Day 5: Restaurant Review

(in·grē·di·ent) Food Review

by Matthew N.

When you want to meet with your business buddies and have lunch, where do you go? Somewhere with an open menu and free Wi-Fi, of course. Panera Bread or a deli? Introducing (in·grē·di·ent), a restaurant with some good eats and reasonable prices. (in·grē·di·ent) has several metro locations, including Leawood, Downtown Kansas City, Oak Park Mall, and the Plaza.

The menu has a wide range of choices, including burgers, pizza, salads, and sandwiches.  The exterior of the Leawood restaurant made it look modern. The first thing I noticed about the interior was that it was oddly shaped into a funky triangle. I also saw that the table layout had a sleek, slightly disorganized feel. Most of the restaurant’s customers were aged from 21 to 55. However, a sign boasted the building could hold 140 people.

After standing in a medium crowded line that went pretty fast, we went to order. The clerk seemed to have a pretty good understanding of the menu. The prices were fair, with meals from about $10 to $16. The total for the four of us eating was $64. We then went to get our drinks. Apparently, they were experiencing difficulty with the soda dispenser, because the lemonade was out of order, and the water would not shut off when you selected it. We then went to find a table.

When we found our table, we marked it with our number and got our utensils. I noticed that there were only three TVs on the wall. I thought this was a good idea because not everyone cares about the latest trade rumor or walk-off home run. The people who wanted to see a TV could watch without everyone being forced to look at one. Our chips and dip ($7.99) came first. The preparation speed was very quick, and the chips were very good. Coated with sea salt, the chips reminded me of fare from Chipotle. Next up were our entrees.

The food came out a minute after the chips. I ordered a custom pizza ($10.95) with mozzarella cheese, Kalamata olives, and pepperoni. The first thing I noticed was the olives. They were whole olives, and huge. Then I saw the abundance of cheese smothering my pizza. After tasting it, I wish they would have spread the cheese out a little more. The sauce was also very spicy. The last thing I noticed was that the cheese kept falling off the sauce. I concluded that pizza isn’t (in·grē·di·ent)’s specialty.

Overall, I liked the atmosphere of the place. The pricing was reasonable, and it’s a good place to try something new. However, I would not recommend the pizza. As an alternative, my friends recommended the salads and wraps. (in·grē·di·ent) is a fun, emerging restaurant that has potential, but if they want to get rave reviews, they need to make menu changes.

Food Rating:

Three Knights (out of five)

Pricing: $$