World Oriental Kitchen on King Street celebrates their grand opening tomorrow with a special ceremony featuring Mayor Riley. But, for the past two days, the team at WOK have been working out the kinks in their "revolutionary" food concept.

I just got back from having dinner at WOK and wanted to share some of my - and my friends - first impressions. Just for full disclosure, I am not a food critic but I am a "foodie." I also have a fairly critical eye. So, while this isn't a restaurant review, I haven't just glossed the surface either.

WOK is an interesting concept: they focus on eco-friendly eating with local, organic ingredients for this Asian-inspired quick service restaurant. The food is relatively inexpensive: the base noodle or rice bowl will cost you five bucks and includes cabbage, sprouts, carrot, and onion. Then, add your favorites: proteins and "bigger" veggies. I added steak ($2.50) and broccoli (a pricey $1.50). Finally, choose a sauce. The sauces range in flavor and style. Final price: $9.

So, how was it? I chose a noodle bowl with lo mein noodles. The noodles seemed to be overcooked and were slightly mushy. The cabbage, while very fresh, green, and tasty was cut into unmanageable chunks (especially for those in the group using chopsticks). The broccoli was plentiful, nicely cooked and fresh. The steak was overcooked (as was my friend's chicken - even burnt) and was cut into very small pieces and the dish didn't feel like it had much meat in it. I chose what was supposed to be a spicy "sweet chili" sauce. It was neither sweet nor spicy. Frankly, it was bland. The fresh vegetables added to the flavor, but if the sauce was there, I couldn't taste it.

The food was good but in reality it wasn't that much "better." It wasn't that filling. (My friend Mallie caught up with me on the street as we were walking over; she was headed to Five Guys. She decided to come with us, but she is now considering a second meal at Five Guys.) WOKs bowl would make an adequate lunch but isn't that great of a place for dinner.

As the food showed, the place seems to be all about style over substance. The decor of the restaurant was very chic. The shop is deep like most King Street stores and features the kitchen at the front and seating area at the back. The rustic and modern combined natural look was cool. Lighting was nice. The chairs were comfortable. All in all, it seemed to be a nice place to have a meal. They were missing a couple of things as we sat down, music, for one. You never realize quite how important music is to an experience until its absent. After a polite request, they turned it on. Style points: excellent!

So, in summary, WOK has some things to iron out. And, until they do, I won't return. But, I'm willing to give it another try after they get established.