one bite

One Bite is a Japanese Grill located on 133rd Street in Kansas City.  Well, technically it's in Overland Park, but you get the idea. A funny thing I've noticed about Kansas City is that the people who live closer to the city (aka north) tend to scoff at the idea of living "out south."  And, while I don't actually know anybody who lives "out south" (to be totally honest, I don't really know where out south begins), from what I have gathered, it seems like they tend to hate on the people who live close to the city.  In summation, there's a bit of a rivalry.  Or a clashing of preferences, if you will.  This division is sometimes so strong that some people rarely make it to the other part of the city.

While Dan's family definitely exhibits a preference for the northern areas closer to the city, they aren't necessarily opposed to "out south."  But, I was surprised when we went all the way to 133rd Street for dinner on a Sunday night when everyone was suffering from jet lag (Dan's parents and sister had just returned from spending weeks in Spain...tough life).  When we arrived at One Bite, I started to understand.  When I tasted the food, I knew: this place is worth the drive.

orange barstools at OB

Fresh, modern decor instantly separates One Bite from other Asian food restaurants.  You will be hard-pressed to find a digital waterfall or goldfish pond here.  Clean lines and punches of bright color give the restaurant a youthful vibe.

a bright take on a seaweed salad

The menu items are just as enticing as the furnishings.  There is no sushi on this menu.  I must admit that I had never been to a Japanese restaurant that doesn't specialize in sushi before, so I had no idea what to expect.  Upon reading the item descriptions, I was tempted to order pretty much everything, but after much debate I settled on the modan yaki.  It is a batter filled with vegetables, topped with noodles, a fried egg and mushrooms.  It is also unbelievable.  If I hadn't already stuffed myself with appetizers - seaweed salad, mushrooms, tofu and edamame - I would have been devastated when I devoured the whole entrée and had no left-overs for the next day.  Luckily, I had had plenty of appetizers and, with some self-restraint, was able to bring some yaki home with me.

a picture of the vegetable yaki - just like what I ordered, but sans noodles

They offer most of the food with the option of getting a tapas style portion.  I would guess that this is an attempt to promote sharing and therefore an expanded knowledge of Japanese food among their clientele.  However, once I tried my entree, I reaalllly didn't want to share.  But I was polite and let everyone try a bite.  

our strawberry shaved ice dessert

When we had finished our entrees, our waitress (who is maybe also the owner?) was extremely friendly, patient and informative and brought us a dessert on the house.  The dessert was this huge pile of shaved ice with Japanese cream and a homemade strawberry sauce drizzled on top.  It was somehow incredibly light and refreshing while still being satisfyingly creamy.  I don't know how they managed to do that.  But they did.

sauces for sale! with cool packaging, too!

Oh, and they sell their own sauces!  I would love to buy one or two (or all) of them to experiment with in my own kitchen. They even provide recipes on their website to help you incorporate their sauces into your home-cooking.  While I appreciate their desire to share their wonderful Japanese food with me, I have a suspicion that anything I try to make on my own will fall significantly short of the deliciousness I discovered at the restaurant.

Needless to say, I was very impressed.  One Bite is definitely worth the trip.  I can't wait to go back for another, well, bite.

all images from One Bite's website