I always have trouble writing about a coffee shop I visit a lot. I fear that my frequency has biased my opinions on a shop, that the good times with friends had there affect my opinions of the character of the shop itself. I’ve finally come to realize, that’s OK. As noted in the post Roman Coffee Shops, community is just as important as the other three axis of coffee (those being coffee quality, service, and atmosphere). So with no further ado, …
What is a coffee shop at its core?
Its no surprise that when AXE classified KC as THE worst city in America for singles, coffee shops were one of their measurements (among many):
“Cities that are home to the least number of coffee shops per capita leave few good places for young people to converge and trade stories after a fun night out”
After a 2 month hiatus, we’re back. And just in time for Halloween monsters to get their coffee.
Wait, “We”?
Exciting news– Not only do you get me back, but you also get two more caffeine experts! Karen Looney has joined KCPerky’s ranks and will be bringing you all things Tea. From tea houses, to tea etiquette, Karen knows her leaves and is going to help us all know them too. Also, Matthew Bunyard, a barista and frequent guest on this blog has signed up to help cover the plethora of shops we have in this fair city. You can learn more about these fine folks on the About page.
Things to look forward to:
OK, that last one was just me, but hey, its my blog, my perrogative. See you at the shops and at the polls.
No longer a full coffee shop, Planet Cafe has been downgraded to just a myspace page. They’ve been closed since June 29th. Kudos to AMNewsBoy for the tip.
Anybody need some run-down furniture?
In the productive department, The Broadway Roasting Company’s new location seems to be well underway. They’ve already closed down their east Westport location. This new location will be in the old firehouse just north of Broadway and Westport, near the BP.
Finally! A new shop to really get excited about. Songbird Cafe.
Hiding in the Fairfax District of Kansas City, KS for the last 4 months, Songbird Cafe seems to have brought the spirit of YJ’s Snack Shop to ‘The Other KC’. Don’t get me wrong, The Q Brew in KCK is an endearing shop of its own accord, but its not a place I’d cross over for. What aspects of YJ’s spirit do I see reflected in Songbird? The non-assuming feel of the shop. The lunch menu with just one meal on it per day (today: BBQ pulled pork). The friendly-as-get-out service. The clientele are real people too, not your average coffee-shop junkies (… you know, like me).
Bella39, a brand new restaurant and ‘coffee shop’ on W 39th St was originally slated to open down in the River Market, right next door to Eljay’s. Their main thrust is local, fresh food, trying to be all eco-friendly. Farmers markets and whatnot. When they were planning on opening on Delaware St, the coffee shop was not a part of the concept, they were right next door to one. It should be no surprise then, that this morning, they continued to treat the coffee as an afterthought.
Do not let what I say next affect your perception of their food or juice drinks, which I’m sure are supurb. After all, InkKC said Bella’s watermelon sippers are awesome, and their menu looks quite respectable.
Once upon a time, there was a mousy haired boy named Brownilocks (or Scott, take your pick). He wanted some morning coffee on W 39th St.
First, Brownilocks stopped by Starbucks. “Ew. Too cookie-cutter,” he said.
So he walked half a block east. There he found Crave Cafe. “Dang, too indie,” he said. Usually this was far from being a problem. However, Crave Cafe’s over-indieness probably led to its closing its doors 4 months ago. It is STILL in process of being remodeled and re-opened as a much snazzier Javanaut. Someday Brownilocks will return here… if it ever decides to open again…
So he walked a half block west. There he found Room 39. “Ahh, just right,” he sighed. Room 39 is a very respectable little bistro. A good breakfast menu, good lunch menu, a classy dinner menu, and very pleasant staff. 
All this, and they’re not above serving up some very fine coffee. The mochas here have consistently been brewed at a very high caliber of quality. This makes Brownilocks happy.
Then a bearista ate Brownilocks. The end.
//update: Bella recently opened at 1403 W. 39th St. Didn’t mean to leave them out of this 39th St round-up… I can only have 1 cup before work each day! Look for a review soon.
The downtown library is full of books.
One would have hoped that one of those books explained how to make at least espresso, maybe even a mocha.
I had to try to explain it to this barista today. One burnt pull and 6 pumps of chocolate later… ::shudder::
She did, however, have one of the most awesome looking espresso machines I’ve ever seen. A brass tower. At $9,290, one would have hoped the library could have afforded to hire somebody who knows how to work it.
As a total aside, I’ve never seen a coffee shop as busy as I did see City Market Coffeehouse on Saturday morning. People jammed in everywhere, the 3 baristas were brewing as if their lives depended on it.
But the real news is Ethos. The Ethos Coffee Cars of the Ethos Coffee Company are quite a new twist. We’ve had delivery pizza, Chinese, sandwiches, and burritos. But now, you can call up the espresso cars (888-697-2392), they’ll drive to you, and brew you a fresh latte right out the back of their Scion xB. There is a minimum order, just like anywhere else, so grab your friends, but you never again have to whine about there not being a shop nearby! No word yet on how good it tastes.
I stumbled across Ethos at the Celebration at the Station. I could easily see them doing other large events, parking next to the kettle corn trailer and the funnel cake trailer. Its like the ice cream truck… for adults.
Eddie Delahunt’s Cafe & is a fantastic coffee shop (good coffee, great service & atmosphere), and unlike many other shops in town, is expanding!
Eddie is moving 1 block east from his 43rd & State Line location to 43rd & Bell. The website claims there isn’t an ETA for the move yet, but sources say the soft target for the move is June 9th. If you haven’t gotten tasty coffee from a friendly Irishman before, I suggest stopping by the old shop soon and then again after the move. You won’t regret it. Why is it called ‘Cafe &….’? Its because Eddie is not just the proprietor of a coffee shop, he is also a notable local musician. The cafe doubles as a music venue, a bar, and friendly neighborhood meeting point for all.
Now you may say, Scott, just one friendly Irishman is not enough for me with my morning coffee. You’re in luck
. For the exact same price, you get as many friendly Irish people as can fit around the back bar. In this picture, you see just one of the 6 I met this morning. Eddie’s got the strongest accent, but it doesn’t stop everybody else from picking up a little bit of it.
When I got to work, I did a little jig.
The non-caffeinated Germans here didn’t understand at all.
