JAM: October/November 2003 Issue: Club Profile

The Peach Tree Restaurant
1512 E. 18th Street
816-472-TREE (8733)

If you haven't been to 18th & Vine lately, you may be surprised to find that the revitalization many have worked toward for so long is slowly but surely becoming a reality. It's been a tough road, and there's a long way to go, but life is gradually returning to this historic street.

Now, in addition to the Blue Room, Gem Theater, Charlie Parker Memorial, American Jazz Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Jazz District Apartments, and Mutual Musicians Foundation, the area finally has the key ingredient that it has needed from the beginning -- a great restaurant.

The new spice in the 18th & Vine gumbo is the Peach Tree Restaurant, owned by James and Vera Willis. Specializing in a full range of upscale cuisine, the Peach Tree offers a menu that covers everything from soul food to salmon, from Louisiana red beans and rice to Mississippi catfish, southern fried chicken, pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, cornbread, steamed okra, collard greens, Kansas City barbecue, and possibly the best peach cobbler on the planet. The drink selections include wine, imported beer, and a delicious peach iced tea.

Located on the same block where the famous Streets Hotel once stood, the establishment harks back to an era when dining out meant taking your time, relaxing, and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Walk in off the sidewalk from 18th Street, and a rich ambience of elegance, tradition and comfort envelopes you immediately. As you soak in the warm surroundings of dark oak furniture, white tablecloths, marble floors, glass lamp shades, wooden shutters, brass railings, a painted mural, and old photographs of the neighborhood in the 1940s, and you meet the congenial and entertaining staff waiting to guide you to the seating of your choice, you know you are in good hands.

The atmosphere is quiet, the lighting subtle, the food excellent, the portions plenty, and the pace unhurried.

Broken up into a variety of spaces, the dining area is large yet intimate. Well designed and planned, with a variety of table arrangements, window booths, private booths, a baby grand piano in the middle of the room for live music, and a great selection of jazz on the sound system, the restaurant is formal, urbane, down-home, and family kitchen, all at the same time.

Like a great jazz quartet, where each musician seamlessly complements the other, the atmosphere, food, location, and staff all contribute to a satisfying meal and a complete experience.

So, if you haven't been to the Jazz District lately, things are cooking.
As more people discover the latest addition to the recipe, and what the Willises have created on the 1500 block, the Peach Tree Restaurant will undoubtedly become a popular Kansas City destination, playing a vital role in the rebirth and continuing reinvention of 18th & Vine.

--Tim Cross

Located one block from the American Jazz Museum, the Peach Tree Restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations are not required except for large groups.






	Search our site:		The Peach Tree Restaurant 1512 E. 18th Street 816-472-TREE (8733) If you haven't been to 18th & Vine lately, you may be surprised to find that the revitalization many have worked toward for so long is slowly but surely becoming a reality. It's been a tough road, and there's a long way to go, but life is gradually returning to this historic street. Now, in addition to the Blue Room, Gem Theater, Charlie Parker Memorial, American Jazz Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Jazz District Apartments, and Mutual Musicians Foundation, the area finally has the key ingredient that it has needed from the beginning -- a great restaurant. The new spice in the 18th & Vine gumbo is the Peach Tree Restaurant, owned by James and Vera Willis. Specializing in a full range of upscale cuisine, the Peach Tree offers a menu that covers everything from soul food to salmon, from Louisiana red beans and rice to Mississippi catfish, southern fried chicken, pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, cornbread, steamed okra, collard greens, Kansas City barbecue, and possibly the best peach cobbler on the planet. The drink selections include wine, imported beer, and a delicious peach iced tea. Located on the same block where the famous Streets Hotel once stood, the establishment harks back to an era when dining out meant taking your time, relaxing, and visiting with friends and neighbors. Walk in off the sidewalk from 18th Street, and a rich ambience of elegance, tradition and comfort envelopes you immediately. As you soak in the warm surroundings of dark oak furniture, white tablecloths, marble floors, glass lamp shades, wooden shutters, brass railings, a painted mural, and old photographs of the neighborhood in the 1940s, and you meet the congenial and entertaining staff waiting to guide you to the seating of your choice, you know you are in good hands. The atmosphere is quiet, the lighting subtle, the food excellent, the portions plenty, and the pace unhurried. Broken up into a variety of spaces, the dining area is large yet intimate. Well designed and planned, with a variety of table arrangements, window booths, private booths, a baby grand piano in the middle of the room for live music, and a great selection of jazz on the sound system, the restaurant is formal, urbane, down-home, and family kitchen, all at the same time. Like a great jazz quartet, where each musician seamlessly complements the other, the atmosphere, food, location, and staff all contribute to a satisfying meal and a complete experience. So, if you haven't been to the Jazz District lately, things are cooking. As more people discover the latest addition to the recipe, and what the Willises have created on the 1500 block, the Peach Tree Restaurant will undoubtedly become a popular Kansas City destination, playing a vital role in the rebirth and continuing reinvention of 18th & Vine. --Tim Cross Located one block from the American Jazz Museum, the Peach Tree Restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations are not required except for large groups. RETURN TO OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2003. All rights reserved.