KC Perky

Crave Cafe, one of my very favorite coffee shops in town, is about to reinvent itself (under new ownership) as Javanaut. Very little details are available at this point, but I’m determined to find out if they’re going to keep it awesome or ruin it. I’d be OK with them upgrading the wifi quality though. I’ll keep you updated as information becomes available. But for the time being, don’t go there, they’re closed for remodeling.

//update: Pete (proprietor of Crave Cafe) says that when his lease ran out, he decided to take a break after having run Crave for 6 years. He has also eluded that the tenor of the whole place is going to change significantly. Negatively. We shall see.

//update: http://www.javanautcafe.com/ is to be the new website. Allegedly they were opening March 17th, but they were not open yesterday when I stopped by.

//update 3/25: Looking through the windows, they look like they’re getting close.  Maybe another week or so?  Looks like they have done a LOT of cleaning and painting and fixing.

//update 7/16: Still closed.  SERIOUSLY?  Allegedly ‘close’ to opening.

…I prefer to not be by myself. Sorry, Mr. Thorogood. I prefer to feel that I’m in the thick of it. Watching the world go by with a coffee and a book in hand is a fun thing, and there’s no better place to do it than KC’s reviving downtown areas. I’m talking particularly today, of 12th and Main. I believe I may have happened upon the best spot in KC for this: the far, back corner of the Starbucks in the City Center Square. This corner has a comfy chair. This comfy chair has a window. This window is great for watching the world. I would recommend it to you, but then you might end up sitting there when I want it. I’m not sure I can handle that.

“But Scott, we thought you detested Starbucks?!”

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I am often skeptical of The Pitch. From time to time, it seems their reviewers speak before doing their research. Case in point: Best Mocha of 2007. Morning Glory Espresso in Mission, KS is only so-so. Yes, the proprietor is friendly. Yes, the kitch is cute. Yes, Richard spontaneously talked to me about hats for a good half hour. But no, the mocha comes out of a press-button machine and is lackluster. Pitch, I revoke your ruling and instead nominate Espresso dell’Anatra for best mocha. Take that, self-important local media!

[map to Morning Glory Espresso]

Driving past this strip mall in Riverside on a cold February morning, you might entirely miss Love Bites Cafe. It’d be a real shame. Even though this place is more of a lunch place more than anything else, their coffee hits the mark*. Roastarie beans, quality preparation, and spectacular whipped cream.

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I’ll save you all the trouble of trying to cash in on the ‘free premium coffee on Mondays’ at McDonalds deal.

Its not really a free mocha.
I didn’t ask for a free lunch, let alone a free breakfast, just for them to make good on the ‘free coffee’ claim.

First, you have to buy something to get your ‘free’ coffee.
Second, you only get a sample size, not an actual useful cup of coffee.

And as for the flavor? Grimmacingly, I have to admit its not that bad. A little sweet, but considering its aimed for mass-consumption, its not far off the mark.

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Homer’s Coffee isn’t as far away as say, Daily Dose, but it is still a decent trip down to 80th and Metcalf down in Overland Park, but I’m glad I did. I had no clue there was a second coffeehouse book in KC (beyond TBLCSIKC). Yes, yes, Jim wrote this book about his motivations, obstacles, successes, and general process of opening a coffee shop. Saving the World One Latte at a Time: The Story of Homer’s Coffee House. Now, before you go reading it, you should learn one thing about Homer’s- it is much like Planet Cafe in the fact that it is a Christian-themed coffee shop that is not physically attached to a church at all. That kinda explains the title as well as much of the how/why that you’d read in the book. Its not that there are crucifixes on the wall or anything crazy, heathens can enjoy good coffee here too.

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I’ve talked before about shops with personality, and Espresso dell’Anatra has it in spades, although it might not be immediately observable. Your first hint is the sign hanging above the front door that states “We Specialize In Coffee Flavored Coffee.” Your next hint comes if you are lucky enough to both know how to speak Italian and to have met the owner, Aaron Duckworth. Its then that you will realize that the name of his shop is named literally, ‘Coffee of the Duck.’ I don’t know about you, but for my money, a play on words as a business name is worth its weight in coffee beans. Which reminds me: I need to start my own business, The Baby Seal Club.

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OK, fine, it might not be as bad as blood diamonds are, but the coffee industry definitely has its indiscretions in Africa too.

This coming Saturday, there will be a free screening of Black Gold, a documentary exploring the global coffee trade and its impact on the people who produce the coffee.  The screening will take place at Jacob’s Well Church at 7 PM.  A brief discussion will be held afterwards to explore ways we (Americans) can work for justice in this multibillion-dollar industry.

Usually on here you hear me touting how awesome coffee shop X is. I’m a very up-beat guy. Especially just after having coffee. Not so much, today.

There’s this new branch of a coffee shop downtown called Perk Up. By virtue of the name, you would think I would love this place. In fact, when starting KC Perky, this new location of Perk Up had just opened a few weeks prior; I was concerned the two would get confused with each other. Now I’m really concerned, but for other reasons.

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You Say Tomato, a corner grocery-turned-coffee shop and diner serves a select few items, but has selected well. Appearing to be a combination of an urban living loft apartment and a coffee shop, YST will delight your senses and sensibilities. Just a few blocks south of UMKC’s Dental school in the Longfellow neighborhood, YST bakes better than Mom, brews coffee meticulously, and lives by the notion that the customer is their best friend.

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