BEST COMFORT FOOD BEST HORSESHOES One thing is crystal clear: voters can’t get enough of D’Arcy’s Pint. Regardless of the day or time of year, anyone driving on the Stanford overpass during lunch or dinner hours is sure to notice the herd spilling out from D’Arcy’s Pint’s lobby onto the parking lot. While we’re normally more than a bit impatient, we thought it high time we explore this gem. As we took our place among the mob, we relished the sight of once hungry diners emerging with swollen bellies and smiles. Well…some were wearing more than a smile. “If you’ve never been here before, you ought to try the buffalo chicken horseshoe,” said one gentleman, who looked as though the food was so good that he wanted his shirt to share his delight. After finally getting a table and gazing at the menu, our taste buds began to dance. We gained quite a bit of “comfort” just looking at the menu, which includes such goodies as shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, reubens, and pot roast with mashed potatoes and veggies topped with mushrooms. We instantly knew that if the food tastes as good as the menu looks, we will be happy campers. Despite what looks and sounds like a million calories, we try our first horseshoe (buffalo chicken, of course). And we were not disappointed. As we exited D’Arcy’s, we smiled at the waiting, hungry souls as we attempted to suck in our tummy while covering a buffalo-sauce stained blouse. BEST CHILI Joe Rogers’ Original Recipe Chili/Den Parlor
BEST BAR FOOD Whatever constitutes best bar food, D’Arcy’s Pint seems to have it by the barrel, and the best of everything else by the looks of the parking lot on any given night of the week. More than a bar and a restaurant, the familiar and well-established establishment is a meeting place for hometowners, an after-the-game hangout for high school sports fans, a during-the-game den for TV sportswatchers and the all-around spot to head when looking for that space everyone agrees on going to. With several different varieties of our community gastronomic traditional standard known as the horseshoe, along with a sensible selection of beers to wash down the cheese sauce and added delights, D’Arcy’s continues to offer what Springfield wants to ingest and digest when eating at a bar.
820 S. Ninth St., 522-3722 If you’re new to Springfield, finding the best chili in town can be quite…uhm… confusing. Ask some voters and they’ll tell you Joe Rogers.’ Others will say the Den. Without further explanation,you’re likely to go on a hunt for two different restaurants. You’ll eventually realize that Joe Rogers’ and The Den are one in the same. And since 1945, the restaurant has been opened under one name or the other. But the confusion won’t stop with the name. It is the only chili spot in town where the meat and beans are prepared separately. In addition to selecting the level of spiciness, customers can order a bowl or cup of chili that specifically suits their taste. Whether you order beans or no beans, meat or no meat, and, no grease, lots of grease or very little, you haven’t had chili until you’ve had Joe Rogers’.