Table Talk: August 23–29

Fast and Loose

Yesterday, Springfield City Council approved plans for a new development that will bring a fun combination of activities, entertainment and dining to Grant Avenue Parkway. The Loose Goose development plans to include a variety of fun in the form of a grassy lawn for yard games and six pickleball courts. And they are bringing the flavor with a drive-through coffee shop, a walk-up bar and space for food trucks. It was approved despite the Grant Avenue Parkway Plan’s rule about no drive-through business in the pedestrian-focused parkway.

Playing Opossum

You might remember last year when Dani’s Flour Pot Bakery made the move from food truck to brick-and-mortar when they started serving their sweet treats from the dining room at The Royal. Dani’s Flour Pot Bakery has been using the space for the first part of the day, with The Royal taking it back over during the evening hours. Well, since then, Dani’s Flour Pot Bakery has changed a bit. The menu has shifted from a pie focus to more of a morning cafe focus, with some beautiful flower-laden fresh-baked cakes inspired by local seasonal ingredients plus morning fare like biscuit sandwiches, quiches, breakfast burritos and more. Along with the breakfast dishes, you can get Onyx Coffee. With all the changes to the menu offerings, a name change is coming as well. Soon, the restaurant will be rebranding itself as Sleepy Opossum Cafe (which, honestly, is such a charming name we can hardly stand it!). If you haven’t tried their morning fare yet, pop in and give it a try.

Andy’s Makes Us Cry

The newest Andy’s Frozen Custard location is now open! Andy’s has a new midtown Springfield spot at National Avenue and Elm Street, on the corner formerly occupied by the beloved National Art Shop. You might remember the block letters spelling “NATIONAL” rising above the National Art Shop building. They gave it its iconic retro look. Well, Andy’s has incorporated that into the new building as a nod to the shop that we loved so much. The word “Andy’s” is in a similar style, and one of the actual National Art Shop “N”s hangs on the outside wall above a photo of the art store. Stop it… We’re not crying, you’re crying. Really though, we love this sentimental detail so much. The new spot is walkable to Missouri State’s campus and super-convenient to anyone driving down National. Pay it a visit and get your hands on a classic Ozarks Turtle.

The Birria Bandwagon

Tortilleria Perches has lots of new news these days. First off, they are jumping on one of the tastiest Mexican food trends around: queso birria tacos. The locally beloved restaurant just added the dish to their menu. It starts with slow-cooked beef birria and stretchy cheese inside a tortilla that is then simmered in red birria sauce before being served with cilantro, onion and yet more birria broth for dipping. It's gooey, it's savory, it's messy, it's unctuous and it's absolutely delicious. But on the horizon, there’s even more new stuff underway for Tortilleria Perches. They’ll soon be canning and selling jars of their delicious salsa, with details soon to come on which local stores will carry it—we will hear more in September and can update you then!

ICYMI: Itty Bitty News Bites

• Queen City Soul Kitchen just keeps growing! We mentioned a few weeks ago that their tasty dishes were going to be available through the upcoming new Big Momma's location. Now, Queen City Soul Kitchen has announced that they'll also be slinging the good stuff to students at the Missouri State University food court. Those are some seriously lucky students.

• Wages Brewing Co. is celebrating their 6th Aleversary this weekend with an afternoon celebration. On Saturday, August 27 from 2–10 p.m., you can visit the brewery to enjoy live music, food trucks and a limited edition beer glass with artwork from local artist Marbro Art Co. Plus, the brewery is releasing three special brews just for the occasion. Admission is $10 and gets you two drink tickets to get the party started.

• Abby's Acai Co. just celebrated their second anniversary, and they have a bit of great news to go along with it: This little food truck is expanding and will soon have a space at Nixa’s 14 Mill Market food hall when it opens.

• The new Ringer at Team Taco looks incredible. Have you tried it yet? It's called Kevin, and it features—wait for it—bacon (get it?) along with house-made hot honey, apple pico de gallo, gorgonzola cheese, and fresh cilantro for a sweet-and-savory treat. Hot honey plus gorgonzola cheese is already a sure bet, and we all know bacon makes everything better.

• On a sadder note, the Sunshine Street location of Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe is closing. After September 16, we’ll no longer be able to snag our favorite lunch combo (a cup of tomato-basil soup and a grilled cheese sandwich) on Sunshine Street. Not to worry, though. The spot on Independence Street in Springfield is still going strong, and it’s only a hop and a skip away.

• For your sweet tooth: Fizz Sips-n-Sweets now offers soft serve ice cream along with all of their soda concoctions. That means you can turn anything into a float! We’re already planning to get a Butterbeer float on our next visit.