9-24-11 Westside Local

We drove around the westside looking for a locally owned deli only to find it was closed on the weekends. As we drove around, we came upon the Westside Local.

It's a good thing we found this place, because this place will make you want to slap your ancestors and Ancient Aliens -- for real!

We started out with the deviled eggs - and they're not your mom or grandma's deviled eggs that make your tongue dry up like a slug. They showed up with a sauce drizzled on them of orange vinaigrette, basil aioli, and microgreens (some which looked like 4 leaf clovers).  

They were really good. My mom usually puts way too much vinegar and paprika on hers but these were very mild and the sauce and microgreens made them even better. We wanted to wipe all the sauces off of the plate with every bite.

JE ordered the Summit burger with fries. This burger is a ½ pound ground rib-eye, with arugula, tomato, swiss, and a dijon vinaigrette, on a toasted brioche bun.

JE said it was perfectly cooked and had the reddest tomato he's ever seen. The burger was very tasty. The fries were glorious and seemed as if they were double boiled due to their crispness. JE asked for a side of the homemade mayo which was a garlic aioli which make for a really good dipping sauce for the fries. The ketchup that came with the fries tasted like fresh tomato paste. I say paste because that's what it reminded me of.

I ordered the pesto chicken sandwich. Now, I don't know if the deviled eggs we had as an appetizer came from the chicken I ate, but I don't care. It would have made for a good story. My sandwich had grilled chicken, basil pesto, goat cheese, tomato, and arugula, on kalamata olive bread.

This sandwich was pretty big or maybe the eggs had already filled me up, but I had trouble eating the whole thing. I wasn't sure if it would warm up well later so I forced myself to eat the entire thing. The chicken was perfect and the pesto, goat cheese and the bread really made it even better. You can't tell very well from the picture but I almost had to unhinge my jaw to bite into this thing. JE wanted to slap me because it was so good. My sandwich came with fries as well and they were a welcome addition.

Everything here is local, they probably even make their own water. Art hangs on the walls with price tags but some of it you could probably make at home with a cheap canvas and some paint. It makes the dining room into a museum of sorts.

JE has been hearing about this place for awhile, but he wouldn't go there because he thought it was snooty and precocious. It really isn't. The staff is great, the food is better, the price may be a little more than you expect (but hey it's fresh food) and the insides shine. I sat on the bench and felt like I was on a throne it was so high...and the tables look like they could have been parts of old floors back in the day, but it all adds up to a great dining experience.

We ate off their spring and summer menu, but we want to return when the fall/winter menu comes out. There is a grilled cheese sandwich that comes with tomato fennel soup that sounds really good as well as baked mac and cheese.

Check out Westside Local at 1663 Summit Street in KCMO.