't changed much in decades, and it has been compared to that of the classic rustic Texas steakhouses.^[4]

In honor of the restaurant's 75th anniversary, Jess & Jim's introduced a 75 once steak challenge. The meal is free to anyone who can complete the entire meal within one hour. The full meal that must be completed includes a dinner salad, garlic toast, a loaded twice baked potato, beets, and the 75 ounce top sirloin steak. Competitive eater Molly Schuyler finished the 75 ounce steak challenge in 18 minutes and 55 seconds on April 6, 2013. The 75 ounce steak is three ounces larger than the Texas King, which is featured in the well known steak challenge at The Big Texan Steak Ranch^[5][6]

Awards and recognition

Jess & Jim's has been visited by a number of well known individuals, including President Harry S. Truman, Walter Cronkite, Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. The restaurant has also earned accolades from several national publications.^[7]

• 1972 - Calvin Trillin named Jess & Jim's steakhouse "the finest in the world" in his article in Playboy Magazine.^[1]
• 1992 - USA Today named Jess & Jim’s amongst the top five steakhouses in the world.^[8]
• 2001 - Playboy Magazine again named Jess & Jim’s one of the top ten steakhouses in the world, calling it the "quintessential Midwestern steakhouse."^[9]
• 2008 - Esquire Magazine named the KC Playboy Strip at Jess & Jim's as one of the 20 Best Steaks in America^[10]
• 2013 - Travel + Leisure named Jess & Jim's among the best steakhouses in the United States^[11]
• 2013 - The Daily Meal listed Jess & Jim's at #9 in its list of America's 20 Best Steakhouses.^[5][12][13]
• 2014 - MSN listed Jess & Jim's at #47 on its list of America's 50 Best Steakhouses.^[14]
• 2014 - Travel Channel television series Food Paradise filmed a segment featuring Jess & Jim's in November.^[15][16]
• 2016- Yahoo Foods went on a search for the best steakhouses across the globe. They ranked Jess and Jim's at the #8 spot on their top ten list. ^[17]

References