Best of 417 2020: Food & Drink

BEST EAT WITH YOUR EYES

Lavish Grazing
If you don’t feel a hunger pang every time you look at Lavish Grazing’s Instagram this ode to cured meats is not for you. As for us, we can’t get enough. The company caters charcuterie trays for groups large and small, overflowing with tastefully arranged meats, cheeses, fruit, crackers and treats like dips, cookies or fresh herbs. The pictures alone make us want to reach into our screens to pluck out a nibble of something satisfying. We love Lavish Grazing’s creativity, too, like the holiday “Santa Box” to put out Christmas Eve instead of cookies (it even had carrots for reindeer!).

BEST NEW MENU ANTICIPATION

Progress
Few seasonal change-ups get us as excited as the ones at Progress, where menu revamps are extensive, creative and surprising—and always entice us to share our tasting notes. Last summer, we raved about the fried chicken entrée and the watermelon dessert. We were sad to see that watermelon disappear but jazzed for what would come next. Lather, rinse, repeat every season for a fresh dining experience worth getting excited about.

BEST SPOT TO SEE EVERYONE YOU KNOW

Architect Coffee
In addition to serving a satisfying breakfast and always-just-right coffee, Springfield’s Architect Coffee Co. has something else on the menu: a lil’ socialization. That’s because we are constantly running into people we know. It’s the best sun-filled coffee shop for the extroverted introvert (or introverted extrovert?). It feels good to get some work done, sit down for a meeting and—surprise!—share a nice moment with a pal who happens to be passing through. But there’s no see-and-be-seen pressure, no gotta-be-there vibe. Just good coffee and good humans, all in one place.

BEST PLACE TO GET A THUNDER MUFFIN WITHOUT GOING TO LAMPE

Expresso in Branson
Have you ever had a Thunder Muffin? It’s a legend here at the 417 offices, and no one can mention it without everyone else in the room groaning in sorrow that we don’t have one in front of us right this second. The gigantic blueberry muffins are truly loaded with fresh berries—many in every bite—and are made by the blueberry heroes at Persimmon Hill Farm in Lampe. We enjoy visiting the blueberry patch for a muffin, but we recently fell in love with a more convenient option: ordering a Thunder Muffin at the drive-thru at Expresso (expressobranson.com), an on-the-go coffee shop in Branson that also serves a nice cappuccino and some darn good cold brew, too.

BEST SWEET COLLAB

Ice Cream Sandwiches at Druff's
Druff’s in downtown Springfield is known for its seriously creative grilled cheese sammies, like the deeply delightful Uncle Tatey that’s a mashup of sweet strawberry and spicy pork. Springfield’s Prairie Pie is known for all-butter crusts that are stuffed with things like our favorite-ever strawberry-rhubarb filling, a deep layer of Earl Gray cream, or classic apples dressed up with caramel sauce. Druff’s has long been serving slices of those pies, but a new collab between the two businesses has us excited: ice cream sandwiches featuring cookies made by Prairie Pie that surround ice cream made by Druff’s. They come in clever flavors, like Coffee Ethic cold brew ice cream (wait… is this a stealth three-way collab?) served on white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Or basil-ginger ice cream served on sugar cookies. These sweet treats get a big ol’ “Yes please!” from us.

BEST LIL' BIT OF EVERYTHING

Lucky Tiger
It’s no secret that Lucky Tiger Sandwich Co. has been winning over fans since it opened in September. It’s well-deserved praise—these folks know how to make a mean sandwich. And you can sample little hints of so many different cuisines here. There are Vietnamese-inspired banh mi sandwiches (including our favorite, the crispy pork belly banh mi), plus hints of Korea in the kimchi tots and classic American flavors in the juicy burgers and the fried chicken sandwiches. Oh, and then there are the places where you get combos: the bulgogi cheesesteak for Korean-American mashup, or the falafel banh mi for a Vietnamese-Middle Eastern tag team. You can expect to be surprised on your first visit and anxious to return once that visit is over.

BEST PLACE FOR A CARDINALS PRE-GAME

Hold Fast Brewery
Since opening this fall at Kimbrough Avenue and Trafficway Street in Springfield, Hold Fast Brewing has become known for a laid back atmosphere, hometown brewed beer and a rotating schedule of visiting food trucks. It’s especially nice on warm days when the garage doors are slung open for a breezy indoor-outdoor atmosphere. That’s why it’s such a great spot to pre-game during the summer before a Springfield Cardinals game. And its location is perfect. Sip some craft beer before marching about ⅓ of a mile down Trafficway Street to the front doors of Hammons Field.

BEST SURPRISE MENU FROM A COFFEE SHOP

The Press Coffee & Juice Barr
It’s right there in the name: The Press Coffee & Juice Bar. You expect this spot in Brentwood shopping center to serve lattes. But then—surprise!—you’ll also find a pretty stellar breakfast and lunch menu as well. Our favorite dish is the Gogi Quesadilla. It’s stuffed with kimchi, salad greens and cheese with a creamy-spicy dipping sauce and your choice of protein. (Get it with tofu.) The mashup of Mexican and Korean flavors can be found in other dishes too, like omelets topped with sweet soy sauce, nachos that you can order with bulgogi, and street tacos that you can douse in spicy goji sauce.

BEST BIG CITY FEATURE

Vantage Rooftop Lounge & Conservatory
The visual impact of the Vantage Rooftop Lounge & Conservatory space is our favorite part. First there is the sunny inside space (small but made airy by a high ceiling and tons of windows) and it’s gorgeous art deco meets modern décor. Then you step out into the outdoor space and are hit with a beautiful view of the city and plenty of space to mix and mingle. It’s a great place to watch the sunset (cocktail in hand, of course) and feel like you’re enjoying a night out in a city that’s a little bit more cosmopolitan.

BEST TASTY FREEBIES

Customer Appreciation Burgers at Great Escape Beerworks
We absolutely love supporting local businesses—and we absolutely love when they love their customers. That’s why we thought it was so awesome when Great Escape Beerworks in Galloway busted out a grill and whipped up a whole bunch of free burgers for their loyal customers. It’s those type of little nuggets of community and connection that we adore about Springfield’s businesses—especially when they taste good.

BEST VEGAN MENU

Piccolo Contemporary Italian
Fully vegan menus are in short supply in 417-land, and we especially don’t expect to see them at Italian restaurants (where a lil’ cheese or a lot of cheese is on everything). But at Piccolo Contemporary Italian in Nixa, there’s an entire separate menu that’s 100% vegan from top to bottom that includes appetizers, pasta, pizza and even vegan cheesecake. The Bolognese sauce features Jake’s Vegan Italian Sausage, the pizza is topped with gooey faux mozzarella and the cheesecake uses tofu to achieve an animal-product-free sweet treat.

BEST FOODIE PODCAST

Springfood
If you love food, then you should be listening to the Springfood podcast, where hosts Dan Howell and Andy Karr dig into the Springfield dining scene with local guests. In fact, 417 managing editor Claire Porter was a guest in September and talked about her tasty relationship with the food at Queen City Deli. A recent episode saw the hosts sampling every Julie’s Chewies cookie with guest Sarah Jenkins, and no we’re not jealous at all. Why would you say that? Please excuse us while we go order a box of cookies.

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