dangerboy wrote: Sure there are good independent restaurants in the burbs, but like everything else they are spread out. A big advantage of a real neighborhood like Volker is that there is a concentration of several options in one place. If you want to go out in the burbs you have to plan it out ahead of time. On 39th you can just show and have many excellent choices available to you.
Korma Sutra started in a strip mall at College and Metcalf. There's also a pretty great Moroccan buffet near Metcalf and 119th (they run out of food pretty often though, so it's best to get there early). Oh, and the Caspian Bistro (don't know if it's still open), over at Metcalf and 91st also has some great food. By and large I'd much rather eat in the urban core, but there's plenty of independent and good restaurants out in the burbs if you know where to look (although I really dislike eating out at strip malls, if i go out and can't go into the urban core i have a list of indie places i'll hit up out here).
Ditto that what each of you say. And I'm not saying the suburban restaurants are all bad. e.g. I've been to Korma Sutra, and, the Jackstack at 95th & Metcalf is as good as the Freighthouse location. But I would still rather eat on 39th, or on the Plaza, or downtown. And, it's a toss-up on drive time, because I live way west in Olathe, but it still only takes me about 25 minutes to get downtown. Oddly if I drive 135th to Roe or Mission Road, it takes about the same amount of time because there are 30-40 stoplights-even if I get through half of them they often last 2-3 minutes, so doing the math makes the transit about 30-40 minutes on a good day.