Poco's On The Boulevard - Kansas City, MO

Saturday, Dan and I were out south and trying to think of where to eat dinner on our way back to the Northland. We knocked around a couple of ideas and then I remembered hearing the food critics on Walt Bodine's NPR program talking about this great little place on the Boulevard. I could not remember the name, but I did remember that it was located in the old Waid's location at 3063 Southwest Blvd. When I saw the sign calling the place Poco's , I remembered that was the name. Since we like to expand our eating horizons this seemed like the perfect place to check out. All I can say is Wow! We loved the restaurant so much we ended up there again Sunday morning for breakfast. It's amazing how one place can give you such totally different experiences, albeit , both positve.
When we walked in Saturday night, the place was softly lit and quiet. There were only 5 or six other tables in use. We were told to sit wherever we wanted and then were promptly greet by our server Dana. Dan and Dana, it was soon discovered, knew each other somewhat and we later found out that she is the owner's daughter. So she knew what she was doing and was able to recommend some great items. The dinner menu states that the restaurant serves Latin American Cuisine, so don't expect the typical Mexican fare that you usually find on the Boulevard.
When you are seated, they bring a basket of fresh, fried flour tortilla chips and an amazing tomatillo salsa. In my opinion, this was the best chips and salsa I have ever eaten. The salsa has the perfect amount of heat and the flavor is very intense. I had to keep telling myself to hold back or I would not eat my meal. On Dana's recommendation, we ordered the Brochetas Avocado ($5.95) as a starter. We were served four slices of toasted baguette that were heaped with a fresh tomato- cilantro salsa and chopped avocado concoction. That was one of those dishes I will crave from now on. It was a perfect dish and I would have been happy just eating that all night, but there were other great dishes to come.
The entrees are served with either your choice of soup or a salad. We both opted for the chicken tortilla soup. The soup was served in a small bowl that was packed with big flavor. It was full of chicken and crispy tortilla strips, cilantro and a lime wedge. The chicken stock tasted homemade to me and had just a hint of lime juice added in. This soup was pure perfection! I ordered the Cordero Borracho ($20.95), which was grilled rack of lamb in a fig-port sauce with grilled asparagus and wonderful poblano mashed potatoes. The lamb was cooked as ordered and for the price, there was a lot of food on my plate. Dan ordered the Yucatan Tacos de Puerco ($15.95), which consisted of orange-chipotle pork chunks served in lettuce leaves with rice and beans. There were three of those, so one came home with the extra lamb.
After our meal, the owner came out and talked with us. She explained her passion for food and her passion for the restaurant and told us we should come in for breakfast, which we did the following morning.
The place was packed when we arrived at around 11:30 the next morning and we got the last table. Dana was there again, but this time she was manning the register and Lorenza was once again at the helm in the kitchen. The place was really hopping and so differnst from the previous evening.
For my breakfast I ordered Huevos Rancheros ($6.25), 2 corn tortillas topped with ham, eggs and Poco's spicy salsa. This dish would be perfect on a cold morning, because it would heat you up from the inside out. The dish was served with a nice helping of hash browns. Dan ordered Poco's Omelette ($7.00) which was filled with chorizo and cheese and topped with pico de gallo. His was also served with hash browns and they brought toast to the table.
I realized that I have gushed on about this place, but it is very deserving of the praise. This will definitely be added to our list of places to frequent. There are some other things that I must try out on the dinner menu. They are located at 3063 Southwest Blvd, KCMO 64108 816-931-2526.