When I visit a restaurant, it’s about the food, yes, but it’s also about the atmosphere and service.  Being a detail-oriented person, I watch carefully how others handle the details.  If a restaurant has real half and half for my coffee…they pay attention to details. If it’s the cheap powdered stuff–that says something too.

So my friend Mic and I ate at the Well this afternoon for lunch.  It was tough to choose a menu item, there’s a lot I’d like to try.  We ended up getting basically the same thing:  half rotisserie turkey sandwich and chicken noodle soup (for him), salad (for me). $7.99

Our waitress Jennifer was sincere, pleasant, and generally pretty knowledgeable.  I asked which salad dressings were made in house–she didn’t know, but thinks  the orange pomogranate and ceaser are made on site. I ordered my half salad without shredded cheese–when she served it she actually noticed it had cheese before I had a chance to say anything! That’s rare.  She immediately returned it to the kitchen.  I did not care for the dressing–finding out later it was ‘fat free’–perhaps I didn’t notice that on the menu.  It was very sweet and more like a thin marinade. A warm triangle of seasoned pita bread came with the salad.

The sandwich was good–fresh whole wheat bread (another fine  detail) and a good portion size. Mic reported that the chicken soup tasted fresh, with plenty of large chicken chunks and vegetables.  Alas, no long noodles…a macaroni noodle which Mic doesn’t care for.  However, easier to eat with a spoon.

But it was the fries…oh yes, we had to try the fries!   They were hot and freshly cut and well seasoned and very very good.  We split an order at $3 and it was plenty for both of us. Better than the hand cut fries at Murphy’s 10 blocks away? I have to say yes, partly because Murphy’s has gone downhill since it switched from Jake Edwards (that’s another post). Don’t miss the fries at the Well…our knowledgeable waitress also mentioned that menu favorites so far seem to be the pastrami and french dip sandwiches.

After dining I walked up to check out the roof top..and as Mic says, ‘Who doesn’t like a rooftop patio?”  He’s so right.  The view is of the nearby car wash, Commerce Bank billboard, Wornall Road and the MAX bus park and ride lot. But who cares?  It was a comfortable atmosphere with it’s own small bar and a pool table. My next stop will be to check out the happy hour up on the roof.

Final words: on the way to the bathroom, there are several framed photos of old landmarks in Kansas City in the Waldo area. There is a map of the old trolley service–fascinating to stop for a moment and study these pictures.  And I was very happy to see a clean bathroom, but with a pesky wall dryer for hand washing and no paper towels. 

I can see the Well becoming a local favorite hang out..in part because they pay attention to the details and service.  Support locally owned businesses by visiting the Well soon!