Road Tips

Brown Derby International Wine Center - Springfield, MO

As I've been on the road a lot lately, and with Spring now here, I've begun to do some "beer-hunting" to refresh our fridge in the garage with a supply of good beers.  One of my favorite seasonal beers is Boulevard Irish Ale and it's available from January until April.  It's somewhat heavy compared to most Ale's that I drink, but it has a rich caramel/toffee toasty taste to it that I like.

Finding Boulevard Irish Ale can be sort of tough.  I usually only find it in the Kansas City area and parts of Missouri.  During a recent trip to Springfield, MO, I stopped in to a Brown Derby store to pick some up. 

Brown Derby's history dates back 60 years when Mr. John A. Morris began to sell beer and alcohol in a small place in Springfield.  Given the area was smack dab in the heart of the Bible Belt, Mr. Morris had a rough start in gaining a foothold with all those pious tea-totalers in the community.  In order to "class up" the liquor store, he named it after the famous upscale restaurant in Los Angeles.   

Here's a little bit of interesting trivia.  In the late 50's, John A. Morris' son - Johnny Morris - began to sell bait and tackle out of the back of his father's liquor store.  His little business also began to take off and in 1972 he incorporated the Bass Pro Shops company.  Yes, it's the same Bass Pro Shops in Springfield that I've written about here before.

As time went on and Springfield grew - along with the tourism that came to the Ozark area - Brown Derby opened a larger location near their original location on S. Glenstone in Springfield (see map) in 1969.  They also began to address the exploding wine business that was taking hold across America.  In 1971, Ron Junge - who married John C. Morris' daughter - joined the business and helped transform Brown Derby from a sleepy liquor and beer store into the present day "Brown Derby International Wine Center".   

Today, Brown Derby's International Wine Center sports a 5000 square foot atmospherically-controlled wine cellar that has over 70,000 bottles of wine from all over the world. Brown Derby has won a number of awards, including an award from Food and Wine Magazine as one of the Top 10 places to buy wine in the U.S.

From their humble beginnings in the Ozarks to the International Wine Center, Brown Derby has seen tremendous growth in the Springfield market.  They've also expanded in the number of stores in the greater Springfield area.  They're now up to 14 locations around the city.  That's pretty impressive in an area of 150,000 where a lot of the people disdain alcohol and everything it stands for. 

The other Brown Derby's do sell wine, but don't have the selection the main store has.  Their beer selection is very good - and very pricey.  A six pack of Boulevard Irish Ale was $8.49.  (I've since found more at Friar Tuck's in Bloomington, IL and it was $7.49 a sixer.)  I wasn't going to bitch, however.  Finding Boulevard Irish Ale outside of Kansas City is a tough proposition on it's own.

I didn't have time to check through the wines during this visit, but their prices are a little higher than what I find in Chicago.  But with such a great selection and a captive audience in SW Missouri, they can get by with adding a couple three bucks on to a bottle of wine. 

Along with Bass Pro Shops, the Brown Derby International Wine Center is always a "must stop" when I'm in the Springfield area.   

Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center - Springfield, MO

This story isn't much about the Holiday Inn North Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, MO.  It's more about what happened when I stayed there one recent evening. 

Located just off Interstate 44 at Glenstone Ave. (see map), the Holiday Inn North Hotel and Conference Center is one of a number of John Q. Hammons hotel properties throughout the Midwest.  It's actually one of my favorite places to stay because the rooms are large and open.  They've always treated me well and usually give me an upgrade at no extra charge. 

The hotel has a 5-story atrium area in the center of the building.  The atrium hosts receptions, meetings and banquets.  There's also a convention center area attached to the hotel that can handle small trade shows and other meetings.   There's a bar off to the side of the atrium area called "The After Hours Lounge."  They have a couple televisions there to watch while you have a drink or two.

And although I've never eaten in there, the hotel has a restaurant - The Peppertree - that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The pictures of the breakfast and dinner entrees look good, but I've learned the pictures always look better than the served food. 

The day I was in Springfield, I had driven over from Wichita.  It was a wonderful late winter day in SE Kansas and SW Missouri.  It was sunny and breezy, the temperatures were in the 70's and I had the sun roof open and the air conditioning on.  By the time I made it to my appointment in Springfield, it had clouded up and the skies began to look ominous in the southwest.

It didn't storm through the early evening hours, but the weather report said that we were due to get severe storms sometime during the night.  They didn't know when, but the cold front that was pushing through would definitely spark off some big storms. 

I went to bed that night and didn't think anything of it.  Along about 4:20 in the morning, I heard what sounded to be the siren of a fire truck that wasn't too far away.  Except the siren sounded like it was stationary.  I said, "That's not a fire truck.  That's a storm siren."

I turned on the television and, sure enough, there was a tornado warning for the Springfield area.  A tornado had been sighted south and west of the city and the line of storms was moving to the northeast.  I was watching television for a bit, and suddenly the hotel's fire alarms began to blare.  The alarm was an obnoxious, pulsating buzzer sound that was loud enough that no one could sleep through it. 

Suddenly, through the hotel's alarm system there was an announcement that a tornado had been sighted in the area and we were to immediately go to the convention center main room in the basement of the hotel. 

So, I got up - threw on a pair of pants and t-shirt, put on a pair of tennis shoes and walked five flights down to the main floor.  (The elevators were purposely shut off.)  Once there, I looked around for the convention center.  I walked into the lobby with another guy looking for the entrance to the convention center.  The desk clerk  said, "No, gentlemen.  The convention center is down stairs one more flight."

We went back toward the stairwell and went down one more flight.  There, about 150 to 200 people were gathering to wait out the storm.  Thankfully, they had already delivered a USA Today to my room and I was able to read that while we waited. 

I text messaged Cindy and sent it.  About two minutes later my phone started to ring.  It was Cindy.  She said, "I haven't been able to sleep.  Then I saw your text message.  What is going on down there?" 

Honestly, I really didn't know.  Other than what I had seen on the TV before I came down to the basement, I had no idea if a tornado was barreling through Springfield or what. 

About 4:55 a.m., a worker came in to room to tell us that it appeared all the storms had passed, but it was their policy to not  allow us to leave until the "all clear" is sounded by the National Weather Service.  Finally at  ten after five, we were allowed to go back to our rooms.  The elevators were working again, but they were packed and the line was long.  So I hoofed it up the stairs.  Six flights.  I never realized how out of shape I really was.

Now, you would think this story is over at this point.  Huh uh.  As we were filing back to our rooms the fire alarm is going off, pulsating with a loud, ear grating buzz.  That was evidentially their signal for "all clear".  Turns out the fire alarm was malfunctioning and they couldn't get it turned off.

They finally got it to stop - for about 15 seconds.  Then it would begin again.  Then they'd hit a button and it would stop.  For 15 seconds.  Then it would start again.  This went on for about 25 minutes. 

Of course, I was back in bed, trying to salvage whatever sleep I could get before I had to drive to Kansas City that morning.  But the alarm kept going off, they'd stop it, and fifteen seconds later it would start again.

Finally, I called the front desk and got a hold of the desk clerk.  I asked him, "Should I just get up and get ready now because of this alarm, or is it going to stop sometime soon?"

He said, "Our maintenance man is working on the problem, sir.  We hope to have it fixed shortly."

I said, "I hope so."

It continued for another 10 minutes.  The alarm would start up, they'd stop it.  15 seconds later, there it went again.  Finally at twenty until six a.m., the alarm stopped for good.  I think I actually heard muted clapping and cheering from the other guests scattered throughout the hotel. 

In all my years of traveling - over 20 years now - I'd never been rousted out of my room in the middle night by an emergency.  I've had fire alarms go off, but they were always false alarms or pranks.  This was definitely a first.

But the staff was still courteous and hospitable.  Other than the friggin' alarm going off for about 40 minutes after we were allowed to go back to our rooms, it was still another pleasant - and safe - experience at the Holiday Inn North Hotel and Conference Center.  I highly recommend staying there when you travel to Springfield. 

Maria's Mexican Restaurant - Springfield, MO

When I was in Springfield, MO recently, I had to stop and have dinner at Maria's Mexican Restaurant. It's one of my all-time favorite Mexican restaurants in the world.

Maria's is located in the heart of the downtown area of Springfield (see map) - the most non-descript downtown area of any city with a population of over 150,000 in the United States.  I'm not kidding. Downtown Springfield is not much - no large buildings, no distinguished features.  It's as "blah" as any Midwestern downtown area that you can see.

Maria's is run by Chris and Monica Guest (right). They started Maria's as a small "hole-in-the-wall" take out place in Springfield in 1996 using a lot of authentic Mexican recipes gleaned from Monica's grandmother.  Chris Guest (not the actor) had been in the restaurant business for a number of years and they moved Maria's in their present location in 2001. 

The decor of Maria's gives you the feel of an authentic Mexican cantina.  It's colorful and festive, and the lighting isn't overly bright so it's not to overbearing.  There's a small bar area that always seems to be packed with college students from Missouri State University, which is just down the street. Behind the bar is an impressive selection of top shelf tequila ready to pour. 

I sat in one of the spacious booths and ordered up a house margarita.  And as always, I have trouble figuring out what I want to eat at Maria's - it's all very good.  They have excellent deep fried tacos with your choice of ground beef, shredded beef, chicken or pork.  And their burritos and enchiladas also feature the above fillings. 

I ended up wanting to try their shredded beef burrito - downtown style.  That's a burrito topped with sauce and cheese for $1.29 extra.  And because I love them so much, I had to have a deep fried shredded beef taco.  Within five minutes, my order was on the table, fresh and hot. 

The burrito was HUGE!  One of the biggest burritos I've ever seen on a plate.  I let it cool down a bit and ate my shredded beef taco - which was excellent, as always.  I ate as much of the burrito as I could, which was a little over half.  And it was excellent, as well.  Next time, I'll have to bring a bigger appetite. 

By the way, Maria's Mexican Restaurant should not be confused with a small chain of restaurants - Maria's Mexican Restaurant - located in NW Arkansas and SW Missouri.  The Maria's in Springfield is a single location, much better and way more authentic than the other Maria's. 

I've eaten at Maria's about four times now and each experience was great.  The food is about as close to authentic Mexican that you can have in the U.S.  If you ever get down to the Ozarks, it's worth the visit to Maria's Mexican Restaurant.

Haruno - Springfield

Recently, while in Springfield, MO doing a training session for my dealer down there, I wanted to take them out for dinner after the meeting.  Actually, there's a number of good places to go for dinner in Springfield - but we decided to go out and have some sushi at Haruno Sushi Bar and Grill.

Haruno is located in a small strip mall not far from my dealer's store (see map).  Now, I used to be death on restaurants located in a strip mall; and I also used to run away screaming from a sushi place that is more than 500 miles from an ocean.  I'm glad I don't have those standards in place any longer or I wouldn't have eaten at Haruno that evening.

Haruno, which opened in 1999, is owned and run by the stylish Young Jung (right).  Dressed in a leather mini-skirt, fishnet hose and boots, she looked like she would be more at home in Los Angeles or New York rather than Springfield, MO. 

Local residents took a while to warm up to the hip little Japanese restaurant that served what many in these parts refer to as "bait". However, Haruno garnered a reputation for being edgy, having good martini's and good live jazz, and the clientele began to grow.  A couple of years ago they expanded into a space next to the original restaurant and called it Haruno's Next Door.  There, you'll find an extension of the restaurant with a regular sushi bar that seats six. 

We had a small wait to get a table for five around 7:30 the night we were there.  They had a small two-piece jazz combo playing in the bar area (the old original space) and it was pretty packed in there with people of all ages.  But there did seem to be a larger presence of younger people who were definitely styling for the night. 

Ms. Jung seated us in the new section and we immediately ordered a round of Asahi beers.  One of the guys had never had sushi before and we were sort of wondering what kind of reaction he'd have.  He's a good ol' Missouri boy, one of those who joked about the "bait" he was getting ready to eat.  But he was up for the challenge.

Our waiter was certainly indicative of the style of Haruno - he had an edge, but was very hip and cool.  He suggested we start off with their house specialty which was sort of a Japanese carpaccio - thinly sliced rare beef which was marinated in a soy mixture.  It was very, very good.

We went hog wild with the sushi - ordering tons of sushi rolls and nigiri sushi.  One of the guys said, "We've got to order this roll they call 'Oh, My God!' "

I asked, "Is it spicy?"

He said, "Well, not really, but there are so many great taste sensations that after the first bite you're saying, 'Oh, my God!' "

We definitely went with one of those.  And I had to have a spicy tuna roll, as well as a couple others that sounded sort of funky.  The names for the sushi rolls they had - such as a Philly roll, a Miami roll, a TNT roll - were as interesting as the place itself. 

We began to get our sushi and I had to try the "Oh, My God!"  It was a piece of white fish wrapped in a number of things including a spicy mayonnaise.  I didn't exactly say, "Oh, My God!" when I took the first bite.  But it was good.  However, I wasn't too big on the mayo on the sushi.

But the spicy tuna roll - WOW!!  I have to say it was one of the best - if not THE best - spicy tuna roll I'd ever had.  The taste sensation was out of this world.  In fact, all the sushi choices we had were very good. 

I was bummed that they were out of the chutoro - the very flavorful fatty tuna sushi.  The guys had never had it before (it's sort of expensive - about $8.00 for two pieces), so I thought I'd give them a taste of it.  That's OK, though - we had more than enough of some very good sushi to eat.   

The guy in the group who had never had sushi before was equally impressed.  He said, "I've always wanted to try sushi, but I know my wife wouldn't like it; and there's no way I could bring her and the kids to a place like this."

Our bill came to just over $200 bucks - which I thought was pretty reasonable for the amount of sushi we ate and beer we drank.  One of the interesting things was that he put an 18% tip on the bill, a little under $37 bucks, but didn't add it into the total.  I sort of wondered about this and I had to flag him down to find out what that was all about.

I asked, "Is this a mandatory tip?"

He said, "No, this is just a suggestion.  We do that so people can figure out how much 18% is.  You can put down anything you want." 

He walked away and I said, "The guy is leaving money on the table doing that.  I was going to give him a 20% tip."  And I did. 

But as one of the guys explained to me, "This IS Springfield and people are used to having a big meal and leaving a couple bucks on the table for a tip.  It's the world's largest small town." 

Actually, since then, I've seen a couple other restaurants that have tip amount suggestions of 15, 18 or 20 percent printed on the credit card voucher.  I usually over tip, especially if the service is good; or when I'm eating alone and the person waiting on me has been overly attentive.  The guy definitely earned his 20% that evening.

The bottom line - Haruno was one of the very best sushi restaurants I've ever eaten at.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good the sushi was for as land-locked that Springfield is. The service was very good, and the atmosphere was as interesting and hip as any restaurant I've been to in places like L.A. or Chicago.   I'm hoping my dealer in Springfield does very well so I can keep going back to Haruno when I go to see them.   

Springfield Brewing Company - Springfield, MO

The Springfield Brewing Company in downtown Springfield, MO - (which has the smallest and most underwhelming downtown area for a city the size of Springfield - about 150,000 people) is one of the more unique brew pubs in existence today.

First of all, the brew pub was built in the mid-90's as a research and development wing of the Paul Mueller Company, one of the largest manufacturers of stainless steel food and beverage equipment in the world.  With the upsurge in micro-breweries, the Paul Mueller Company developed a number of tanks, mills and mashers to sell to micro-breweries.  They use the Springfield Brewing Company as a state-of-the-art showcase to demonstrate Mueller's equipment. 

The brewpub is housed in an old warehouse that was completely remodeled specifically for the Springfield Brewing Company (see map for location).  It has a huge bar and a spacious dining area.  Actually, it's one of the nicer brew pubs that I've ever been in.   

Springfield Brewing Company's beers are named for Mueller and are ably brewed by master brewer Ashton Lewis.  The Mueller beers have won a handful of medals in the Great American Brew Festival held annually in Denver.  The Mueller beers are available in bottles as far away as Kansas City and St. Louis. 

I like their Pale Ale - a hoppy and spirited beer with a good clean finish.  Their Lager is also very good - it has a rich and toasty taste to it.  And their Oktoberfest fall seasonal beer is now available. 

The food at Springfield Brewing Company is also very good.  I've eaten there three times now.  I was in Springfield recently and took one of my dealers out to lunch.  The menu is varied from standard bar food favorites such as burgers and appetizers; to a good number of upscale entrees such as steaks, pastas, and chicken dishes. 

I'd been on the road a lot lately and I needed some comfort food.  So I went with their Redbird Pie - a knock-off on the old Irish Shepard's Pie with seasoned beef, onions, potatoes, corn, green beans and gravy.  My dealer ordered the fish and chips, or as he explained to me, "I don't know why, but fish and chips just sounded good." 

Well, my Redbird Pie was very good.  A "spot hitter" to the nth degree.  Coupled with a Mueller Pale Ale it was a great lunch.  My dealer went with the Oktoberfest and he said it was very good - a little stout paired with the fish - but he said it was still good.  It looked like his fish was over-cooked, but he said that the batter was very good and the fish was cooked perfectly. 

Springfield Brewing Company is a wonderful place to go for food, beer and relaxation.  The beer is above average as is the food.  The atmosphere and surroundings are very comfortable.  If you're ever in Springfield - which really is a nice city - I'd highly recommend the Springfield Brewing Company.   

Cashew Chicken - Springfield, MO

Springfield, MO boasts about 400 restaurants of all types. Some of them are the typical chains, some are little Ma and Pa joints. But nearly 15% of the restaurants in town are Chinese. Seriously. And they don't have a large Chinese population in Springfield.

Springfield - population about 150,000 - has the highest number of Chinese restaurants per capita than any other city in the U.S. They have over 60 Chinese restaurants listed in the 2005 phone book. The appeal and draw of Chinese restaurants in the Springfield area has to do with the fact that Cashew Chicken - that staple of Chinese restaurants across America - was invented in Springfield in 1967. No shit!

Cashew Chicken was invented in 1967 at Leong's Tea House. David Leong was born in China and came to the United States in 1940. He opened up his restaurant in 1963, back when Springfield wasn't quite as urbane as it is today. Asian food wasn't quite as accepted in the Ozarks back then as it is now and his restaurant was struggling. He noticed that the people of the area really loved chicken. So he came up with a recipe that involved deep frying chunks of breaded chicken in peanut oil and then serving it with a an oyster/peanut sauce - almost a gravy, if you will. He topped it with cashews and green onions and it became Cashew Chicken.

The dish was an instant hit and Leong's Tea House sprung a number of other off-spring restaurants that specialized in Cashew Chicken.

Now, there are some Chinese food snobs out there who claim that Springfield style Cashew Chicken is not real Chinese food, but an Americanized version of a an old Chinese recipe of Cashew Chicken using vegetables and a soy based sauce. Szechwan Cashew Chicken style is a little more spicy, they usually add pea-pods and mushrooms along with it.

You go into Chinese restaurants in St. Louis, Kansas City, or any other city for about 500 miles around Springfield and they'll have two different types of Cashew Chicken on the menu - Springfield style or Chinese style (or Szechwan style).

I've never cared for Cashew Chicken. I tried it at Leong's years ago and it was good, but it wasn't anything that I've ever yearned for. I like peanuts and cashews, but I'd rather eat them while drinking a beer and not having them in my food.

Leong's closed in 1997, but the legacy of Cashew Chicken contines with the large number of Chinese restaurants in Springfield. Pick any Chinese restaurant and give it a shot sometime if you're in the Springfield area.

Bass Pro Shops - Springfield, MO

There's a place that I have to go to every time I'm in Springfield, MO that is too neat to pass up.  The original Bass Pro Shops was big when I first visited in 1987, but they'd added on tremendously between that time and when I went back in 2004.

First of all, you don't have to hunt or fish or camp to enjoy the place.  There's a lot of interesting stuff  on display - both for sale and for show - that can lure you deeper into the rest of the store. The motif is decidedly northwoods with a lot of cozy cabin designs all through the store.  They have a large clothing area for both casual and sport apparel, hunting and fishing supplies and accessories, and an indoor shooting range.  They have household and camping supplies, as well as food stuff items.

They have both freshwater and saltwater aquariums, a little brook going through the downstairs area by the camping supplies, a three story water fall, a turtle exhibit, and a Wonders of Wildlife "zooquarium".  I haven't been in the Wonders of Wildlife exhibit because it costs $10 bucks to get in, and I usually end up spending too much time in the Bass Pro Shop, itself. 

Also in the building is a very good restaurant, Hemingway's Blue Water Cafe, on the third floor next to the water fall.  Hemingway's has good seafood (although their selection is not as numerous as it was when I first ate there in the 80's), beef and pork, as well as sandwiches and lunch specials during the day.  Years ago, I ran into an old boyfriend of one of my sisters, Jim Kahler, who lived in Springfield, and he was out drinking with a buddy of his, Arley Clark, who just happened to be the director of catalog sales for Bass Pro Shops.  Arley invited me in for a tour of Bass Pro and lunch at Hemingway's one day and I took him up on it.  I've had dinner at Hemingway's two or three times.  The seafood selections were very good - especially for a landlocked community like Springfield.

One other thing that Bass Pro Shops in Springfield has is a huge Tracker Boat showroom that is open 24 hours.  In fact, the showroom for Tracker Boats is in the area where the old catalog sales area was when I first went to Bass Pro in the 80's.  It's fun to go and and check out the fishing boats, the "party barges" and just to see what they're coming up with in the newest technology for boating. 

There are a number of Bass Pro Shops around the nation (click here to find a store near you), most of them are in the east and southeast of the US, but I see they're getting ready to open out in California very soon.  But I have to say that I've been to three or four of them around the Midwest and if any of the others are like those, they're impressive, but they don't hold a candle to the original location down in Springfield.