2008 Woodie Awards
Cupini's 1809 Westport Rd.
Food Review
Ashley Lindemann
Issue date: 1/23/06 Section: Culture
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
1809 Westport Rd.
Even though I might argue that Kansas City's favorite ethnic food will always be Mexican, the wide world of Italian dishes owns the role of runner-up.
Our suburbs especially seem obsessed with pasta and paninis-I can think of one busy intersection that has four separate Italian chains planted like tent stakes holding down the fields of parking lot asphalt.
The atmosphere in each of these moderately priced suburban favorites is essentially the same: faux frescoed walls, giant tins of olive oil and tomatoes lining out-of-reach shelves, and loud, accordion-driven music which barely drowns out the screaming toddler at the next table.
An alternative to these warehouse-esque monstrosities are the spattering of tiny bistros around the metro. The smaller the restaurant, however, the more expensive it seems to be, and hardly any of us have 15 bucks (or more) to throw down for a single meal during the grind of the semester.
Then we have Cupini's café and market. The compact restaurant seems to exist not so much as a middle ground in the Italian restaurant continuum as an in-your-face, New York City-style "you gonna order or what?" eating experience. And it just happens to be pretty darn affordable.
A second inside the door you realize that the brusque yet efficient man behind the counter with pen paused briefly over order pad doesn't care what you order. It will be delicious and you will like it-so quit holding up the line and make a choice already.
A quick decision on the first visit may prove impossible. A long glass case leading up to the ordering counter displays the day's variety of specialty foods and regular staples.
Carefully layered lasagna squares, giant halves of spaghetti squash, stuffed and baked zucchini, chicken parmesan and gargantuan bowls filled with pasta, olive, and green salads tempted me in much the same way the donut case did when I was a kid.
The ordering window itself is atop another case filled with seemingly as many different desserts as there are entrees. Mousse, cheesecake, German chocolate cake and tiramisu taunt the beholder.
