Kansas City, Missouri, may be best known as a barbecue town, but a new generation of dedicated chefs, mixologists and coffee roasters are helping to make this place a truly diverse dining destination. Though locals will still defend their smoked ribs and burnt ends until the cows come home, a new Midwestern cuisine is emerging: one that showcases pork instead of smothering it in smoke and sauce, celebrates creativity as much as it does simplicity and deserves to be washed down with a carefully crafted cocktail. — Emily Farris, food writer