Webster House
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I wasn't expecting too much from this dinner but, I must admit, The Webster House really wowed me! The atmosphere is gorgeous, especially the Library, (where I plan to move into the moment they tell me I can) and the service, though a little casual, was friendly and personable. The entire evening was an event, which makes it a nice change from restaurants that just get you in and spit you out. Bottom line: I loved it and will definitely be back! Try the butternut squash and fennel salad, the tenderloin, and the black forest cheesecake.
Their patio grill was opened in 2013, Thursday to Saturday from 4:30 pm to close. They are now open for brunch but only every Sunday.
Their patio grill was opened in 2013, Thursday to Saturday from 4:30 pm to close. They are now open for brunch but only every Sunday.
Atmosphere
Although I have lived in KC for 5 years I had never actually been to the Webster House. I remember someone mentioned it to me, and I knew it was an antique store that also served lunch, but I always had this image of a kitschy, cute grandmother's den with tea and cucumber sandwiches and I wasn't interested. Well, let me tell you, and publicly declare- Boy, I was wrong! First of all, the WH restaurant and it's lower-half antique store is housed in an old 1800's schoolhouse that has been meticulously restored. In the midst of, and overlooking, the rest of the downtown melee, it sits majestically on its own little hill, like an iconic, proud, and beautiful queen. Inside, the restaurant is huge, with several dining rooms and private special events rooms, and impossibly high ceilings. The decor is old-world sophistication with priceless antiques and prints and subtle, delicate colors. What I like most about it is how it has been restored to enhance it's vintage glory and has not been ruined by modernization in any way, like you see in so many other old buildings. Whoever designed the space is a genius. The epicenter of the restaurant is a very wide carpeted hallway that looks straight onto the open kitchen. Behind the stainless steel, amidst the white subway tiles, you can see the chefs busy preparing your meals. You can even sit at the chefs' counter and eat if you want to. Overhead are huge, vintage-style pendant lights. From the corridor to the right is a small, darkly-lit bar that was once the school's library. The wood floors are stained ebony black and a floor-to-ceiling built-in book shelf is stocked with old books and fun brick-a-brac antiques, one being an antique duck press(!) The room is outfitted with several dining tables dressed in cream-colored linens, silver, and wine glasses. Votive candles give the room a dramatic glow. Along the far end is a row of windows that overlook the site of the upcoming Kaufman Performing Arts Center, and a long wooden banquet seat with antique kilim pillows in muted colors. The tables are flanked with big leather wing chairs. The whole room reminded me of, say, The Harvard Club, circa 1910, and I didn't want to just dine there, I wanted to live there! To me, it is the most tasteful dining room in KC! Across the hall is the main dining room called the rose room, also filled with dining tables in cream linen, silver, and wine glasses. The whole room, about twice the size of the library, is a soft brick color from floor to ceiling (sorry, it didn't look rose-colored to me which, in my opinion, is a good thing) and also has huge windows, some of which overlook the city, and several large antiques that double as service counters for the servers. The chairs in this room are wood and leather, with plaid fabric backs, and there are several antique Persian rugs covering the dark wood floor. And, although this room is very pretty and comfortable to dine in, it was a little too bright for me. Still, it was very pretty. WH also has several large special-events rooms and, although they were not set up at the time, they looked really nice. I could see myself hosting lots of events there :) Valentine's party, anyone?
Service
The service here was a little casual for the kind of dinner Webster House offers. Still, it seemed that every server, manager, and even the chef, were genuinely interested in our having a good time, and that was both noticeable and refreshing. There is no pretense or snobbery here. Everyone seemed very down-to-earth and actually happy to be there.
Food
The menu here changes seasonally and, although it is small, it has a nice range of dishes from chicken, to fish, to beef, and a few interesting surprises. To start, we had the butternut squash and fennel salad ($7), raw, shaved squash and fennel with a citrus dill vinaigrette, and it was amazing! I would never have tried that but our server highly recommended it and it was delicious, very different from anything I've ever had. We also had the asparagus and truffle ($10) with bacon lardons and a small poached quail egg on top, and that was also flavorful and fragrant. The egg spilled out delicately over the asparagus. mmmm. For entrees, I had the beef tenderloin ($29), also highly-recommended and, OMG! this was the most beautiful piece of beef I've ever had. Our server explained it was because it was 'prime', the best cut available. It was so tender I could've cut it with a spoon! It came with a black truffle demi-glace that was rich and delicious and a crab potato puff that was a little underdone and raw inside, but had excellent, flavor. We also tried the ostrich ($29), one of the more adventurous dishes on the menu and, although the au jus it came with was excellent, the meat itself was a very chewy, even though it was med-rare. It wasn't my favorite dish. The dessert menu was tempting, with too many good choices, but we finally settled on a perfect creme brulee and a black forrest cheesecake with chocolate crust and brandied cherries that was absolutely heavenly! And, the desserts were very reasonably-priced at only $6 each. Coffee was served in a press, my favorite way to prepare coffee, and it was really strong. Luckily, it was served with hot cream, which helped and was a nice touch. The wine list was also good, just one page, and much more manageable than the huge 60-page wine books you see these days. Prices for wine are reasonable too, with glasses from $7-$12, and bottles from $32-$64. We had a nice bottle of Ravenswood Lodi zinfindel for $44.
During our next visit, they were out of the pork tostada, just what I had wanted. We ordered Sunday fried chicken ($12) with string bean potato salad, sweet summer slaw and corn on the cob. We also had Benedict one ($18), grilled beef fillet, sautéed spinach, poached eggs and roasted poblano green tobacco hollandaise.
For dessert, we ordered Crispy Crème Brûlée French toast ($12), brioche, peaches, grand mariner Zabaione, spiced hazel nuts, and Vermont maple syrup. If you want chicken and waffles, they serve it special order ($12) since it’s off their menu.
During our next visit, they were out of the pork tostada, just what I had wanted. We ordered Sunday fried chicken ($12) with string bean potato salad, sweet summer slaw and corn on the cob. We also had Benedict one ($18), grilled beef fillet, sautéed spinach, poached eggs and roasted poblano green tobacco hollandaise.
For dessert, we ordered Crispy Crème Brûlée French toast ($12), brioche, peaches, grand mariner Zabaione, spiced hazel nuts, and Vermont maple syrup. If you want chicken and waffles, they serve it special order ($12) since it’s off their menu.
Cleanliness
The restaurant is so beautifully done, immaculate from top to bottom, it's difficult to point out any fault. The bathrooms are the most glorious and decadent I have seen in KC. Beautiful!
Pros
The Webster House is a perfectly-restored masterpiece of a building, decorated beautifully, with a warm, romantic, and friendly atmosphere. The food was excellent, especially the tenderloin, and the desserts were divine. And, although not inexpensive, the prices are extremely reasonable for what you get.
Cons
The service was a little relaxed for the atmosphere, though very friendly, and the ostrich was not my favorite. The coffee was strong.
