While driving back to Kansas City along highway 24 / 40 (also known as State Ave), we passed a small green building, surrounded by a completely full parking lot. The marquee out front flashed "Tacos 50 cents." "Let's stop," I told my wife. Usually when a restaurant is this crowded, there's a good reason. We turned around at the next opportunity and drove back to Kelleys.
We parked by the outside eating area, wisely placed on the east side of the building. The slant of the roof shaded the diners from the hot sun as it set in the west.
The hostess took our names (first name only) as we waited a brief 10 minutes before being seated. Our table was located in the middle of the restaurant, close to the front door, so we watched as groups of people continued to enter the building. This restaurant must have been the social event for the Basehor community on a Sunday night. As people entered the restaurant, other people would holler at their friends and neighbors. With the exception of us, I think everyone in the restaurant knew someone else!
A large screen television showed the current Sunday football game over in the smoking section. However, the large room was open enough that we could easily watch the game. A row of raised tables lined the front windows with a section of regular tables in the middle (where we sat). The ventilation was excellent as we did not notice any smoke smell or irritation.
Our server looked no older than 15, but she brought out my order of beer, so she needed to be at least 21 (Kansas law). She quickly welcomed us to the restaurant and suggested that we get the tacos. She explained that the restaurant sells thousands of these tacos each Sunday night and all the servers must wear the same red tacky t-shirt that stated "This ain't Taco Bell." I ordered 6 tacos and my wife had four.
Our food arrived quickly. The tacos looked as if they came from Taco Bell. They were the same size, lined in the bottom with meat, topped with lettuce and cheese. They came in plastic containers with a small 4oz plastic container of salsa and our server filled another small container with diced tomatoes for us.
I thought the tacos tasted great. I quickly gobbled down each taco and had the right amount of beer to wash them down. My wife picked at her tacos. She disagreed with my assessment, thinking that she would have enjoyed dinner from Taco Bell over this meal. She thinks my taste buds were impacted by the wine tasting and that any food would have tasted good.
The best part of this dining experience was the people-watching. The elderly couple, dressed in their overalls, entered the restaurant just after a group of high school cheerleaders. I think everyone in the community was at Kelley’s for tacos that night.