Shanita Auxila and her two small children,
Zaria and Darius, are sharing a plate of smoked ribs, which she
describes as amazing. “You can tell they’re smoked
— they’re perfect,” she says. They’ve
already shared a fried-oyster poorboy sandwich, courtesy of
Sebastian’s Hideout, and chocolate-dipped strawberries from
Coco-Bon. They’re pondering their next snack — perhaps
some tandoori chicken from the Gateway to India booth? And it
isn’t even noon.
The Auxila family is among the droves of area
residents and out-of-town visitors who have flocked to the capital
city for the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.
Among the events held during the weekend preceding the dedication
ceremony was a Culinary Courtyard, in which 20 local restaurants
and businesses served up samples of some of the city’s finest
food.
“I thought it was going to be like fair
food,” says Auxila, who says that she and her children
selected unique foods to try. The Auxilas, who moved to Springfield
to Chicago three yeas ago, are surprised at the array of offerings.
Not only have they enjoyed the variety, but they’ve also
discovered several new restaurants and businesses, such as
Utter’s Catering and BBQ — the source of those
“perfect” ribs.
Harvey Utterbach, owner of Utter’s, is
also serving grilled chicken breast sandwiches, along with baked
beans and potato salad. Long lines formed around lunch and
dinnertime for a sample of his slow-cooked ribs, smoked for 2 1/2
hours, then placed on the grill.
Utterbach is just one of the chefs who has
spent both days of the event filling the stomachs of those who took
turns touring the new museum, enjoying live entertainment and
demonstrations, and eating. A common question heard around the food
tents, “Where do you get that?”, is second only to
“Have you seen the museum yet?”
Utterbach can be found dishing up lunch
through the week in the 2900 block of South MacArthur Boulevard,
where he grills beef brisket, beef and pork ribs, and boneless-pork
sandwiches. He sold his grilled specialties on the Old State
Capitol Plaza for 10 years and says he plans to begin cooking again
on the plaza this summer.
Barry Friedman, owner of Norb Andy’s
and the Alamo, serves up a little city history with his chicken
pasta, cheese fries, and hamburger pony shoes. He says he’s
introduced several out-of-town visitors to the city’s
favorite sandwich, the horseshoe: “They tried it and seemed
to like it. Most people asked if it was like a cheeseburger. They
didn’t know what it was.”
Norb Andy’s, which has been offering
the dish since opening in 1937, uses the original cheese-sauce
recipe from the Leland Hotel, where the popular sandwich is said to
have originated. The horseshoe ends up the biggest seller of the
weekend at the restaurant’s booth.
Down the block, Pete Pirrera, co-owner of the
Food Mart, is serving grilled Italian sausages, the biggest seller
at his stand during the event and a specialty at his shop. The
eight-ounce grilled sausage is topped with grilled onions and
peppers.
A few vendors make culinary tributes to Abe,
among them chocolate Lincoln hats made by Coco-Bon’s Bonnie
Post, whose gourmet chocolate truffles and chocolate-dipped
strawberries are displayed elegantly on silver cake stands.
Del’s Popcorn Shop offers a more whimsical stovetop hat, made
from purple popcorn (chosen as a more appealing tint than black).
Chef Stephane Perrin from Sebastian’s Hideout spends most of
his time at the festivities tossing plump, juicy oysters into a
deep fryer. Even though he didn’t choose the food because of
a Lincoln connection — he says he picked oysters because they
were quick and easy and a big crowd-pleaser at last year’s
Taste of Springfield — the food was indeed a popular item in
Lincoln’s era and appeared on many menus during his time in
the White House.
My favorites are the Coco-Bon’s
chocolate-covered strawberries, Utter’s ribs, the Abe Lincoln
gingerbread cookies from Lincoln Land College’s culinary-arts
department, the fresh lemon shake-up at Del’s Popcorn Shop,
Sebastian’s fried oysters, and fruit salad with chicken from
Garden of Eat’n.
Not everything I’ve sampled is perfect.
The biggest disappointment is a lackluster chicken gyro from
Augie’s Front Burner — it is supposed to be warm but is
served cold. It is more than a notch below what I expect from one
of the best restaurants in town. The watery raspberry lemonade
served by Z Bistro is tasteless, and the crêpes prepared by
Robbie’s are filled with what tastes like pie filling rather
than fresh seasonal fruit. But even so, I have enjoyed several good
meals at all three restaurants, and an occasional miss won’t
change my opinion. This event, sponsored by Downtown Springfield
Inc., is yet another example of how important it is to let the
city’s culinary talents shine.
Farmer’s market opens in May
It’s almost time to begin loading up on
fresh-picked produce at the fifth annual Old Capitol Farmers
Market, which opens for the season May 18. An official
ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held May 25. For those who
can’t wait that long, a limited number of vendors will be
offering early season crops, flowers, and other items at Preview
Days, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. May 4, 7, 11, and 14 on the south side of the
Old State Capitol Plaza. The full market will operate 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
on Adams, between Third and Fifth streets. Live music, chef
demonstrations, and St. John’s Hospital’s health
information booth will all return this year.
Kitchens in bloom
The 15th annual Kitchen and Home Tour,
sponsored by the Junior League of Springfield, will be held noon-4
p.m. Sunday, May 1. The five homes on the tour are located at 1600
Seton Dr., 1605 Hubbard Ln., 2225 Greenside Dr., 1901 W. Lawrence
Ave., and 708 Lismore Ln. Tickets are available at Details,
Corkscrew, Giganti and Giganti, the Wardrobe, BJ Grand Salon,
United Community Bank, JB Interiors, Periwinkles, Homescapes, and
Grab-A-Java. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door.
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2005.
