TAGsgf.com beer expert Ben Stange

By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

With fall fast approaching and football season upon us, the time and weather is starting to be just right for chili and stews. Whether you’re having a few guys over to watch the game or just making enough dinner for leftovers to take to work, this hearty stew is sure to please.

The most obvious choice for this “Stout Stew” is Guinness, but any stout or porter with a rich malty flavor (think roasty and toasty, not sweet) will work well in this recipe. Some other recommendations might be Beamish Irish Stout, Schlafly Coffee Stout, or Boulevard Bully! Porter.

Make sure and pair the stew with the beer it’s cooked with. It’ll bring out some of the little flavors in the beer and the stew you may not notice otherwise.

Beef Stout Stew

(eight 1-cup servings or four man-sized servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 lbs. beef stew meat (or a 2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 12 oz can or bottle of stout or porter
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cups sliced carrots
• 1 ½ cups sliced parsnips
• 1 cup cubed peeled turnip

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan.
2. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season beef with ½ teaspoon salt, then dredge in the flour.
3. Cook half the beef in the butter and oil, turning to brown all sides. They should be sufficiently browned after about 5 minutes. Remove this batch with a slotted spoon.
4. Cook the other half of the beef and remove it and set aside, as well.Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).
5. Stir in tomato paste thoroughly.
6. Stir in the broth and the beer, making sure to scrape all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the meat back into the stew.
7. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt, caraway seeds, pepper, and raisins. Bring to a boil.
8. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
9. Uncover and bring back to a boil for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, parsnip, and turnip.
10. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. If your veggies are not yet tender, uncover and bring back to a boil for 10 minutes or until they are tender.
12. Serve hot.

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The Gelato Mio bike takes downtown's greatest new frozen snack to the streets.

Whether as a dessert destination or just to stop in and add a cheap treat to a night downtown, Gelato Mio is your spot. I wasn’t sure about gelato or what it even was when stopping in before a recent concert, just that it was an Italian relative of ice cream. It turns out that gelato is ice cream’s older brother and has spent its whole life kicking the crap out of his fatter, younger sibling.

Single scoops Wildberry and Cafe Caramel gelato.

While in the Italian ice cream boutique just east of the square, I was briefed. Gelato is whipped faster than ice cream giving it a smoother quality and does not contain butter fat (which helps while watching my figure). The flavors are very different as well. You can get chocolate and vanilla, but the flavor is much more dynamic. I didn’t pick up on the differences, but many of the fruit varieties were termed “sorbetto” and contained actual fruit frozen inside.

As my wife and I entered Gelato Mio, a pair of not-very-sneaky spies in PriceCutter Bistro Market garb were making a quick exit after checking out their gelato competition. Whatever their reasons, the customers had a free laugh. It was very interesting for sure.

Gelato Mio offers free samples of all the varieties, and being my first time, it was very appreciated. I sampled three of the 18 flavors and settled on the Cafe Caramel. A coffee-flavored gelato with ribbons of true caramel. Words cannot explain the mouthgasm. My wife went for the Wildberry, which was very tasty, but the sweetness outstayed its welcome for her. I happily scarfed the remainder.

Gelato Mio is family owned and operated and keeps it simple. Pricing is $2.99 for a single scoop, $3.99 double, $4.99 triple. While there are 18 flavors on display, they have more than 600 in rotation. All varieties are 100% natural with no artificial ingredients.

I’m excited to get back to try another flavor – maybe the Tahitian Vanilla with chocolate shavings. It was hard to pass up the first time.

Have you been? What’d you think? Give it a try and post your flavor of choice in our comment section below.

[View with PicLens]

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D'Arpino's

By Bob – Bob’s Whine and Dine

Lunch this day was with my wife and father-in-law at D’Arpino’s. I’ve been to D’Arpino’s several times in the past and have always liked the food here. Today was no exception.

D’Arpino’s has a daily special – usually for $7.95 including a salad and drink. Today’s special was lasagna. My father-in-law ordered that, my wife selected the sausage calzone ($7.95) and I chose the meatball sub ($7.95).

My father-in-law liked his salad, and said his lasagna was very good – with a nice spicy sauce. It was a pretty large portion for a lunch item and while he isn’t a big eater – he nearly finished the entire plate.

My wife’s calzone looked great – nicely browned on the outside, gooey on the
inside with meatballs, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. It was served with a side of the really nice marinara. She liked her lunch a lot. I had a taste and while I usually don’t like ricotta cheese I found that it worked well in this calzone.

My meatball sandwich was another winner. The meatballs were great – tender with a really nice flavor. It was served on what looked like a homemade hoagie roll which was tender on the inside and a bit chewy on the outside – the perfect bread for this sandwich. It also was dripping with mozzarella and sauce such that I needed a fork & knife to eat the first half of the sandwich.

On past visits, I’ve also enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs, the egg plant
parmesan, the chicken parmesan and the lasagna. The house salad dressing on the side salad is very good as well.

Décor is a step above your standard strip mall. Warm colors on the walls,
ceramic tile on the floor (be careful though as it can be slippery), paintings and posters on the wall. I think I heard Frank Sinatra a few times in the background music. It is a pretty comfortable place for a meal unless it is cold outside. There is just one door opening into the restaurant and the cold air can really be felt across the dining room.

Service was spotty today. The dining room was nearly full with a couple of large groups present. The two servers working were really busy. We didn’t get any bread & butter to munch on (it was mentioned at one point however). It took a while after we finished our meal to get our check.

I really like the food at D’Arpino’s. It is good classic Italian. It is a busy place and reservations are recommended for dinner. I’ll be back.

3014 S. National – (417) 889-9898

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OZ's Crazy Shrimp Roll - find a better roll for $4.50. Consider it a challenge.

Ocean Zen Pacific Rim has been regarded as one of SGF’s better fine dining spots, but with otherworldly happy hour specials, it has become one of the prime early dinner (and drinks) locations. OZ’s happy hour runs Monday-Thursday from 4-6 p.m. with a late night option on the weekend (Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m.-close). The menu stretches from a variety of appetizers to sushi rolls, salads and sides. The most expensive item on the happy hour menu is $6, so you can affordably create your own meal.

The cornerstone is clearly the drinks and sushi – which seem just a notch shorter than their full-priced counterparts (4-6 pieces). There are eight different rolls available, from the simple (Cucumber and California) to the complex (Ocean Zen Signature), but in the middle is where our orders landed. The Crazy Shrimp Roll is the best $4.50 roll in SGF. If you know one better for that price, get at me – Brett@TAGsgf.com. The Crazy shrimp is shrimp tempura covered with an incredible spicy tuna mix sitting on top. A little kick of Sriracha provides the perfect punch. The Crispy California Roll is another twist on a classic, something Ocean Zen has done across its entire menu.

Every H.H. appetizer is tempting – Edamame, Blue Crab & Cream Cheese Stuffed Wontons, Pineapple Citrus Glazed Crispy Chicken, Mongolian Glazed St. Louis Style Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Spring Rolls … the list is an all-star mix of shortened up entrees and killer apps. We went with the Blue Crab Wontons and were certainly pleased with the result. A light batter with a well-mixed filling of crab and the rest. You can tell when there’s something real in the middle.

Several sides make an appearance in the afternoon as well – Bacon Cheddar Risotto, Grilled Cheezy Bread, Tomato Soup and loaded Mashed Potatoes to start. I had to try the potatoes and will now get them every time I go.

We weren’t drinking on this occasion, but will be back to imbibe. The drink specials included: $5.50 wine by the glass, $2 domestic drafts, $5 specialty drinks (cocktails), and $4 calls.

Three of us went and all left satisfied, both in volume and flavor (especially in flavor). We ordered four sushi rolls, one appetizer and one side, but the bill read just $25.82.

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When you walk into Merle’s Hot Dog Emporium the first thing you notice, is everything covered in Cardinals red. From pennants to bobbleheads, this is the unofficial lunch home for St. Louis/Springfield Cardinals fans – at least the SGF players. If you ever want to rub elbows with a future big leaguer, Merle’s for lunch is your best bet. One of the first things SGF Cards players receive when they get to town is a laminate to eat for free at Merle’s, and they do. A lot. When they move on, they still check back in and leave memorabilia from their new spot – most of which you can find behind the counter.

But even if you don’t have your own walk-up music at Hammons Field, you can eat for extra cheap. Merle’s, downtown on Walnut – in the front half of what was once Harpo’s – was built for the $5 Lunch. There’s nothing on the menu that costs that much. The menu centers around a delicious and creative list of styles of hot dogs, but ventures into burgers, wraps and sandwiches. Delicious homemade sides, headlined by potato selections (fries, homemade chips and tots), won’t push the cost past the $5 barrier either. The freshly baked desserts and pies line the counter top, eyeballing you as take down the city’s best Memphis Dog.

The dogs are split on a fresh bun and covered in toppings. The list is various so you can go several different directions (Chicago, Downtown, the Bull Dog, Memphis, Southern Sam, Chili Dog, and more). Those varieties cost per size (small – $1.99, Medium – $2.99, Big – $4.99) and trust me you don’t need bigger than medium. If none of them suit your fancy, you can always build your own.

My wife and I both went for the Chicago Dog (pickle, tomato, onion, relish, mustard and celery salt). Simple, yet incredibly satisfying. She had the small, and I had the medium, and we got an order of the fries of cheese. It was the perfect amount for both of us and our total was a little more than $7 (time to start a $3.50 lunch series?). Merle’s is the game-changer of $5 Lunches, and immediately etched its way into my family’s weekly lunch schedule.

Daily Specials

Monday: Philly Cheesesteak – $2.99
Tuesday: Fish Sandwich and Fries – $3.99
Wednesday: Frito Chili Pie – $2.75
Thursday: Bratwurst – $2.49, Double Cheeseburger – $3.99
Friday: Pork Tenderloin – $3.99

[View with PicLens]

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The new Pickleman's is open for business - immediately across the street from Jimmy John's.

Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe has opened its new location in downtown SGF on the corner of Walnut and Jefferson. The area is already sandwich packed with Jimmy John’s across the street, while locally owned faves Merle’s and Chicago Cheesesteak Company are just a few doors down. Time will tell if there’s enough sandwich business to go around.

Bob from Bob’s Whine and Dine reviewed the other Pickleman’s location.

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Cedars Chicken Fried Steak is $4.99 at any time of day

By Bob – Bob’s Whine and Dine

Originally published on BWAD (2/5/09)

I’ve been to Cedars twice in the last week for lunch – first with Danny, then again with some of my family. Cedars has two locations – the one I went to on South Campbell across from Wal-Mart and another one (the original?) on West Bypass.

We arrived for lunch both times about half past noon and the place was really jumping. Fortunately we were able to find an empty table both times. Also in both cases, the place pretty much emptied out by the time we were ready to leave after 1pm.

The first visit I ordered the country fried steak ($4.99) that comes with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. The veggie I chose this day was brown beans – the other choice was peas – but I think the veggies change each day as our second visit the choice was baked beans or corn.

The steak was large, nice and crispy outside, tender inside and was seasoned well. The potatoes were not freshly mashed and were either a better than average instant or some other pre-prepared item. They had a good consistency and weren’t bad – but they had that taste of processed food. The beans were very good with bits of ham. The white gravy covering everything was pretty good as well. For $4.99 – this was a really good lunch and was really more than I should have eaten.

On my second trip, I ordered the “Hillbilly” sandwich which turned out to be ground beef, breaded and fried like the country fried steak and served on a toasted hoagie roll. It came with a side of fries, pickle chips, onion, a tomato slice, lettuce and some mayonnaise in a little cup. The meat was formed into a long rectangular patty that extended beyond the hoagie roll on both sides. It had the same type of breading as the country fried steak and I liked it as well. The
fries were a thicker frozen variety – they were ok.

Danny ordered the cashew chicken ($4.99 and I didn’t like it). Others on the second trip had the pork tenderloin (good), spaghetti and meatballs ($4.99 good), pork steak ($4.99 good). With the exception of the cashew chicken – all of the home-style diner food was good. My wife especially liked the BBQ baked beans she had with her meal – she said they were the best baked beans she has ever had.

Cedars has a small salad bar which none of us tried. Breakfast is served in the morning. There are 6 to 10 specials everyday – with most in the $5 to $7 range. The décor is strip mall with some old farm implements hanging on the wall. The restrooms were clean.

Service was very good on both visits – with our friendly servers checking in on us frequently and my diet Pepsi getting refilled when needed.

To tell the truth, I have been avoiding Cedars for a long time. My first and until last week only experience with Cedars was at the West Bypass location many years ago. At that time the place was dirty, smoking was still allowed (this was before the non-smoking ordinance). I have let that experience keep me from trying the South Campbell location. I’m sorry I did that for so long.

The best thing about Cedars is the standard diner food selection – it is pretty good and  inexpensive. I will be back.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

3322 S Campbell Ave – (417) 890-1984

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Lets just get to the point. The new Price Cutter Bistro Market in downtown Springfield, MO is possibly one of the best things to happen to downtown Springfield in a long…long long time. That being said, here are our thoughts after spending some time there on opening night last night.

This place is simply awesome. From the minute you walk in, you feel like you went through a Star Trek transporter and landed in a big city market. Stuff like this simply hasn’t existed in Springfield until now. There are 3 entrances. One off the south end of the building through their parking lot and two off of South Avenue. If you walk in the north South Ave. entrance, you re between the bar and seating area to your right and the massive hot food buffet, breakfast buffet and prepared food cooler to your left. Even further to your left, a Starbucks and a gelato bar.

The Market/Grocery Area

We first walked beyond that to explore the rest of the market. They have an expansive alcohol, beer and wine selection with competitive prices. The layout is a little tight, but that is to be expected with anything downtown (if you’ve ever lived in a loft, you know what we’re talking about). The layout is extremely well planned. If you’re looking at wines, the fine cheese selection is right there. If you’re looking at eggs, bacon is right there. Its the type of thing you’d like to see more of in other stores. I imagine I could complete my grocery run in about 5 mins here.

As far as what types of things they have in stock, pretty much everything a normal Price Cutter does, but less quantity and more selection. They have almost anything you could want or need, but in smaller quantities. I’m a foodie and make a wide variety of dishes at home. I’m constantly unhappy with food selection in Southwest Missouri. This may change that. From a meat counter that includes Kobe beef to one of the best seafood selections in town, along with a touch screen recipe station in front of the meat counter that will help you quickly get a recipe and shopping list that will make quick meal planning and execution easy.

Notable features of market:

• Smart layout
• Wide selection
• Amazing produce selection (photo #11) (its hard to find kale for Portuguese soup in the Ozarks)
• Incredible produce selection (photo #8) with self service olive bar (photo #10)
• Good meat counter with knowledgeable staff
• HUGE wall of bulk-style feeders for flour, rices, nuts, snacks, etc (photo #9)
• Make your own butter station (photo #7)
• Great beer, wine and liquor selection

The Bistro Area

Let me ask this, where else can you grocery shop while drinking a beer, cocktail, or bottle of wine? NOWHERE! We’re in Springfield, MO. This didn’t exists until yesterday! This place is incredible. Also, if you buy a bottle of wine, for a small $5 cork fee, you can drink it while shopping (you can also have them re-cork the bottle so you can enjoy the rest of the bottle at home). There is a gigantic hot bar that serves things like roasted chicken, fried catfish with hush puppies, chicken wings, lasagna and much much much much more with revolving options. The price seemed a little steep at $8.49 for the hot bar (until we realized in included the salad bar too – BOTH are all you can eat). You can also get a fresh made sandwich made exactly how you want it. They also have a full kitchen with a very large staff of cooks to make you anything from their menu of burgers, hot dogs, breakfast, salads, sides and more…all for fairly reasonable prices. They also have an equally large salad bar. This is the best salad bar in town. Not the cheapest, but the best. You can chose from every fruit, nut, cheese and topping that you could want and it goes forever. Some of the salads these people were making looked like Donald Trump funded them. I barely even got to see the gelato bar or the Starbucks because they were absolutely packed. On the South Avenue wall, they have an open cooler with a selection of fresh, but pre-made, packaged and ready to-go sandwiches, sushi, pizza, dinners, sides and more. Everything here is very attractively priced with very large sandwiches going for $3-6 (images #13-14). The food selection is huge. The food is good. Most of it is affordable and priced right with a few choices on the made-to-order menu being a tad bit over priced by a dollar or two. They have a breakfast bar that plans to be open until 2 am. They also have a station where you can get your own crepe or Belgian waffles made fresh.

After walking around the place for 20 minutes, my girlfriend and I started to get pretty hungry and decided to try to find a quick $5 lunch option on the menu. Luckily we found the All American burger for only $2.99. A good old fashioned cheeseburger with lettuce, onions, pickle and tomato. On the menu board it is listed as $2.99 but on the printed menus they were $3.99. The staff was very nice and gave it to us for the $2.99 listed on the menu board. We chose fresh made-to-order chips for only $.99 and were surprised that there was a selection of sweet potato or russet. We chose a mixture of both. We could have walked away there with a $4 lunch and been happy, but we were parched because it was a madhouse in there with so many people checking it out. We added a tea for around a dollar more. The burger was made fresh and was great. Nothing amazing, but very good, fresh, tasty and a good portion. (see images #15-16)

*UPDATE*
We were downtown again for a show at The Outland and needed to grab a quick bite. Our favorite place we planned on hitting was closed so we figured we’d give the buffet a shot. Um, WOW. The ability to quickly grab a hot meal a block away from the center of downtown that fed the tastes of two people in completely different moods was great. My girlfriend shamelessly ate both her gigantic salad and her overstuffed dinner plates nearly clean. The food was good, tasty, and wholesome. No instant mashed potatoes here. The fried chicken was hot and wasn’t dry at all. Same goes for the catfish. The hush puppies were Madeline’s favorite thing. The staff was fast and very helpful. When we were walking away with a tray of two overloaded plates, they said to just come back if we wanted anything else. Oh, those lovely LOVELY words. All in all, it was way more food than we should have eaten (but hey, we had to thoroughly test it out, right? We take our job seriously!)

I just can’t find anything wrong with this picture. Oh well, I see one possible thing. The window on Walnut (the North side of the building) that houses a gigantic wooden rack of alcohol. How long will this window survive before someone busts through to the glorious haven of alcohol on the other side (see image #21)?

Notable features of bistro:

• IT HAS A BAR with draft and bottle beer (domestic and import), cocktails and sodas
• Seating in bar area…also outdoor seating on Southeast corner sidewalk on South Ave.
• Fast. Very easy to be in and out. Staff was helpful in this as well.
• Wide selection for tastes and budgets and schedules
• Plenty of staff…helpful staff
• You have hot food, cold food, salad bar, fried chicken, a bar bar, a Starbucks, a gelato bar and magazine rack all within a few feet.
• The freshly made food is really good (I can vouch for the burger and chips)
• The hot bar food was also better than expected (We heard a number of people commenting on how good the fried chicken, catfish and various items were. To paraphrase a few; “It wasn’t like food from a grocery store, but like food from an actual restaurant.”)

*UPDATE*
Note: They have WiFi!

Price Cutter seems to have really done things right with the new downtown location. My girlfriend and I kept saying how we wish there was something like that when we lived downtown, maybe we wouldn’t have left the downtown area. This may be the big boost downtown has been waiting for to become less of a nightlife destination and more of a neighborhood. I don’t see it hurting other downtown restaurants much. Although they do offer similar things like sandwiches and burgers, they don’t directly compete with anyone. Its one thing when you have two burger joints going head to head, but another when you have a burger joint and a smorgasbord. My only concern is the gelato. There has been an sudden emergence of gelato and dessert places opening this month and hopefully Price Cutter doesn’t hurt their business. In fact I see it possibly going the other way and that people might prefer the boutique dessert shops. If one or the other had to happen, the latter would be ideal because Price Cutter could easily adapt. What are your thoughts?

Hopefully others follow in Price Cutter’s lead and see the potential and help revitalize the downtown area.

Questions or Comments?

So what are your thoughts? We at TAGsgf are very curious to see what you think about the new market and how you think it may affect downtown Springfield.

Here are a few photos I nabbed with my phone. Sorry some are blurry, it was a madhouse in there.

[View with PicLens]

12►

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Show me a better slider. And if you say White Castle, you're getting slapped.

Whisler’s is SGF’s retort to the years of cries for White Castle. Their sliders crush the mainstream counterpart, while even offering bags of burgers to serve those who crave a Crave Case. The best part is you can grub these delicious handfuls of heaven for less than that $5-bill in your pocket.

The downtown burger joint (next to Hearts of Fire at 208 W McDaniel) is the first franchised location of the restaurant which opened in Carthage in 1953. Whisler’s offers a large variety of burgers, including the Sow and Cow (bacon and hamburger), Pig and Bull (ham and hamburger), and the Farm Burger (bacon, ham and hamburger). They even offer a veggie burger.

Sliders cooked fresh on a flat top in front of your eyes.

The Pig and Bull is the (biased opinion blast) marquee slider on the menu. After a couple days of poor diet, I decided to go on a limb with the veggie burger and was not disappointed. A little less grease, but honestly you don’t go to a famed slider spot for vitamins. Next time it’s Pig and Bull all the way.

There is limited seating with room for four to sit inside and a couple patio tables on the sidewalk, so grab your burgers and take them on the run or kick it fountainside.

You can go with the lunch specials or create your own burger combos and still keep under five bucks.

The Specials

2 Cheeseburgers, chips and drink – $4.60
2 Hamburgers, chips and drink – $4.35

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The Roasted Pistachio Gelato is among the favorite flavors.

“Frozen snacks” and “local owned” are a couple phrases that always sound good together. So when the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce cuts the ribbon on gourmet Italian ice cream spot on the square, Gelato Mio, SGFers will no doubt be ready to toast spoons.

Co-owners Andy and Chantal Drennan, the husband and wife team of Drury grads, have spread the flavors around town – including the premiere of Julia Robert’s Eat Pray Love at Campbell 16 and Farmers markets.

Friday’s opening includes a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m., with the official opening and party beginning at 6 p.m. Live music, complimentary champagne sorbetto, and a bounce house for the kids. Gelato will also debut its art gallery which will showcase work from sister cities Tlaquepaque, Mexico, and Isasaki, Japan.

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3. 5 minute introduction to the new downtown Price Cutter Bistro Market and $5 lunch

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The sign in the window is classy and brief, as much as any goodbye can hope to be. It reads as follows:

“Dear Friends & Neighbors…

It’s been fun.

We thank you for all of your support.

We will miss you.

The Lili’s Crew”

And with that Springfield loses another restaurant in 2010.  Lili’s Diner was one of the original establishments to open in Wilhoit Plaza (corner of Jefferson Avenue and Elm Street) and had been a fixture there since December 2008, not to mention one of only a handful of places open after bar close–till 3:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, in fact. Though there is evidence to suggest the rumor mill has been hard at work on this one for some time now, nothing official surfaced until the aforementioned discreet note posted twice in the Lili’s windows facing Jefferson Avenue. No explanation; only goodbye. Sad to see the quirky greasy spoon go.

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Everybody deserves a vacation, including Bob. While Bob enjoys a cruise on the Alaskan coast, we bring you reviews from the archive.

La Fiesta

Originally published 12/7/07
La Fiesta is located in the small strip center in the Home Depot parking lot on South Glenstone in what used to be Schlotzsky’s. I consider La Fiesta to be (in Steve’s ranking) in the top tier of Mexican restaurants in town. We had lunch on Sunday after church with a group of about 11. We were seated in our own section of the restaurant in the back and it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The chips were warm and tasted good, the salsa was freshly made and had a really good flavor – it also had a bit of heat to it which I enjoy. Steve ordered guacamole and I thought it was good when I tried it, chunky with nice bits of tomato and onion – perhaps a bit too much onion though in this batch.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

My wife and I decided to order two dishes we have had before, the Special Taco Avodado and the Chipotle Fajitas. The Taco Avodado are three open face corn tortillas topped with seasoned pork, onions and cilantro. I’ve had this twice before and loved it.

This time however things were different. There was a great deal of onion on top and a lot of cilantro – my wife does not like cilantro so she opted out of trying the dish after seeing so much on it. Removing the excess of both of these ingredients was helpful – but the pork is what was disappointing this time. In the past the pork was in small chunk form and had a very nice texture and flavor. This time, the pork was shredded and the texture mushy. This really let me down and I didn’t enjoy the dish near as much as before.

There was something missing in the taste this time as well – and I figured it out after I finished the last taco. I forgot to put the special hot sauce on top that the dish comes with – this was a big mistake on my part as I remembered that the hot sauce is what really stepped up the flavor. I will be trying these tacos again hoping that this was a one-time issue with the pork.

The other dish we tried was the Chipotle Fajitas. We got the mix of chicken and beef and both were tender and flavorful. What makes this one of my favorites however, is the chipotle sauce that they add to the fajitas during cooking – it really elevates this from a good fajita plate into a great fajita plate. The chipotle sauce adds a great flavor and doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. Definitely a dish to come back for.

Service today was very good with my diet coke getting refilled frequently. We got our food in an appropriate time and our server was by often to check on us. This was a nice change from the last time we came to eat here with a group after church. The last time, we waited a very long time for our food – I’m glad to see that they have addressed that issue.

The decor is nice with a modern look and lots of natural light from the windows. This is something that you don’t see much in most Mexican restaurants in town – which tend to be kinda dark.

Even with the problem with my Taco Avodado today this is still my favorite Mexican restaurant in town – fresh ingredients, really tasty food, and nice atmosphere (did I mention very good margarita’s?). When I want Mexican food – this is my first choice.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

3825 S. Glenstone Ave – (417) 886-7040

Link to Health Inspections

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In the world of local eateries, The Southside Location is something to covet. As Springfield modernized the city’s better-to-do moved to the outskirts, primarily to the south (and, in more recent years, to the east), and since the prevalent culture means it’s considered an inconvenience to drive more than 10-15 minutes in the city it’s only natural that a business owner wants to be where those with the most disposable income are most willing to go. You can do well as a restaurant almost anywhere, but to really make a killing one must, to butcher a phrase, head south, young man. And bring your “A” game, as there is no shortage of options around you.

Big Whiskey’s has been a successful downtown sports bar for several years, opening in 2006 and sustaining a steady flow of business in its location immediately east of Icon Nightclub on Park Central East. But the plan all along has been to expand into new locations, a plan finally come to fruition with the opening of the second Big Whiskey’s last weekend on West Republic Road across the street from the Remington’s parking lot and about a block east of Kansas Expressway. The space used to belong to Indigo Joe’s, though if you went to that establishment you’ll notice very little in common with what you see today. You’ll also notice relatively little in common with the downtown Big Whiskey’s, as the interior paint scheme is completely changed and details such as the drink toast quotations on the walls are backlit and three-dimensional instead of written in paint. The room is full of deep wood tones and polished metal, a nice and natural-feeling light-dark contrast that adds sophistication to the room. An especially nice new touch is the collection of black-and-white photos laid into the backboards of the booths, all of them whiskey-themed and lending a classy touch to the traditional sports bar “TVs everywhere” formula.

The view over my right shoulder... as in behind me.

Speaking of televisions, I think I sat in the one spot in the entire place where you can’t see anything without craning your neck to a position only Gumby would find comfortable. My girlfriend and I settled into a booth space in the southern half of the building, each ordering salads of different varieties. (Light food just sounds better in the heat of summer.) If you’re familiar with the Big Whiskey’s menu from the downtown location you’ll know what you’re getting here, too; the full range appears to have carried over. If you haven’t been to it before, though, you’ll find your usual bar-food fare, concentrating on burgers and sandwiches and above-average appetizers (try the sliders, for sure) and wings and a surprisingly large selection of salads. Prices are about a dollar more than one would expect to pay in some cases, particularly with the burgers, which are consistently priced higher than the salads, the first time I can ever remember seeing that. My girlfriend’s Buffalo chicken salad was loaded with lettuce and giant cucumber cubes and slathered in Buffalo sauce, which happens to be just how she likes it. She also swapped the regular ranch dressing for the restaurant’s creamy Italian–a risky move, given that we weren’t told in advance it was creamy and that she’s not a fan of creamy Italian dressings. Turns out what could have been a salad-killer was instead the best element, robust and chunk-free. One of the best creamy Italian dressings she has ever had, she said.

The Buffalo chicken salad.

For my part, my Southwest chicken salad got good burst of flavor from its vegetables (thank you pico de gallo and roasted corn kernels) that it lacked from its unseasoned grilled chicken (it’s okay to sprinkle on a little something, seriously), though presumably this is what the Southwestern ranch dressing is supposed to provide. It did, though since I tend to eat my chicken before the rest of my salad this was the flavor equivalent of Monty Python‘s character “The Bishop:” There to save the day, only not in time. (On a side note, does ranch have to be used on everything in bar-and-grill restaurants, and as a base in so many other dressings? I was never a ranch fan to begin with, and now it has invaded parts of many menus it was never meant to conquer. To quote Bono, “I’m ready for what’s next.”) We came in just after lunch Saturday afternoon, so the crowd wasn’t overwheling (about 45% full, I’d say), but there were enough servers roaming about to make it look as though even a packed room wouldn’t endure a wait. For our part our young gentleman was attentive but not overbearing, and though he forgot to bring my salad’s dressing out with the rest of it I can’t say that was a mistake that wouldn’t happen just about anywhere else on occasion. I mentioned it to him and had it in my hands within two minutes. No harm, no foul.

There is no doubt that Big Whiskey’s raises its game in getting its coveted South Side Location, and while its food choices won’t make it stand out from the competition on that end of town (Skybox, Fox & Hound, Hooters, etc.) its decor and attention to detail should. Sometimes what you most covet is something you shouldn’t have; this is also true of The Southside Location, which sometimes subjects a restaurant to higher standards and customer expectations than it can deliver. In the case of Big Whiskey’s, it could be set up to not only succeed but thrive.

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TAGsgf.com beer expert Ben Stange

By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

While it is very easy to taste a beer and know if you like it, it’s sometimes a lot harder to know why you like it. If you really want to begin understanding your own tastes in beer and knowing what you like and what you don’t, and if you want to really explore your love for the sudsy stuff, I highly recommend starting a beer journal.

I started my first beer journal in a little pocket moleskine notebook in 2007. I used a rating system based pretty closely on that used by ratebeer.com. RateBeer‘s system involves first rating the beer’s attributes (appearance, aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel) separately, and then giving the beer an overall score. The appearance and mouthfeel are weighted slightly lower than the aroma and flavor, but in the end the overall rating is more dependent on how the attributes work together than on anything else.

Moleskine

In my journal, for instance, I first record the name of the beer and the brewer at the top of the page. I then wrote whether it was a bottle, can, or draft, the date I recorded the entry, and the Alcohol by volume (for my own reference). I then rate the appearance on a rating of one to five, and make notes about the appearance. Then, I rate the aroma on a scale of one to ten, similarly pausing to write notes. When I taste the beer, I do so first for flavor, and then for mouthfeel. The flavor is rated from one to ten, and includes any finish or aftertaste in the beer. The mouthfeel is rated from one to five, and is based on how the beer feels on your tongue. In the end, I go through all of the sensory experiences and consider them together, and rate the overall beer rating out of twenty.

This method has its advantages and disadvantages, but it really works well for someone just getting used to really paying attention to what’s in his or her glass.

Breaking the flavors and sensations of beer into the separate sensory experiences of the beer helps me to understand what parts of the beer work for me and what parts don’t.

Of course, I don’t always drink beer this way. As a matter of fact, most of the time, I just taste and enjoy. However, when I really want to make sure I take my time and analyze a beer, I write it down.

Of course, there are lots of ways to record your thoughts on a beer. Some more tech-obsessed aficionados might record audio notes on their phone, or type out there notes in text memos or emails to themselves. I experimented for a little while with using EverNote for iPhone (a very handy app if you can wait for the pages to load. You can even take a picture of the label, and it will let you search it later by tags.) You might also go directly to ratebeer.com on your phone and record your notes online.

My favorite method is still the pen and pocket notebook, but that is because it tends to be less intrusive, and takes less time than waiting for screens to load. There are also pre-made journals out there. There’s one called “The Beer Journal” which seems like it might serve the purpose if you want to pay for it. It’s a little large for a pocket, and seems to try and force the beer drinker into trying 80 different styles. Following through with it will definitely open the eyes of someone still trying to develop their taste for beer, but I prefer a little more freedom.

33Beers.com uses a flavor wheel

There’s also the far more promising journal from 33beers.com which uses a flavor-wheel, and is designed specifically for beer lovers by beer lovers. I like that it asks you specific questions about the beer, and is designed for ease-of-use. The flavor wheel also helps to break up the sensory experience into 16 sections, and the beer drinker maps the flavor according to his or her personal experience.

I don’t know, though. I think I prefer my method. It costs less and seems to work just fine. You should keep a journal and do it your way. You don’t have to fit into any of these methods. Keep it simple, though. After all, you don’t want spend so much time rating your beer that you forget to enjoy it.

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(Article published on 5/10/10 incomplete. Some details may have changed since – like Cheezie’s “thriving.” Oops.)

It’s hard to judge value at restaurants sometimes. Ridiculously cheap prices make that call pretty easy, but when the product is great and pricey  that’s when I have a hard time. Especially with pizza. From working in a ‘za shop during graduate school I learned pizza is very cheap to produce. It’s why places such as Cheezie’s and Little Caesar’s thrive. Minsky’s Pizza has a delicious pie with a not-so tasty price tag. A friend and I checked out Minsky’s – franchised from Kansas City – after passing it over a time or to before.

As we were getting seated, our server said something about being able to sneak us two smalls for the price of one. He was trying to pull the “keep it on the hush” card. “There’s a button I can push,” he said. I’d bet most servers could push the same button, but the effort is still appreciated. You can’t say “no” to BOGO, so we ordered two small pepperonis with Alfredo sauce – even though it costs a little extra, butter and Parmesan cheese is never bad.

The pizza comes quick and is piping hot. The first thing I notice is that the cheese is on top, smothering the toppings and sauce. You don’t find this too many places, but it makes me happy because the cheese browns a bit more. Minsky’s crust is phenomenal, almost like a pie crust but not as flaky – in a dogfight with 417 Pizza for my favorite crust in SGF. It’s a damn tasty pie, but not very girthy. The small is about the size of a burrito shell with 6 slices – it’s a four small bite slice (unless you go corn cobbin’ on the crust). With the toppings it’s just about right for the don’t super size me diet.

The problem is the cost doesn’t reflect a small pizza or does it? The cost for one small pepperoni pizza was $12.66 ($8.99 before white sauce and tax). Getting two smalls for that price was great, but if I’m eating with my wife, and we don’t have somebody to “push the button”, $25+ is quite a bit. Especially when you can grab a large from one of the aforementioned pick-up spots for less than $6.

What do you think? Is $12 appropriate because the pizza is “gourmet”? I’m on the fence, because while it’s very tasty I’m not (very often) looking to spend double digits on myself. I’m a sucker for the $5 Lunch.

On the way out I saw a giant pan with a sign reading: “Ready to take the Monster Challenge?” It reminded me that TAG hasn’t challenged food in a bit. Chris and I both finished the Nugget Challenge, so I’d like to think we’d have a chance. The host said it’s been tried many times, but never completed. Bring it on.

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Ebbets Field has changed hands

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Farmers Gastropub has been on my list to visit for a while.  Danny, Steve and I finally got a chance to have lunch again (which has been sort of a rare occasion lately) and we decided a trip to Farmers Gastropub would be in order.  I’ve heard mixed reviews from people I’ve know that have been there so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

We arrived about noon-thirty and there were just a few other tables occupied.  We selected a table along the wall and started reviewing the menu.  Steve ordered us a starter of hummus and “crudites” ($7).   We all wanted to try something different so Danny picked the fish & chips ($9), Steve got the Cottage Pie ($9) and I selected the burger ($9).   We wanted to try the Bangers & Mash but that item (as well as the sausage roll appetizers) were ‘not available’ on the day of our visit.  Funny thing to run out of for a ‘pub’.  The dinner menu appears to be a fixed-price ($36 this week) affair where you select from a couple of appetizers, entrees and deserts.  The dinner menu also appears to change frequently – I supposed based on what is available from their local vendors.

In short, Farmers' burger doesn't get a standing "O" from Bob.

I wasn’t familiar with the term crudites (I was pronouncing it ‘Krud’-ites) and wasn’t sure what we were going to be getting with our humus.  Turns out the term is actually crudités (pronounced ‘krew-di-tey’) and is French for cut veggies served with a dip.  So what we got were a few rounds of toasted baguette and a selection of cut veggies to go along with our ‘dip’.  We all found the veggies good but the humus fairly lackluster.  We also asked for and got a few more baguette rounds (which were good by the way) as there wasn’t quite enough dipping implements for the whole bowl of humus.

Danny’s fish looked pretty good and had a nice crunchy batter.  It was served with what we think was some homemade tartar sauce which Danny said was really good.  I had a taste of the fish and thought it was ok, but nothing spectacular – the batter could have used a bit more seasoning.

Steve’s Cottage pie is a take on Shepard’s pie.  The potato layer was nicely browned and very thick while the meat layer was pretty thin.  It was served with some sautéed zucchini which I’m glad I didn’t get (I don’t like that zucchini stuff).  Steve, however, liked the vegetables.  I had a taste of the pie and thought it was bland needing more seasoning.   Steve agreed with that assessment.

My burger arrived and I was pretty stoked because it looked sooooo good.  The bun had been toasted on a Panini grill and had those cool-looking toast marks on top.  The burger patty was obviously done by hand and the cheese was melted into all the nooks & crannies of the patty.  I added some ketchup along with the supplied tomato and lettuce to the burger and went to savor my first bite.  This, however, is where my love affair with this burger ended.  There was something wrong with the patty.  It was cooked just like I had ordered – a bit past medium – and had what at first tasted like a great charcoal flavor.  But that charcoal flavor quickly turned into a bad metallic/chemical taste.  Danny and Steve were looking at me kind of funny so I had them both try the meat and they agreed there was something very wrong there.  It is hard to describe the flavor.  We all wondered if they had left some cleaning solution on the grill or something.  Needless to say I was very disappointed.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

Moving on, the fries were OK.  They were fresh-style and somewhat crispy.  Not bad, but not as good as Grad School across the street.  The amount of catsup I got was not quite enough for all of the fries.

Service was just OK.  I had to ask for each drink refill but at least they came back quickly.  Our food was brought out in an acceptable amount of time.

There is an attempt to make this Gastro’PUB’ look a bit like a British pub inside and it works OK for Springfield.  There are chairs at the large bar, several large 6 person tables available in addition to the 4 tops we sat at as well as some booths.  There is another dining room towards the back of the space where the tables had white tablecloths.  I guessed that this is for evening dining as it was closed off on our visit. There is also a nice large outside eating area which looked like a great place to get some fresh air on warm evenings (I’m pretty sure smoking is allowed out there thought so maybe you won’t get fresh air).

So, bottom line – the food Danny & Steve got at lunch was pretty ho-hum with just about everything needed more seasoning.  That mirrors some of the comments I’ve heard from others.  The burger was downright awful.  I’m really hoping that this was a one-time deal and there is a simple explanation for the burger since it looked so darn good.  If that is typical of anything coming off the grill – then I would say stay away from any grilled items.  If it was a one-time deal though – why does it always seem to happen to me?

As I was leaving, I looked down the sidewalk, saw Grad School sitting there and wished I’d gone there for my burger & fries (can you say ‘Full Ride’?).

Bob’s Whine and Dine

431 S. Jefferson – (417) 864-6994

Link to Web Site

Link to Facebook

Link to Health Inspections

[View with PicLens]

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TAGsgf.com beer expert Ben Stange

By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

One of the best recipes for chicken at an outdoor barbecue, the Beer Can Chicken is a classic.  It is very easy to do, makes a delicious and moist bird, and always impresses if you’re entertaining.  Of course, you don’t necessarily have to do this outdoors, but it sure helps.  Not only do you not have to worry about drippings as much (if you make it in the oven, make sure and have a pan under your chicken), but the smell also won’t completely fill your house, although that may not be such a bad thing.

The best beers to choose for this are typically lighter ales or lagers, although I’ve heard that a stout or porter is nice if you couple it with the right rub (I haven’t tried it, though).

That looks a touch uncomfortable.

Since the best cans to use are 16 oz cans, you might want to use one of the ales or lagers from Tallgrass Brewing Company, since they are pretty good and come in the right-size can.  I’ve not tried them for this yet personally (I drank all my Tallgrass), but I imagine the Köld Lager or their Tallgrass Ale would work really well, and I’m not afraid to try the others, either.  If you’re in an Oktoberfest mood, you can try and simulate the roasted chicken served in the tents by making brine and soaking your bird overnight before roasting it (see recipe which follows).  I recommend Bitburger Lager if you do this.  Heck, you can even sub in more beer for some or all of the water in the brine if you’re feeling adventurous.

Don’t forget you can do this with any beer.  12 oz cans work, but it might be harder to balance your chicken.  You can also use a bottled beer if you take an empty 16 oz can and pour in your favorite bottle.  Some folks use the pint-sized mason jars instead of cans, too.  They work just fine.  Make sure and pair the chicken with the beer to bring out the flavor a little more.

Oh, yeah.  Before you start, remember to measure everything.  Make sure the can fits in the bird’s cavity and that your grill will fit the bird standing on end.  You don’t want to get started only to find out you don’t have room.

Beer Can Chicken (4-6 servings)

For the rub:

1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Chicken:

1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds
2 teaspoons vegetable oil or butter1
can of beer (tall boy preferred)

Directions

1. Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl, blending thoroughly.
2. Remove the neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken with cold water inside and out, and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken lightly with oil or melted butter (my preference) then rub inside and out with the dry rub. Set aside.
3. Open beer can and pour half of it into your favorite beer glass. Place the beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, lower the bird cavity over the beer can carefully. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, making a tripod out of the can and the chicken’s legs.
4. Cook the chicken over medium, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird grill temp should be 350-450 degrees F) with the grill closed for 15 minutes per pound. This would equal 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours for a 5 lb bird.  The internal temperature should register 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh. If it’s not ready, shut the lid and cook it a bit longer until it is cooked to this temperature. If you do not have a meat thermometer, make sure the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed or cut with a sharp knife.
5. Using barbecue gloves remove the bird from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes to allow it to finish cooking and for the juices to settle.  Then, carefully remove the bird from the beer can and carve.

Alternate Recipe – Oktoberfest Brined Beer Can Chicken

For the brine:

1/2 cup pickling spices
1/2 cup kosher salt (not table salt)

Directions:

1. In a stockpot, combine the pickling spices and salt with 1 gallon of water (or 1/2 gallon water and 1/2 gallon beer, if preferred).  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
2. Remove the neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken with cold water inside and out, and pat it dry with paper towels.  Submerge in the cooled marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.  (You can use a 2 gallon Ziploc bag for this step, if you don’t have much room in your fridge.  Simply put the bird in first then fill the bag with the marinade and seal.)
3. Remove the chicken from the brine and discard the brine.  Pat it dry with paper towels again, and continue with the beer can recipe from step 2 above.

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TAGsgf.com beer expert Ben Stange

By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

My brother was brewing a batch of beer some time ago, and became a little too curious about his hops.  He caught the fresh, grassy, citrusy aroma from the hops as he opened the bag, and thought, “They smell so good.  I wonder what it would taste like if I just popped one in my mouth.”

Big mistake.

Want to know what a hop flower tastes like?  Hops are bitter – very  bitter.  So bitter, in fact, that if you ate one whole, you would probably taste bitterness and nothing else for about two weeks.  The end result of my brother’s experiment is that he developed a month-long aversion to all things hoppy and that he learned a valuable lesson about putting things in his mouth.

As amusing as it was to hear my brother relate this story about him, it illustrates just how diluted most hops are in beer.  Every beer fan worth his salt knows that hops contribute bitterness and flavor, but unless they brew, they probably underestimate just how diluted the hops are.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale grabbed five out of five pints.

Hops in the final product of beer are usually measured in International Bittering Units, or IBU’s.  For an American Lager, such as Budweiser or Miller Genuine Draft, you’d probably see between 8-15 IBU’s.  That means that in 5 gallons of beer, you would have about 1 oz of hops. (This is dependent greatly on the hops, but I’ve assumed a 5% alpha acid hop, all you hop fans out there who know what that means).  For an American Wheat beer, you could see anything from 15 to 30 IBU’s, and for an American Pale Ale, you’d see anywhere from 30 to 45.  IPA’s are the big boys, weighing in at 40-70 IBU’s, and sometimes more than that.  I have seen a couple of “Hop Monsters” reach upwards of 100 IBU’s, but once you get that high, it really doesn’t matter any more.

These IBU’s are usually contributed and calculated based on the alpha acids in the hops, which are held in the lupulin glands on the plant.  If you were to look at a hop flower, you would see what looks like a yellowish powder on the bottom of the hop.  These are the lupulin glands, which contain all the essential oils and tasties which we put in our beer.

Every beer drinker has a limit to how bitter they like their beer.  This is called their Lupulin Threshold. (Named for the lupulin glands.  Get it?)  If a beer fan develops a taste for more and more bitter beers, they experience what is called a Lupulin Threshold Shift.  So, where do you stand?  Where is your Lupulin Threshold, and can you remember a beer which triggered a Lupulin Threshold Shift in your tastes?

Here is a brief list of some beers which have the right kind of hop flavors and balance to contribute to your first or next Lupulin Threshold Shift.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, California) – American Pale Ale – 5.6% ABV – This beer is a benchmark for American Pale Ales.  Weighing in at 37 IBU’s, this beer falls right into the heart of the APA range and has the flavor to back it up.  Some beer fans have been tempted to attribute this beer’s high ratings as sentimentality (Sierra Nevada was among the pioneers of the craft brewing movement, acting fully 20 years before most people even realized that there as such a thing as Craft Brewing), but the fact is that this beer is good.  Very good.  It pours a sparkling amber with a white head, has an aroma of lemon, grapefruit, and a little pine, and has a flavor seamlessly balanced between sweetness and bitterness with just a little spiciness.  5 out of 5 pints.

Schlafly APA – Schlafly Brewing Co. (Saint Louis) – American Pale Ale – 5.9% ABV – I just had a bottle of this the other day, and it is always a surprise to me.  Anyway, it pours amber in color with a quickly dissipating head, but it has a lot of carbonation, which gives the aroma a bit more punch.  While this beer has all the bitterness and hops flavor you would expect in an American Pale Ale, it is extraordinarily well balanced.  The fruity hop aromas and flavors are mixed with just the right amount of bitterness, caramel sweetness, and bready goodness to make a complex, delicious beer.  Pour this one in a glass and really sip and taste it.  You’ll find a lot of flavors in there.  You might detect some orange, pine, grapefruit, or herbal notes.  I think everyone who drinks it finds different flavors.  Try it and find out what you can find in there.  4.5 out of 5 pints.

Single-wide IPA – Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City) – India Pale Ale (IPA) – 5.7% ABV – What I love most about Single-Wide IPA is that it is readily available here in Springfield.  It has six varieties of hops in it, and weighs in at a commanding 59 IBU’s.  It pours a hazy orange with a rocky head, and has plenty of carbonation to carry the grapefruit and pine aroma.  The flavor starts out with a little bit of sweetness, but that is followed by a punch of hops.  If you’re looking to shift your threshold into the IPA range, you could do worse than to grab one of these.  4 out of 5 pints.

Bell’s Two-Hearted – Bells Brewery (Kalamazoo, Michigan) – IPA – 7% ABV – Where Single-wide has 6 flavors of hops, Bell’s has one.  It doesn’t lose any complexity or quality, though.  Two-Hearted is known as one of the absolute best IPA’s in the American market, and with good reason.  The all-Centennial hop schedule gives this beer a huge citrus and pine aroma.  Two-Hearted is a monster, but a delicious one.  Every drop of this beer is a grapefruit and citrus thrill, and finishes with a dry bitterness that leaves your mouth begging for more.  If you hadn’t noticed, this is one of my favorite beers.  5 out of 5 pints.

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We have another BBQ restaurant in town – Billy Sims Barbecue (BSBBQ).  They opened up in mid July on South Glenstone near the Supercenter complex where the Boston Market restaurant used to live.  I love BBQ and there are only a couple of places here in town that are my go-to places for this simple, yummy, yet seemingly “hard to make well” food genre.  Of course I had to check it out.  I’ve been for lunch twice now and am ready to report in on what I thought.

Both visits were during a busy lunch hour but we didn’t have any trouble finding a table as they seem to turn around pretty quickly.  The process at BSBBQ is fast-food single-queue style.  You line up to examine the overhead menu board while making your way to the first stop at the meat cutting station.  This is where you tell the staff your BBQ selections.  On both visits I selected combo plates and have been able to sample, the pulled pork, sliced brisket, ribs, turkey and bologna (yes they smoke bologna here).

After you order, the meat-cutter then slices and portions your meats using a scale (except for the ribs which are counted out).  I noticed that for the pulled pork they add a bit of seasoning from a large shaker and mix that all up before putting it on your plate.  Next stop is the sides station.

The sides selection (sideliners) is pretty typical but has no fried items.  One interesting selection is listed as ‘mini-huskers’ – which is smoked corn on the cob.  I stuck with my usual cole slaw and BBQ beans on both visits.  Combo plates come with a piece of Texas toast.

The last stop is the register where you trade your money for food.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

Bottom line – I really liked the meats.  They all had a great smoky flavor with that nice dark outer smoky layer.  The meats were all tender as well.  The ribs weren’t fall-off-the-bone but were still tender and easy to eat.  The brisket & pork were just a bit on the dry side, but adding sauce fixed that right up.  Speaking of sauce, choices include regular and spicy.  Both were good but I fixated on the spicy one.  The bologna was an interesting meat to try.  It was well smoked like the rest of the meats and because of that, the taste was more smoke than bologna.  I’m glad I tried it but truthfully I don’t know why, for the same price, one would pick bologna over pork or beef.

(Sorry for no food pictures, for some reason my camera weirded out and they didn’t come out.  I’ll post food pics next time I visit.)

While the meat was good, the sides were ho-hum; nothing really special there.  The beans were a little weird.  There is pulled pork mixed into them – but the pork is so finely pulled that it makes the beans look stringy.  They would at least look better if the meat were little chunks instead of pork threads.

Drinks, plasticware– well everything really – is pretty much self serve.  During our visits at lunch time there were a couple of people making their way around the dining room asking if you needed anything.  Food is served on those plastic plate/basket things with a paper liner.

The dining room is pretty much left over from Boston Market and is pretty spartan but kept clean.  The ordering queue however is not easy to get to if you enter from the north side of the building.  It is a tight fit to get to the start of the line between the ropes that mark the queue and the first row of tables.  I would recommend entering on the south side of the building to avoid threading your way to the ordering line.

BSBBQ also has a drive-thru which I plan to make use of when I want my BBQ to go.

I’ll be back to Billy Sims Barbecue – it being close to where I live makes it likely I’ll be back often.

3757 South Glenstone Ave – (417) 883-7467

Link to Web Site

Link to Facebook

Link to Health Inspections

Bob’s Whine and Dine

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A new addition to the SGF restaurant scene came last week when Tulsa-based barbecue chain Billy Sims BBQ opened in former Boston Market location on Glenstone. Attached are a few pics and a look at the menu. Be looking for a review soon.

Know of any restaurants opening or closing? Email TAGsgf.com (Brett@TAGsgf.com).

[View with PicLens]

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TAGsgf.com beer expert Ben Stange

By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

Did you know that you can do other things with beer than just drink it?

I know.  It’s crazy.

My favorite other thing to do with beer is cook with it.  There are a lot of really great recipes out there, from beer bread to beef and Guinness stew, and it can be fun to experiment with our favorite beverage as an ingredient in food.  As a new feature for this column, I’m going to start sharing with you some of my favorite recipes for cooking with beer.  In most cases, pairing the recipe and the beer with which it is made brings out some flavors you may not have noticed before.

Mmmmm ... beer and cheese

This recipe, given to me by my brother some time ago, was originally pretty loosey-goosey with the ingredients, but I have tightened it up a bit, and it makes a delicious cheese soup.  I’m not sure where he got it, but I’m a big fan.  For this printing, I’ve gone ahead and named it after his blog at www.thirstypilgrim.com.  Use your favorite ale or lager, but it should probably not be too malty or too hoppy.  American Pale Ales work well, but an IPA might have issues.  British beers work well, like an ESB or a bitter, and if you want to go fancy, I highly recommend Saison DuPont, but it can be a bit pricey to cook with.  While Joe originally sent me the recipe with the instructions to ladle the soup over croutons, it was my wife’s idea to make our own when we first made the soup. (Crouton recipe follows)

Thirsty Pilgrim’s Beer and Cheese Soup:

Ingredients:

3 tsp water

3 tsp corn starch

½ onion, chopped

1-2 cloves minced garlic

½ tsp thyme

2 tbsp butter

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup beer (sip on the rest of it while cooking.)

6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

6 oz melty cheese of your choice, shredded (I’ve used havarti or mozzarella, be creative.)

1 tsp paprika

Salt

Pepper

Hot sauce

1 cup milk or heavy cream

Croutons (recipe follows, or you can just buy some.)

Instructions:

Mix the 3 tsp of water into 3 tsp of cornstarch and set aside.  In a saucepan, sauté the onion, garlic, and thyme in the butter until the onion is soft.  Add 1 cup of chicken broth and bring it to a boil.  Add 1 cup of beer, 6 oz cheddar cheese, and 6 oz melty cheese, and 1 tsp of paprika.  Add the salt and pepper to taste and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.  Reduce the heat to medium low, then whisk in 1 cup of milk or cream and the cornstarch mixture, and then stir until the cheese completely melts and the soup begins to thicken or bubble.  Ladle the soup into a bowl over your favorite croutons, and serve with the beer with which it was made.

The Croutons:

Ingredients:

1 large loaf or 2 small loaves day-old French or other bread (can be slightly stale)

Olive oil or butter

Garlic powder

Italian Seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cut the loaves of bread into 1 inch cubes.  In a large bowl, put some olive oil or butter in the bottom and toss the bread in the olive oil to coat.  Then, sprinkle with garlic and seasonings, and toss again.  Repeat the sprinkling and tossing if you wish to strengthen the flavor, but taste them first.  You can always add more, but taking seasoning out is impossible.  Lay your croutons on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake them for 15 minutes (tossing halfway through) or until they are golden brown.  Cool them.  You can store them in a plastic bag or covered container if you have extras.

Have a recipe you’d like to share with me?  I’d love to try it and write about it.  Send your recipe to stangebrewing at gmail dot com if you’d like it to be considered for posting, or if you’d just like me to try it.  If you don’t want it posted, let me know.  It’ll be our secret.

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Wayo opened up on South Glenstone in the spot formerly occupied by Beano (and Burger King before that) earlier this year.  The week it opened I made a visit with my brother and his family and decided against doing a review at that time as they were obviously working out many kinks.

I drive past Wayo almost every day and have wanted to try it again.  A gift of a $15 off coupon from a friend pushed me to make a dinner trip with my wife and niece (hungry college student) recently.

Our visit was on a Monday evening.  When we arrived there was one other table occupied.  We sat at one of the regular tables because I thought the closed-in booths looked sort of creepy.

The dinner menu at Wayo is pretty simple.  You can get Teriyaki, Bento Boxes, Sashima/Sushi (chef’s choice on those), Tempura, Noodles as well as something called Katsu – pork or chicken breaded & fried.  Most dinners come with soup, salad and rice.  On my first visit both my brother and I got the ‘Spicy Chicken’ Teriyaki ($12.95) and found it to be almost too hot to eat (especially when you don’t get your drink refilled).  I’m not sure if that is the standard preparation, but on that night it was – it was very hard to enjoy.

So, staying away from the Spicy Chicken, I decided to go for the Bento Box ($13.95).  For the Bento Boxes, there are 10 entrée items to choose from and you can pick 2.  I chose the Teriyaki beef & spicy tuna roll for my box.  My wife ordered the Soba noodles with Chicken ($8.95) as she really liked the noodles on our first visit.

My niece decided on the Shrimp Teriyaki dinner ($13.95) which is her default meal at most any Japanese restaurant.

Bob’s Whine and Dine

We all got miso soup to start our meals, but the soup arrived just a few minutes before our entrées (more on that later).  I thought the soup was ok.  We never got the promised salads.

Bento Box at Wayo

The rolls were ok but not very spicy without the added kick from some wasabi.  I liked the teriyaki beef.  It had a very good flavor and the grilled veggies were all fresh and tasty.  The tempura vegetables were also pretty good and even included a fried asparagus spear, but they were just a bit on the greasy side.  The rangoons weren’t anything special.  The fruit (apple, melon & orange) was a nice touch – and the orange was artistically cut which was fun.  There was a good amount of food in the box and overall I liked it a lot.

My wife said she liked the Soba noodles & chicken.  There were lots of nice fresh veggies and everything was well cooked.  My niece also liked her meal of Shrimp Teriyaki.  So overall we were very pleased with our meals.

Service was a big, big issue on our first visit and unfortunately it was still an issue on this visit.  There was one server working on this particular evening.  I think there were, at the most, 4 tables occupied at any one point during our visit – which I didn’t think would be too challenging.  But obviously it was – we waited a lot for just about every part of our meal.  It took a long time before we were asked for our drink orders.  It took a long time before we got our food orders taken.  We never got our salads, the soup arrived 2 minutes before our entrees.  Refills were few (good thing I didn’t do the spicy chicken!).  And it took a really long time after we were done to get our check.  It was just a frustrating experience.

The chef made it by at one point to check on us.  I met him on our first visit and we liked him a lot.  On that first visit, we got some freebies during the meal, probably because my 5 year old nephew was with us that time.  We got a sampling of noodles and some yummy fried bananas at the end of the meal.  No freebies on this last visit though.

As far as décor goes, they did a pretty good job of removing the fast-food aura of the place.  The color scheme is black & red.  There are enclosed booths lining the outer walls which require a small step up and a twist to the side to get into them.  They have some red curtains covering the upper part of the opening.  The seats in the boots are hard-looking benches.  I don’t think I would like eating in one of the booths as they look a little ‘Munster-ish’.  The sushi bar is located in the ‘lobby’ just inside the doors and you can sit there, order & watch your sushi being made.  The restroom was clean.

The food at Wayo was really pretty good and I liked being able to get a Bento box at dinner time as most Japanese places make that a lunch-only choice.  The service issues are likely to keep me from coming back though – it was very frustrating.

Wayo is open really late (1am) on most nights and have drink & sushi specials for the late night crowd.  I hope someone comments about what late-night at Wayo is like and perhaps let us know how the sushi & sashimi are as we really didn’t go there on this last visit.

2119 S. Glenstone – (417) 886-0300

Link to Facebook Page

Link to Menu

Link to Health Inspections

[View with PicLens]

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By Ben Stange of St. Ange Brewing

Part of my duty as a beer columnist is finding out and trying new beers as they move into Springfield.  I can assure you that, while I use the word “duty” here, you should understand that I am happy to jump on this hand grenade for you.

That is why I was eager to write a column about Tallgrass Brewing Company, which just arrived in Springfield from Manhattan, Kansas.  The origins of this brewery are near and dear to my heart.  The story provided on their website tells a tale of Jeff Gill, a 6-year home brewing veteran, whose wife, Tricia, turned to him one day and asked what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.  Having considered carefully, he replied “I want to start a microbrewery!”

Having been an avid home brewer for over six years myself, I can definitely relate to Jeff’s passionate wish.  While home brewers love beer and love the process of making it, what really makes us happy is making beer that others can enjoy.

Out of Jeff’s wish, the Tallgrass brewing company was born in 2007, and they have been quietly brewing up a storm in their copper kettles ever since, and you can now try their wares by visiting your local fine beer-selling establishment.  (I have found their wares at the Brown Derby Wine Center, but I imagine they can be found in a few other places if you look hard enough.)

Oh, one more thing: you can take these beers on your float trip, because—like many other great craft beers now—these fine ales and lagers are sold in cans.

Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat Stout – Tallgrass Brewing Company – Sweet Stout – 5% ABV – Although the name sounds disgusting, this beer may surprise you.  It’s another gateway beer for folks who don’t typically drink a stout.  It pours nearly opaque brown with a light tan head.  The aroma is full of roasted things – chocolate, coffee, and dark bread.  The flavor might remind you a bit of brownies, as the sweetness of the cream sugar and malt combines with the roasted chocolate and coffee to create something new.  May not be one for a hot day on the river, but you might plow through a few that night by the fire. 3.5 out of 5 pints

Tallgrass IPA – Tallgrass Brewing Company – IPA – 6.3% ABV – Alright, so sometimes a bit of a hop-head, but hops can add a lot of things to beer, including bitterness, flavor, aroma, and a freshness.  In the case of Tallgrass IPA, the brewer employs them all satisfactorily.  Some IPA’s are overpowered by their hops, but Tallgrass is fairly well balanced.  The fresh hop aroma in this bright orange ale is piney and citrusy, but still allows some of the caramel and bread notes to come through.  This translates well to the flavor which starts with sweet citrus but is followed closely by a slight lemony tartness and bitterness.  The beer finishes with a little bit of peppery hops.  Overall, it’s pretty easy to drink, and is an easy IPA.  3.5 out of 5 pints

Tallgrass Köld Lager – Tallgrass Brewing Company – Kölsch – 5% ABV – If there is a favorite craft beer style that is always easy to drink, it’s Kölsch.  This style is a light lager that has been produced by great German brewers in Köln, Germany for centuries, although the name “Kölsch” was not used commercially until 1913.  The glasses this beer is traditionally served in?  Stange glasses (pronounced Stahng-uh, which means a pole, like a curtain rod).  Yup.  It’s also my last name, though my name is pronounced more like Stayng.  Anyway, this beer is a crystal clear straw-color with white head.  The arome is like hay and bread.  The flavor is light, like the style demands, but it’s very refreshing.  The idea behind a good Kölsch is to be light and easy-to-drink, and this one does that almost too well.  3 out of 5 pints

Tallgrass Oasis ESB – Tallgrass Brewing Company – Premium Bitter/ESB – 7.2% ABV – The strongest ale of this group, Oasis ESB is actually described by the brewery as being a “Double ESB/IPAish beer.”  I didn’t know for sure what they meant until I tasted it.  I’ll say it packs a bit of a punch compared to the others.  It’s a bit hazy on the pour, but has a reddish-amber color with an off-white head.  The aroma has a lot going on, including some sweet molasses, pine, citrus, and bread. The flavor is a bowling ball of hops.  It’s bitter and floral with a very slight sweetness.  You may also detect a little bit of tea-like tannins in the background.  If there is a beer on this list which puts Tallgrass in with the big boys of craft brewing, this beer is it.  Phenomenal job.  4.5 out of 5 pints.

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One of downtown’s best patios will finally be back in action soon. The Blue Bull bar and grill is set to open next month and will offer a laid back and casual atmosphere to the downtown hot spot. Owners Bart Pinkerton and Mike Greenlee hope to create a family friendly place to catch lunch or dinner while taking in the game…while at the same time becoming a nightlife hot spot.

They’re shooting to open the bar with a limited appetizer menu within the first few weeks of August and adding their full menu later in the month.

The Blue Bull will be a bar, they are really focusing on their menu. They want Man Vs. Food and Diners Drive-Ins and Dives too and have a passion for really good food just as anyone. They’re going to be featuring hand pattied 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or 1 lb burgers as well as hand breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches, hand breaded never frozen chicken tenders, homemade hand-dipped and hand breaded onion rings, wraps. soups. salads, ginormous nachos, wings and normal appetizer fair.

The newly remodeled space has a new wrap around bar that is over 40 feet with a full bar, bottle beer, and tap beer. A special feature feature will be the 4 foot shot wheel that will feature a variety of shots. Get lucky and get a tasty shot, but beware the nasty shots like Prairie Fires or Cement Mixers that can ruin a night. That’s what makes it fun! They’ll also feature large 22 oz. plastic cups (a’la Harpo’s) that you’ll be able to keep.

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