Ingredient in Leawood

Ingredient
117th and Nall
Leawood, KS 66206
Website





*DISCLAIMER*:  Sorry it's been so long since my last update, but life has been hectic with a new baby!  I'll try to stay on top of it from now on!

HOW I FOUND IT:  Some friends had mentioned this place and said they always wanted to check it out, so my wife and I went for lunch one day, and it was mainly an excuse to eat some righteous gelato at Paciugo next door for dessert.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: **):  Just looking at the sign, you can kind of gather what to expect.  They write it out "in-gre-di-ent" as if it were a phonetic spelling in a dictionary. Then you walk in and see a sign that says, "In-gre-di-ent:  formulate satisfaction" and proceeds to list the definitions of those words, in case you're incompetent and thus should probably not be allowed out of the house unsupervised.  The place has kind of a contemporary layout, but it's confusing.  There are two entrances, one that is near the front, where you would order your food.  We inadvertently came in the other entrance, which is NOT near where you need to order, but rather near some sort of coffee/dessert bar which was unattended.  After figuring out our mistake, we walked across the restaurant, noticing that while the place was empty, there were plenty of dirty tables, and plenty of staff standing around not doing anything about it.  Overall, the place felt cold, and like it was trying too hard to be hip.

FOOD (SCORE: *):  Good lord.  Looking at the menu, it's easy to get overwhelmed.  The main "trick" of this place is that there is a cornucopia of various ingredients, and if you choose not to go with the handful of menu items, you may build your own salad, sandwich, or pizza.  Personally, if I wanted to select all the ingredients, I'd probably just go to the store and buy those things and make it myself.  I go out to a restaurant to eat what THEY chose to put on the menu for me.  Anyways, I figured I'd try something off the menu, as did Cyndi.  She ordered the "wasabi turkey burger".  I decided to go with the daily special of a falafel sandwich.  It was hard to decide that it was indeed a special, since there was just a chalkboard with "FALAFEL" written on it, followed by a definition of that food.  It didn't say if they were selling it, there was no price; I didn't know if they had it, or just wanted me to know what it was.  I ordered that, and we both ordered some chicken tortilla soup.

The soup took way longer than it should have, and when it arrived it had a nice little skin on top of it, telling me that it sat in the window way too long before a wandering server decided to bring it to us.  As a result, it wasn't piping hot, but just warm enough that I was able to eat it.  Which was a mistake.  Because it was bland and boring.

Then our entrees arrived.  Cyndi took one bite of her "wasabi turkey burger" and said, "I don't taste any wasabi in this."  I craned my neck around to look at the menu board and its description of the turkey burger.  Sure enough, wasabi wasn't even listed as one of the components.  Yikes.  I tried a bite, and like the soup, it didn't really taste like anything.

My falafel surprised me.  And not in a good way.  When it arrived, it looked absolutely fantastic.  The lettuce was crisp, the falafel dark and crispy, the onions bright, and the roma tomatoes were vibrant red.  Like hooker lipstick red.  I was ready to rock.  Then I took a bite, and tasted nothing.  NOTHING.  How they could take seemingly fresh vibrant vegetables and make them taste like a pita sandwich filled with air is beyond me.

Mind you, none of what we had was BAD, per se, but it was just so mediocre.  This is the kind of food I picture Town Center frequenting Desperate Housewives of Johnson County going crazy for, which I guess makes sense since the place is located just across the street.  But for me, it showcased a lack of interest in cooking, a lack of respect for seemingly good ingredients, no pun intended.

SERVICE (SCORE: *):  We kinda figured the service would be shoddy when we walked into an empty restaurant with no other customers, and the tables were still dirty.  Nobody greeted us, nobody informed us of where we needed to go to order our food.  When we finally figured it out and stood there, staring at the huge menu, nobody said, "Is this your first visit with us?  Let me tell you how this works."   Instead, the guy at the cash register just stood and almost glared at us until we ordered.

On their menu, Ingredient devotes a whole corner to saying how they don't accept tips, so as to ensure consistent service.  I thought that was kind of interesting and unique.  Until I realize you don't even have a server.  You pay the cashier, and get your own drink.  Then you sit and someone will eventually bring your food, and then they leave.  And that's the extent of your service at Ingredient.  So them making a big deal about not expecting a tip is like a babysitter advertising that they won't shake the hell out of your baby.

VALUE (SCORE: **):  Honestly, the prices at Ingredient would have been reasonable, had the food and service been also reasonable.  Sadly, you pay way more than a fast food joint and receive more disappointment and anguish.

OVERALL (SCORE:*):  I don't think I need to go into great detail here, if you've been following along.  It's gimmicky, the food is mediocre, the service nonexistent, and even if you wanted to complain, we didn't see a manager type person in the place.  The fact that this place is still in business while so many good restaurants in this area close regularly is mind boggling and aggravating.  In short, In-gre-dient is A-waste-of-your-mon-ey.

Jack Gage American Tavern near the Plaza

Jack Gage American Tavern
5031 Main St
Kansas City, MO
Website


HOW I FOUND IT:  We had no clue where we wanted to go for dinner (typical) so I logged onto Urban Spoon's website, and this place popped up.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***):  This is really a mixed bag.  The outside of the building is rather unassuming, not giving any hints as to what you might find.  The interior was a lot nicer than I expected.  I guess when I hear "tavern" I assume old hardwood floors and wooden stools everywhere.  I kind of wish they had gone that route, as the carpeted floors and uncomfortable booths aren't exactly American Tavern.  The backdrop for the bar, some nice antique placards for Mr. Gage, boxing promoter, were very cool, but just seemed out of place with the rest of the decor, even though the walls are lined with old timey boxing photographs.  The Jack Gage signs should set the scene for the whole restaurant, with their Coney Island attitude, but instead the place just kind of seemed uninspired.  We asked our server who Jack Gage was, and basically the story is that the owner bought these signs at auction and decided to model his new restaurant/bar after them.  We were hoping for even a made-up tale about the incredible Jack Gage, great-grandfather of the owner, who always wanted to open a bar, or some such niceties.  Oh well.

FOOD (SCORE: ***1/2):  We started off with the portabella fries, which, as you may have guessed, were sliced portabellas that were breaded and fried, served with "come back" dressing, which reminds me of Pizza Shoppe's "pink stuff", a mixture of ketchup, mayo, and spices that is way tastier than it rightfully should be.  There were many other appetizers that caught my eye, like the "Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Grit Cake", or the fried catfish.  But there was other eatin to be done!

I chose the chicken and waffles, after hearing great things via the internets.  And I was not disappointed.  Two large chicken breasts (the menu says "boneless", but they were actually airline breasts, which still have the first wing joint attached.  It didn't bug me, but I know it would bug my wife, who hates chicken on the bone), crispy but not too heavily breaded, juicy on the inside.  These two babies sat on top of a big ol' waffle, and the whole thing was covered in a sticky sweet bourbon maple glaze.  I really liked the syrup, but I think some might find the bourbon to be a bit overpowering.

Cyndi got the crab mac n' cheese, another internet favorite.  We were reluctant to check it out, after the lackluster lobster mac I had at Bristol.  Any fears were dashed, however, when she received a giant casserole dish filled with what seemed to be equal parts crab and mac n' cheese.  It was decadent, rich, crabby, and wonderful.  The only downside?  It's a big-ass bowl of mac!  I love it as much as the next person, but I kinda wish it was offered as a side instead of an entree, because there's really only so much mac n'  cheese you can scarf, no matter how good it is.

My friend Travis, who joined us, was torn.  He liked the sound of the garlic and chile rubbed ribeye steak, but wanted a strip steak instead of a ribeye.  He asked our waiter if this was possible, and his wish was granted.  The steak was cooked nicely, and the rub was actually pretty flavorful (I'm normally a fan of plain old salt and pepper when it comes to steak).

Even though we were already stuffed to the bursting point, we had to try the banana-raisin bread pudding.  It was served with a sweet banana and rum sauce and had me addicted from the first bite.  It was big enough that the three of us were able to share, which was nice.  What wasn't nice was that the banana bread pudding was the final nail in my stomach's coffin, and once I got home and sat on my couch I wanted to die.  Not that this had anything to do with the quality of the food, I just wanted you all to know that I ate until I hurt myself.  Yay me.

SERVICE (SCORE: ***1/2):  Our server was polite and answered any questions we had, and never left us hanging with empty drinks.  However, he just wasn't very personable or enthusiastic about anything.  Which is odd for a fledgling hotspot like this place seemed to be.

VALUE (SCORE: ***1/2):  I thought the food was well priced for the quality and uniqueness of the menu.  What took some stars away from this category was the drinks.  To me, a tavern should have some good priced beer.  It's a no brainer.  But my Boulevard Pale Ales were 5 bucks a pop.  In fact, I think even the bottle swill like Bud Light was 4.50 or 5 bucks, if memory serves me.  A real bummer if you're lookin for a place to eat and stick around for some drinks.

OVERALL (SCORE: ***1/2):  Jack Gage American Tavern was a nice change of pace for us, as it's menu is simpler and better priced than most of what you'll find on or near the plaza.  The food was the high point, being a nice, comforting, almost 'soul food' menu; but the experience was dragged down at times by the ho-hum attitude of our server and the overpriced beer.  The atmosphere and decor could have been great, given the Jack Gage memorabilia, but instead it just feels like they said, "well, let's just build a place and we'll find somewhere to hang these freakin things".  A great concept that fell a little short in execution.  Hey, welcome to Kansas City dining!

Bristol in Leawood

Bristol Seafood Grill

5400 W 119th St
Overland Park, KS 66209
Website

 HOW I FOUND IT:  It's in a pretty visible spot in the Town Center shopping center, and a pretty well known area seafood house.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ****):  A classy establishment, to say the least.  The exterior of the building is nice, not overly fancy, and easily visible from the road.  The inside is a mix of modern contemporary stylings and traditional seaside accompaniments.  The lighting fixtures really stood out, large round chandeliers that put out a very mood-setting glow.  Had my wife not been pregnant and feeling under the weather, I daresay I would have gotten some after a dinner in a setting like that.  ALAS!

FOOD (SCORE: ***1/2):  We started off disappointed, so maybe that affected our opinion of the food we ended up with, but I like to think that's not the case.  When we sat at our table, we received a small card containing their "low tides" tasting menu.  A four course prix-fixe meal that sounded very tasty, and was a good price at 29 bucks, which is pretty amazing, considering one entree item at the Bristol costs around 25 bucks.  Well, that would have been amazing indeed, but apparently they weren't offering it anymore that night. We both decided we wanted that four-course deal, and the waitress came by to take our order.  Once we held up the card, she got a look of horror and said, "I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to get that menu.  We can't run it anymore tonight, as we're out of scallops (first course was a seared diver scallop)."  This was even more disheartening, as this was at around 6:30pm on a Sunday or Monday, I believe.  I can understand running out of something at like 8:30 or 9 on a busy night, but a seafood place running out of scallops at 6:30?  Really?...Seriously?

After being so dead set on that tasting menu, we had a really hard time deciding on what to get.  We decided to start off with the Lobster Tamale.  We love tamales, poblanos, corn, cilantro, and lobster.  So why the hell wouldn't we like a Lobster Tamale?  Because they faked the funk, that's why.  A tamale is one of those rustic favorites that, the less you do with it, the better it usually turns out.  Instead, what we got was a whole that was less than the sum of its parts, a cornmeal mush with some lobster chunks thrown in, wrapped in a corn husk.  Which I thought was funny, because that dish was a tattered husk of what a "lobster tamale"  could, and should, have been.  Melodramatic I know, but remember, at this point I was still pouty because they played with my emotions on the four-course menu!

Then came the mains.  Cyndi got the ahi special, a literal brick of seared ahi with roasted yukon potatoes, asparagus and poyot sauce.  The ahi was above and beyond our expectations, a nice, large portion full of flavor, that was augmented perfectly by the poyot sauce, which is basically Bearnaise sauce with a reduced meat glace added, in this case veal.

Mine was not nearly as mindblowing.  I ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi, which I had eaten there before at  lunch some time ago, and remembered enjoying it.  What came out was passable, albeit under-seasoned and slightly dry.  For my side items, I had a choice of two, and opted for a coma inducing amount of carbs, going with the lobster mac n' cheese, and the lemon-asparagus risotto.  The risotto was quite nice, hearty without feeling heavy, thanks to the light touch of lemon.  The lobster mac and cheese kinda let me down, even though it was as advertised.  I was expecting something like a 'play' on mac and cheese, maybe with some nutmeg, chives, old bay, I dunno, SOME kind of seafood flavor profile in the cheese sauce itself. It literally tasted like regular ol' mac n cheese with some lobster meat in it.  It was more confusing than anything, and I found myself wishing it was just plain mac n' cheese, because I freakin love the stuff.

Desserts were a molten lava cake, which was accompanied by an almond tuille and some ice cream, and hit the spot.  Cyndi ordered a "Chocolate Velvet Cake", which in our minds would have been similar to a red velvet cake, but with chocolate.  Instead it was a big-ass piece of what tasted like a flourless chocolate cake.  Which is completely different from a red velvet cake that tastes like chocolate.  But still good.

SERVICE (RATING: ****):  Our server was polite and professional, and handled the situation of us having the Forbidden Menus well.  She was also very knowledgeable about the menu.  That poyot sauce I mentioned earlier, that I liked so much?  I had no idea what that crap was, and asked the waitress, who informed me of the ingredients without even stopping to think about it.  Thorough menu knowledge is always a huge plus.

VALUE (RATING: **):  Cue fog horn.  Bwa bwaaaaaaa.   Had we been able to have the ever elusive "Low Tides" tasting menu, I think the value would be great, sitting at a nice 29 bucks for four courses.  However, having our entrees weigh in at 25-29 dollars each, and a wack-ass tamale for almost 9 bucks, and desserts bringing up the low end at about 7 bucks, and this was a rather expensive trip to ho-hum-ville.

OVERALL:  Having been in a couple times, I can safely say that I just don't really see what the big deal is with this place.  While I did like the decor and the service, I was very let down by the actual food and the price that was slapped onto it.  I mean, I recognize that good, fresh seafood is hard to come by in Kansas City, and if you want the real deal, it can cost you.  However, I don't think that is a good excuse to charge out the ass for mostly run-of-the-mill fare.  I'm OK with paying more for a great meal.  If I shell out as much as I did here, though, I expect the food to be at least really damn good.  Instead, what I got was all over the place, ranging from really good, to mediocre, to just plain boring.

OVERALL SCORE: ***1/2

Pine & Bamboo Garden in Shawnee

Pine & Bamboo Garden                                   
10915 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Shawnee Mission, KS 66203
Website


HOW I FOUND IT: It's right down the street from my house, and I had been told by a friend that their Dim Sum is where it's at.  I have a soft spot for Chinese food, so it had to be done.  This review is kind of a double review, both for the regular menu and their special dim sum menu, which is available all during the week, but on Saturday and Sunday, they bring out the carts and let you browse.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***):  The exterior isn't much to look at, a typical southern Kansas City strip mall affair, but at least the sign is large enough you can see it rather easily off Shawnee Mission Parkway.  The only downside is that it's on this weird frontage road that is kind of a pain in the ass to navigate.  The interior is typical chinese restaurant fare, with random knick knacks in cases strewn about, and lots of those little kitties with their paws up.  It feels kinda sterile in there, except when we went on Sunday for dim sum.  Then it was packed full of large families, and there was a buzz in the air that is absent during normal service.

FOOD (SCORE: ****1/2):  The regular menu doesn't have too many surprises, but what is there is executed quite well.  This ain't your typical carry-out.  They also have a section on the menu with "Authentic Chinese Dishes", items that you don't normally see in a chinese restaurant around here.  I asked the waitress about some of the items my first time, because I honestly had no clue what the hell some of the stuff was.  She would tell me certain things were more popular with the Chinese customers, not so much with Americans.  I took it as a challenge, and got the spicy salty pork, which was like super thick, super salty bacon.  Delicious and unique. The other chinese restaurant  staples such as fried rice, lo mein, crab rangoons, and the ubiquitous General Tso's were all great.

The last time we went, though, it wasn't for the regular menu items.  I had been informed of their dim sum menu, and had to go check it out.  Dim sum is a Cantonese tradition of serving tiny plates of food that normally accompany tea.  For our purposes, think of it as a Chinese version of Tapas:  Small plates that are fun to share, and give you the ability to sample many different dishes.  What adds to the experience is that there are various carts loaded with these dishes, and servers wheel this cornucopia of awesomeness by your table, so you can actually point to something and say, "That looks good, hook it up", and they hand it over.  As the server hands you a dish, they mark it on your ticket, and at the end it all gets tallied up, most dishes being between 2 and 3 bucks a pop for 2 to 3 pieces of food.

When we arrived, there was about a 15 minute wait.  I thought this strange since I didn't see very many people in the dining room.  Our number was called, and the hostess took us to the back of the restaurant, which was jam packed with large groups of Chinese families.  We were the only whitebreads in the whole place.  Whenever you're eating at an 'Ethnic' restaurant, and you're the only American there, you know you're in for the real deal.  I always take it as a good omen.  

Now, on to the food!  I wish I would have taken pictures or notes, because we tried so many things, there's no way I remember all of it, or even knew what some of it was.  The beauty of dim sum is that there's bound to be something you get that you're not a big fan of, but it really doesn't matter because it's a small amount and you can move on to the next plate.  For example, I got the shark-fin soup, and wasn't really as thrilled about it as I had hoped, so I set it aside and proceeded to shove into my gaping maw a whole steam bun filled with red bean paste.  It had a springy texture on the outside, and kind of resembled a boob, being spherical, pale, and having a tiny red dot in the center.  I immediately brought this to the attention of my wife and brother-in-law, who were not nearly as excited about that as I was.  I am a child.  Anyway, the red bean paste was a new experience for me, and I loved it.  A vaguely umami taste of beans, but mostly sweet, almost like sweet potato puree.  The star of the show was the 'sticky fried rice', a dome of not-so-great looking rice that happened to be freakin delicious.  Cyndi's brother, normally not an adventurous eater (I'm pretty sure if he was on death row, his last meal would be chicken tenders.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, Henry, I'm just sayin), ate the living hell out of it.

If I could hop into my delorian and fire up the Flux Capacitor, I'd go back and be a little more patient.  I was starving for this meal, so I grabbed a lot of stuff off the first few carts.  As a result, I pigged out like a fatass, and was actually sad when more and more carts came around with roasted duck, shrimp dumplings, and a wide array of desserts, but I was too full to try any of them.  So my advice for this kind of meal is pace yourself, relax, and enjoy the ride.

SERVICE (SCORE: ****):  When we've gone for regular service, the servers have always been polite and attentive.  The dim sum is a little different because the servers mainly take care of drink refills (which they were on top of), and the others wheel the cart by and let you take what you want.  Regardless, the staff is friendly and while we were in the waiting area, I took notice that there seem to be a lot of regulars, and the people at the front (an older couple who i assume are the owners), would greet each one as an old friend.

VALUE (SCORE:*** for regular menu, ****1/2 for dim sum):  Their regular menu, while of a higher caliber than most chinese places, is just a tad higher than I'd really expect to pay for american chinese food.  It's comparable to Bo Ling's in that regard.  The dim sum can't be beat.  You pay a few bucks for each plate, and get a metric assload of food for a very good price.  

OVERALL:  As a regular Chinese restaurant, Pine and Bamboo Garden is above average, but nothing to make me gasp in awe then experience a blowing of the mind.  But when you go for Dim Sum, you are truly experiencing something special and unique.  I know there are other restaurants that do Dim Sum, but in terms of Kansas City dining, it's something that everyone should try at least once.  In terms of variety, quality, and fun it can't be beat for a sunday afternoon.

OVERALL SCORE: (***1/2 for regular menu, ***** for dim sum)

Hot Basil in Overland Park

Hot Basil
7258 W 119th St
Overland Park, KS 66213
Website

HOW I FOUND IT:  Heard about it through the grapevine (Cyndi's co-worker mentioned that the Pitch voted this place as having the best soup).  Liking soup, liking Thai, and liking Thai soups, we decided to give it a go.  Our first visit was actually the day after Christmas, in horrible snow, and they were open!

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***):  It's hit and miss really.  The building itself is actually in a strip mall around the corner from a Price Choppper, and next to an eye doctor's office.  Unless you knew it was there, it's highly unlikely you'd notice it from the road.  Once inside, you'll be surprised at how small the place is, seating maybe 25-30 people. Nice white tablecloths, clean and stylish silverware and glasses, this place looks clean and neat without seeming stuffy.  The only issue I had with decor was the tiki style bar at the back of the dining room that I've yet to see someone sitting at.  It seems out of place when taken in the context of the rest of the dining room.  Also, a minor annoyance, but their placement of the dining room's only TV is just downright baffling.  It's down the hallway on the way to the bathroom.  The only reasoning behind it I could think of was since there's a window from the kitchen looking into the hallway, maybe it's there so the kitchen crew can watch it.  Other than that, maybe it's to entertain you while you walk down the hall to use the facilities.  Who knows?

FOOD (SCORE: *****):  Oh damn.  I don't even know where to start.  Our first visit we ordered their famous Thom Yum, which is rumored to have healing properties.  None of us were sick at the time, but after a few spoonfuls of the pungent broth with chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, and chunks of galangal, our nasal passages were mighty clear.  It was delicious, but we preferred the coconut milk creaminess of the Thom Ka we got on our second visit.  After the soup, we had an order of crab rangoons, which (GASP) actually had a lot of crab in them, instead of cream cheese filler!

The menu is full of traditional and non-traditional items, and I've already planned out subsequent visits to try it all.  I've had the Siam chicken in a rum-based sauce that was light and aromatic, and the Gapow, a stir-fry dish served over rice with 2 fried eggs on top.  I had enormous hopes for the Gapow and it was indeed good, but the pork that I ordered with it was more of an italian sausage flavor, not the fatty chunks I had expected.  Still good.

Cyndi and her brother got the Phad Thai and Fried Rice, respectively.  Cyndi's Phad Thai was amazing.  The seasoning was spot on, it was hot enough to make you breathe a little heavy but not make your head explode, and they didn't dump a whole bottle of fish sauce in it.  To be honest, I had lunch entree envy.  And her brother's fried rice was among the best I've ever had.  You could tell the chef actually gave a damn about it, and took the time to make it right, not just make it an afterthought like many non-chinese asian restaurants do.

And then the dessert.  Oh God the dessert.  After the chef came out and chatted with us for a bit, explaining the desserts (to represent French colonial influence on Thai cuisine, he makes chocolate mousse stuffed 'rangoons'!), we decided on the traditional Thai dessert of mangoes and sweet coconut sticky rice.  I'm normally not big on fresh mangoes, but Cyndi urged me to do the combo bite:  combine the mango, sticky rice, and coconut custard on the fork and eat it all together.  It was a perfect bite.  Add to that some "Thai iced tea" and Thai Coffee, both with a fair helping of sweetened condensed milk, and we were stuffed and satisfied, and then some.

SERVICE (SCORE: *****): Our first visit, our server was the chef/owner's daughter, a very friendly young woman who told us all about the place and was overall great.  The second time was a different server who was just as friendly and attentive.  Granted, both visits were during a pretty slow time, but regardless we were pleased with the service. What really put it over the top is when the chef came out after we had eaten our entrees to talk for a bit.  We could tell his heart was really in this operation and he was a genuinely friendly and charismatic individual, who just wanted to make great food and make people happy.

VALUE (SCORE:***1/2):  This one's a bit tricky.  The first visit was during lunch, where your entree comes with a soup and crab rangoon.  Combined with the portion size and food quality, it's a pretty good deal with a average of $9-$10 per entree.  The dinner menu has mostly the same items, but for a little more money and without the soup and rangoon.  Given that it didn't seem the portions got much bigger (They are still quite ample regardless), the dinner menu prices on some items seems disproportionately higher.  Still, with the amount of food you get (had plenty to take home for drunken fourthmeal), you could do far worse for you money.

OVERALL:  We were thrilled with this place.  Too many times I read about a restaurant, get all excited, only to be let down by uninspired food (or worse, just plain bad food), crappy atmosphere, douchebaggy clientele, or poor service.  Hot Basil exceeded my expectations in every way, and it was good to talk with a chef who may be a bit older, but is in no way burnt out, and better yet, HAPPY with what he's doing.  Because when the kitchen is happy, the food just comes out better, dammit.

OVERALL SCORE: ****1/2

The Farmhouse near the River Market

The Farmhouse
300 Delaware St
Kansas City, MO 64105
Website

HOW I FOUND IT:  I read an article about it in the KC Star, and had also read the rave reviews of it online.  I was a fan of the building's previous occupant, Cafe Delaware, before its untimely demise around the end of 2008.  I liked the concept of the The Farmhouse (local, fresh ingredients, all at a good price), and had the day off, so Cyndi and I decided to check it out for lunch.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***1/2):  I had only been in the bar area when it was Cafe Delaware, so I can't speak for the other half of the dining area, but it looked like it was largely unchanged.  Which is a good thing, I liked the minimal fuss of the open ceiling rafters and the brick walls.  We enjoyed the artwork on the walls, and the layout of the dining room.  The only thing that we didn't care for a whole lot was that it felt almost TOO open.  The high ceilings and unused space in the back of the dining room created an echo that made it sound like a basketball court.

FOOD (SCORE: ***1/2):  This was the main reason I was there.  I was really looking forward to trying one of the many tasty options on their lunch menu (be advised, they are only open for dinner on Thu-Sat).  We split an appetizer of chickpea fritters, fried little cubes of ground chickpeas.  They were slightly under-seasoned, but good nonetheless. However, what really made the dish was the little salad on top which consisted of julienne apples and smoked red peppers, which looked weird on paper but worked perfectly and had Cyndi asking, "How'd they get the apples to taste like bacon?"

Entree decisions were tough, as the options were many:  A Reuben with braised cabbage instead of sauerkraut, pulled pork sliders, a burger that looked outstanding, a Croque Monsieur topped with a fried egg if you desired (I would've).  Everything sounded great.


I ended up getting the hanger steak (since you don't really see it on a menu too often, which is a shame, as it's cheap and flavorful) which was on the menu as "360 day aged hanger steak".  I had meant to ask the waitress about that, thinking it either a typo or maybe some meat purveyor named "360" or something, but I forgot about it because I was too busy thinking about steak.  It came out perfectly cooked, with a large helping of hand-cut french fries that were superb.  The steak itself was topped with a blue cheese butter that worked well with the meat, but was a little overpowering.  Overall, the dish was pretty straightforward, not letting me down at all but at the same time not wowing me.


Cyndi had the seared polenta cake with smoked mushrooms, braised greens, and red onion gastrique.  The flavors on it were each strong on their own, but all together worked in harmony.  The red onions were a wonderful note.  It was a great dish, and if there is an improvement to be made, it's that it could stand to be a bit larger.  However, upon ordering it, the waitress did inform us that it was indeed a small portion, so I can't complain too much.

Dessert is where we hit a snag.   We wanted to split the pie-o-the-day, which was apple-pear pie.  On a cold winter day, I was looking forward to some warm pie.  But it came cold.  I know some people like it that way, I just wish I had been given an option, I guess.  But alas, on to the pie!  The filling and topping were good, nothing I'd bother stealing off a windowsill if I lived in 1960s Mayberry, but good.  Once we got down to the crust, though, it became a battle.  The crust was next to impossible to cut with a fork, it was so hard.  Like, I seriously thought if I put any more pressure on that poor pie, the crust would finally yield and shoot a piece across the room.  Also, the pie had this ginger-maple-brittle thing stuck in it that may or may not have been a touille.  Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure it must have been made a little thick because I about lost a tooth trying to eat it.  Seriously, I think you could encase a prehistoric mosquito in that and start your own Dinosaur Park.

SERVICE (*****):  Service was very good here.  Our waitress managed many other tables in addition to ours, but we never felt forgotten and were never left wanting for drink refills or anything else for that matter.

VALUE (****):   The prices were very reasonable considering the quality of the food. The average price for an entree is 7-8 bucks!

OVERALL:  I really, really wanted this place to be great.  I really liked the concept, and the menu.  It aimed high, and started strong, but fell a little short at the end.  For me, instead of achieving greatness, it landed firmly in very-goodness.  The only problem is, with it being at 3rd and freakin Delaware, I don't really know if it's "very-good" enough for me to make the drive down there again anytime soon.

OVERALL SCORE: ****

Cafe Europa in Brookside

Cafe Europa
323 E. 55th St
Kansas City, MO 64113
Website

HOW I FOUND IT:  So the wife and I woke up a little bit early (for us), and decided we wanted some Sunday brunch, an oft overlooked meal in our household.  I went online to look up some good lookin brunch spots, and stumbled across Cafe Europa.  The menu looked simple and tasty, the hours for brunch were pretty flexible (10am to 3pm), and they even have their own bakery?  We were sold.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE:  ***):  We pulled up to the place after almost driving right past it.  It's in a strip mall along with a bunch of other 'mom-n-pop' stores on 55th, a small, unassuming place.  When you walk in the door you're immediately treated to their bakery, with a glass case full of cupcakes, cookies, and other delights that looked outstanding.  I was starting to get excited.  The dining room itself was a sort of weird tan/beige color that you might expect to see in the kitchen of a southern Johnson County 'cookie cutter house', not a little cafe.  The dining room was small, but didn't feel crowded, and the windows let in plenty of sunlight.

FOOD (SCORE: *****):  I had a tough time deciding, but I ended up getting the Eggs Benedict, and Cyndi got the smoked salmon with potato latke.  And we ordered a side of biscuit and gravy to split, because we are freaks when it comes to our B&G. 

My Benedict was perfect and awesome.  The homemade english muffins had a slight sourdough twang to them, the ham was a large but thin slice, which I liked better than the thick chunk of canadian bacon you get at most places, the eggs were perfect, and the Hollandaise a smooth, rich-but-not-heavy delicacy.


Cyndi enjoyed her smoked salmon on latke, which came with the traditional accompaniments of onions, egg whites, egg yolks, and capers.  The latke was much bigger than we thought it would be, but it wasn't obscenely large.


The gravy on the biscuit was very tasty, but the biscuit itself, being touted as 'homemade' on the menu, was a little ho-hum.

I didn't order the pancakes myself, but if I go back for brunch, that would likely be my choice as I saw a few orders come out and they looked fluffy and awesome.  Overall, we were quite pleased with the food itself.

However, a good dining experience relies on a blend of great food AND great service, and well...

SERVICE (SCORE: Guess. ):  Oh.  Hell.  Naw.  Grab a Snickers, cuz this is gonna take a while. Service was the deal-breaker for us.  Our waitress came by in a timely manner after we were sat, and took our order, and seemed polite and pleasant enough.  But we'll never really know how pleasant she might be, because she never came back.  Seriously, the bus boy was by our table more than she was.  At first I didn't mind, as I really don't like when a server hovers too much.  But then I ran out of coffee.  And water.  And I sat there, broken-hearted, as I watched all the OTHER tables get refills of both from THEIR servers.  But where was ours?  I also noticed her other tables had similar looks of despair.  And I really couldn't even flag someone down because we had apparently drank some sort of invisibility tonic that must've been slipped into our waters.

Eventually the bus-boy came to my aid and made sure I didn't pass out from dehydration, but by the time someone came by to ask if I wanted any more coffee (which I had wanted for about 15-20 min), I declined because we were already done eating.  The busboy came by and removed our plates for us, and a few minutes later the server finally came by and, seeing the empty table, said "your brunch should be out soon", and I had to inform her that we had already eaten, and would like the check.  She mumbled a "sorry" and brought the check, I returned it with my debit card, and then she disappeared for another long stretch.  My pregnant wife actually joked that maybe she should fake her water breaking so we could just get the hell out of there.  She finally returned and gave a half-hearted apology again, and walked away.

Since I work in the restaurant industry and consider myself a decent human being/softie at heart, I don't have it in me to stiff, or even undertip a server, even when service is horrible.  Sometimes I wish I could be that guy, but I just can't.  So I didn't stiff her.  But I did write on the check, "After you took our order, we never saw you.  I wanted more coffee :(  "  Hoping that the frowny face might make the constructive criticism not seem too angry.  Whatever, she'll probably stab me if I come back in there.  But don't worry, because of the service, I won't! 

VALUE (SCORE: ***):  A bit pricey as far as brunch goes, but the food was so good I can't complain.  For the two of us, having the 2 entrees, side of biscuits and gravy, a coffee, and an O.J., our total was about $30.00

OVERALL:  Down to earth, straight up good food that seduces you like a sexy siren, backed up with service that slips something in your drink and leaves you waking up on the bathroom floor, violated and missing a kidney.  Seriously, I liked this place quite a bit, but the frustration makes me really not want to give it another chance.

OVERALL SCORE: Had the service been good, I'd say ****
but alas, it drags it down to ***