Food & Drink

Does your typical noontime meal consist of a burger grabbed from a drive-thru window or a boring sandwich eaten at your desk? If so, it’s time to try one of the many great places around town. Here are three of my favorites: Bentoh’s is at the top of my list for lunch, for several reasons: […]

The place is small, the menu simple. (You’ve got your burritos, nachos, soup, and salad). But that’s OK, because at El Presidente Burritos, it’s all good. The downtown corner eatery, which has been open since January, brings a bit of California cuisine to its brand of burrito. Co-owner/cook Tim Von De Bur has created six […]

Describing Augie’s Front Burner is no simple task. It’s not a high-concept restaurant offering tiny helpings of obscure foods: Augie’s serves generous portions of lamb, chicken, grouper, and filet mignon. This is not a basic “American food” place, either: The chicken breast is flavored with Dijon mustard and served with sweet-potato ravioli. The filet mignon […]

To me, “All you can eat” usually means “You won’t want to eat this stuff.” With the exception of elegant Sunday brunches, the places that promote overindulgence in trip after trip to the buffet offer food that just isn’t worth the effort. Buffet City proves that every rule has an exception. Located at 1774 Wabash […]

Having lunch at Incredibly Delicious is a test of willpower. You try to focus on the menu posted on the wall near the counter, telling you about the soup, salad and sandwich specials of the day. It shouldn’t be that difficult to order — there are just a few choices. How hard could it be? […]

Frankly, it’s hard to differentiate one Mexican restaurant from another. The basics — tortilla chips, tacos, and beans and rice — usually taste the same. Springfield boasts at least one notable exception, but it’s what La Mex doesn’t have that makes it special. First of all, there are no piñatas at La Mex. That’s right, […]

Lonzerotti’s Italia Restaurant is best known for two signature items: salad dressing and breadsticks. OK, you may be asking, just how special can a simple salad and stick of bread be? Very special, if the two items in question are the sweet Italian dressing and lighter-than-air rolls served in this renovated circa-1910 train station near […]

St. Patrick’s Day can be celebrated by donning a “Kiss me, I’m Irish” pin, watching the downtown parade and eating some cooked cabbage washed down with green beer. That may be fun for some, but others know March 17 is the day when slow-roasted corned beef, colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage), and homemade Irish soda […]

A few years ago, Springfield chef Stephane Perrin considered moving back to his native Normandy, France. Lucky for us, he decided to stay. After moving to the United States, Perrin worked in restaurants in Champaign and Galena before arriving in Springfield 10 years ago. After stints at the Illinois Country Club, the Sangamo Club and […]

When the late Rev. Peter Mascari built The Grotto in Sherman, he envisioned a gathering place for the senior citizens who were living in the adjacent apartment building and nursing home complex. Although the building has operated as a restaurant since opening several years ago, in some ways his vision was realized. Some local residents […]

At McCormick’s Deli, it’s all about the bread. Baked daily, it’s the foundation on which a variety of meat, cheese and condiments are added. And as we all know, it’s the secret to a good sandwich. Bread makes McCormick’s stand out from the crop of sandwich shops, not the atmosphere or service. Located in a […]

La Sorella Ristorante is the perfect place to cheat on your low-carb diet — and not just a little bit. Really throw caution to the wind and indulge in pasta, cheese gnocchi, homemade bread and wood-fired pizza. It’s easy to do here. In fact, one of the highlights of dining at La Sorella arrives at […]