Table Talk: April 4–10

Food Truck Update

One of Springfield’s newest food trucks, 3rabiana, is serving a small-but-mighty menu of Arabian-inspired dishes that have our mouths watering. A couple of menu highlights include the falafel on Arabian bread with hummus, pickles and falafel sauce; and the Shawarma Deluxe with marinated chicken with Arabian spices, served on hoagie bread with garlic sauce, pickles, pickled red onions, parsley flakes and deluxe sauce.

Beefing up the Brewery Scene

There’s a new 417-land brewery on the horizon. Before & After Brewing has been teasing fun little sneak peeks of their space as they fix it up and get ready to open. From a wall decorated with fun logos (hops, ampersands, coffee cups and even the Springfield flag’s compass-crown shape) to little behind-the-scenes snippets of their progress and construction. This restaurant ultimately plans to serve their brewed beers, plus coffee, cocktails, small plates and more, according to their social. We can’t wait to see what this spot has in store, and we’ll keep you posted as we learn more about it.

So Many New Menus!

From full menu change-ups that are on the horizon to a few new dishes and drinks that are making appearances around town, we can feel the springtime foodie updates in the air—and we love it! Here are a few we’re excited about.

• Progress is starting to roll out some of its spring menu items, and we are so excited to try this stuff! There’s a fennel salad with orange and olives that looks incredible, and the restaurant’s carrot dish features coconut and lemongrass this time around. And because Progress always does comforting dishes just as well as they do their veggie dishes, we have to shout out the tasty looking fried chicken that comes topped with German-style potato salad. They’ve been teasing pics of the new menu and holy moly it all looks delish, but the full menu isn’t up on their website yet. Keep your eyes peeled!

• The Royal is putting their take on a freezer martini, the Epitaph Martini, on their new seasonal menu update, which starts next week. We’re really looking forward to trying the Roseraie cocktail, which features rose-infused gin, elderflower, lemon, rose simple syrup and sparkling wine. What could be springier than that?

• Metropolitan Grill has been tossing out some sneaks of their upcoming new menu too. They showed us a seafood pasta dish: citrus bloody mary and spicy roasted garlic linguini with shrimp, seared diver scallops and blackened tomatoes with feta. The dish we’re most excited about though is the blackened Norwegian salmon served with cumin-glazed mango, feta cheese, Cuban mojo sauce and a side of that bloody mary linguine. That’s a lot of flavors on one plate!

• The Ozark Mill Restaurant has made some changes as well, with new menu items like the Midwest Reuben sandwich made with pastrami-spiced pulled pork, house-made sauerkraut and gruyere cheese on rye bread.

• The Order has changed up their Market Fish, and the new option looks so springy and refreshing! It features grouper with confit fennel, fennel salad, English peas and a bright green pea, parsley and fennel broth. Springtime in a bowl, right?

• We’ve already told you how much we love all the pastry-centric dishes at Blue Heron Farm & Bakery. But we were super-excited to see they’ve added some more veggie-forward options like a pretty little grain bowl called the Hippie Chick that features quinoa, roasted chickpeas, kale, broccoli, soft-boiled egg and tahini-ginger dressing. Oh yum!

• Springfield Brewing Co. is now selling a couple of new cocktails to go, canned and made with Ty Iechyd Da spirits. The Apple Bourbon features bourbon, of course, and a house-made green apple syrup. The Raspberry Lavender Lemonade, on the other hand, is made with vodka and features lavender simple syrup, lemonade and raspberry liqueur.

• It’s not a new menu item, but it is a new opportunity to enjoy Therefore Pizza’s goodies. Starting this week, Therefore Pizza will be offering pizzas at the Prairie Pie storefront on both Thursday and Friday nights. (Instead of just Friday nights!) That’s double the pizza pie, and we’re here for it.

• Oh, and speaking of Prairie Pie—they have a new treat on the menu that you can nab when you pop in for a savory pot pie. The peanut butter white chocolate Rice Krispies treat features a little bit of miso for a hint of saltiness. And if you haven’t had miso + sweets, we recommend you give it a try. Such a perfect combo.

Easter Sunday Brunches

Take the family for a tasty brunch experience this Sunday. A few local spots will be open that day serving some tasty fare. Here are a few to whet your appetite.

• Simply Delicious Catering is offering an Easter brunch at The Diamond Room featuring a buffet packed with tasty stuff like a breakfast station, seasonal salads station and dessert station. Look for banana bread French toast, biscuits and gravy, peach bellinis and more.

• At Fire & Ice, the Easter brunch buffet features a carving station with adobo-rubbed smoked strip loin, made-to-order omelets, lamb and beef shepherd’s pie, harissa roasted chicken, shrimp and scallop cavatappi and more.

• Big Cedar Lodge is offering several dining options for Easter Sunday. The Worman House Bistro and Devil’s Pool Restaurant at Big Cedar Lodge plus Osage Restaurant at Top of the Rock are all serving special brunch buffet menus.

• The Ozark Mill Restaurant at Finley Farms has a special menu for its Easter Sunday buffet too. There’s a pasta station with three tasty options like a pistachio pesto ricotta tortellini, a carving station with tasty proteins like fennel-crusted pork loin, plus lots of options for salads, sides and desserts.

The Hunt is On

4 By 4 Brewing is having their annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt right now! Between yesterday and April 9, they are hiding eight eggs around both the Galloway and Fremont Hills locations. Follow them on social media to get clues to each egg’s location. If nobody finds it within an hour, they’ll post another clue. This fun week-long activity features lots of other local businesses too—in the form of prizes hidden inside those coveted eggs.

Sad Day on Pickwick

We’re so bummed about this bit of news: Culture Counter is leaving their cute little green-painted spot at Pickwick Place. You can read all about why in their announcement on Facebook, where they share that April 15 will be their last day. Between now and then, be sure to pop in for your favorite Culture Counter prepared foods and local products. They say they plan to move to a new spot at some point down the road, after taking some time off. We’ll keep you posted and let you know when this local favorite reemerges.