Plus, Heidi Gartner’s fave Kansas City barbecue joints

Hello! I hope you’re reading this dispatch on a sandy beach alongside crystalline waters. Or maybe you’re checking your inbox sipping a zippy little spritz, waiting for your like-a-local food crawl to start? (In which case, what are you doing?! Log out of your email and enjoy your adventures!) As for me, I’m back from a sunny, sweaty weekend in Provincetown and Wellfleet in Massachusetts, where I ate my weight in seafood: plump oysters, a dreamy crab rangoon grilled cheese, and a bounty of deep-fried clam strips hiding a piquant, brow-raising giardiniera sauce I can’t stop thinking about.

There’s plenty of summer left, so this week, we’re daydreaming of daytrips and destination dining. On the docket:

In our recently launched column, Hotels With Great Taste, BA’s editors and writers report on the best properties dishing out incredible food experiences. We take you to Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit in our latest installment. (Psst: It’s free for newsletter subscribers.)
Former SNL star Heidi Gardner takes us on a local’s tour of her fave Kansas City barbecue joints.

JOSEPH HERNANDEZ
DIRECTOR OF CULTURE

Image may contain: Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Lakefront, Plant, Tree, Water, and Waterfront

Sun, Sand, and Spirits in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit

BY ABBEY STONE

With Hotels With Great Taste, we pull back the curtain for a peek at the “special sauce” that hotels use to create memorable, meaningful culinary experiences for their guests. Senior commerce director Abbey Stone gave us major travel envy with her report at a newish beach resort where she sipped on rare agave spirits, beachside, and then helped baby turtles return to the water!

To help you with your trip-planning inspo, this story is free to non-subscribers.

A woman walking throughout a kitchen with a sheet tray of food

Heidi Gardner Is Kansas City Barbecue’s Loudest Cheerleader

BY JOSEPH HERNANDEZ

“Kansas City feels like a hug,” says Heidi Gardner. And she would know: The comedian, actress, and native Kansas Citian is a proud booster for her hometown. I had the pleasure of chatting with the star about her favorite local joints in a city famous for its signature, smoky-saucy style.