A couple of Lincolns will buy a delectable dish at this hip establishment.
Food & Entertaining
It’s All About the Ingredients
This upbeat, flavorful restaurant provides an extensive menu, organic decor and green space in the middle of Leawood.

Fast food, gourmet style. That describes Ingredient restaurant at Park Place, Leawood’s new urbanism project at 117th and Nall. The casual concept is just the place for a lax lunch, date night or family outing.

When Steve Kerner sat down with colleagues and a few focus groups to come up with a name for his new restaurant, they kept coming back to the basis of the restaurant: ‘it’s all about the ingredients.’ So, after much discussion, they dropped the ‘s’ on ‘ingredient’ and added a phonetic spelling, appropriate since the first location opened in college town Lawrence, Kan., last year. “We want people to feel they’ve had a different dining experience with a modest price point,” says Steve, a 25-year chef and founder/owner of Ingredient. The menu he created includes fresh produce (some local) every week, with 60 salad ingredients; 25 for pizza, which is handmade and baked in a brick oven; 30 for the new dessert i.bar; and custom options.

As customers walk in, they order at the front counter, pour a drink at leisure, and take a number and a seat, either inside or out on the patio overlooking the park, fountain and park-turned-ice-skating-rink in the winter. “People feel like they’re not in Leawood,” Steve notes of the new location. The open, airy atmosphere inside, painted in soft green, red, yellow and orange, distracts you for the few moments waiting in line, as contemporary metallic accents in the chairs, lighting and signage punch up the urban factor. Post-consumer products pressed neatly in between acrylic panels define seating areas and decorate work space, providing guests with a twist on organic, original decor.

When I went for a visit, I tried the Sweet Leaf and Crispy Asian salads, Honey Wasabi Turkey Burger and half Spin-Dip, half “R” Margherita pizza — all delivered with colorful presentations and relatively large portions for under $10 each. Feeling my appetite grow, I grabbed a fork and started with the Crispy Asian salad filled with juicy bites of Thai-chili glazed steak, napa cabbage, bok choy, glass noodles, edamame, red peppers, snow peas, carrots and cashews, covered in sesame ginger dressing and topped with crispy wonton strips — a tasty concoction of fresh ingredients and Asian flavors. Remembering I had more to try, I pushed the salad to the side, switching to pizza. First, I tried the Spin-Dip, with fresh spinach, artichokes, and creamy pools of mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Next, the “R” Margherita gave the Spin-Dip a run for its money with basil pesto seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes and warm, fresh mozzarella. Even if you’re a meat-lover like me, you’ll enjoy these “veggie” pizza options.

After taking a small break and a deep breath, I picked up the fork for the Sweet Leaf salad. Perfect for springtime (or any time you need a burst of citrus), it’s overflowing with spring greens, grilled chicken, fresh strawberries, orange slices, gorgonzola cheese and caramelized pecans in raspberry basil vinaigrette. After a few mouthfuls, I decided it might be my favorite dish yet, with its combination of fruity flavors and tender chicken pieces. The Honey Wasabi Turkey Burger, sandwiched between ciabatta bread, comes with fresh seasoned ground turkey, provolone cheese, butter lettuce, tomato, spicy sriracha aioli and is served with grilled and chilled vegetables. Each bite follows with an unexpected spicy aioli kick to the taste buds. Patrons also can customize their own pies and salads as they wish, while kids can choose from items like pasta, mini corn dogs, pizza bread and chicken tenders. 

If breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, try the Belgian waffles, ultimate omelet, biscuits and gravy, yogurt and fruit parfait, warm doughnut holes or numerous side items like bacon and sausage, served until 11 a.m. If you have a sweet tooth, make your way to the back of the restaurant for the new addition, the i.bar, which offers bite-size goodies, such as cheesecake, cookies, fruit and marshmallows, to name a few. The five dipping sauces include white, dark and milk chocolate, along with raspberry and caramel — one piece comes with one sauce; three pieces, two sauces; six pieces, three sauces. If you’d rather have dessert in a glass, grab a smoothie on your way out the door, or park yourself in the lounge area and enjoy a beer or glass of wine.

While tipping is usually part of dining out, here, it isn’t allowed. “I think everyone enjoys the concept, the added value,” says Patrick Bovrukiewicz, IT and a-little-of-everything-else employee. Instead of leaving a tip, he’d rather customers give to charity, perform a random act of kindness, put a quarter in an expired parking meter or say hello to a stranger.

When I walked out the doors, satisfied and full, I couldn’t stop thinking about the tip policy, so I decided I’d put a quarter in the next expired meter I saw or make my specialty appetizer for friends. It’s a concept that stayed with me, along with the enjoyable cuisine, which is why the next day, my colleagues and I went to Ingredient (again) for lunch.