Zest - Leawood, KS

Zest is located at 10681 Mission Road, Leawood, KS 66206
Cross Street: Mission Rd. & 106th, (913) 381-5678

Owned by Joe DiGiovanni and Mike Schreiber, Zest promises to be a refreshing new arrival on the Johnson County restaurant scene. You may recognize Joe from Joe D’s Wine Bar in Brookside. He has finally returned to the restaurant business and with his long-time friend Mike promises to deliver another great eating venue.

We were invited to a friends and family night at Zest on 11/18, prior to its opening on Monday 11/24. The décor is unique and while modern it manages a warm comfortable feeling. The stainless steel accents and bar trim are warmed up with tile and wood and a pleasing paint scheme. The effect is upscale, trendy, friendly and eclectic – just like Joe.

The menu is amazing. It truly has something for everyone. It is very kid friendly while offering a wide variety of choices for any palate. The prices are very low compared to anywhere else we have been when comparing Zest to other restaurants of its caliber. Seriously, the most you can pay for an entrée is $25.00. Of course you can get the caviar appetizer for $90.00, but you can also get a ¼ lb. hot dog with shoestring fries for $7.00.

Since it was pre-opening they were serving a taste list of full servings from the menu. Our first dish was the creamy baked brie & artichoke dip with spinach. Smooth, rich and so flavorful I actually finished it with my spoon when we ran out of crackers. Next was the chili con carne Kline. Mrs. Secret Eater loves chili so I didn’t get much but it was very meaty, somewhat spicy and had a homemade flavor that you just don’t find very often. Our entrees were the grilled boneless ribeye and the garlic and Romano coated shrimp. I’m normally not a big fan of ribeyes but this was the best I have ever tasted. Thick, done perfectly at medium rare, enough fat to make it flavorful and almost as tender as a filet – unbelievable. I would go back just for that. The garlic Romano shrimp was served over linguini and roasted tomatoes tossed in a garlic white wine butter sauce. The shrimp were perfectly sautéed and the pasta had to be cooked one portion at a time to be text book al dente on a night with a crowd that size. I am in love with chef Eric Ekard’s garlic white wine butter sauce.

We have been to openings & pre-openings before & there is always the expected lack of coordination between the servers, the kitchen and the hostesses. Not this night, not at Joe’s. He believes in hiring right & it shows. With an enormous and continuous crowd of people the staff handled themselves professionally and were attentive without being annoying. I especially liked a hostess walking up to us and inviting us to be seated. How did they do that with a capacity crowd? We waited about 45 minutes or so which we expected due to the crowd and she still found us. I love that touch. No disruptive announcements, none of those stupid little flashing vibrators that so many technophiles are in love with. Just old fashioned service. What a concept.

Joe & Mike will be wildly successful with Zest. Joe has brought his desire, experience and attention to perfection into focus and Mike is the perfect counterpart. If you were ever at Joe D’s before Joe sold it you know what this means. Mike was a fixture there and now he brings his warm friendly character as an owner. A restaurant is the ultimate culmination of the owners’ personalities. Zest is Joe D’s at a whole new level. We are headed back as soon as possible.

Next time I will talk about the wine list. There simply isn’t enough room today.