Paros Estiatorio — Restaurant in Leawood

1- Flavor & quality of the meal was a one star. Dry, overcooked, underseasoned, lacking flavor, & vile mealy tomatoes. 2- Grossly overpriced for the quality of food presented. A meal for two totaled nearly $400. 3- I discreetly reached out to management in private following our dining experience. They did not respond.

Our waiter was kind, & engaged. The food was shockingly bad. We hoped to invest in an intimate dining experience & memorable meal at Paros Estiatorio for Valentines Day. When we invest $400 or more on a dining experience for two people, we anticipate an experience worthy of our investment. There was not an equal value exchange.

First, a romantic dining experience was not offered. We were seated with six other patrons packed into the window seating. Upon being seated our dining experience was no longer a private one. I had to physically move the table to pass my thighs into the shared bench seat I shared with two others. Rather than chatting with my partner, we gabbed with fellow patrons questioning why we were packed in side-by-side & commenting about the seating arrangement. It was not an intimate dinner experience for couples. The tables were 4"-6” apart. We heard the conversations of the couples beside us during our entire meal. I’m sure they were also interrupted by our dinner service & discussion as well. It gave me greasy spoon diner or crowded coffee shop vibes, even though the decor is lovely.

The "Grilled Octopus" was served at room temperature. Dare I say, it was cold. No grill marks, no flavor packed char, and no seasoning. No effort to tenderize the octopus had been made. It had not been parboiled or braised before hitting an open flame grill. This left it tough, rubbery, under seasoned, cold, & chewy. It did not look, taste, or feel like grilled octopus. My guess is it was boiled & then refrigerated prior to serving. We couldn’t eat it.

We also ordered the flaming slice of cheese served with pita. This slice of cheese was tastefully presented. However, I was absolutely astonished we were paying upwards of $41+ (cost per course/per person) for a warm slice of cheese. I began to second guess our decision to dine here at this point.

Next up, Greek Salads. We were served salads with soft, grainy, mealy tomatoes. The texture was like grainy paste. The tomatoes were so bad it was not palatable. I suspected the salad was made days prior or the tomatoes were lacking freshness before preparing the salad. It was awful. It was bland in the total absence of salt, herbs, or vinegar. It was dressed in olive oil only with no acidity. What stood out was mealy, stale, tomatoes. Again, we invested upwards of $41+ each for mushy tomato salads.

At this point, our disappointment set it. We stopped eating. Our dinner had not yet arrived, and we began feeling ripped-off of the meal and dining experience we anticipated.

One of each of the lamb dishes was ordered for dinner. One was served a la carte with no side item to create a balanced meal or harmonious flavor experience. Far worse, it was dry, fibrous, stringy, and overcooked. It was astonishingly rich with nothing else on the plate to balance the flavor or dish. I don’t think any chef would argue otherwise – it was overcooked.

The 2nd dish option was lamb shank served with feta mashed potatoes. The lamb shank was tender. However, I found it to be extraordinarily gamey, sweet, & as though beef stock had been used. The potatoes were so cold the starch was beginning to stiffen, much like refrigerated leftover mashed potatoes would. They were cool, bland, starchy, and 100% plain. I could not detect a hint of salt, garlic, herbs, butter, cream, milk, feta brine, or feta cheese. It's fair to describe the potatoes as flavorless.

We swiftly boxed our desert to go & departed. I didn't express my concern in the restaurant because I couldn't do so privately, due to the seating arrangement with strangers. Secondly, none of this was the fault of our hardworking server.

It was the worst meal we can recall experiencing in a KC restaurant - ever. Avoid...

We have had many meals in Greece! Lotza in Santorini has been one of our favorites. Being in KC, we often wished to have had that level of refinement until Paros Estiatorio opened! Last night, we enjoyed another scrumptious dinner that took us right back to that hilltop in Santorini. Crisp delicate flavors intertwining created a gustatory adventure for the palette that took me into sensory overload.

~FOR DRINKS I HAD:

Paros Martini A refreshing cocktails with Effen Cucumber, Botanist 22, Basil, Grapefruit Liqueur, Cucumber and Lime to set the mood; cooled it down in anticipation of the heat to come! 🌬

Mykonos Breeze A refreshing elixir of Grey Goose,Velvet Falernum, and Passion Fruit; the pre foreplay. 😜

~FOR SALAD WE HAD:

Karpouzi A pairing made in heaven. The taste of fresh, sweet, juicy bright red cubes of of watermelon contrasting the peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, crunchy,nutty walnuts showered by a luscious honey and mint; the ideal foreplay for my tastebuds. 😊

~FOR APPETIZERS WE HAD:

Keftedes Perfect little spheres of organic beef meatballs perfumed with fresh herbs, lazily rolling in a pool of ouzo tomato sauce and Ricotta cheese was delectable. The subtile anise flavor of the ouzo combined with the herbs pleased my nose, my palette and my stomach.😋

Paros Chips Thin crispy slices disks of zucchini and eggplant chips layered in a elegant crunchy tower of goodness, served with a cool and zesty tzatziki dipping sauce was delectable.

Spanakopita Delicate, buttery, flaky triangular filo pockets filled with a delicious a mouthwatering mixture of spinach, feta, leeks and dill; my pulse raced.

~FOR DINNER WE HAD:

Mixed Seafood Platter A majestic whole Maine Lobster surrounded by its court: Succulent King Tiger Prawns, perfectly seared plump and juicy scallops, meaty, flaky Chilean Sea Bass Souvlaki served with grilled Brussels Sprouts and feta mashed potatoes was fit for for a king; my heart skipped a bit. ♥️

Moscharisa Brizola A beautifully marbeled bone-in ribeye perfectly cooked, topped with sautéed earthy mushrooms with mavrodaphne, doused in a succulent glistening fig sauce, served with feta mashed potatoes light just turn anyone onto a carnivore; heat rush at first bite! 😈

~FOR DESSERTS WE HAD:

Olive Oil Cake A fragrant wedge cake that looked as if it captured the color of the sun, flavored with notes of citrus, dressed with powdered sugar and accessorized by fig marmelade and a purple flower; soo delicious I ordered two!

Crème brûlée Rich vanilla bean custard sealed by a sea caramelized sugar, and adorned by a perfectly ripe strawberry shamelessly sprawled on top; more is better.

Galakteboureko Creamy semolina custard baked between between golden sheets of delicate filo pastry, drizzled with lemon honey syrup; a cloud of deliciousness.

Sokoláta A rich velvety flourless chocolate cake cloaked with a ribbon of fresh whipped cream scarf and 2 raspberry buttons elegantly rested on a luxurious dark chocolate sauce; the crescendo of the night. The only thing missing was a troll down the cliff sides, the picturesque views of the Mediterranean and the MAJESTIC Santorini 🌅 . ...

We decided to try Paros for our anniversary. We should have made reservations elsewhere. What a disappointment.

We arrived at the restaurant around 6:30 pm on a Wednesday evening. We didn't get out of there until nearly 8:30 pm. The hostess was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. We placed our complete order around 6:45 pm and the food, including the side salad, didn't arrive at the table for nearly an hour.

We thought about ordering a glass of wine and were both flabbergasted at their pricing. For example, a glass of Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon was $20 or $80 for the bottle. The same exact bottle can be purchased at a local liquor store for $19.99. Another example was a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for $15 or $60 for the bottle. The same exact bottle can be purchased at a local liquor store for $13.99. Their pricing has to be considerably less than what we could buy it for at the store. The pricing completely offended my intelligence.

We ordered the Saganaki as an appetizer. It was good albeit tepid (server probably forgot to bring it to the table right away), but wasn't worth what we paid for it; $16. We waited about 20 minutes for it to arrive at the table. My husband ordered a Karpouzi side salad that took an hour to arrive at the table. It was made from watermelon, arugula, goat cheese, walnuts drizzled with honey, mint and cost $12. It should not have taken an hour to make in the kitchen. Ridiculous.

For entrees, my husband ordered the moussaka. It was extremely good and was worth every penny: $24. I ordered Tsipoura w/ wild mountain greens. Mine was $32 and was very tasty but poorly deboned. As tasty as it was, it wasn't worth $32. We waited for the entrees for about an hour.

For dessert, we ordered the rice pudding with cinnamon, raisins, and Grand Marnier. It was overcooked and the liqueur was undetectable. The cost was $7. The server stated the chef puts a negligible amount in it, so we wouldn't notice the flavor. What is the point of putting it in it if you cannot even taste it? Just a ruse to bill more for rice pudding.

We ran out of water on several occasions and waited 10-15 minutes for refills. The manager also never came to the table to apologize or to take the appetizer or the rice pudding off despite the request. We finally just signed the bill, wrote a complaint on the receipt and left.

With tip, the bill was $120. It wasn't worth it and we won't be back. They project themselves as a fine dining establishment and don't come through. Save your money.

Update 9-Feb-2020: Kozetta, the owner, addressed the problems and offered to refund our whole bill. They were obviously having a bad day. Maybe you'll have a better experience if the location wants to make the...