Springfield, MO is one of my favorite places to travel to and I have a couple of dealers there who have done some pretty good business with me. One dealer in particular has stepped up and brought more products into his store and I was down there one evening earlier this year to do some training for them. Afterward, I asked the sales guys if they wanted to go out for dinner. Well, of course they wanted to go out to dinner. One of them suggested sushi - there are three or four outstanding sushi restaurants in Springfield (of all places!). But another one suggested a steakhouse just up the road from the store. The consensus was that steak would be great and we headed to have dinner at Jimm's Steakhouse.
Steak and Ale started out in Dallas 50 years ago offering the first type of casual steakhouse experience for a chain restaurant. At its height, Steak and Ale had nearly 300 locations across the United States offering quality steaks at moderate prices, an unlimited salad bar, $6.99 lunch specials and their never-ending honey wheat bread - formerly called Squaw Bread until they were threatened with a lawsuit by a Native American group. Through a number of acquisitions and spin-offs, ever-changing attitudes of the public's dining-out habits, and increasing competition on the restaurant landscape, Steak and Ale declined significantly in the first part of the 21st century. In July of 2008, the parent company S&A Restaurant filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and the remaining 58 Steak and Ale locations closed (along with a number of Bennigan's restaurants).
And that affected the Springfield, MO location. The Steak and Ale there opened in 1976 and it was one of the more popular restaurants in the city. And it affected the livelihood of Jimm Swafford, the general manager of the Springfield Steak and Ale, and approximately 40 employees. Without any warning of impending doom for the Steak and Ale brand name, Swafford received a phone call from the parent organization that the doors to his establishment must be closed immediately.
Pictured right - Jimm Swafford. Photo courtesy Springfield Business Journal.
Swafford contacted the building's owner, Springfield developer Erret Sechler - a regular diner at the last Steak and Ale location in Missouri - to see if there was anything he could possibly do to save the business. Since it was part of a chain that was going through liquidation, Sechler's hands were tied. Plus Sechler, who was once in the restaurant business, had no intention of getting back in. Swafford could do nothing but help the other employees find new jobs and he was looking at an uncertain future.
Swafford found work with another restaurant chain, but he would drive by the former Steak and Ale looking forlornly at the building that served so many people for so many years. He knew in his heart that a steakhouse could be revived in the spot. For months, he talked with prospective business partners hoping to team up to open the old steakhouse. But no one was interested in funding what would be a significant amount of money to get the over-30 year-old building up to modern standards.
Swafford called Erret Sechler to let him know that he was giving up his dream of trying to revive the steakhouse dream he had for the building. However, less than a day after he called Sechler to give him the news, Sechler called Swafford back to request a meeting. A handful of days passed with Swafford going through different emotions of what the meeting would bring. When he finally sat down with Sechler, even in his wildest dreams he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sechler missed the old Steak and Ale so much that he was willing to partner up with Swafford, willing to put up over a half million dollars to renovate the old building, he was going to make Swafford the managing partner in the restaurant, and he even wanted Jimm's name to be part of the business.
After months of renovations that included giving the restaurant decor some life after years dark lighting and dark wood paneling, Jimm's Steakhouse & Pub opened in December of 2009. Swafford was able to hire a handful of old Steak and Ale employees to work at the new steakhouse, one of whom was Travis Burrell who became the head chef and in-house meat cutter at the restaurant.
And business took off. In the first year of business, Jimm's realized double digit sales growth over the last full year Steak and Ale was in business. In fact, the first three years after they re-opened the steakhouse the company had at least 10% growth each year. The classic steakhouse on S. Glenstone just south of E. Sunshine (see map) was back and in a big way - Jimm's annually wins multiple categories in local media "Best of Springfield" polls.
It was around 7:30 when we got into Jimm's. And while they may have modernized the outer decor of the building and changed the inner decor of the restaurant to give it a little more liveliness, they didn't change the lay-out. It was a typical Steak and Ale floor plan with a series of smaller dining areas, a bar off to the side, the salad bar room, and little alcove booths. That's where we were seated when we went to Jimm's that evening. We were giving menus and it wasn't long after we were seated when our server for the evening, Jeremy, showed up to greet us.
It's beef, beef and more beef at Jimm's Steakhouse. They have 10 different types of steaks on the menu including Jimm's Hawaiian steak - a hold-over from the old Steak and Ale days - where they marinate a center cut steak in pineapple juice, soy sauce and sherry wine. They also have a bourbon-marinated New York strip, the Brewmaster's steak that features an 8 ounce tenderloin filet with smashed red potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions, and gorgonzola cheese topped with a cream sauce infused with Samuel Adams beer, and they also have three different sizes of prime rib. Jimm's goes through over 30 tons of beef annually - a third of that is their prime rib.
We started off with some appetizers and salads. One of the guys talked me into ordering the crab-stuffed mushrooms with cheese, as well as an order of the cheesy garlic bread. The crab-stuffed mushrooms were over-the-top in taste. The provolone cheese that was melted over the top was light and didn't overpowering the taste of the crab-stuffed mushroom caps. It was just killer.
I also got a wedge salad, eschewing the famous salad bar they have at Jimm's. They cut all their lettuce fresh each day at Jimm's and the wedge salad had a wonderful creamy blue cheese dressing on top of the crisp and cool iceberg lettuce.
We got a bottle of a 2013 Punto Final Malbec wine to go along with our dinner. The wine list at Jimm's Steakhouse isn't all that extensive, but it was impressive with what they had to offer and the prices were - in my estimation - very much in line. The Argentinian malbec was bold and meaty, and it went well with our steaks.
I got the peppered filet - an 8 ounce tenderloin filet that was encrusted in a pepper blend and topped with a brandy peppercorn sauce. It came with a vegetable medley and I had a choice to get either a baked potato or sweet potato, but I didn't really want either one. Jeremy said that he could get the chef to do grilled asparagus and that sounded yummy.
And it was all yummy. I was about halfway through my steak when I realized I hadn't taken a picture of the plate. The filet was cooked sort of a rare-plus, a little more pink than I normally like my steaks cooked. But it was tender, the pepper-crust and the brandy peppercorn sauce gave the steak a forward spicy taste with each bite. It was an very good steak.
One guy got the 12 ounce prime rib with a loaded baked potato while my other guest got the Hawaiian steak. "I've been having this Hawaiian steak for over 20 years," he told me between bites. "I've tried to make it at home, but I can't even come close to how it tastes here. I don't know if it's the quality of the meat, the marinade, I don't know what. This is just so damned good."
He said when Jimm's opened in late 2009 and he found out they were going to do the Hawaiian steak on the menu, he and his wife went there just to get one. "I almost cried when I took the first bite," he said as he finished up his meal.
Jimm's Steakhouse was a very good choice for dinner that evening. My peppered filet was full of flavor, it was tender and tasty, and I enjoyed it immensely. My two guests - both longtime Springfield natives - were more than happy with going to Jimm's and with the meals they got. The crab-stuffed mushrooms caps topped with provel cheese were off the chart for an appetizer. The service was prompt and professional all night long. This was a very good meal and I can see why Jimm's is one of the more popular restaurants in Springfield.
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