Whitebox

Despite being located near prestige restaurants such as 801 Fish and 801 Chophouse, Whitebox does not live up to the quality one would expect out of the restaurants in Carondelet Plaza.

Upon entering at around 10:30 on a Friday, the restaurant was virtually empty. With a sleek and modern decor, we were wondering why a hip-looking brunch spot isn’t more popular.

However, once we tasted the mediocre, overpriced food, we know why.

We started with the berry french toast, a dish boasting berry compote, whipped cream, and pecans. Aesthetically, this was the most visually pleasing dish, so we expected a lot from the dish. Starting from the fact that the restaurant did not offer the berry compote anymore and substituted it with fruit and regular syrup, we were presented with a strangely warm fruit and rather soggy bread. Although these are minor gripes, the french toast itself is alright, but nothing too special. For the price of $10, the french toast is not worth it.

The next item we tried was the biscuits and gravy that were topped with scallions for garnish. Again, the dish was nothing out of the ordinary other than a mild spice that came with the gravy. However, due to the fact that the dish was served relatively cold on arrival paired with its outrageous price of $10 goes to show how the high prices does not go well with the mediocre menu items.

Lastly, we tried the plaza breakfast sandwich.

Overall, the mediocre-at-best dishes at Whitebox are not the problem. Instead, the fact that one could buy bigger and better dishes at a nearby IHOP is a testament that quality visuals does not mean quality experience.