I went to Zest for lunch and was HIGHLY dissapointed. The price was not the issue, as for lunch it was reasonably priced. However, I ordered the Veggie Pizza and a side salad. I could have seriously made this at my home (and better). Normally a Veggie pizza has more on there then canned sauce, and a little asparagus and zucchini. The side salad was fancy lettuce, nothing more.

I was still hungry after I left. I looked at other people’s items at my table, and nothing looked tempting to eat except the hamburger. Almost everyone in our group of 9 said they really didn’t care for the food. For something new and getting a lot of hype, I will not be back.

I visited Zest on a whim after picking up fresh produce from the Mission Farms farmer’s market. I had my toddler son with me and was not sure what to expect since it looked like a nice place. However, I had read the KC Star review in which the reviewer’s children enjoyed the food and took a chance. I was not disappointed. We were immediately seated in a quiet area of the restaurant although it was fairly busy. They provided great entertainment (i.e., crayons) for Alex and a clean high chair.

I was very pleased with the offerings but had to go with the meatloaf since it has received the most attention. It was amazing. The meatloaf, a combination of ground sirloin, veal and pork, had a dense but not tough texture with that wonderful chewy crust. Not bland at all and not greasy. Two large slices of it, too! The wild mushroom demi-glace was rich and not too thick. The garlic mashed potatoes were also creamy and rich, but the herb-roasted roma tomatoes were disappointing. They lacked flavor and were mealy, which surprised me given the farmers market tomatoes available outside. I LOVE the options on the kid’s menu and chose mac-n-cheese with fresh green beans for my son. He adored both dishes and I had to sneak a few bites myself! Nice to have healthier side dish options on a kids’ menu.

I have heard the hype that this was the NEW new place to be, with a location a bit further south from here already having run it’s course.
We tried it three different times, we really wanted to like it, we like to go where everyone else is. The only thing we liked about the place was that we did see some familiar faces, both in the staff and the clientele. Save for a great bartender (Megan?) that remembered our face AND our drink (impressive!) nothing else was worth going there for.
It was impossible to find something on the menu that even remotely enticed us. It seemed like a fancy diner menu, that went way over the top to try and make upscale modifications. It was busy enough, but the servers seemed more into their little pocket computers than the actual guest. The presence of the electronic gadget completely took away from the normal conversation that takes place between a waiter and his patrons.
I asked to speak to the manager, and when he finally made his way to our table (20 minutes later) seemed completely miffed to have to address an issue at all. He did make sure to go straight to our sever and lambaste him for a problem that was completely out of his control and entirely the kitchens fault.

This place seems to have their priorities out of whack. I want to go back ,but I can’t seem to find enough reasons to justify giving my hard earned money to an establishment that places it’s priorities on the ego of the management and the fluffiness of the place and has little time for the guests concerns.

been there twice ad a great time love the place but the food really need to be work on, great menu but very disappointing quality. So chef you need to step up to the plate or this going to be an other short live restaurant.