Spooning at the Spoon
October 21st, 2016
The Wooden Spoon is a family-owned breakfast-lunch spot across the street from Johnson County Community College. It does not have any website, but a simple Facebook page.
Location/Environment: The Wooden Spoon is a quaint little restaurant on the corner of College Blvd. and Quivira in Overland Park, KS. When I say little, I mean it. The dining area is tightly packed with 8 or 9 different tables that makes it a bit of a challenge to maneuver around. The décor is nothing to get excited about either. What you can expect is good food and a delightful staff. The door opens promptly at 7.
Service: Perhaps the best feature of The Wooden Spoon is how easy it is to sit back and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. A Panclog breakfast typically lasts a couple of hours and we can sometimes feel the desire of the staff to flip the table for a waiting customer. I can easily say the staff at the Spoon doesn’t seem to mind. The staff seems as interested as we are in having a leisurely morning and enjoying the time as it slowly ticks away.
Wait time for food: 15 minutes
Menu/Selection: The menu at The Wooden Spoon isn’t as extensive as many other places, but, what they do have they do well. Prices are also quite reasonable.
Food:
Egg Croissant Sandwich & Single Hash Brown Casserole (Brentley)
I have recently settled on the Egg Croissant Sandwich the past few times we have been there. The sandwich comes with scrambled eggs, your choice of bacon or sausage, and cheddar cheese. I am sure you can order your egg cooked differently should you desire it. It may sound sacrilegious to order sausage over bacon, but that is what I prefer. I feel that the larger piece of sausage balances with the eggs better. To top it all off you get a toasted, buttery croissant to act as the bread for the sandwich.
I love croissants, they are one of my favorite pastries. The downside to a croissant is that they can be dusty, leaving crumbs everywhere. When toasted, the outer layers become much more brittle increasing the crumb to shirt ratio.
Like I said, the sandwich is terrific, although I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a couple of times the edges of the croissant have been burned. Not a big deal to me, but it is something to be aware of.
The Wooden Spoon also offers a Hash Brown Casserole that can be ordered as a side. The casserole is offered in two configurations: meat and vegetarian. I have not had the vegetarian so I cannot comment on what it is like. However, the meat version of the casserole has bits of bacon and sausage in it which significantly impacts the flavor of the dish. The casserole is always served steaming hot, so tread carefully when your food is delivered.
The coffee is simple and good, with a very large pot sitting next to the cash register. None of the employees seem to mind if you get up and refill your cup yourself. Which is just as nice as having a carafe of coffee at the table. Being able to have consistent access to coffee makes it much easier to sit back and relax with your breakfast buddies.
Egg Croissant Sandwich with Sausage and Cheddar – $4.99
Single Hash Brown Casserole with Meat – $3.99
Coffee – $1.99
Double Burrito and Single Hash Brown Casserole (Jared)
A wooden spoon is something every kitchen should have. If your wooden spoon isn’t slightly burnt from leaving it in the mac & cheese pan, then you aren’t living right.
The Wooden Spoon is a place that you are almost guaranteed to see the same patrons every time you go. This is a great sign when searching for a family-style restaurant environment that makes you feel at home. The owner/operators are a lovely couple that open the store every morning. I have been able to enjoy many of the options on the menu, from the egg bacon panwich to the sometimes special french toast.
I am always shocked at how short the menu is. I have been bombarded with novel-sized menus as of late. Have you ever been to the Cheesecake Factory? That menu would take days to read if you are as slow at reading as I.
Breakfast burritos have recently been classified, by myself, as heavenly. Which means God has claimed the breakfast burrito as his own special breakfast item. Is anything better than the lovely carb-laden tortilla wrapped around warm eggs, sausage, and pico de gallo? Sorry, the answer is a hearty no. Wooden Spoon’s burritos come split in half. This simple cut brings these burritos into a special club of foods that come in pairs and need to be savored. Oh who is in that club you ask? Maybe you have heard of a couple of them. Reese’s PB Cups? Yeah. Swiss Cake Rolls? Yep. Nutty Buddies? Oh yeah. Oh wait, these are all sweets. I mean of course they are sweets. Which means, um, that they need to be savored. Yeah. That is what I am saying about these burritos. You should know that the breakfast burritos come dry and then you add the salsa of your choosing to give some moisture. Very very tasty.
Let’s start talking about casseroles. Casseroles sound like something your 84 year old grandmother is going to “slip into the oven for you kids.” Yeah not too appetizing. They also make me think of the name Cassie. I knew a girl named Cassie once. I am almost certain that her full name was Cassandra. But wouldn’t you like her more if her full name was Casserole? Maybe her parents fell in love over a casserole at their favorite granny-ran diner. I think more people need to be named after their parents favorite food. I am naming my third child Cereal Sova. How amazing would that be? That kid is going to be a great person.
The hash brown casserole at The Wooden Spoon is something that will attempt to change your perception of casseroles. It is full of cheese, breadcrumbs, meat and hash browns. The hash browns, although finished in an oven or salamander, still have the greasy taste of the griddle. Although the casseroles may come out a little dry, a little salsa or hot sauce will bring the cassie to life.
Double Burrito: $5.49
Single Hash Brown Casserole: $3.49
Coffee: $1.49
Overall: All in all, I am happy that it is one of our regular haunts and look forward to dining there many times again. You all should come and join us there some time.
Grade:
Jared: I do declare that The Wooden Spoon will receive a B- grade
Brent: I give The Wooden Spoon 4 out of 5 stars.
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