Springfield, IL

Donuts! Farmer's Markets! The original corn dog! Unique regional dish! (plus Lincoln, Lincoln and more Lincoln; eating in a drug store, and the Trout Lily Cafe.) Of course I had a great time in Springfield.

I thought it would be fun to get our kicks on route 66, or as translated by Sophia, get our butt kicked on route 66, but now that I have made the drive, I do not know if it's worth it even if it's nice to say, we traveled the mother road. A good portion of Old Route 66 (hencefourth just 66) simply runs parallal to its usurper, Interstate 55. The predominant difference, close-ups of the grain elevators.

We got a farily late start hitting old route 66 at the intersection of Harlem and Joliet Road, just south of Riverside, Illinois. We made our first stop at a donut shop. It's clear the regional limiations of chowhound as no one's mentioned Honey Fluff Donuts and Gourmet Coffee before, from Countryside, Il, but this should be a real contender in the donut sweepstakes. I bought a 1/2 dozen since I could not decide on their great flavors.

By the time we rolled past the interesting bridges of Joliet, Hannah was asking incessantly if we were near Springfield yet. I managed to distract her for a bit with the news that we were near the rocket-man, a giant spaceship guarding the Launching Pad Drive-In.

Well, the rocketman came and went in a flash and was not that big of a distraction. We skipped the Launching Pad, for another drive-in, the Polka Dot, based purely on what they looked like from pictures on the Internet. So much for that as way to select places. Polka Dot sucked. Nothing was worth the money. Their "famous" chili fries were frozen potatoes covered with yellow goo and cheap chili. The hamburger barely stood up to the fluffy bun and the rural fav pork tenderloin was inedibly greasy. The chowhounditas, however, loved playing with the fake fifties tchotkes. Think bad version of Ed Debevics.

Our next stop on 66 was Bloomington-Normal because Ms. VI thought perhaps there would be a Starbucks. It gave me a chance to repeat incessantly, such bad puns as "this town is really normal." No Starbucks, but a decent cup of joe at a yuppie place in "downtown" Bloomington called C'est si bon.

The rest of the stuff refers to Springfield related places. Before I highlight the places worth visiting, let me quickly mention the farmer's market. It's held every wednesday and saturday for the season. Boy did Harry luck out when we were there on wednesday.

Nothing approaches the spectacular farm-o-rama that is, say Nichols farms, but everything was ernest in the best sense of the word. Proving its ties to central Illinois, it was almost all vegetables, stuff that maybe in Oak Park tomorow or next week: zuchini, turnips, cucumbers, some hot peppers. Nothing too summery yet, the only tomatoes were from a hot house. We did find some unusual and very special black raspberries. Interesting canned goods, we really had to fight to limit our purchases here and organic meat as well--sold out by mid-day, so bring your cooler early.

Here's the rest of the places:

1) Bachman-Keefner Drug Store - We only had eggs and coffee, but I instantly liked it. This place should be as cliched as some of the other Springfield sites, but the fact that it was filled with locals chit-chatting, saved it from being too cutesy. That and the real patent goods still for sale. The kids loved the butter-soaked toast.

2) Mel-O-Cream Donuts - OK, I'm a sucker for anything called Mel-O-Cream, especially with the fact that the O in the sign was a donut. Hannah loved the signature mel-o-cream with sugar, saying it was her co-favorite with Krispey Kreme, I found them only good for being donuts. 2 stars in my book (When asked, how many stars she'd give them, Hannah said 100). The problem, a little bready, they tasted almost like they were not fried. A few branches around town, we went to the 6th St. location where the other touristy stuff is. Note, they close by early afternoon.

3) Trout Lily - Not nearly as good a name as Mel-O-Cream, but much better coffee, awfully nice people too. I also liked the fact that we ran into some of the same people drinking coffee there, who had been drinking coffee earlier at Bachman-Kaufman Drugstore.

4) Coney Island - Not horseshoes but pony shoes, ostensibly a smaller version. This totally reminded me of Cincinati chili. I thought I'd like it for curiosity sake, but came away liking it that much more for what it was. The Raspberry Queen found Coney Island on 5th Street, and we were instantly attracted by its "est. in 1919" decor. I peeked in and then queried the man behind the counter. He explained to me that their pony shoe featured their award winning white sauce, and I was hooked.

The Coney Island shoe starts with ordinary white bread, I was looking forward to that Texas toast. Good thing there was something bland, because everything else was loaded with succor. The hamburger itself was plenty good, the kind of griddled pure meat that is so rare to find these days. The french fry layer included plenty of real fries, nothing pre-fab. My only quibble with the whole thing, however, was the garlic salt condiment that dusted the fries. I just have a dislike for garlic powder. The white sauce was totally unlike what I expected, a thick, rich sauce, really a bechamel, not something velveeta-y, not like ballpark nacho sauce, which is what I expected. Coney Island did Springfield proud. The other stuff we ordered, including the chili were good enough, but I would stick to the hamburger pony shoe.

5) Cozy Dog Drive In - I'll end where I started, on route 66. And as good as Coney Island's shoe was, perhaps Cozy Dog was even better. Again, I was going for the experience, not for the food. Again, I was way wrong. Everything at Cozy is home made and fresh and far from the franchise spots nearby.

The cozy dogs (a/k/a corn dogs) invented here, are made fresh for each order. Mr. Cozy's chief contribution to this sub-sub-genre of food, was the creation of various tools for dipping the dogs. The current tool spears 3 dogs at a time, drops them in a bat of "corn" and pops them out after a oil bath. It's not a particular good dog plain, but the fresh batter adds a lot as does the ballpark mustard (or I suppose the catsup).

Hannah asked for a burger. When I saw them take a ball of fresh meat and press it into the griddle, I wanted one too. I switched my chili dog to a chili cheeseburger. This was everything that Polka Dot was not. Interesting brew, genuine american cheese and a beefy thin patty all merged together into one greater treat. Cozy fries up some great shoestrings. Our only disappointment, the chili worked great on the burger, but alone, it was so oily, neither myself or Ms. VI could handle it. And speaking of things hard to handle, the ultra-right-wing placards around the walls were almost as tough to swallow. Good thing for me, that food trumps politics. Cozy Dog is about 5 miles south of downtown Springfield on what is also known as 6th street. It is also very accessible to an exit of I-55. In fact after dinner, we got right on the road home.

For those keeping score at home, since the Ms. needed a potty break, I did stop at Krispy Kreme after getting off the highway at Harlem.

VI

Vital Information wrote:2) Mel-O-Cream Donuts - OK, I'm a sucker for anything called Mel-O-Cream, especially with the fact that the O in the sign was a donut. Hannah loved the signature mel-o-cream with sugar, saying it was her co-favorite with Krispey Kreme, I found them only good for being donuts. 2 stars in my book (When asked, how many stars she'd give them, Hannah said 100). The problem, a little bready, they tasted almost like they were not fried. A few branches around town, we went to the 6th St. location where the other touristy stuff is. Note, they close by early afternoon

ab wrote:Are any of these places right off the highway?

edit: just read above that Cozy Dog is right off 55 - perfect. Thanks LTH.

ab wrote:Driving south tonight, wondering if there was a decent diner or something similar in Springfield for a pitstop...

edit: just read above that Cozy Dog is right off 55 - perfect.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Cathy,

As a Route 66 enthusiast I certainly appreciate your scenic and historic route. However, if one is trying to make good time, the most direct route is to take I-55 around to the Sixth Street exit on the south side of town and then double back north on Sixth. The Cozy Dog is less than a mile up the road from the exit.

Efficiently yours,

Buddy

Ursiform wrote:Cozy Dog is absolutely worth a stop, even in their new digs (I will forever lament the loss of their long time home up the road with the Dairy Queen attached). I highly recommend anything involving pork, their fries, and, of course, the Cozy Dog.

Ursiform wrote:D'Arcy's is ok for Horseshoes, but not my favorite. I think their cheese sauce is too heavy and glutinous, it tends to congeal far too quickly for my taste. Not bad, just not my favorite. I prefer The Track Shack, a dive bar with excellent food (also located next to a Mel-O-Cream) and what I find to be the best overall horseshoe in Springfield. Their cheese sauce is lighter than most and has a good kick to it. My favorite is the Canadian Bacon horseshoe.

Ursiform wrote:Finally, I don't really think any visit to Springfield is complete without a stop at Maid Rite, where they still wrap your sandwiches and your complimentary gum drops in waxed paper.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Just north of The Cozy Dog is a bright yellow trailer serving Springfield's best Barbecue. It is run by a buddy of mine who goes by the moniker, "Dr. Of BBQ".

stevez wrote:Do any of you Springfield aficionados know if Popeye's BBQ is still open?

Springfield Journal-Register wrote:The chili at Joe Rogers’ is made with the same recipe that Rogers’ parents — Joe and Pauline Rogers — sold at their 1945 chili parlor on South Grand Avenue East called The Den.

The beans and meat are cooked separately, which enables customers to get personalized orders. It can be prepared without beans, with extra beans, with extra meat or without meat.

Diners can specify how much oil they want in the bowl.

The chili comes in mild, medium, medium with a touch of hot, medium hot, hot and the J.R. Special, also known as firebrand.

Rogers opened the Ninth Street store in July 1997.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

Decatur is half way between Springfield and Champaign on IL-72, which passes through I-55 and I-57 respectively.

At a Christmas party, a friend who knows I do this food forum sidled up with recommendations for her family's hometown of Decatur.

Krekel's with 4 locations in Decatur serves a double cheese tomato burger as well as a lemon custard cone. I did a little search to discover I have eaten at Krekel's maybe 10 years ago. What reminded me was learning they have the Chicken Mobile. Long ago when my nieces were tiny, we spied the Chicken Mobile and followed it to its nest at Krekel's. The girls were very excited hanging out the car and screaming their admiration for the Chicken Mobile.

Decatur Fun Facts wrote:There are five Krekel's Kustard "burger joints" in Decatur. The trademark of the Rt. 36 location is a 1970's Cadillac converted into a Chickenmobile "complete with rooster tail and six-foot, red-eyed head." (page 149) The Chickenmobile can sometimes be seen driving around Decatur. The burgers reportedly "beat Big Macs hands-down." 217-362-0121.

While looking for more information on Krekels, I found this blog entry with a thumbnail sketch on the food scene:

Fort Fab wrote:If you're looking to sit, try Paul's on North Water. Once upon a time it was a confectionary, now it's a greasy spoon with great chili and a damn fine green river. Excellent shakes, too. A good old fashioned malt shop, good and cheap.

Thai: We don't hold with that sort of thing round here.

Mexican: El Matador at Pershing and Martin Luther King. Good, cheap, excellent service.

Breakfast: Jan's East End Grill on Brush College Rd has served my dad, my uncle, my grandfather, and a whole bunch of other cranky old coots every Satrday for a million years. Nothing fancy, but decent and cheap. For a more elegant Sunday brunch, the Main Hangar restaurant at the airport is good, and you sit right beside the tarmac and watch the planes come in and take off.

Diner: There are a bunch, and every old guy in town has his favorite. I like Jan's East End and Norma's.

Comfort food: French fries from Mr. G's

Vegan food?: Ha. Nice try.

Coffee shop with character: You'd be hard-pressed to find a $5.00 latte around here. People get their coffee with their eggs, or else they stop by the gas station.

Regional fare: Krekel's hamburgers are kind of Decatur's pride

Yer fav fancier place: Main Hangar at the airport

Others to recommend: Lock, Stock, and Barrel has a very nice lunch menu (and is one of the more popular bars in the evening). It's over by Millikin. And if you're downtown, go to Merchant Street and stop by Del's Popcorn Shop, even if it's just to inhale. Fresh popped popcorn, caramel apples, fudge, pralines...mmmm. Yum.

My friend made a second recommendation of Rocky's for their mozarella and/or string cheese wrapped in wonton wrappers, fried and sprinkled with garlic salt. I couldn't find them in the directory, so they may have bit the dust.

Krekel's Custard
801 East Wood Street
Decatur, IL 62521
217-429-1122

Krekel's Custard
1355 North Illinois Route 48
Decatur, IL 62526
217-362-0121

Krekel's Custard
1340 North State Highway 121
Mt Zion, IL 62549
217-864-5725

Krekel's Custard
2121 North Grand Avenue East
Springfield, IL 62702
217-525-4952
http://www.krekelscustard.com/

Krekel's Kustard North
3727 North Woodford Street
Decatur, IL 62526
217-875-4044

Krekels
310 Carroll St
Pawnee, IL 62558
217-625-4952

Krekels Dairy Maid
2320 E Main St
Decatur, IL 62521
217-423-1719

Davooda wrote:Decatur, IL has a place that offers the quintessential '30's-style burger that you seek. It is known as Krekel's Custard (because they also offer frozen custard and shakes made with same that are delicious). Namesake Bill Krekel passed away a feew years back but his progeny are running the place like he did. Krekel's popularized the "Chicken-Car" of central Illinois lore. He bought some Cadillac Fleetwoods and mounted fiberglass chicken heads and tails on them and painted them like Old Glory. Way ahead of his time in the marketing area...

The meat is sourced locally, ground fresh daily and never frozen. Pickles are sliced lengthwise, not a coin shape, which thrills me to no end. They are grilled to order and have that crispy, nearly burnt edge to them. Burgers are tightly wrapped in a waxy white paper and stuffed into a brown paper sack for carryout. When a little grease finds its way to the brown paper sack bottom you know you've gotten their best effort. There are several locations, including Springfield I think, but this is the original and still the best IMHO:

Krekel's Custard
801 E Wood St
Decatur, IL
217-429-1122