It has been many moons since our last cheese platter, and we apologize for that. We’re still on the hunt for KC’s best cheese plate. Our latest stop was at Westport’s Ça Va. Ça Va is a French Champagne cocktail hot spot, best known for the exclusive list of bubbles and the like. To be honest, I still don’t know how to pronounce it, but boy did we feel fancy being inside.

Oui oui!

Our date turned into a double date. When we called for a reservation, we specifically requested a table in a corner or a secluded area. We arrived and were placed in the first table in front, stuck between the front door and the patio door. Humph. We asked to be moved: wish was granted.

The atmosphere of Ça Va is classic and chic. Very busy on a Wednesday at 7:00 PM, not many seats left empty. There is a huge French flag hanging in the window with corks everywhere for decor. Large candle castles were a nice touch, feeling like this place has been here for 100 years worth of candles. So we sit down and order our drinks from our lovely waitress, Solace. For me- prosecco and for Derek, a Dapper Sipper (don’t tell me that’s not fun to say). We put in our order for their cheese plate and waited in extreme anticipation.

So cute.

Then…she arrived. Smaller than anticipated, we were hoping the three tiny cheeses presented in front of us would have enough bang to make us look past their minuscule size. It was pretty to look at, I’ll give them that. Our plate consisted of three cheeses, carrot paste (which I’m convinced was pickled), blackberries, and pickled shallots. Served with a side of pretzel crisps, we were locked and loaded. Hold on to ya butts…

Isn’t she loooovellyy?

Camembert from St. Louis
This cheese looks like a love child between brie and feta. It is a soft white cheese, defined by a dusted, thick, white rind. It is fairly “stenchless” (yes, odorless is the word, but we prefer stenchless). When this camembert first hits your lips, it isn’t much, however the flavor sharpens as it makes its way towards the back of your tongue. I would recommend this cheese on a pretzel crisps and only on a pretzel crisp. This cheese is not going to impress your friends, but it won’t be a total L-7 weenie at a party. It is sort of like the second Jurassic Park movie: decent, but not life changing.

Everton
Never heard of it. SO, with my knowledge of the name and that it comes from Indiana, I hit the ol’ interwebs and I am ASSUMING this is a cheese from the Jacobs & Brichford Farms out of southeast Indiana. This cheese has a yellowish tint, semi soft, thick rind, giving the appearance of a white cheddar. To be honest, it was sort of a buzzkill. As the theme continues, it was better with a pretzel crisp. Our friend tried a bit and responded with a definite, “HUH.” Which was followed by, “If this was on a dating app, I would not swipe right.” Boom. Roasted.

Cabrales
We saved this one for last because, well, it looked the most exciting. This Spanish blue cheese is made from cow’s, goat’s, AND sheep’s milk. SAY WHAT. How riveting! All four of us agreed that this cheese is THE inspiration for the Stinky Cheese Man. With the other two cheeses proving to be the co-mayors of Bum-City, I was ready. Give me flavor or give me death. After so much anticipation, the truth was revealed. For me? I enjoyed it. It was soft and smooth, with that kick of blue veins to give it that extra HEYO– not bad, especially on a pretzel crisp. Everyone else? Nope. The other three describe this cheese as, “Your friend that shows up uninvited to your house,” “ Far more overpowering than I anticipated,” and last but not least, “I wouldn’t want that in my mouth.”

Dominated.

So that was that. The service at Ça Va was fairly good, the ambiance was elegant, the cheese platter, however, was slightly disappointing. I would not go back to Ça Va for the cheese plate, but definitely for a celebratory drink of bubbly…and the pretzel crisps.

Check out where it falls on our KC Cheese Plate rankings.

Thanks for stopping by, and keep cheesin’.

-C