You’ll remember in my last post I was mourning area restaurants that have closed, but that I also mentioned for each one we have lost, another has risen in its place. I was all excited about writing Land of Lincoln Part 3 to highlight some of these. Then COVID became the new Ebola, and our governor kicked us back to Phase 3, which brought the dine-in experience to an end. Technically, we can still eat outside, and several establishments are making do with heated patios and tents that are in compliance with the restrictions. We have been blessed with a lot of nice weather for November here in the 217, but…
…so this won’t last, and we will be back to exclusively takeout.
However, some forward-thinking folks in downtown Springfield have come up with a plan to not only show support for independent, locally-owned restaurants, but also to potentially reward those who patronize them—the Capital City Takeout Challenge!
The list of participating restaurants is updated daily. To get entered in the prize drawing, you need to get takeout from five of these restaurants by December 18. One of these restaurants must be minority-owned. Send in a picture of your receipts, and you will be entered to win up to $1,000! (See the Facebook page in the link above for details.)
Any of the restaurants on this list is worth your time, I’m sure, but below are some that I can personally vouch for. Please note that some establishments may have a limited menu for takeout (so you may or may not be able to order what’s in the accompanying pictures).
Top: Pulled Pork Dinner ($12.99) Bottom: Beef Brisket Dinner ($21.99) Extra cornbread for $1.99 each. That Mac & Cheese is some of the best I’ve ever had!
Taqueria El Dorado
1374 Toronto Rd. Springfield, IL
(217) 679-5271
Enchiladas Suizas ($10.99). Seven different protein choices!
It was one of the only places around that had pork steak on the menu.
Pork steak was my grilling go-to during my brief period as a single dad. This really took me back.
No. 10 was known for their excellent horseshoes, like the Philly Steak horseshoe at the top of this post. I also appreciated their soup and salad bar, featuring red-eye chili and THREE different kinds of macaroni salad.
No. 10 abruptly closed on January 31, 2020. However, it was quickly resurrected under new ownership as Copperheads.
The Copperheads bar planned its grand opening for March 21. This ended up being the day Governor Pritzker’s stay-at-home order went into effect. They soldiered through selling t-shirts and merchandise until the bar finally opened on June 26. Restaurant is coming “soon.” (UPDATE 4/15/2021) Or not. See below.
Now you REALLY can’t get this stuff no more!
Ruby’s/Reva’s—Auburn, IL
Derrick Porter never really wanted to run a restaurant. Nevertheless, in 2017, the opportunity to reopen Ruby’s Cafe presented itself, and he took a chance. His homestyle recipes started bringing in the crowds right away.
Soon, running the restaurant on top of his lawn and landscaping business proved to be more than he wanted to handle, so he rented out the building to Reva Lowry. She reopened the cafe in May 2018 as Reva’s. Unfortunately, due to illness and the stress of the long hours, Reva had to close the doors after just a few months.
Ruby’s and Reva’s were both known for horseshoes as well.
The Spanish paprika was Derrick’s special touch on this burger horseshoe.
This buffalo chicken horseshoe wasn’t even on the menu. Notice the hand-cut fries.Breakfast shoe with American fries and homemade sausage gravy.Reva made a fine patty melt as well.
In early 2019, Konner Dudley inquired about the building as a potential place to set up a brick and mortar shop for Redbud Coffee, but that did not materialize.
Instead, Billy Brand remodeled the interior and opened the Roasted Bean Coffee and Wine Bar, which has since opened up a second location down the street at Jackpot Gaming.
Nico’s Homestyle—Springfield, IL
Nico’s was a cafe on the west side of Springfield that was conveniently located on the way home from the kennel where we take our dog.
I’m Junie! I am a dog. I like to go to camp and make new friends!
Nico Scaduto opened Nico’s Homestyle in March 2017 in the building which used to house Palermo’s Sicilian Cucina. They served meat from the nearby Farmstand by Willow City Farm. (These are the folks that made goat yoga famous around here. Seriously, it’s a thing!)
Photo courtesy of McVey, IL Daily News
Nico’s also served a breakfast item that I really enjoyed on mornings when I was feeling strong—the Phoenix Skillet.
With some sourdough toast, of course! This was only $6.99.
The Phoenix combined marinated chicken, onions, black beans, corn, and habanero chiles. And yes, it would light you up like a Christmas tree. Chocolate milk definitely made a better pairing with this dish than orange juice or coffee!
Like so many other small businesses in 2020, Nico’s Homestyle was a COVID casualty. Chef Howard Seidel has since opened Brunchfield Cafe in this location.
Patsy’s on the Square—Divernon, IL
Amanda and Nick Hackwith’s restaurant on the Divernon square was one of our favorite local spots to go for homemade comfort food. After opening in a historic building on the east side of the square, they soon realized they would need more space. So, they moved around the corner to the building formerly occupied by Bearden’s Cafe.
It seemed like everybody who worked at Patsy’s was family. I think this helped their customers feel like family.
Unfortunately, they had a run of bad luck in 2018. This culminated in June, when the air conditioning system had a catastrophic failure during one of the hottest summers in recent memory. They just weren’t able to stay open in the heat, and the business never recovered.
At least I got to have one of these before they closed.
The Chicken Bacon Calzone.
The Snack Shack has now opened in the former Patsy’s location.
Groovy Duck—Springfield, IL
Restaurants close for many reasons, especially in THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES. Sometimes, they just shoot themselves in the foot though.
Groovy Duck was a Japanese place that was located in the Old Maverick building on Springfield’s southeast side for about five minutes. I had one REALLY good meal there in December 2016.
Lunch Special clockwise from left: Duck Ramen with hard boiled egg and fish cake, salad with ginger dressing, sushi roll with ginger and wasabi
However, they didn’t seem to be able to maintain that level of consistency. They weren’t able to keep ingredients in stock (I never was able to have the duck again). Also, the heavily cratered parking lot wasn’t all that inviting for the hotel guests across Dirksen Parkway, so nobody came.
In January 2018, the Groovy Duck took its last flight. They went out in that cliche way that all Asian restaurants do, with a “Closed for Remodeling” sign on the door. Nobody really buys that when you just remodeled the place a year ago before you opened.
The building sat vacant for a year and a half before Lee Zhang and Yuki Liu reopened as Yummy Crab.
Our area has also lost several chain restaurants. Golden Corral and TGIFriday’s are gone for good. Pizza Ranch, just across the parking lot from Golden Corral, has been closed since the March lockdown; however, they are currently hiring a new staff and preparing to reopen under new management, as previous owner Vicki Orman is moving to Nebraska even as I type this.
It’s the small businesses I am more concerned about though. The ones that make you feel like family. The ones that know your drink order, your favorite soup, and what you don’t like on your salad without having to ask. These are the businesses that need our help the most now, as this COVID nightmare is not showing signs of ending anytime soon.
On the bright side though, did you notice that for every one of these places that has closed, a new one has opened in its place? We’re not done yet!
