Reviews
Table Talk: March 24–30
This week: Updates to the takeout and delivery scene, new market pop-ups, where to buy bread and Missouri's hand sanitizer heroes, plus more foodie news.
By Claire Porter
Mar 24 2020 at 10 a.m.
Courtesy ShutterstockDon't forget your fruits and veggies as you stock up to shelter in place. Pop-up grocery stores, drive thru farmers markets and more make getting healthy, local food easier and safer than ever.
How to Eat Local
Doing your part to combat the spread of the coronavirus means staying at home. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for back-of-the-pantry ramen for every meal. Local restaurants have transitioned to carryout, curbside pickup and delivery, and we’re keeping track of them all as best we can. Check out the full list of who offers what—and keep revisiting. This page is updated frequently as options change.
Giving Back
The COVID-19 outbreak—and resulting shelter-in-place and self-isolation restrictions—has severely impacted industries that rely on us being able to socialize, leave our houses and eat and drink together. In response, local restaurants and organizations are making changes to aid hospitality industry workers with bill payments during this time, and we’ve gathered a list of ways you can support them. If you’d rather make a direct donation, Mother’s Brewing Co., in partnership with Community Foundation of the Ozarks, has created an industry support fund at cfozarks.org/mothers to directly benefit those most affected.
Bread Heads
The TP aisle isn't the only place with barren shelves these days: the bread aisle looks like a ghost town, too. If you’re wondering how you’re going to whip up your Master Chef Signature Super Gourmet™️ PB&J without one-third of the ingredients, worry no more. Local bakeries and restaurants are rising to the occasion and offering their own yeasty services, increasing production of loaves or transitioning to making and selling bread through mini markets.
Make It to Market
Lately, going to the grocery store feels like Black Friday shopping at Best Buy. But sometimes we just want to get a carton of eggs without putting on our battle helmets. Local bakeries, farms and cafes have heard our cries and are coming to the rescue with quick pivots, like drive-thru farmers markets, easy grab-n-go options, or even pre-order alterna-grocery store mini markets offering much needed ingredients like onions, potatoes and flour.
Keeping It Clean
Springfieldians aren’t the only ones coming up with creative new directions for their businesses during the pandemic. Two Missouri beverage businesses have found ways to develop, donate and sell their own hand sanitizer and disinfectant. Kansas City–based distillery J. Rieger & Co. has turned byproduct from its gin distillation into Rieger’s Remedy hand sanitizer (70% ABV). Meanwhile, St. Louis–based brewery 4 Hands Brewing Co. has created 4 Hands For Hands hand sanitizer (79.99% ABV), which the brewery is donating to those in need.
Easy Does It
Last week I shared some of our most complicated recipes for the ambitious among us. For the rest of us (or, for those of us who are surprised by how exhausting isolation can be), here are some super simple yet tasty recipes to whip up this week.
Thank You for Being a Friend
We got a little good news last night—the Table Talk newsletter is a finalist for a national award with the City and Regional Magazine Association! We are so incredibly appreciative of the love and support from all of you devoted Table Talk readers. It’s thanks to your hunger for restaurant news, your thirst for foodie events and your appetite for tantalizing things to taste that we have been able to cultivate a supportive group of readers and connect them to all the juicy happenings here in town. I love you all so much, fam! 💜 And as always, if you’ve got a tasty tidbit you wanna share, send it my way!
