KC Perky

First up, UMKC student Laura Katzer did a roundup of coffee shops near campus, and she did a very good job.  Go check it out.

Next up, again, KCPerky is in need of a Southland Correspondent.  “I am seeking somebody who lives /works in roughly the OP/Leawood area and is as crazy as I am to join me is my exploration. Email me if you’re interested.”   I know you exist down there, KC’s Ad Club just started their Southland Coffee Fridays.

As many of you long-time readers know, my yardstick of a barista’s skill / tools is a mocha.  I feel I have finally run my course with that on this side of 75th St.  As new shops pop up, that will still be my go-to, but a new day has risen and its name is Double Shot Espresso.  Look out, all you demitasse, I will be sipping from you shortly.  Will I like long shots?  Will I like ristretto style?  How many baristas will even know how to make a ristretto shot?  Hard to say. Broadway Cafe’s got the early lead on those.  The goal is to find an espresso just like the ones I had in Paris.  Those things are fantastic.

Speaking of Parisian coffee experiences, those long, narrow sugar packets they use there fit so nicely on a demitasse saucer.  I’ve already found I have trouble balancing our wider packets on the tiny plate.

By the way, I’ve got half-written reviews for Scooters, Main Street Cafe, Broadway Cafe, Mildred’s, City Market Coffee Shop, and JavaLand.  Somebody kick me in the butt to finish them, please.

Financial planners often talk about the “Latte Factor” as an example of how to save a lot of money by cutting just a little thing from your life: your gourmet coffee.  With everybody thinking we’re in a recession, I’m afraid too many people are taking this to heart.  That plus the heat of the summer seems to be taking its toll.  Just yesterday I learned of two more shops that have closed.  River Rock Coffee Co in Parkville and Waldo Coffee Cup.  This makes 6 closings that I heard of in just the last 8 weeks, not counting Starbucks shops!

Are there a bunch of openings I’m missing?  Songbird Cafe is a great new shop, but I can’t help but notice that its the ONLY opening amidst this flurry of closings.

They’re closing some KC Starbucks shops.

Just like they’re doing all over the country.

Meh.

• Elm Street location in Lee’s Summit
• H&R Block Headquarters store on 13th and Main
• 95th & Quivira
• College Blvd. & Pflumm

Sadly, I have to report yet another shop closing.  Rev! Cafe and Gallery.  When they opened 4 months ago,  I had high hopes, but realistic questions.  Mostly: how are they going to get people in the door?  It was a great little shop, don’t get me wrong, and they were fantastic people.  Its just that the location wasn’t condusive to their business.  Close, oh so close, but just out of the way enough.  Plus, I bet there are still some people who think the shop isn’t open yet– the ‘Coming Soon’ sign was there WAY longer than the actual shop.  They tried to do fun things with their space, generate some buzz, but none ever seemed to connect enough.

Alas.

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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I’m looking at you, awesome shops that have recently closed.  Crave Cafe.  Magazines and Coffee.  Cafe Nouri.  Nighthawks.

http://www.coffeeshopprofits.com/
http://www.crimsoncup.com/open_sevenstepstosuccess.php
http://www.espressobusiness.com/book.htm
http://www.homerscoffeehouse.com/new%20book.htm

Sure, each of these sites wants to sell you a book, but perhaps that’s what you need.  When not drinking coffee or grinding away at my day job, I do improv comedy pretty seriously.  How many books do I have on the topic of improv comedy?  Over 25.  And its not even my livelihood.  Certainly, you can afford 3 or 4 books before you go and buy your massive espresso machine.

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.

Cafe Nouri, the coffee shop with a heart, has closed.  They were a wonderful little shop that not only had good coffee, but gave a portion of their proceeds to needy people in Africa.  Sadly, this wasn’t sustainable.  Perk Up has now opened their second Grand Blvd location in its stead.  We’ll see which kind of Perk Up this becomes:  the good kind or the bad kind.  The owner is still working at this location, so the coffee and service are still good.  Lets see what happens once its flying on its own.