Dining on ostrich sirloin while sitting next to an Army general isn’t unusual at Avalon Cafe in Weston.
This small town restaurant, located thirty miles northeast of Kansas City, serves everything from exotic meats and gourmet seafood to hamburgers and wood-fired flatbread pizzas. It’s also a favorite spot for high-ranking members of the armed services who are stationed at nearby Fort Leavenworth.
Chef and owner David Scott has been feeding hungry patrons inside a renovated 1840s home for nearly thirty years. The white antebellum house, with its long front porch and gingerbread trim, sits on a hilltop in Weston’s historic downtown. Three intimate dining rooms provide seating for seventy people inside, and there’s additional space for sixty outside on the scenic brick deck. Avalon Cafe is often rented for weddings, office parties, and other private events. The white tablecloths and the Victorian-era decor add sophistication, but friendly hosts ensure a welcoming environment.
David serves lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. He also cooks one-off menus for holidays, such as the five-course wine pairing dinner he prepared for New Year’s Eve 2019. Customers look forward to his rotating daily specials and his mainstays like gumbo, crab cakes, and applewood smoked ribs.
Despite getting college degrees in German and computer science, David, fifty-eight, has always been drawn to the kitchen. He’s worked in restaurants in Kansas City and abroad since he was thirteen. His passion for the culinary arts still shows on each plate he creates. He grinds leftover trimmings from filets and strip steaks to make his signature hamburgers. Every week, he gets shipments of fresh fish like mahi-mahi, halibut, and sea bass. As much as possible, David purchases vegetables, fruit, herbs, beans, and meat from local farms.
While elk strip loin drizzled with a port-infused gooseberry sauce is one of the most popular dinner items, vegetarians won’t go hungry here. David and his crew craft non-meat dishes like the plant-based Beyond Burger, spinach and eggplant pizza, pasta primavera, and baked brie with grilled vegetables, fresh fruit, roasted garlic, and toasted almonds. The Mediterranean salad, one of three on the menu, features mixed greens, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
When it’s time for something sweet, Avalon’s house-made desserts like apple torte, bread pudding, Spanish flan, and an array of cheesecakes (pumpkin, s’mores, key lime, chocolate chip peanut butter, and carrot caramel crunch to name a few) provide plenty of options.
The Avalon Cafe is a place where you can try stuffed quail for the first time or take comfort in a familiar turkey, ham, and bacon sub sandwich. The mix of creative dishes and casual bites in a unique atmosphere keep people coming back for more.
608 Main St., Weston • Normal operating hours are Tuesdays–Thursdays 11 AM–2 PM and 5:30–8 PM, Fridays and Saturdays 11 AM–3 PM and 5:30–9 PM, and Sundays 10 AM–2 PM, call ahead to confirm • AvalonCafeWeston.com • 816-640-2835
