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Question of the day: Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * We mark the passage of time in several ways on this ol’ blog: Session starts, budget addresses, session endings, the Illinois State Fair, elections, veto sessions, Alice’s Restaurant, fundraising to buy Christmas presents for foster kids and the Golden Horseshoe Awards. Our first categories…
* Best place to gather for drinks, etc. during session weeks Please nominate in both categories, and make sure to explain your nominations or your votes will not count. This ain’t a poll. It’s all about intensity. Single, well-written nominations have often beaten out organized spam. So, get in there and fight for your preferred winner. * Also, just another reminder that we’re still raising money to buy Christmas presents for foster kids who are in the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois system. Unlike the last couple of years, we haven’t yet had any anonymous matching donations, so I suggest we proceed on the assumption that past unknown wealthy benefactors might not come through this year. But that means your contribution is far more important in 2024, so, please, click here and dig deep. Thanks!
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- Just A Thought - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:10 am:
Best place for dinner - I’ve noticed a lot more lobbyists taking legislators to dinner at Illini Country Club the past couple of years. The food is decent and its close but not downtown, which I see as a plus.
Drinks - JP Kelly’s of course.
- PLR - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:23 am:
Toss-up between Illini and Luminary. Illini is a sure place to run into others outside the sandbox, and Luminary has one of the best changing menus in town.
For drinks, Trish and Mary’s is becoming a top spot. They have a drinkable wine selection - something all other bars downtown are lacking, are super close to the Capitol and located in a pretty awesome space.
- JR - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:33 am:
Boones for drinks because they have Manda, the nicest bartender and the same, stable wait staff for years. They’re nice, familiar faces after a long day of session. Very welcoming.
- Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:39 am:
Dinner, it depends on what the goal is. If you want to be in the middle of the Springfield session scene, Saputos is still the place to be. If you want somewhere less “session centered”, Bella Milano is a great choice.
For drinks, JPs.
- Dude - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:41 am:
Dinner- Saputos is a proven establishment with the old school feel and ambiance. The food is always decent, most employees have been there for some time and understand the importance of customer service. Just a great place to sit at the bar by yourself and have a bite, or reserve a table for a group of 10. One of the last places still open that people from the 1980’s under the dome would still recognize it.
Drinks- Probably JP Kellys. The bartenders remember your drink if you go in there regularly. A number of Capitol people find their way there regardless of party,regardless of position or title. Good place to talk shop or just have a good time at happy hour.
- Dan Johnson - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:42 am:
I still like Maldaner’s for dinner. It’s nice to be downtown and I enjoy the history and the food.
- Jefferson T Duncan - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:47 am:
Dinner - I will always stan for a much more casual environment a bit off the beaten path like Roots.
Drinks - The new Nut Hut has room to spread your wings out now and the indoor/outdoor area is a welcomed improvement.
- SweetLou86 - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:50 am:
Boone’s for drinks because proximity matters and they have a great staff. Also I’m a fan of the patio.
For food I don’t want to give away my favorite spots… so I’ll just say Obed & Isaacs. Good beer, quick service and solid food on a budget.
- Livco - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 9:56 am:
Dinner - Curate has good food, good service, and good atmosphere (despite the drive west).
Drinks - Gin Mill is good on beer and booze and is often pretty empty, which from my perspective is a positive.
Honorable mention to Brown’s for their bottle of Stagg Jr.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 10:10 am:
The best place for dinner is Anvil & Forge. If you have a small group, you can order great sandwiches for yourselves or you can go with some appetizers and flatbreads to share. If a larger group, they have great pizza and some unique ones that are fire. Or, since the portions are huge, we like to order a lot of different things and treat it as shareables. Also, the seating and high ceilings make talking easy while sipping a beer or other drinks.
For drinks, Terra Ferment. Good wine and beer selection and if you need a more private conversation or you have a larger group, they allow you to go to their basement, which I think looks cool.
The atmosphere, service, owners, and prices are great at both places.
- Mighty - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 10:18 am:
Dinner - Curate. Fantastic food and ambiance.
Drinks - I have to go with the Associated Beer Distributors. Bob and Chris have done a fantastic job with the space, and you can’t beat the variety of beer they have available for their guests.
- New Day - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 10:30 am:
Since they keep closing my favorite dinner spots…
Best Dinner: Vele. Solid food. Nice space.
Drinks: Celtic Mist. Very reasonably priced drinks (Globe charges $10 MORE for scotch). Good crowd.
- The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 10:50 am:
Dinner - if you mention pizza and aren’t talking about Sapori, then you’re just wrong.
- 0.0 - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 11:21 am:
Muldaner’s is classic. Love the outdoor area at Obed’s for drinks.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 12:12 pm:
Again, this is not a poll. If you just post place names, you will be deleted - and I’ve done it twice already today.
Thanks.
- Who else - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 12:23 pm:
I’ve mostly skipped out on the dinner portion of the evening in recent times, but will get over to Mary Flor when I don’t care how long things will take. Depending on who is in town, it can be a quick in and out or an extended-stay dinner experience. But the food is good and the (very, very few) staff hustle to get folks what they need.
And I’ll never quit on JPs. The number of relationships and issues that have been mended and solved at that bar as a result of people just being nice to each other and saying hello regardless of what they’re fighting about under the dome is reason enough to be faithful. But I also really love the folks who work there.
- Wilson - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 12:38 pm:
Pasqually’s Pizza is close to downtown but still out of the sandbox. Great location, great atmosphere. I’d nominate it for both. Perfect spot for dinner with legislators, but also a great place to grab a drinks with lobbyists. It offers a lot of exciting entertainment options, usually has a house band, and is never boring. Play things right and you can walk out of there with a lot of prizes.
- (not so) new kid on the block - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 12:45 pm:
Feels like a cliche but even as I’ve pulled away from being as social as I once was during session evenings, I’ll never not walk out of Saputo’s with a new hilarious anecdote after running into someone there. It’s a reminder of the camaraderie that keeps us coming back to Springfield year after year even when things get tough. And the food is fine - it’s reliable (and it’s really not the point). Am I just making this nomination so my drinks noms won’t get deleted? Maybe.
Honorable mention: I’ve really like the addition of the Ad Astra wine bar on Adams. Nice cozy place to enjoy some cool wine and a snack, and in warmer months drink on the sidewalk. Give it time and hopefully if it survives the downtown Springfield business curse, it’ll hopefully become a go-to.
I don’t understand why Gin Mill is so chronically empty on certain nights. It’s the perfect place to have a catch-up and in addition to having great bartenders, Gin Mill also has a bunch of Illinois beers on tap. But if I want to be social, JP Kelly’s is still it. Wonderful staff, reasonable drinks, Touchtunes, a door in the back to make a quick exit - what more could you ask for from a watering hole?
- Pinkerton Detective - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 12:51 pm:
I second Pasqually’s. A lot of games get played there, but if you play them right you can earn a lot of valuable tickets.
- Impresario Barnum - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 1:08 pm:
Vele - It has a great staff and even better food. I have never had a bad experience there, and the space is big enough where it does not feel like everyone is sitting on top of each other.
Boones - In one word….Staff. No bar in Springfield has as positive and hardworking staff as Boones. Plus their outdoor patio is the best in town
- Les Nessman - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 1:44 pm:
In the Sandox the truly reliable Saputos is the best choice as it is the place to see a lot of folks at one time and a good place for a quick introduction. It has become a good place to even have an after dinner drink.
Outside the Sandbox this might seem like an unusual choice but Westwoods in top notch. It is a bit loud but is a good place to go especially if you’re not wanting to be around the typical session crowd. The food is fantastic and they have some unusual items.
Best place for drinks - The old Butternut Hut was the best and that place was always rocking. The other joint would be the alamo it is a good place to smoke a cigar in the beer garden or listen to the blues on Monday nights. John Boy is a great bartender and its a great spot to unwind after a long day.
- Osborne Smith III - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 2:49 pm:
Big fan of the Cidery at O&I’s for drinks. Give me Boones for food and a number of the reasons given already by others, such as the staff stability and the food itself.
Suggestion, Rich - So many people tend to go with the old reliable types of places. That’s great, but would it be worth it to add a subcategory for establishments which have been open, say, five years or less?
- IBE - Wednesday, Dec 4, 24 @ 4:30 pm:
Drinks: Gotta be Boones … and I am hopeful for Trish & Mary’s to be a close hangout as well!
Food: You can never go wrong with Maldaner’s — BUT — I just got pizza again from Gabatoni’s and I believe the dining room will be open again soon with a refinished bar! The pizza is back to the old recipe — which, all of know, is the best pizza in town hands down.