With The Local: Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe

Here's a word of advice -- don't eat all of a half-pound hamburger if you're not ready to commit. And by commit, I mean, being willing to accept all of the consequences of eating that burger, along with a plateful of fries, and a pitcher of Coke.

I was doing fine until I got done, until the ride home when I felt a headache coming on and the need to sleep all afternoon.  Apparently the food coma after a visit to Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe is worse than after even the biggest of Thanksgiving blowouts.  Let me be clear -- I had the worst food coma of my life.  It lasted about 12 hours.  Who knew that headaches could be caused by overeating, really, who knew...

Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe was my first stop on my endless road trip through Kansas City's back-corner restaurants and dives. My tour guide, or "The Locals" as I call him, is none other than Jon Hudson, accompanied by his wife, Sofia Hudson, two of the greatest people on the planet. They are really the eyes and mouths of this operation, as I rely on them to take me to the real meals of this town that I grew up in.  My experience at Jerry's was exactly what I was looking for.   

Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe sits in the northernmost part of Kansas City, at 1414 W 9th Street, just west of the River Market and the Power and Light District, and just east of the Kansas/Missouri state border.  Walking in, I felt an instant sense of comfort for some reason. Jerry's reminds me a beloved caffe that I worked at in Boston.  Maybe it's because it seems like a place that is full of regulars, mostly working men stopping in for a break or a meal.

Jerry's, open for breakfast and lunch, serves up generous plates, like my burger above.  Although their menu covers most basic diner classics, and daily specials (like frog legs and catfish on the Friday we were there), Jon suggested to try the burgers.  It was my cheeseburger the size of my face that landed me in my food coma.  Although I enjoyed my burger, it was really the fries that sealed the deal -- make sure to try them if you go.

I can't wait to go back to Jerry's.  It's an excellent place for people-watching, and it's nice to eat in a restaurant that you know isn't being franchised across the nation.