What is the best restaurant in Springfield?
07/20/06 • Posted in: Springfield by Joey Marchy 22 Comments »I was asked 16 questions about my neighborhood for Folio’s Annual Manual edition. Until the magazine drops on Tuesday I will list a question, with my answer, each day. (John, this one should be positive.)
What is the best restaurant in Springfield?
Nosh.
My initial pick was the Main Street Bakery. But then I started thinking… Main Street is a great little place to hang out and grab some breakfast. Bite-for-bite I think the new Nosh menu beats Main Street hands down. Also I didn’t want to point people to a restaurant that’s been closed for 4 months. I hear when Main Street opens again, they will have beer.
Here were my other options. Besides fast food, anything I am missing?
Epicurean - closed
A-Z Sandwiches - never been there (more on this later)
Carl’s - never been there
Champs - never been there
Ole - good, but Nosh wins on ambiance
Previous questions:
What is Springfield known for?
Who is the most interesting person in Springfield?
tags: jacksonville, springfield, folio weekly, annual manual
I’d say that’s a nice answer. The food is good and despite some issues with their hours of operation, I’d have to agree that it’s our best restaurant, it’s the one that I’d most often give people outside the area as an excuse to come and visit Springfield.
A-Z is great little sandwich shop. They are only open at lunchtime Monday - Friday. Very nice deli sandwiches and riders with generous amounts of meat!
Carl’s is my favorite. I’m a sucker for soul food. Any idea why Main Street Bakery closed? When will they be reopening?
Main Street Bakery closed, I think, to make some improvements to the restaurant. They have added booths to the southern wall and I am pretty sure they will be serving draught beer when they reopen.
There is a sign in the window that says opening in July. So they should be open in the next 11 days.
That sign has changed monthly. They were supposed to re-open in March, and then every month from there…
The word is, Jim wants to open a “sports bar” in there, but I dont know that for certain.
He closed because of a “financial situation”. Not sure if that meant he wasnt making the money he needed to, or if he made a bad investment, or what.
I personally have come to the conslusion that the MSB location would be perfect for a great little New York Brickoven Pizza/Deli joint… Not a sports bar.
That said, no matter WHAT opens there if it wants to survive, it must have GREAT food or it will likely fail again.
I know… you picked NOSH because you couldn’t narrow down one of the five fried chicken joints on Main Street down to the “one” best…So by default NOSH won?
Hey Murray Hill
Don’t knock the damn fried chicken.
Springfield really DOES have the best fried chicken in the city. BAR NONE! I personally think that if the Chicken Koop didnt have a rooster dressed as a pimp in purple, I think they would have a shot at world domination.
Nosh is the best looking interior.
Carls has the best food.
Ole has the best service and view
and the Koop has the best drive through.
Chicken and waffles! The best.
JSB: Do we have Chicken and Waffles in Springfield? Or just downtown? I know there is a chicken and waffles joint on the eastside.
SD: now I have to go to Carl’s. I’m such a lame for not going before.
I wish I could have picked Fred Cotton’s, but again, not technically in Springfield
Carls is GREAT.
I think they have sunday morning buffett too.
Why not Capn D’s? :D
Yeah, you might recognize Nosh’s menu, its the exact same as Crush.
Cash, can you get me a copy of Crush’s menu? It would be interesting to compare the two.
Speaking of chicken, Guthrie’s is some good stuff. Is the new Nosh going to get a better beer selection? I know the old one had Guinness still (carried over from 9th & Main). This one gave me a choice of Mich Light, Bud, Corona & Heineken :(
I guess they’re exactly the same if you mean they both serve meat, poultry and fish? Unless there’s been a drastic menu change in the past couple of months, they offer similar themes in their cuisine but that doesn’t make one a copy of the other. Crush is certainly more french and Nosh has their whole tapas style thing going on. Crush also changes their menu around a bit too, not sure if Nosh does the same. I think Crush had their menu up at crushbistro.net but I’m at work and websense blocks the dumbest things.
I was Jacksonville raised and go back home from time to time. What continually attracts me back to Springfield is Cotten’s BBQ. How could you not mention this culinary delight?
Cotton’s is not technically Springfield. Springfield is 1st Street thru 12th Street. I think Cotton’s is at about 15th or 16th?
I am an employee of 9th & Main. Nosh is closed down due to poor management. Jeffrey Forrest, who is our current chef, used to be an owner at Crush. Therefore, many of the current menu items are original dishes Jeffrey created, some of them still being duplicated at Crush. 9th & Main is transitioning to a completely different cuisine, that I personally think Springfield (and Jacksonville) residents will all be pleased with.
… just wanted to put my two cents in.
Commenting on Melissa’s post: I thought she was saying that the current eating establishment at 9th & Main was closed. Not a big stretch to think this considering how many have come & gone rather quickly and that the liquor license was recently lost. I called last night before going to dinner to make sure they were truly open.
So for those who were as confused as me by the post:
Nosh - the restaurant that served tapas - is closed. Jeffrey Forrest is the EXCELLENT chef at the new restaurant which is still using the sign and receipts under the Nosh name but will soon be renamed to ‘9th & Main’ according to the waitstaff.
BTW, the chunky roasted tomato bisque with garlic, pernod and a toast point with a dollop of goat cheese was oooooh so good. My hubby enjoyed the sauteed calamari (nothing with tentacles for me thank you) and the braised lamb shank over mediterranean couscous. Oh my! If you like Crush, BB’s, Pastiche and the like and haven’t gone to Nosh (now 9th & Main), what exactly are you waiting for?
Oh and yes there was plenty beer & wine being served.
Thanks for the great compliments!
I’m the new manager at 9th and Main, and I’m here to set the record straight…
9th and Main IS open for lunch Monday through Friday 11am-3pm, and for dinner Wednesday & Thursday 5pm-9pm, Friday & Saturday 5-10pm. These hours are temporary and we will expand them as business increases. Craig VanHorn asked Jeffrey and I to take over the space after many inconsistant ventures, including Nosh. We are currently maintaining a menu that is easy for Jeffrey to produce (which is similar to that which he created for Crush), but will be SLOWLY changing to a different cuisine. Nothing too off-par with what we’re currently doing, just something a little more accessable for mass consumption and in a warmer, environment. The idea is to create a consistant concept and menu that will stand the test of time, and we could really use your support. Those of you who live in Springfield (as we do), and want to support independent restaurants, please come in! We are currently offering happy hour in the bar as well, Monday through Friday from 4-6pm featuring a $1 menu of small bites and great drink specials! WE DO HAVE A FULL BAR AND A CURRENT LIQUOR LICENSE!! So what are you doing tonight?
PS–I will be updating the website soon with the new menu so stay tuned.
Well thanks for the happy & ridiculously full belly last night. Please also put this post info on the SPAR forum as we have found many SPR residents read there but not here.
Do you have the apparently magic elixir Guinness? If not you might have a hard time getting Phil to happy hour. :)
Once things are solidly off the ground, some of us wouldn’t mind courtyard dining with our dogs if that were health-code approved and feasible. Just a pie-in-the-sky dream but it doesn’t hurt to ask.