KC Perky

Hello Perkites and Perkoids.  Christmas & New Years have passed, and I’m still alive.  AND with a TON to post about.  Let’s get right to it:

Zombie Joe’s Coffee is opening soon down at 87th & Farley (near 87 & I-35).  Despite the font on their website, I am still inclined to go drink their coffee.

Drink a Latte has been open for about a month, just west of KU Med at 39th St & Rainbow Rd.  Very friendly, comfortable, and great wifi.  The coffee isn’t bad either!  Despite the plethora of coffee shops on 39th St, this shop stands a chance, mostly because of its location: on a high-traffic street and the closest shop to the hospital.

Coffee Break down near Rockhurst and UMKC is hosting an open mic night every second Friday of the month.  That makes the next event February 13th.  Go check it out.

Eljay’s Coffee House down in the River Market is hosting a ton of events, oft on Thursdays
- First Fridays with live jazz, including vocal jazz
- Improv Gym every Thursday night and some Saturday afternoons
- Currents Book Club every Thursday night
- Wine tastings every Thursday evening

The rumors are true, Waldo Coffee Cup may have passed away, but ‘One More Cup’ has picked up the slack and has brought coffee back to Waldo.  Can’t keep a good location down.

I’ve been tipped off to Stewart Town Coffee over in SE KC.  Anybody know if it actually exists?  5806 Brighton Ave, KCMO.

A new southland coffee meetup group just started yesterday.  No, not by me, silly.  By some fellow named Gene.  Bottoms up to Gene!

And last but not least, KCPerky had a baby!  ChiPerky.com is now up and running in Chicago, covering the scene there!  If you’re from Chicago or know somebody up there, show ChiPerky some love and subscribe to their blog :)

First off, remember the old Habitat shoe store on 18th, just a stone’s throw from YJ’s and around the block from Mildred’s?  They’re looking to put a coffee shop in there.  Don’t ask me.  But anyways, they’re doing market research.  Go tell them what you want in a shop there with this survey. [via]

In old news, Danny O’Neil of The Roastarie is one of the best coffee tasters in the nation.  Its true, the internet says so.  All that aside, I’ve been meaning to go tour the facilities of The Roastarie.  They have tours every Saturday at 9AM.  Its true, the internet says so.  I was thinking about organizing a KC Perky outing to go tour together.  Are any of the readers of this blog interested in meeting other coffee-minded people to go take this tour?  Shout back in the comments.

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, …

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What is a coffee shop at its core?

• Is it a place to get good drinks?  Yes.
• Is it a place to read, study, or work?  Yes. (…and you’re getting closer to the mark here…)
• Is it a place to socialize?  Yes.

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”

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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:

• Updated Map
• WiFi Listings on the Map
• Tea Reviews
• More Coffee Reviews
• An Obama Presidency

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).

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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.

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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.