The Westside Local

Last week the Westside Local announced 4 new menu items for Autumn. 

1.  Chipotle Glazed Salmon

2.  Crispy Pork Belly

3.  Grilled Portobello Mushroom 

4.  Autumn Quinoa

 

All four sounded great to me, so I couldn’t wait to get there and try them.  On this trip, I took my son and met a friend.  We started off with a Goat Chorizo and queso fresco flat bread, the goat chorizo had been made by Local Pig.  This was the perfect pick to start off the evening; we all really enjoyed it, the chorizo was just spicy enough and was balanced out nicely by the queso fresco.  I don’t think that this is a regular menu item, but I wish it were.  I definitely want to have this again.

 I decided to have the Autumn Quinoa, sweet onions, brussels sprouts, diced sweet potatoes, roasted cranberries, sautéed kale greens, port reduction, rosemary goat cheese and pecans.  Oh my gosh this was good, all of these ingredients really blended nicely together.  It was such a large portion that I couldn’t even eat it all.

Goat Chorizo – Queso Fresco Flat Bread

Autumn Quinoa

Chipotle Glazed Salmon

Mac & Cheese

Chocolate Espresso Pot de Creme

My friend had the Chipotle Glazed Salmon, which is served with mushroom wild rice and an arugala-walnut pesto.  All of us agreed that the chipotle glaze really made this dish and was nicely complemented by the arugala-walnut pesto, both really nice toppings to the sushi grade salmon.

I wanted my son to try either the Crispy Pork Belly or theGrilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich, after all, we were here to sample the new menu items.  But he ordered the Macaroni and Cheese with sweet potatoes and bacon.  The pasta was very large rotini and it wasn’t very creamy and turned out a little dry.  He disliked the presentation, he thought it looked like it had been spooned into the bowl and reheated. He didn’t like it and managed to eat only about 6 bites.  In his defense, he has sampled mac & cheese from many establishments and he was expecting it to be more like the mac & cheese from Bin Wine Cafe in Wicker Park (Chicago).  Oh well, c’est la vie.

For dessert we each ordered a cup of Rosterie blend coffee (I love that they use local suppliers) and shared a Chocolate, Double Espresso Pot de Creme served in a small ramekin with a dolop of fresh whipped cream on top.  We were each given a demitasse spoon to eat this with.  You could taste the graininess of the ground-up coffee beans in the rich mousse-like chocolate.  I have to have this again.  It was great and we all loved it.  It was a perfect way to end the evening together.

I’ll be back again soon to try the two remaining new menu items.  Maybe I’ll see you there.

The Westside Local
1663 Summit Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
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Phone:  (816) 997-9089

 

Remedy Food + Drink

Waldo seems to be Kansas City’s Bar and Grill / Tavern Mecca.  This summer Remedy Food and Drink opened on 75^th Street just one block west of Wornall Road.  This was a stroke of luck for me, because I normally like to meet people for beer or cocktails on the roof of “The Well”, which is basically a block away, but with the scorching 100+ degree heat this summer, I wanted to take it inside.  We ended up landing at Remedy.  Remedy is a Gastro pub, so even though much of its food is still fried, it is a step up from the food served at The Well (which is good pub fare as well).          

The bartenders here are considered “mixologists”.  They don’t just make the same old standbys out of the bartender’s bible; they are supposed to be experts in the art of cocktail making.  I like to have them concoct something different for me each time I go in.  They will ask a few questions (Bitter? Sweet? Savory? Gin? Rum? Vodka? etc.), and will go about creating their masterpiece.  Some of the creations have been really wonderful while others have been really hard to swallow, but it’s always fun.  

 Remedy still feels very bar like.  For me, it would be better if they would remove the bar height tables and chairs and replace them with lower tables, sofas and soft chairs, making it more lounge like.  For me, that would take this place way over the top, and make it hard for me to decide if I wanted to sip cocktails here, or on the roof at The Well. 

My two favorite appetizers here are Eggplant Fries and “Pig Tails”.  I don’t believe anyone else is making eggplant fries.  They are great.  Long strings of eggplant (some of them still have the purple skin on them), lightly breaded and fried.  They are salty and slightly sweet.  A waitress told me that the sweetness comes from the fact that they are drizzled in honey.  I order these every time.  They quickly become limp and soggy as they get cold, but they are so good that this is rarely a problem for my friends and I.   The pig tails have a center of diced carrots, surrounded by pork, which is then breaded and fried.  These are served with slightly spicy pureed celery. 

I have tried the much lauded Pork Shoulder; it is served on a bed of Kale.  I really like kale and the flavor of this pork is really great.  It’s very tender although not exactly juicy.  I’ve also tried many items on the “Specials Board”.  These are one time, or once in a while items that are prepared based on whatever was fresh that day, following the farm-to-table trend.  Everything that I’ve had from the specials board was good, mostly in-season fruits and vegetables.  I’m curious what they will have on the board during the winter.

 I’ve tried two desserts here, the chocolate brownie waffle and the fried pies.  The chocolate brownie waffle was just okay, I like the novelty of it more than I liked the flavor and texture, but in full disclosure, I’m not exactly a fan of brownies.  So, don’t let my ho-hum review prevent you from trying one if you’re a brownie fan.  Instead I’d rather have the fried pies.  You receive three small fried fruit tarts, (apple, pear and mixed berry), served hot with a small scoop of Mascarpone Ice Cream. 

 Remedy is a good place to unwind with friends and an interesting addition to all of the other bar and grill establishments in Waldo.

Remedy Food and Drink

500 West 75th Street

Kansas City, MO  64114

 

Phone:  (816) 361-9788

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