|
 Jess & Jim's Steakhouse - Martin City, Missouri Posted by:  iconions
N 38° 52.947 W 094° 35.350
15S E 362160 N 4304932
This very famous steakhouse is located at 517 E 135th Street in Martin City, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WM15DHD
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 12/13/2021
Views: 6
The Building:
Jess and Jim's moved to this building after the infamous Ruskin Heights tornado of 1957. Before that, the restaurant was located further east at the intersection of 135th and Holmes Road. The current building is two stories, with dining occurring on the main floor. The exterior of the building is brick with a lighted "Jess and Jim's" sign on the exterior and a large advertising cow on the roof. The interior is definitely a throwback to earlier times.
The History:
Jess and Jim’s Steak House opened for business in April of 1938, by two men who were best of friends. Jess Kincaid and Jim Wright started their business at 135th & Holmes as a small bar and grill, until the tornado in 1957 moved them to their present location.
Although far south of the city, they believed that good food, good service and fair prices would make the drive worthwhile. Out of this theory became what we know today as “Jess & Jim’s Steak House”.
Jess got out of the business after starting a family, leaving Jim to run the business alone. Jim hired his cousin, R.C. Van Noy, nights to host and manage the dining room. This worked well, Jim in the kitchen and R.C. in the dining room.
In 1972, Calvin Trillin wrote an article in Playboy Magazine that brought Jess & Jim’s Steak House national fame (we named a steak after it).
Jim’s health started failing in 1977 and left R.C. to run things. Jess & Jim have since passed. R.C. has also passed in October of 2002. Mike and David (his sons) have owned the restaurants since 1990. Now the 4th generation is working and grooming to take over the business someday. Jess & Jim’s Steak House, since 1938, has been a family-owned and operated restaurant.
Read the August 1997 article from Kansas City Persona.
The Van Noy Family Believes… “That our customers are the reason for our existence; that character in business today means security and happiness tomorrow; that an organization can only be dealt with on value, quality and integrity; and that by service to our fellow man, we will justify the confidence placed in us.”
- Jess and Jim's Website
Wikipedia Entry on Jess and Jim's
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.
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.
Awards and recognition
The restaurant has also earned accolades from several national publications:
1972 - Calvin Trillin named Jess & Jim's steakhouse "the finest in the world" in his article in Playboy Magazine.
1992 - USA Today named Jess & Jim’s amongst the top five steakhouses in the world.
2001 - Playboy Magazine again named Jess & Jim’s one of the top ten steakhouses in the world, calling it the "quintessential Midwestern steakhouse."
2008 - Esquire Magazine named the KC Playboy Strip at Jess & Jim's as one of the 20 Best Steaks in America
2013 - Travel + Leisure named Jess & Jim's among the best steakhouses in the United States
2013 - The Daily Meal listed Jess & Jim's at #9 in its list of America's 20 Best Steakhouses.
2014 - MSN listed Jess & Jim's at #47 on its list of America's 50 Best Steakhouses.
2014 - Travel Channel television series Food Paradise filmed a segment featuring Jess & Jim's in November.
2014 - Men's Journal recognized Jess & Jim's as being one of the 10 Best Steakhouses in the World.
2016 - Yahoo Food went on a search for the best steakhouses. They ranked Jess and Jim's at the #8 spot on their list of the top ten steakhouses in the world.
2018 - The Daily Meal named Jess & Jim's as The Best Special Occasion Restaurant in the state of Missouri.
- Jess and Jim's Wikipedia Entry
Hours:
Sun - Thu: 11AM - 9PM
Fri - Sat: 11AM - 10PM
Physical Address:
517 E 135th Street
Martin City, MO USA
64145
Rating: 
Web site: [Web Link]
Kid Friendly?: no
|
Visit Instructions:
Visit the location and try get as much information as you can!! Let us know everything!!
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|