When I moved to Westport two and a half years ago, I had no idea how much I’d fall in love with this district of Kansas City. I think our initial thought about this location was that it’s a cool place to live within walking distance to local night life and great restaurants. And not to boast but our apartment is pretty lovely for what we pay for a two-bedroom in midtown. We live on the west side of 39th street and couldn’t be prouder to call it home. Most 39th streeters also share this love and pride for our striving neighborhood. 39th street is home to restaurants, bars, unique boutiques, record stores, a book store that will have you feeling like Belle, and even a resident chiropractor, Dr. Cobb at Alpha Chiropractic. When Small Cakes Cupcakery moved in they were well received until they painted over a mural on the side of their building. I think a lot of people in the neighborhood felt like they were stepping on some toes as the new kid in town. When I visited the first time, the shop owner assured me they were hiring a local artist to paint a new mural.
Sometimes it seems hard for businesses and new restaurants to stay afloat in this area. There is a space off Terrace and 39th that has changed from several different restaurants in the short years I’ve been here. Why? I think because 39th street is a hard district to crack and it’s about finding your niche. We already have a sushi place. We already have a Thai place. We just got a GREAT barbecue place, Q39. Owner and chef, Rob Magee took his award winning competition barbecue and turned it into a restaurant. And it worked. The atmosphere is fun and the food is great. (I recommend the burnt end burger!)
Basically if there isn’t something unique about you, you won’t be received well.
Room 39 owner and chef Ted Habiger gets it. Last night I had the pleasure of dining with Ted and some other great company via the Pitch’s First Bite Club. I’ve eaten at Room 39 in the past but last night I was able to learn a little more about the restaurant and try some things off the menu I would have never been brave enough to order for myself. Before I get into the food and this wonderful gem of 39th street- I want to talk about Ted.
This guy comes out in his white chef jacket, scruffy salt and pepper hair and beard, and starts talking with his hands. His well worn wedding band glints in the low light. His eyes illuminate his entire face when he talks about what he’s trying to do with Room 39. Habiger in a past life was a bartender and a teacher. He said when he created Room 39 he wanted it to be a fine dining experience for everyone “from the hippies around the corner to people in suit jackets”. His passion is that food brings people together. He’s a story teller and rattles off how he used to take young college kids out for a meal on the college’s dime. Room 39 showcases dishes based local produce and livestock. Habiger has developed relationships with the farmers joking, “Sometimes we’ll talk for 30 minutes before we actually get down to business.” He smiles as he tells us about a 70 year old farmer he gets mushrooms and nettles from. Nettles typically grow in early spring but they found a variety that grows in the summer and this farmer agreed to grow them for the restaurant. There is this partnership with farmer and what we see on the plate that makes the food somehow even more magnificent. During our meal Ted takes the time to explain what things are, where they have come from, and sometimes even about where the idea came from to create a dish. He’s gracious and inspiring- he might be my favorite thing in the whole restaurant. It was really refreshing and fully charged my heart meter to see someone so in love with what they do. Room 39 has tables with lit candles and linen tablecloths. A question was raised about how much each linen cost per table- the answer is $6. He spends $6 even before you’ve ordered anything off the menu. In a world filled with greed and the bottom line is always scrutinized, here’s someone that just wants you to have an experience. That’s what this is really about, the experience.
The Bite Club had a five course tasting. We started with the Charcuterie Plate: foie gras torchon, chicharrones, duck rillette, and lamb pate with mustard, capers, housemade pickles and peach-jalapeno jam.
If you are like me, you have no idea how to say foie gras properly or even know what it is. It’s a duck liver cooked in it’s own fat. And if I’m honest, it’s delightful. The texture is strange, like a meat butter. The flavor is soft and with a hint of sweetness. I thought it was great with the peach-jalapeno jam. The duck rillette was also very good and added a great smokey contrast to the rest of the plate.
Second course, an excellent watermelon salad with queso fresco and jalapeno vinaigrette. Again we have the sweet and spicy theme that carries out throughout the whole meal. The watermelon was of two different seedless varieties from Simply Foods in Milo, Missouri.
Third course had everyone was head over heels in love, including myself. We had a savory goat cheese gnocchi with lobster, local mushrooms, and nettle cream. First, did you even know you could eat nettles? I certainly didn’t. The dish smells like heaven in a bowl- you can smell the lobster and the mushrooms just as the plates are being sat in front of us. Ted says we really shouldn’t call it gnocchi because there is no potato- just goat cheese, flour, and milk. By far the most amazing thing I’ve eaten in a long time. The combination of the goat cheese and lobster just made my toes curl. I would have licked the bowl if I didn’t think it’d be inappropriate to my dinner companions.
The fourth course, main course we were able to choose one of four entrees. As an avid meat lover, I went with the locally raised grilled steak with smashed Thane potatoes, Mexican elote, and chimichurri. The steak was fabulous as one would expect from the quality of food we’d already seen here at Room 39 but what floored me even more was the Mexican elote. It’s a Mexican street food. A grilled corn cob with cheese and a chipotle sauce. Street food with a steak? I’m totally in. What a whimsical delicious combination.
Our fifth and final course was dessert. They brought plates of each dessert for us to sample. My favorites were the pizzelles, Italian waffle cookies, with ice cream and the churros with this amazing chocolate sauce.
The experience I had a Room 39 was awesome. I had a great time getting to know my dinner companions and enjoyed listening to Ted talk about his passion for food. He’s truly created a one of a kind place that will stick around for years to come on 39th street.
editors note: Ugh those pictures are terrible and certainly do not do the food justice! My phone is pretty useless! Next time I’ll take a real camera and show you guys some better examples!