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Got foodie news or events? Email brett@tagsgf.com
Dairy Queen in downtown SGF has been a landmark since 1968, but will close at the week’s end. Personally I will always remember it as an elementary school field trip stop. I find it crazy that in elementary school, students from the city would field trip to downtown Springfield, but looking back they were some of the most impactful. But I digress. There are only three days left to get a Blizzard or a dip cone (my DQ favorite); the shop’s owners, Les and Julie Rohr, told the News-Leader (subscription required) the decision to retire had been looming, but was ultimately made this week. The store closes at 5 p.m. Friday (5/18).
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Ebbets Field South has closed according to the Springfield Business Journal.

As the odd news of the Swisshelm Group’s bankruptcy continues, there are local sports ties when it comes to one of SGF’s indelible sports brands — Ebbets Field.

The Springfield Business Journal reported today that Ebbets Field on South Glenstone Avenue closed on April 24 after Ebbets Field LLC reported average monthly net losses of $10,610. So why are we reporting on this, besides the fact we love Ebbets Field (especially Da Sandy)? Because of this nugget:

The East Walnut Street Ebbets Field restaurant, which employs 35, remains open under Pub Management LLC, which took over April 13 under the terms of a restaurant management agreement cited in bankruptcy court records. Pub Management is jointly owned by Ron Baird, an attorney with Baird, Lightner, Millsap and Harpool PC, and Lynn and Terry Allen, who is the head football coach at Missouri State University.

Baird and the Allen family also own the building.

Allen was an investor in Rivals, a sports bar and grill, that closed in mid-2010.

Baird said the newly-formed LLC intends to keep the Walnut location open.

“We’re going to keep Ebbets Field on Walnut open and continue to operate that landmark restaurant that has been here for more than 30 years,” Baird said, noting he and the Allens also own the building.

Photos from Deschutes VIP Roll Out at Dynamic Earth

For SGF beer lovers, this is the week of Deschutes. The Bend, Oregon, brewery is a top five craft brewer in the U.S. (no. 11 overall), and boasts an incredible beer roster. Deschutes midwest zone manager Dave Espe described the brewery and how beer-crazy Oregon is to me during the VIP Roll Out Monday night at Dynamic Earth. Bend is a town of 30,000 people with more than a dozen thriving breweries. SGF is more than five times larger and supports two. As Deschutes introduces its balanced lineup further east, the home base itself is expanding — something they hope will ease their brewers’ minds. Espe says the process to begin distributing in Springfield was slower than hoped as they dumped a 30-barrel batch due to sub-standard malt — a measure of chasing perfectly consistent beer. A sample of the malt is taken from each batch. In this case, a delivery driver brought a sample which was different from the rest of the batch. “Needless to say, now we go straight to the fields and select the malt ourselves,” Espe says. Initially Deschutes and Wil Fischer Distributing anticipated a 2011 release, but the brewery had no interest in selling an imperfect version of its beer to anybody, let alone introducing it to a new market. While dumping beer is never cause for celebration, losing a batch that size won’t be seen as such a large setback in the near future. Deschutes produced 205,000 barrels in 2010, and the expansion, targeted for mid-May, is expected to increase annual capacity by 100,000.

The official public kickoff is tonight at Patton Alley Pub, where they will have the permanent beers available along with single kegs of a few reserve series (Stoic, Abyss, and Black Butte XXIII). Those kegs are exclusive to Patton Alley tonight. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. The event begins at 6 p.m.

Deschutes SGF Lineup:
Black Butte Porter; RateBeer.com Rating: 97
Red Chair NWPA; RateBeer.com Rating: 96
Inversion IPA; RateBeer.com Rating: 95
Mirror Pond Pale Ale; RateBeer.com Rating: 91

You came, you ate (and drank, thanks to Oktoberfest Village), you conquered this year’s Taste of Springfield downtown last Saturday to the tune of 26 locally owned and operated restaurants putting their best in your belly. Sweet, sweet victory. So which ones did you, the discerning foodies of SGF, say were the best? Event attendees were asked to cast their votes in four categories to decide which eateries brought their “A” game for the day. Here’s how the results panned out:

Best Appetizer: The Peppadews from Fedora Social House

Best Entrée: The Cottage Pie from Dublin’s Pass Irish Pub

Best Dessert: The Pumpkin Cakewich from The Cup

Best Booth: Dublin’s Pass Irish Pub

Congrats to all the winners, and way to go Dublin’s Pass for locking down two of the four categories in its first year. You have moved the 2012 betting line in your favor.

How’s this for cryptic: Late last night, staffers for downtown-area burger, bar and music joint Harlow’s (637 S. Kimbrough Ave.) posted the following message to its Facebook page:

“Harlow’s is closed due to circumstances beyond our control – until further notice.”

The mind reels at the possibilities there. It would be more than 12 hours before an explanation was posted, but in the meantime I drove straight to the bar this morning to find a Tom’s Electric Service truck parked in front and a sign on the door saying the bar had suffered “technical difficulties” and would reopen today. Indeed, the bar’s now-explained electrical problems that fried equipment behind the bar has been fixed and Harlow’s is now open again with any scheduled music shows resuming as listed, too. Crisis averted. We barely had time to panic!

One of the best annual local food events is back. Taste of Springfield, a chance to sample foods from around 30 SGF restaurants (and dessert specialists) around town. As always it will be in the heart of downtown on the square and feature live music (Gas Pump Talent, 65 South, and The Airwalks will be on hand). The 2011 edition will also include OktoberFest Village, a beer sampling “village” with more than 60 beers from around the world to sample. There will also be cooking demonstrations.

Admission is free, food tickets are $10 for a sheet of 10 and beer sampling tickets are $1/each.

New restaurants for 2011: Dublin’s Pass Irish Pub, The Flying Tomato, Elle’s Patisserie, The J.O.B. Public House, and Boca Mocha

Last year’s event:

• 2010 Restaurants
• 2010 winners (and losers) **Not the technical winners/losers … TAG’s winners/losers

Slow Food Southwest Missouri announced Beer and Brats at Mother’s Brewing Company, a summer dinner featuring locally-sourced food and beer. Food at the limited seating event will be prepared by Farmers Gastropub. Beer and Brats will also have live music with Dallas Jones and Barak Hill. Tickets are $20 and available online.

For most Americans, it’s white grapes or red grapes. Sweet wine or dry wine. In the orient, it’s rice wine (aka sake). Sake production dates back to the 3rd century, and despite its longevity in the orient, sake is popularized in the states only in sushi bars and Japanese steakhouses.

To help the … awareness (?) Kai Japanese Restaurant (306 S Campbell) in downtown SGF is hosting a sake tasting on Thursday (June 16). The college years (and slightly beyond) brought a number of personal sake tastings, though the products were nothing of quality. The Kai tasting will feature five premiere different types of sake all anticipated to be imported from Japan, according to bartender Pete Gioia. Besides awareness of sake, the $30 cover gets you sake knowledge, as well as a 3-course meal and “if you want more (sake), we pour more,” Gioia said.

The 3-course meal? Gioia said to expect a couple pieces of nigiri, a half roll of sushi and a salad — a decent cushion for the rice wine. The event is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

We’re pretty sure this is a first for Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. The venue has welcomed theatre, comedians, musicians, speakers and more, but celebrity chefs would be new territory. In today’s America, though, pop culture has embraced its (frequently unhealthy) love of food in all its forms, from organic micro-calorie meals to the most goo-dripping plates of the nation’s backroads dives, and it has elevated the men and women who make it into name-recognized (pun alert!) taste-makers, complete with TV programs and, indeed, entire networks devoted to showing what an intricate craft theirs can be. (If only Julia Child had lived to see it all…) One such leader in his profession is coming to SGF this November 9, and you can expect it to be big.

That leader is Buddy Valastro, head honcho at 101-year-old Carlo’s Bakery and best known to many as the star and head baker on Cake Boss, the reality baking program now in its fifth season on The Learning Channel. In addition to speaking about his experience on the show and an audience Q&A, Valastro will give a live demonstration of his cake-baking skills. You might even get to help, as audience participation is a part of his onstage cooking gigs. Tickets go on sale this Friday (June 10) for $45.75 or $75 with a special VIP package including backstage passes, a post-show meet-and-greet session, a discount voucher to Carlo’s Bakery (be prepared to drive to use it; Carlo’s is in New Jersey) and more. The show gets rolling at 7:30 p.m. Bring your sweet tooth.

A local craft brewery is finally reality. With the space and ability to distribute at large volumes, Mother’s Brewing puts SGF officially on the beer map. I daydream about ordering an SGF brew on one of the coasts one day, but for now I’m excited that I can order an SGF brew at an SGF bar, which can happen, today. Several pubs and restaurants around town already have Mother’s brew available, and Mother’s taps, mostly the two flagship beers (Towhead American, a blonde; Three Blind Mice, a brown) will be in more than a dozen restaurants and pubs around town. You can try all four beers at the Mother’s Day Festival on Saturday with Big Smith, Speakeasy and Honky Suckle (entrance is only $5).

We’ll get an updated list of all the places you can find Mother’s, but for now listen to the podcast below from Sunday’s SGF Local Live with Schrag and marketing director Jeremy Wicks.

Email photos of your first pint of Mother’s to TAG (Brett@TAGsgf.com).

Mother’s confirmed at:

• Farmers Gastropub
• Patton Alley Pub
• Ebbets on Walnut
• Quincy Magoo’s
• J.O.B. Public House
• Ebbets Field South
• Old Chicago
• Bugsy Malone’s
• Finnegan’s Wake
• Bistro Market
• Outland

You heard me. You already HAVE plans for May 14th, 2011, because that’s the day of the release party for Mother’s Brewing Company’s summer seasonal. Before you ask, no, I don’t know what kind of beer it is yet. But as soon as I know, so will you.

I do know the following:

• Local music – some great local bands will be performing live.
• Local food – some will even be prepared using Mother’s beers as a major ingredient.
• Local art – they’ve invited several local artists to show and sell.
• Local beer – the entire mother’s lineup (4 beers, including their summer seasonal) will all be present to slake your thirst.

The entire event will take place at the brewery, in what they are calling their “backyard.” It will be a daytime event and will take place rain or shine (don’t worry, they’ll pitch a tent if it looks like rain). There will be a small cover, but the event will be family friendly and open to the public. Keep checking back here for more information, as I’ll be providing updates as I can needle more info from your Mother’s.

Surprisingly Wonka has absolutely nothing to do with this event.

The chocolate pieces will be prepared by chefs from: College of the Ozarks, Bambino’s Cafe, Avanzare Restaurant, Lola’s Pastries and Eatery, Kelli Franklin Independent Cake Designer, The Branch Bistro and Catering, The Cook’s Kettle, Gallery Bistro, Big Cedar Lodge, Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, Celebrations by Sonja, Cameo Cakes, Ophelia’s Restaurant, Nona’s Italian Cafe and Mud House coffee house.

Andy's on Sunshine still closed

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A roof fire on October 21 has the Andy’s Frozen Custard on East Sunshine still under the weather. The store had hoped to reopen later the same week, but none such luck. TAGsgf.com is hoping for a speedy recovery of the frozen snack shop.

It was to be C-Street Brewing, but now the building lies empty.

After a tip from TAGsgf.com beer columnist Ben Stange, Urban Districts Alliance confirmed that C-Street Brewing is no longer in the works. The location at 505 W. Commercial is listed as “For Sale” by CJR Commercial Group. Sad news for SGFers dreaming of new beer.

However, all is not lost. You’ll still get new beer, just not as much. In case you haven’t heard, a high-volume brewery is opening downtown in the old Butternut bread factory. Stay tuned for more!

Front of Leong's Asian Diner

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The new Leong’s Asian Diner is beginning to take shape. Once it was a brightly colored barn, but a fresh paint job has toned done the exterior and lanterns accent the exterior walls. Inside, it’s buzzing with construction workers, while the kitchen is being built and dining room receives a makeover. Out back management is taking applications. We’ll keep you updated as we hear more about the opening or follow the progress of Leong’s on Facebook.

Know of any restaurants opening or heard any foodie news? Email Brett@TAGsgf.com

Danny Schlink is expanding the laid back vibes of Grad School

Danny Schlink, owner of Grad School, is expanding the concept of his popular, lunch-packed diner on Jefferson with a laid back bar in the same style as the restaurant – The J.O.B. Public House. “What’s the natural progression after Grad School?” Schlink asked. “You get a j-o-b.”

He hopes The J.O.B. Public House will turn around quickly after uprooting foodie staple Merle’s Hot Dog Emporium. Schlink said he took over the lease on Monday, but not to worry, because Merle’s is landing in a larger, more visible location – where Lili’s Diner used to be.

J.O.B. will be a full-service bar with the hope of opening a full-time kitchen at the turn of the year. Schlink said he doesn’t think it will take long to transition and should open fairly soon. When ready, it will be open Wednesday-Saturday. Coincidentally (?) Grad School will be celebrating its second birthday tomorrow (10/7/10).

Watch for updates from TAGsgf.com on the progress of both J.O.B. and Merle’s.

Taste of Springfield is back on Saturday (10/2) and this year’s restaurant crop is filled with variety. More than 20 of SGF’s top restaurants have samples of signature dishes. Watch presentations, vote for best dish, and most importantly, eat. It’s OK to be glutenous once a year, right? The festival is free and food tickets go 10 for $10, samplings vary from 1 to 3 tickets. The party starts at 11:30 a.m. (samples at noon) and wraps up at 5 p.m.

Restaurants:

• Andy’s
• Bambino’s
• Big Whiskey’s
• Canton Inn
• Farmers Gastropub
• Fedora’s
• Gelato Mio
• Horrmann Meat Co.
• Maria’s
• Mille’s
• Nonna’s
• Ophelia’s
• Mudhouse
• Parlor 88
• Rerico Brazilian Grill
• Rosati’s Pizza
• South Ave Pizza
• Taco Wagon
• The Blue Bull
• The Cup
• Tortilleria Perches
• Tonic
• Trolley’s

Most people go for the loads of live music, onstage performances and array of art. Somehow the namesake seems to get the short end of the stick. This year, the Coffee Ethic is putting “cider” on the lips of Cider Days attendees, with a couple cider stands on location. But the foodie selection at the 13th Annual festival doesn’t end there. This year’s food vendors are varied and exciting.

The Menu

Appetizer

• Ozarks Kettle Corn
• Tropical Treats
  

Main course

• Crosstown Barbecue
• Taco Wagon
  
• Corn Dude Concessions
• Ozarks Food Service

Dessert

• Amycakes
• Gelato Mio
• Just Nuts
• Oh Fudge

Leong's Asian Diner has a little bit of convincing to do to convert the exterior barn motif.

Coming Soon are very encouraging words.

It was very exciting to see “Coming Soon” on the message board at the future home of Leong’s Asian Diner. The new venture of Wing Yee Leong, son of Cashew Chicken Creator David Leong, will help put the local Asian food scene back in order. There are nearly 100 Chinese-style restaurants in SGF and all of them are trying to duplicate the Leong masterpiece recipe. Let’s just say we’re excited to have the first family of Chinese food in the city fully back in the game. Wing Yee Leong has served as a chef at several other spots, but not since Gee’s East Wind closed in July of 2000, has there been a Leong-run restaurant. Leong’s Teahouse, a long-running SGF staple closed in 1997.

Leong is joined by chef Mike Herndon – the duo has more than 50 combined years in the kitchen.

The building still needs a remodel and there’s some work to do, but you can keep up with the progress on Facebook. According to an update on Sunday, they were going to pick the contractor for the remodel this week.

Stay tuned.

Houlihan's second SGF location is now open on Republic (east of the YMCA, west of Glenstone).

Houlihan’s southside location opened slowly Monday, according to Kitchen Manager Jeff Jordan, but has grown day-by-day. He expects a big opening weekend. It’s SGF’s second location, but features a “totally different menu (from the restaurant at Glenstone and Kearney. “We have a small-plate menu, which is unique,” Jordan said. The smaller portions at lower cost ($3-7) allows patrons to “try a little bit of everything.” For example, Jordan said single eggs rolls and shrimp rolls are featured. The signature nachos, scallops and fried mushrooms were named as some highlight items as well. And nearly everything is made in house from scratch – 99%, according to Jordan. It’s located on Republic Road, east of the YMCA and west of the Nature Center entrance (I missed it on the first pass). Houlihan’s is open Sunday-Thursday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) and Monday-Friday (11 a.m.-11 p.m.).

It’s a little cozier than the location on the northside, but has an incredible, massive, wraparound porch – complete with a fire pit (provokes thoughts of winter month patio parties with a light dusting of snow and s’mores, but I digress). For now, there is still some light construction, but it shouldn’t impose on your meal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ebbets Field has changed hands

Ebbets has frequented three TAG 5s (Patio Dining, Happy Hour, Places to Watch Baseball) so we are especially hopeful for consistency.

Wes Johnson’s article in the News-Leader has more information on expansion.

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).

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.

Bijan's is closing its doors? Say it ain't so.

Color us shocked, just as the rest of SGF and its surrounding area, when 417Mag.com reported that Bijan’s was closing its doors earlier today. According to the report, the landmark downtown restaurant’s employees were notified via text message.

We are trying to find out more, but as of now, all we have to go on is 417′s report. They used an anonymous source, so we’ll see if there’s any backpedaling from the Jalili family. (For the record, we trust longtime friend Matt Lemmon, the author of the story.)

In the least, couldn’t they have gone out on top with some type of fire sale on some of the city’s best fine dining? Even if they didn’t lower the price, everyone would be looking to get a piece of the Bijan’s mystique before the doors closed.

We’ll update with more information as it’s available.

The Opener will be hosted by David Adjey (as seen on Food Network shows Iron Chef and Restaurant Makeover).

Frantic Films will be coming to Springfield, MO within the next 2 weeks to begin filming of a new series called The Opener. The new documentary series will be following a number of first-time restaurant owners as they open their first eatery from planning to grand opening. The show will be hosted by David Adjey (of Food Network Iron Chef and Restaurant Makeover fame). The show will most likely air on Food Network in the fall.

They’ll be in Springfield following local first-time restaurateurs William Peak and Erik Kinkade as they go through the process of opening their first venture, Savor. Savor will be located at 234 E. Commercial Street (at the corner of Roberson and Commercial) and aims to be a reasonably priced steak, seafood and pasta house with a pastry chef and a full service bakery. William Peak is an OTC Culinary School graduate that has served tours at Metropolitan Grill, Flame and Touch to name a few.

The series will be shot in 3 phases. First will be the construction phase, followed by the soft opening and then grand opening. The Frantic Films crew will be in town within the next few weeks to begin shooting. William and Erik are shooting for a late August or early September grand opening. The series is expected to air in the fall on Food Network.

Thanks to Ashley Misako for the tip and Will and Erik for their time. We will be having follow-up articles with more information as they near opening. Be sure to check their website at http://savorbakery.com from time to time (although currently under construction).

The Springfield restaurant business claims another casualty–in a way, at least. Rivals Casual Grille, located just south of what was Circuit City on South Glenstone Avenue, closed its doors July 1, but the owners left an interesting note on the door when doing so:

“We will be changing our concept in the next 4 to 6 months. Thank you to our customers and we hope to see you in the future.”

The good news here is there seems to be a new beginning to go with the ending. It’s unlikely we’ll see another sports bar in the same spot, but with the building’s unusual layout and incredible influx of natural lighting there is no denying it has potential. We look forward to news of its next incarnation, and when it comes we’ll pass it along to you.

-Thanks to Scott Speight for the tip.

Tonic Ultralounge has just expanded onto the sidewalk creating patio seating. Stop by and grab a quick lunch, or enjoy an evening outside. The new patio also looks fantastic next to Big Whiskey’s already awesome patio.

We believe this new addition pretty much makes Park Central East Springfield’s new “Patio Central” with Patio’s at Trolley’s, Fedora, Big Whiskey’s and Tonic (there’s also one in the former Riad spot with a new restaurant/bar moving in that we’ll be able to tell you about soon).

Here’s another pic:

Photos: Dustin Bowman

Tuscan Grill on East Sunshine will be closing its doors today (as well as J. Parrino’s). Owner of ever popular Gilardi’s, Nicola Gilardi will be reopening the restaurant under the possible new name Nicola’s. Gilardi’s main restaurant, Gilardi’s, has been voted best Italian in Springfield by 417 Magazine readers 2003-2007.

The recent closings of Pasta Pronto a few months ago and J. Parrino’s, and Tuscan Grill today, mark the possible end of an era in the Parrino brothers presence in Springfield’s restaurant scene. Jay Parrino has been an ever constant presence since 1983 when he first opening J. Parrino’s, which he recently sold a few years ago. Over the years, he’s had restaurants in the now defunct Heer’s building, brought us the popular Pasta Express chain (which after the chain was sold changed to Pasta Pronto on certain locations), as well as Tuscan Gill.

This also marks an expanding for Nicola Gilardi to grow his popularity in the Italian dining realm. We’re curious to see what develops over the next few months.

A Springfield staple for Italian dining is set to close today. Parrino’s announced the closing to its Facebook fans and email list last week. If you’re around town and have one last craving for one of their fine Italian dishes, we suggest you stop by tonight.

The recent closings of Pasta Pronto a few months ago and J. Parrino’s, and Tuscan Grill today, mark the possible end of an era in the Parrino brothers presence in Springfield’s restaurant scene. Jay Parrino has been an ever constant presence since 1983 when he first opening J. Parrino’s, which he recently sold a few years ago. Over the years, he’s had restaurants in the now defunct Heer’s building, brought us the popular Pasta Express chain (which after the chain was sold changed to Pasta Pronto on certain locations), as well as Tuscan Gill.

A familiar name among local eateries is coming back after a couple of years away. News of the return of Ophelia’s tapas restaurant and wine bar was first announced to its Facebook fans late last month, but now signage appears in the new location at 216 E. Walnut Street next to Hawthorn Gallery, making it official to the public at large. The new location, once home to The Venice at The Seville and Room 4, is considerably smaller than the restaurant’s old location inside Wilhoit Plaza where Farmers Gastropub sits today, but it maintains its downtown affiliation as well as its ownership by Tom Muetzel, who also owns the popular pub Finnegan’s Wake on South Avenue. The signage indicates the restaurant is accepting applications for wait staff, which is usually a sign that an official opening isn’t far away, but no date appears to have been announced yet beyond “this summer.” (The previously mentioned Facebook page lists the restaurant’s “birthday” as July 1, but that’s not a reliable answer.) We’ll track down more info and get it to you as soon as we can.

If you drive, walk or bike past Rendezvous Coffee Shop on Park Central West you’re likely to notice a disturbing change: The doors are closed and locked during business hours, all of the windows are covered and there is a sign on the front door that reads, “CLOSED. Staff Only.” We’re not sure when this happened; it’s strictly an observation. But coupled with the fact that all means of contacting the shop have simultaneously disappeared, it looks like downtown Springfield visitors now have one less option for coffee. We’re chasing official answers and will get them to you as soon as we can.

Burritos are wakin' up early at La Huasteca

And then BLAM-O! The light shined upon East Sunshine and there was a breakfast burrito. It was glorious. There were no arches in sight and unfound went the drive-thru windows.

Well, we should hope it’s glorious. La Huasteca was mediocre on a good day when it served lunch and dinner. It appears that the restaurant has been working for a while to restructure the menu. Bob’s Whine and Dine posted, on Feb. 17, the diner was closed for dinner and the new “breakfast” sign was lit (following the update are a couple reviews from Bob). A little more than a month later and they’ve got the “Grand Opening” sign proudly hangs.

So there are a few factors to consider before declaring it glorious, but, for now, like Bob said, it is a very “interesting concept.” La Huasteca Breakfast Cafe opens at 6 a.m. If you make it over there for breakfast before we do, let us know what you think.

Farmers Gastropub recognized by Telegraph (London)

SGF’s Farmers Gastropub was recognized by London newspaper Telegraph as one of America’s best English bars.

Farmers Gastropub is a must visit for ex pats and locals alike … Quintessentially, “The best of British”

Check it out (Farmers is the only spot in the midwest, many line the east coast with a few other scattered darts).

DICE Bar and Lounge begins to take shape at the corner of McDaniel and Patton Alley

There’s an excitement in the otherwise dull shade of grey beginning to cover the walls at 300 McDaniel. DICE Bar and Lounge is beginning to take shape and despite having a lot to finish, GM Luke Caradonna can sort of see the light. He initially planned to open by the end of 2009, but as the holidays approached that target shifted to the start of January for the ultra-modern martini and dessert lounge.

DICE will feature a dessert menu with a Mediterranean twist, as well as creme brulee and other items. A full bar lines the right wall and looks like it’s nearing completion. Caradonna said martinis will be a specialty. He also maps out the rest of the room pointing to what will be VIP booths toward the back wall. Caradonna describes the canopy that will cover them and the bar begins to sound more like a venue you’d find in a beach city on either coast. The final product will be lit entirely with LEDs and Caradonna anticipates a diverse crowd in a spot that will try to fill the “something different” niche.

I’m anxious to see the final product and will let you know if things change, especially when a firm date is set.

If you know of any openings (or any place that’s already open) that deserves a little shine, let me know: Brett@TAGSGF.com.