Flyover Flavor

                Missouri Baking Co. opened on the Hill in 1924 and has earned a reputation for its cassata cake, cannoli, Italian bread, and assorted cookies. This seemed like a slam dunk – if anyone in St. Louis was going to do tiramisu right, it would be the nearly 100-year-old bakery in St. Louis's Little Italy.

                I was wrong! It was not what I expected. When I think tiramisu, I think spongy lady fingers oozing espresso and rum or Marsala wine covered in a thick layer of custard. It’s rich, yet airy. While Missouri Baking Co.'s tiramisu was airy, it had hardly any espresso flavor. It was made with two layers of vanilla cake that looked like it had a skimpy drizzle of coffee on top of each layer. That was it! Then there was a buttery layer of frosting on top, which tasted fine, but was not the creamy goodness I was looking for. It was good cake and paired well with a cup of coffee, but without the interesting texture and flavor of coffee-soaked lady fingers, it lacked personality.

                I also tried a blackberry cobbler that suffered from a similar problem. I expect cobbler crust to be flaky like a pie crust or maybe dry like a biscuit. While this was denser and flakier than cake, it had a distinct cake-y sponginess and sweetness. I didn’t dislike it, but I would have preferred a flakier texture. The filling itself was wonderful – not too sweet and not too tart.

                After this disappointing first trip, I wanted to give Missouri Baking Co. another try. It has earned too many stars and rave reviews over the decades not to deserve another shot. Plus, with the huge selection, I figured I could hit upon something delicious.
                When I walked in for round two, the place was packed with eager customers. I had to take a number and wait for one of the teenagers behind the counter to call me up. While I looked around, I asked a couple of women what they recommended. Without hesitation, they directed me to the cookie section, so I took their advice. I got four kinds: amaretto macaroons, a chocolate and mint cookie, a butter cookie topped with apricot jam and a ravioli cookie, which was shaped like ravioli with jagged edges and walnuts sprinkled on top.
               Round two went much better. The young woman who took my order recommended the amaretto macaroon and explained it was voted best cookie in St. Louis by Riverfront Times. It lived up to this reputation. It had a balanced sweetness and pleasant almond flavor. The chocolate and mint was my favorite, though I preferred it without the mint frosting. The ravioli was almost too sweet for me, but the walnuts cut it with a slightly bitter flavor. The apricot cookie tasted like a boring sugar cookie with sticky jam on top. Not my thing.
               While I didn't accomplish my mission to discover phenomenal, classic tiramisu, I did figure out why Missouri Baking Company gets so much love. It's worth a trip for the cookies, at least. Just be sure to bring cash - it's cash only!

                But I returned to KC recently and that scratch of pride for my childhood city started to leave a deeper mark. KC has gotten way cooler since I moved away. While the improvements to Downtown and the Crossroads Arts District were impressive and the restaurants I visited served delicious meals, what really wowed me was the coffee scene.

                I only had time to hit up a few coffee shops, so I know there is a lot I didn’t experience. But of the three shops I randomly picked, Kansas City went three for three with exceptional espresso.  I’m either very lucky or KC's coffee shops are very good. Perhaps even better than St. Louis.

                So the next time you find yourself in the City of Fountains, I highly recommend you get your caffeine fix from these shops.

               The Roasterie has been active in Kansas City since 1993 and currently has three locations. I visited the one in Brookside multiple times because I enjoyed it so much.

                I ordered my usual espresso macchiato and the Roasterie passed with high marks for tight bubbles on the foam and smooth espresso with a dark, chocolaty flavor. I also got a kick out of the clever name placement of the email address painted right on the rim. Nice way to photobomb all those millennials who must Instagram every latte they drink.

                The location itself had an industrial feel. Everything was black, white, and chrome with a cold concrete floor and simple black furniture. It worked with the space, which was an adapted auto body shop with garage doors that opened up onto a nicely landscaped lawn. The place was filled with locals chatting and reading the paper, which warmed it up a little bit.

                The service was speedy and friendly. The drinks were consistent. The location had an interesting personality. I have no complaints. St. Louis needs to get one.

                This shop is located in Kansas City’s Crossroads District – AKA the cool part of town. Here the old, faded brick buildings have been revitalized into hip boutiques, art galleries, studios and unique local shops. Thou Mayest is wedged between a building with boarded up windows that read BUY ART in mismatched letters reminiscent of a ransom note, and a pizza shop called Grinders. (I assume that’s referring to the sandwich, though given the rainbow flag hanging outside, the double entendre is probably intended.)

More Friends, More Funk

                When I stepped into the large open room, it felt like walking into a 70s basement, complete with a set of stairs along the right side of the room, as if you could walk up into some living room with shag carpet and tulip chairs. The place was decorated with old fashioned fishing poles on the walls and comfy vintage furniture in one corner.  Mostly the walls were exposed brick, which matched the aged, slightly warped wood floors. The wall behind the bar had wood paneling and a large, faded painting of a mountain landscape.

                A grouchy barista took my order and seemed irritated that I would take up his precious time by patronizing this shop. I kind of liked it. It’s one of those barista stereotypes that when I encounter it, part of me thinks, “man, this place is the real deal,” even though 90% of the baristas I’ve met provide friendly customer service. Still, his ‘tude fit the space.

                The espresso itself was pleasant, but not remarkable. It had a bright, slightly sharp flavor and a fruity finish. While this isn’t my personal preference, I still enjoyed it because it was prepared well. It’s easy for a light roast to go wrong, either becoming bitter or sour. But this went down smooth with a balanced and complex flavor.

                In a time when most coffee shops look the same, I appreciated this funky décor. It was fun and comfortable, while remaining clean and professional. I wouldn’t go there every day, but I would definitely go again.

                For my final stop on my coffee tour, I visited Coffee Girl’s Café, located in the Waldo neighborhood. It was transitioning into Crows Coffee, which is another local roastery and cafe. The friendly barista who made my espresso macchiato explained that the shop had just started serving Crows Coffee - so recently that he couldn’t remember what made up the espresso blend, unfortunately.

                Whichever beans went into that espresso, it was a damn good combination. It was clearly a medium roast – my fave! – with strong chocolate and caramel flavors. I could drink it all day it was so smooth!

                The space itself wasn’t very memorable. It had a pleasant neighborhood vibe with parents squeezing strollers around tables to find seating and middle-aged women in yoga pants sitting in twos and chatting. The trendy design included the usual concrete floors, dark wood tables, funky light fixtures and orange as the accent color. Common, but not unpleasant.

                Of course, when it officially becomes Crows Coffee, who knows what the place will look like. As long as the coffee tastes the same, I will be going back next time I’m in town.

Last weekend, I made the 4.5-hour drive from St. Louis to Joplin along the I-44. As far as long drives go, this one is not unpleasant. The heat and humidity of a Missouri summer is awful, but it produces a stunning green landscape. Heading to the Southwest corner from St Louis, you pass cliffs, rolling hills and small farms with hay bales scattered haphazardly across neatly trimmed fields.

                It’s wonderful to enjoy this landscape. For an hour. The rest of the drive needs something else to keep you alert as the road disappears beneath your wheels. The challenge of where to stop for caffeine fuel is real.

                Typically I find myself at Starbucks. While it’s not my first choice, at least I know my order will be drinkable. I like to support local coffee shops when I can, but there often isn’t one around or the shop tries to pass off mud as coffee. I’ve been burned several times trying to use Yelp last minute to find the best local choice, either showing up after the recommended shop is closed or discovering that the coffee is swill.

                But I wanted this trip to be different. I mapped out a few promising coffee oases in the green no-man’s land between point A and point B of my trip. So the next time you find yourself traveling the 44 in Missouri and want a unique place to stretch your legs, keep these stops in mind. While they aren't the fastest or cheapest, they provide a taste of the local flavor.

Luna Java Coffeehouse – St. Robert, MO

               St. Robert is about 30 miles South of Rolla near the Fort Leonard Wood base. Luna Java is located in the middle of a mini-mall so close the the highway that you can see the large wooden sign from the 44. The interior is full of dark wooden furniture and antiques. One side of the bar is covered in terrariums of various sizes and a little play area for children takes up one corner.  It felt clean, homey and eclectic – the perfect combination for a coffee shop. I watched several people come in who were clearly regulars from the conversation, which added to the community feel.
                Luna Java serves Kaldi’s coffee and prepared my espresso macchiato very well. While many third wave coffee shops do a free pour and finish the macchiato with art, my barista prepared it the traditional way, with one dollop of foam on top of two shots of espresso. The foam had a few larger bubbles and the espresso was a little sharp, but otherwise it was pleasant. I would go there for fun, not just out of caffeine desperation. For road coffee, it was an excellent treat.

Mudhouse – Springfield, MO

                This coffee shop is located in downtown Springfield in the middle of a busy block of boutiques and bars. It’s about 5 minutes from the 44, but it’s worth adding the extra time to your travel to see a cute part of Springfield.

                Mudhouse opened in 1998 and roasts its own coffee. A long, narrow space with very high ceilings, the shop was surprisingly large. The bar stretched an impressive distance down the left wall, and when I reached the end of it, the seating area kept stretching farther and farther back. Even more impressive is that almost every table was filled with people chatting and working on laptops. It looked like the quintessential college city coffee shop with tattooed baristas in faded band T-shirts and mediocre art on the walls.

                What I really appreciated about this spot was the service. The young man who took my order asked questions about what I wanted when he saw I was unsure. “Hot or cold? Coffee or tea? Sweet or not?” The usual dichotomy to determine the best order.

                I ordered an espresso macchiato and trekked to the end of the bar to wait. It arrived in a small ceramic mug that looked homemade. The dollop of foam was a little disappointing with large bubbles blemishing the surface, but the espresso was the true disappointment. It tasted ashy, almost charred. 

                After I took a couple disappointed sips, the barista asked me how I liked it. I told him it was bitter and he made it for me again. The place was packed, yet he took time to follow up.  Unfortunately, the second drink was worse than the first because in addition to the espresso tasting burnt, the second mug he served it in was dirty, streaked with dried-on espresso.

                The entire shop was quite dirty. There was no dish bin, so when customers were done with their plates and cups, they left them on the bar. In the ten minutes that I was there, many dishes piled up, but none were removed. They sat a few inches from where you picked up your drink, covered in food scraps and attracting flies.  Even worse, every inch of the white cutting board of the cold table was stained pink from the tomatoes used to make sandwiches. Bread crumbs, onions, and bits of plastic covered it as well. It was filthy, as if at least a day’s worth of sandwich residue was caked to the surface.

                It makes me wonder why the place is so popular. Then again, I feel I should give it another try. Good service goes a very long way.

Joplin Avenue Coffee Co. – Joplin, MO

                This shop also is several minutes from the 44, deep in the city of Joplin. If you want to explore this small boarder city before you leave the state, this is a decent place to stop for local flavor.

                Joplin Ave sits on one of the main streets in the city. The shop was filled with comfy furniture and black tables and chairs. Old tin coffee cans, coffee bags and other coffee paraphernalia filled the space. It looked like a cool, comfortable place to hang out.

                Unfortunately, the atmosphere was the only draw. One barista manned the bar and he couldn’t keep up. Only a couple people were in front of me, but it took several minutes before I could order. On top of that, latte wasn’t on the huge chalkboard menu behind the counter. There was room for a few basic coffee drinks – Americano, Café au lait – and numerous milkshakes-pretending-to-be-coffee drinks with cutesy names like “brunette” for mocha and “blonde” for white mocha. But no room for latte? Get your priorities straight!

                I ordered an iced coffee and it gave me the energy boost I needed to get back on the road. It had the bitter aftertaste that often comes with iced coffee that is made by refrigerating old hot brewed coffee, but the flavor had a nice fruitiness to it before the harsh finish. It was better than stopping at a gas station or McDonald’s, but probably not worth the detour unless you’re interested in a taste of Joplin culture.