Restaurant Roundup: What’s cooking in south Kansas City

By Kathy Feist

Spring has sprung and so has restaurant news in the southland.

Martin City

The biggest news in Martin City is that coffee is back, thanks to Pegah’s Cafe & Coffee, which also offers breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6:30 am to 8 pm.

The small drive-thru that opened as Ramsey’s Burgers during the pandemic before morphing into a wholesale pastry shop and later PS Coffee, has been transformed into a 30-seat dine-in and drive-thru restaurant with additional patio seating.

About 40 items are listed on the menu, including breakfast skillet bowls, biscuits and gravy platter, breakfast sandwiches, burritos, toasts, pastries, smoothies and of course a variety of hot and cold coffee selections. Lunch items include sandwiches, salads and chicken tender or macaroni “grown up” meals.

The menu is a pared down version of the original Pegah’s Family Restaurant founded by owner Moe Sharifi in 1987 in downtown Shawnee, KS. He and his son Rameen have since added two other dine-in restaurants in the metro area. The Martin City location is their first drive-thru with a focus on coffee.

“Customers are slowly coming in,” reports Moe on the second day of opening. “They say they really like the coffee.”

The latte this reporter sampled could best be described as smooth, not bitter. And also not too hot.

The perfect cup of coffee, according to the Sharifi’s, is due to two $15,000 espresso machines that they have invested in. “Our employees can make no mistake,” says Moe. “There are a lot of buttons to push and a lot of flavors to add, so they cannot mess up.”

The machines also help with speedy service for drive-thru customers.

Pegah’s Cafe & Coffee is located at 13109 Holmes Rd. For more information, visit Pegahs.com.

The Martin Event Space, 135th and Holmes Road, will start featuring lunch pop-ups.

“We have gotten a lot of great reviews and feedback about our food,” owner Rachel Long explained. “I think one of the main reasons it has been so popular is that our ingredients are fresh and everything is made in house.”

Rachel and Eric Long are going to give everyone a chance to try out their popular food with a new pop-up concept that they are calling Martin’s Kitchen, an opportunity for patrons to order a meal to go from a rotating menu a couple of times a month. They plan to kick off their first offering soon, taking orders for Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and homemade chips between April 8 and April 12 that will be available for pickup on April 15 or 16.

Long said that Martin’s Kitchen will emphasize quality over price. “It will be carryout food, but not fast food. Quality homemade food like your grandma made!” Look for more details on their social media sites soon!

The Lebanese restaurant Al Beik has opened at 13135 State Line Rd., in the former Southern Kitchen location. Completely renovated with a vibrant interior, dishes are served fresh and the kabobs (and burgers!) are charbroiled onsite. Look for our feature in the next issue of the Telegraph.

Martin City Brewery has announced that it is opening its sixth Martin City Taproom which will be located off the Plaza in the former Spin! location at 4950 Main St. A Memorial Day opening is planned.

The Breakfast Spot at 13164 State Line Rd. in Leawood has expanded its hours to 9 pm. Originally open 7 am to 2 pm, the restaurant now re-opens at 5 pm. (B-Spot had tested a taqueria approach to breakfast, but has reverted back to full service.)

Grandview

Transparent Brewing Company, located on 150 Hwy and 49 Hwy announced the launch of three of their flagship beers in grocery and liquor stores beginning March 3. Shoppers can pick up the colorful four packs of 16 oz cans at Hy-vee, Total Wine, Price Chopper, Gamers, Tipsy Liquor, Northwood Liquor and more.

The three popular beers available in cans include Kickstand Kolsch, Lucent Galaxies Pale Ale,and Oui Bit Fancy French Saison, all locally brewed and canned in Grandview, MO.

Abelardo’s Mexican Food, a popular chain restaurant out of Omaha, is in the process of opening in the former Chinese Wok location that closed due to fire damage several years ago. The restaurant on Blue Ridge Boulevard is being completely rebuilt, a much appreciated gesture for the cityscape in the area.

Waldo

Laura and Howard Turley, owners of the 75th Street Events space, are opening a wine and bourbon bar in the neighborhood. Audrey’s Wine + Bourbon will open in the former Jackson Hewitt Tax Services location, 404 W 75 St. (adjacent to Pickleman’s). Unlike nearby Marco Polo Wine which offers scheduled wine tastings, Audrey’s will provide a bar service concept with open seating.

Word has it that the Three Trails Community church will revive the Waldo Farmer’s Market this summer. The church is located at 7735 Main St.

The Piano Room closed its decades-long home at 85th and Wornall at the end of January and is in the process of reopening at 332 W 75 St. The space located around the corner from Waldo Pizza is undergoing reconstruction. Owners expect to open soon.

Abelardo’s Mexican Food opened in the former Strips Chicken building in December. The Omaha-based chain is said to be a better version of drive-thru Mexican food (Taco Bell).

Brookside

Chef James Landis has opened Faculty Tables and Patio, 600 E 63 St., in the former Flying Horse Taproom location (next to Brookside Wine and Spirits). The bistro offers a small menu of lunch and dinner items, including such dishes as Seared Trout, Butter Burger, Walleye Pike and Steak Frites. An extensive wine and liquor menu awaits a city liquor license. In the meantime, there are Intentionally crafted mock cocktails. “They aren’t just an afterthought,” says the bartender.

Landis, who grew up among parents with careers in academics, said he wants the bistro to be a community gather place, “much like a faculty lounge where you go to get away.”

Landis has worked in the restaurant industry for the past 25 years, including Le Fou Frog, Ragazza, and nearby Brookside restaurants. His experience shows in the creativity and presentation he carefully imparts on the dishes.

Luca Bagels, affiliated with Providence Pizza in Grandview, will open at 633 E 63 St. in the former Mattie’s Foods space. Luke Salvatore has been making his New Jersey-style bagels from their original Providence Pizza location in Grandview and offering them at various pop-ups around the metro, including the Overland Park Farmers Market. A May opening is planned and a pizza-styled bagel just might be on the menu. Luca Bagels will continue to be available for pick up at Grandview and at Overland Park locations.

Coffee lovers might want to make a trip to 55th and Troost where there will soon be as many as six different coffee shops or offerings. Black Hole Bakery, High Hopes Ice Cream and Little Bake Shop offer coffee among other specialties. Soon to open are Kaveh Coffee Co., Polished Perk Coffee Co., and Start at Zero play cafe in the same area. Black Hole Bakery is in the process of expanding its space to feature coffee and bagels.