Gouda Music II – Happy March

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 / itsthegoudalife / Leave a comment

February flew by, and on its way out demonstrated a variety of seasons over the course of only a few days. I was able to break into and out of my spring wardrobe in a hat tip to Kansas’ haphazard weather patterns and global warming.

This blog’s been relatively stagnant lately, which I do apologize for. Especially because stagnancy is something I so strive to avoid when I can. That said, there’s plenty in the works. We have camping trips scheduled, weddings to attend in new places, and I’m currently curing an oak barrel to season some large-batch cocktails. There’s always cheese plates to review in this town, as well. Naturally, we plan on dragging you along as we take these things on, and we appreciate your continued support of the Gouda Life.

So, in the spirit of improved consistency, here’s another edition of something we’d like to continue sharing – Gouda Music. I didn’t have anything particular planned as far as a theme is concerned, so I just added a few and rode the feeling. A few are some favorites, others come with a heavy dose of nostalgia for me, particularly the Paper Kite’s A Maker of My Time, to name one. My brother introduced me to this song back in 2012 when I had moved back from Dallas, TX. We covered a plethora of topics as we got acclimated to physically frequenting each other’s lives again, and this song, for one reason or another, evokes a near-tangible feeling from that time. Not to mention, it’s a reminder that our time here is exceedingly short, so make of it what you will.

And I do hope you make this March one to remember.

-Derek

Gouda Music I

February 16, 2017February 16, 2017 / itsthegoudalife / Leave a comment

Elements of a successful cheese plate:

Cheese
Wine
Good company
Nice jams

Today and moving forward, we’ll be providing you with a playlist that’s accompanying our cheesy happenings. There’s no real criteria outside of the fact it’s what we’re listening to right now. One thing to note, too, is that this playlist isn’t only applicable for cheese plates. In fact, here’s a few other examples of situations this playlist could enhance for the better:

Sitting, pondering, and visualizing victory in your favorite chair
A mid-week bath bomb relaxation sesh
Dinner accompaniment
Reminiscing and over-analyzing your life’s most paralyzingly embarrassing moments
Running off the last cheese plate you consumed
Car rides lasting 10 minutes or longer
Being overly critical of yourself while staring into the mirror

And that’s just scratching the surface, folks.

The music is embedded below, or you can click here to open it in Spotify.

Let us know what you think. Enjoy Episode 1.

Westside Local’s cheese plate does not disappoint.

September 26, 2016September 27, 2016 / itsthegoudalife / Leave a comment

My body was yearning for another cheese plate. And KC was yearning for a new cheese plate review. So we took one for the team (with pleasure), and rolled out with our pooch to Westside Local.

Tucked away in one of KC’s cutest and quietest neighborhoods, Westside Local’s food and signature cocktails draw people in any day of the week. Farm to table dining with trendy urban decorations— you can’t not enjoy this place.

We sat on the patio and were immediately greeted with a dog bowl of water and FREE BONES?! Our girl was in heaven. D ordered an Old Fashioned, myself – the house red wine. Cheese plate had been ordered, now we patiently waited.

Laurie delivered our plate in a very timely manner. It… was… stunning! Westside Local gets 5 out of 5 for presentation. The fresh nature-y look of the creamy cheese, fresh fruit, crispy bread, and garnishing all atop a thick dark-wooded platter. Straight outta the Shire y’all.

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Hootie hooooo!!

So we read up on the names of the players in this cheese game going down on the patio. Our tastebuds were ready. Let’s do this.

First up:

Cottonwood Cheddar

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You cheddar believe it was amazing.

Cut into thick cubes, this dry aged white cheddar cheese was like seeing an old friend. With a creamy yellow hue, this cheese was good on or off the cracker chips. Cottonwood cheddar will never get old, thus making it dangerous for people with cheese addictions. My only qualm with this beautiful cube of cheddar was just that, it was a large cube. Making it awkward to eat with the crackers. Nonetheless, it was delicious.

Homemade Ricotta

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My favorite DIY is DIY formaggio.

I did NOT expect to see ricotta this evening, what a surprise! Westside Local makes their own peppered ricotta, shaped like mashed potatoes with a pool of olive oil in the middle. Easy to spread on a cracker, slightly cooled. I’m not the world’s biggest ricotta fan, but DIY stuff is dope. So points for that.

A Green Dirt Farm Brie-Type Cheese

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Just brie yourself.

While we were never able to figure out its exact name, we can confidently say it was a sheep cheese (if its from Green Dirt) and its consistency was that similar to a brie. This cheese desperately needed its honey counterpart, bringing the sweet to the salt from the cracker. The honey was a must— the yin to it’s yang.

Other honorable mentions would definitely have to be the fresh fruit all up in the middle of the board. Delicious, and quickly devoured. The Farm to Market cracker chips were good, but not great. I was hoping they would crumble and crack with every bite, but they weren’t as crispy as I was hoping.

El fin!

We’re always looking for dog friendly patios around KC, and Westside Local set the bar pretty damn high. They even brought out fresh bacon for her while we waited for our check! Westside Local has been my requested birthday spot for the past few years, so my expectations were high for this cheese plater. For $14, you get your money’s worth that is for damn sure. If your looking for a filling snack in a dope atmosphere, Westside Local is where you need to be.

See where it falls on our list of KC’s Best Cheese Plates!