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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Bad Intentions---or how not to do a restaurant

Pardon me while I digress a bit today.  I went to a restaurant last evening with family and came away stunned at the train wreck of ideas that it is and just had to write about it.  I'll keep it brief.

The restaurant is "Intentions" in downtown Overland Park.  Wow.  Talk about a melange of bad ideas put together, poor things.  Who would ever think of doing a--mostly--sushi restaurant with really loud rock and roll music and bright, nearly blinding lighting (forgive that last slight exaggeration there) but that's what they've done.

It's at 80th and Metcalf (7316 W. 80th St).  I don't know how long they've been open--I don't think very long.  And they spent a great deal of money to make the place look good inside, albeit way too much fire engine red for my tastes but that's subjective, for sure.  Maybe lots of other people would like it that way.

The menu has lots of different sushi items from which to choose and each item is named after a popular song.  For example, a "Start me up" is a house salad with ginger dressing, it says, while an "R.E.S.P.E.C.T" is an asian wrap.  You get the idea.  And they also have burgers, steaks and pasta on the menu, too, for those of us who don't know our sushi from sashimi.

The sushi we had consisted of sticky white rice that felt and tasted starchy.  If it weren't for the sauce we dipped them in, I don't know that I'd have gotten any flavor.  I will say that the presentation on the plate, when we were served was nice.  It looked good to the eye.  

Out wait staff were nice and pleasant.  The young man (with trendy embedded ear ring hoops, I might add) was cheerful and knowledgeable.  He was also training a new young lady for the job at the time.

After searching for them on the internet, I see they not only have a Facebook page but they also have--stunningly to me, 815 friends.  Who knows?  Maybe trendy, young, twenty-somethings like this place and the mix of sushi and loud music and it really gets going on the weekends.

So we gave it a try, decided it was either for a completely different age group or just a patently bad idea.  Again, from the website: "popular live music venue committed to bringing you the best in cover bands.  From Motown to Rock and Roll, we have it all."  If it works, it will be because of the music, young people and whatever they eat.  We took bets they're closed by this Winter, not that we're wishing it on anyone.

In the meantime, right around the corner from this place is "Taste".  Go check it out.  A nice, quiet place with  great food and quick service that is sophisticated without being stuffy---very pleasant.  (Get the chef's sampler.  It's terrific).  This place can save the evening for you.  I know it did for us.

Links:  http://www.intentionsnightlife.com/default.html;
http://www.taste-kc.com/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Been to both, TASTE is over priced and meh food. Intentions is a Night Club bar posing as a Sushi that's where you made the mistake...we had great service - as it sounds you did as well but the food was OK-- go to Intentions on a Sat night....

Our time at TASTE was prompted by a coupon...the service was shotty, the food was small, cuisine portions and couldn't fill the lightest eaters. We also had the sampler...

Mo Rage said...

You're right--it's a night club bar, posing--advertising--as a sushi restaurant. Who knew?

Our service at Taste was good--both places were nearly empty as it was a Monday night but the food was terrific at Taste. It filled this "lightest eater". Of course, I had had two appetizers at Intentions and then before we went out.

mr