Nov 27 2009
Springfield, IL: What’s for dinner?
A pal of mine and her significant other are planning to come visit! They should be in town in time for dinner this evening, and asked me to choose us a unique and/or typical Springfield venue.
Some options I’ll offer — thanks to some Springfiled Twitterers! — are:
D’Arcy’s Pint: At first I wasn’t too keen to check this out, why would I want to bother with an Irish Pub? Then I saw their extensive horsehoe selection! No, not those metal things nailed to the bottom of a horse’s hoof…. the horseshoe is essentially an open-faced sandwich/burger buried under fries and smothered in cheese sauce - you can see an example of such a horseshoe below, courtesy of Ryan Harvey. It seems the horseshoe was invented here in Illinois, you see, so it’s something unique yet typical of Springfield!
an example of the Springfield-born horseshoe
Cafe Brio: located downtown, this eatery is described as a sort of Latin fusion place, with killer margaritas. TaraSG is currently working there, and has been encouraging Twitterers to drop by.
El Maya: located close to the Isringhausen BMW dealership, it seems like a really small perhaps grotty place from the outside, but the food seems to have a good reputation. The owners just (like within a week ago) opened a new place called Maya Fusion which might be worth checking out too.
Gabatoni’s: famous thin crust pizza, and amusing doggie art on the walls.
Cook’s Spice Rack and Chili Co: I *think* they are known for their chili… so long there’s no piggy lard or bacon in it, I’m game! Although, the last time made my own chili, we had lots of leftovers that lasted a while, so I’m not sure if I’m up for more so soon…
Charlie Parker’s Diner: a Quonset hut diner that goes back decades but with a 1950s interior makeover that if known for its horseshoes and large (and I mean large!) pancakes. Maybe this might be a good breakfast place, rather than dinner?
clipart from MSOffice
If you have other suggestions, feel free to weigh in with comments! I have a feeling we’ll head to D’Arcy’s, because I can easily have a non-piggy horseshoe (or if I were smart, a ponyshoe!). Stay tuned, I’ll update either a malaysian abroad or Life After Work with where we went, and how it was.
Have a great weekend!
I would suggest the ponyshoe. The horseshoes there are HUGE. But enjoy! I like the buffalo chicken ponyshoe at Darcy’s Pint. Delicioso!
I never heard of the horseshoe or ponyshoe before - now I’m curious!
Sounds and looks yummy!!
MochaMomma: thanks for the nudge! Can you believe I went for the ponyshoe and still took back half!
Quickroute: it’s just a different way of presenting a burger with perhaps less bread and a lot more fries
Veronica: it is! I’ll be sharing what I ordered, soon. With pics
If you go to St. Louis, we have The Slinger. You can’t find it in everywhere, probably only in the local diners. It’s two eggs (any style), hash browns, a hamburger patty, and covered with chili. Typically this ordered at the end of a night of drinking or possibly the morning after.
Jeannette: ooooh yum! Anything eggy wins in my book! I like the chili variation. I am sure we’ll end up in St Louis for a visit or two sometime in the 5 years we have in Springfield, I’ll have to keep The Slinger in mind
Lynne, I saw your comment on Kim’s blog and you will absolutely LOVE Nia. I do it twice a week and it is wonderful. I if I had the $$ I would get my white belt.
ChezJulie: thanks so much for your feedback! I’m really looking forward to getting into this class. If I enjoy it and see myself teaching it, I’m hoping hubby will shell out the $$ for the training. One step at a time tho… let’s get me into the class! [waiting impatiently for January to roll around!]
The horseshoe looks right up my street. There would be very few Brits who could pass a few beers in an Irish bar and a plateful of that stuff. I love the idea of it being smothered in cheese sauce, it sounds delicious.