Peanut Additive
South KC is getting its own offshoot of the Peanut chain, The Pitch first reported. The original Peanut on South Main is one of our favorite bars in the city, as is the downtown location that’s also been owned by Melinda Kenny since 1981. Kenny licenses the name to a company called Peanut Midwest, which operates its own versions of the classic wing spot in Johnson County and the Northland. Peanut Midwest will open a new location in the former Luther’s Barbecue at 12921 State Line Road.
Trotting to Rosedale
Southwest Boulevard is getting a new design studio and coffee shop. Foxtrot Studio, owned by designer Jordan Fox, sells a durable and practical line of leather goods including wallets, aprons and watches. For the company’s new shop (1639 Southwest Blvd., KCK), they’re tapping popular Brookside Farmers Market vendor Meta Coffee, known for its Kyoto-style single-origin cold brew.
“Bringing Meta Coffee Roasting on board was a no-brainer,” Fox says. “I’ve always wanted to incorporate a cafe space into the brand, and we both have a regard for simplicity in our lives, in design style and in our products we craft. I’m proud to have him alongside Foxtrot.”
Fox says he loves the “diversity, proximity to the city and the grit” of the new shop’s neighborhood. The space will aim for a simple design that mixes modern with industrial and goes heavy on natural wood, metal and plants. Fox expects to open the second week of July. —Megan Folmsbee
Beer & Jazz
The Jazz District will soon be home to the first Black-owned brewery in KC. Founders Kemet Coleman, Woodie Bonds and Elliot Ivory are planning to open Vine Street Brewing in the district, though they’re not yet ready to divulge the location.
Coleman, a Kansas City native, got involved in the local beer scene back in 2013. “I was typically the only Black person at these brew festivals or the breweries I work with,” he says.
Vine Street will be Coleman’s fourth attempt to start a brewery. He settled on the direction of the project in November 2020, when he aligned with his business partners. “I really wanted to do it now,” he says. “It’s not something you can just download and it’s here. It’s something you have to put in the work to do.” The brewery will aim to be a gathering place that celebrates the legacy of the Jazz District. “Music will definitely be interwoven into everything, from the design to branding to beer to our labels to the names of the beer,” Coleman says. —Sophia Lacy
The Tiki Train
We’re into Tiki drinks right now, as evidenced by our naming Condor’s Cover Bar of the Year. So are the folks at Pierpont’s at Union Station (30 W. Pershing Road, KCMO), who have transformed a train car space into the Tiki Express Cocktail Experience, running through the end of July. Pierpont’s Conductor Club is a pandemic project that offers limited runs of themed and photo-worthy cocktails, as well as one-of-a-kind spirit tastings and themed cocktail experiences. The space includes a large booth area that’s now a personal cabana where groups of eight to ten can enjoy Zombies, Mai Tais and Grogs.
Tropics 2
Speaking of the South Pacific: Manila Bay Express is back. In March, the Filipino restaurant shuttered on Bannister Road after five years. Now, it’s reopened in Grandview (6305 Main St., Grandview) and once again serving up crispy pata, garlic rice, lechon and lumpia. The new location will sometimes open as early as 7 am for American breakfast and silog Filipino breakfast.
