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.

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

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

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

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.

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!