Cooper’s AlleySide to close on Oct. 30
Downtown Springfield isn’t alone experiencing losses to the local dining scene in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
This week the city’s north end took a hit with the announcement COOPER’S ALLEYSIDE will close Oct. 30 after three years operating from King Pin Lanes at the corner of Sangamon Avenue and Dirksen Parkway.
“Unfortunately, King Pin Bowling Lanes has requested we vacate their premises,” said Kendra Cooper, who co-owns the business with husband Justin Cooper. “(This announcement) isn’t due to our struggling through COVID because we were able to survive. This is more an issue with our landlord asking us to leave.”
The news comes after months of working around a statewide dine-in ban, three months when the bowling alley itself was not allowed to operate and the decision to keep the dining room closed even after the ban was lifted instead of operating at half capacity.
Through all this, the Coopers adjusted their business model to the times, serving curbside, heat-and-eat family meals and, once the alley reopened, after hour pizzas through the bar.
Cooper’s AlleySide will continue to serve to-go orders during regular hours through Oct. 30. Hours: 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. An online menu is available at www.toasttab.com/coopers-alleyside/v3.
This is a second dining loss for the north end with MCCORMICK’S CATERING closing its hub at 1510 N. 15th St. in March.
Fans of Cooper’s can continue to enjoy its menu via the couple’s food truck, COOPER’S STREATSIDE BISTRO and catering services.
And the couple ended the closing announcement with this promise of things to come: “Please continue to watch what Cooper’s Hospitality does next.”
Chef Howard Seidel’s philosophy has always been to give customers more than they expect.
With his latest venture — BRUNCHFIELD CAFE, set to open Oct. 2 at 751 S. Durkin Drive — that applies to safety precautions, as well as the menu.
That little something extra can be seen in the well-communicated traffic flow aimed to limit contact within the restaurant to a pedestrian grilled cheese sandwich being elevated with three cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss and Gouda) melted around sliced tomatoes and caramelized onions.
“We’re calling ourselves a gastro cafe, a contemporary take on traditional things,” said Seidel, who has spent a quarter of a century working Springfield’s dining scene. “Everything will have my twist.
“I like to play, make everything a little cut above.”
While the menu will focus on elevated classics, regional sandwich flavors from across the globe also will be featured such as Memphis barbecue pulled pork, Pacific-themed herb-rubbed and grilled Mahi Mahi, Cubanos and thoroughly Southern chicken and waffles.
Seidel’s gumbo is a regular menu item.
And while decadent dining will be a theme throughout, healthy options will be offered alongside them with daily vegetarian options, a meatless hamburger and a sugar-free, low fat house salad dressing — a Louisiana strawberry vinaigrette.
Seidel said steps also are being taken to exceed current health measures in this era of dining during COVID-19. Laminated menus will be used once daily to minimize spreading the virus. Contact free to-go orders can be placed and paid for online with drive-through pick up. And dine-in customers are being asked to wait in their vehicles until a table is ready.
“We’re asking customers to call in to get a table,” he said. “There’s signage on our website, our sign, our door. It’s caused much, much better communication with our guests.”
Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. The breakfast menu will be served until 11 a.m. when the kitchen switches to the lunch offerings. Phone: 679-7251.
Brunchfield Cafe fills the vacancy left by NICO’S HOMESTYLE, which closed shortly after the statewide dine-in ban went into effect March 16.
Seidel — who co-owns the cafe with partners Mark Pettyjohn and Eric Naughton — came out of retirement to open the cafe, despite just having hung up his apron in December after serving as executive chef at institutions like the former Springfield Hilton and the University of Illinois at Springfield. The New Orleans native also was the creative force behind the former Cajun-themed GUMBO YAYA’S, which operated in the downtown area in the former Hilton Springfield from 1994 to 2003.
The familiar TWYFORD BBQ & CATERING food truck will make one final scheduled appearance in Springfield today before the Jacksonville-based business relocates to Puerto Rico.
Barbecue Master Randy Twyford announced Tuesday he and his award-winning barbecue were relocating to Playa Jobos in Isabella, a region on the northwest coast of the Caribbean island.
Twyford said the move has been in the works since last fall, following a visit to the unincorporated U.S. territory. Twyford said he recently finalized a lease for the former LA VISTA SMOKEHOUSE located on the bluffs over the beach, which will serve as an optional dining area for customers. The food truck, however, will operate from the beach, serving as the business’s main kitchen.
“It was an opportunity with the lease becoming available and our long-term plan is to retire there,” Twyford said of the timing. “It was a hard decision to make, but with the regulations in Illinois we felt it was time to go.”
Twyford has earned 10 grand championships in the competitive BBQ circuit for his chicken, ribs, pork, brisket, sides and desserts, which he has peddled throughout central Illinois via his food truck since 2008.
The food truck is scheduled for a final appearance today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Second and Carpenter streets, across from Memorial Medical Center.
THE DISH — ILLINOIS STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE’s virtual story slam — goes live Oct. 4.
The premier event — in lieu of the alliance’s annual Harvest Celebration — features live and recorded stories of real-life accounts from Illinois’ local food scene. The stream begins at 7 p.m. and can be seen via computer, television or smartphone.
Free registration available on the alliance’s website, www.ilstewards.org/event/the-dish/.
Speakers include celebrity chef Rick Bayless, farmer/grain miller Harold Wilkins of JANIE’S Farm in Danforth and Kaitie Adams who operates the apple orchard RED CRIB ACRES in Urbana.
WBEZ’s Curious City Reporter Monica Eng will host. Eng covers food, health, culture and environmental issues for the Chicago metro area-based public radio station.
The event also will have an online auction and a live goat cam.
The Alliance had to cancel its annual Harvest Celebration due to COVID-19 restrictions on gathering sizes.
Area food and drink operators dominated the Local First Springfield awards ceremony, claiming four of the seven categories.
The virtual event held Sept. 20 was the not-for-profit’s third year holding the event.
THREE TWIGS BAKERY — currently at 1370 Toronto Road, but poised to return to downtown Springfield this fall — received the Emerging and Energized Award. The Dawson-based CURED CATERING was named Social Change Marker.
ENGRAINED BREWERY & RESTAURANT garnered the Innovators Award. And a group of AdamsStreet independent retailers — which included CAFE MOXO (411 E. Adams St.), BUZZ BOMB BREWING CO. (406 E. Adams St.) and JUST THE BASICS MOBILE BAR — were named with Best Collaboration Award.
Local First Springfield is made up of local independent businesses and organizations throughout Sangamon County. The not-for-profit aims to raise awareness of the value local businesses have on their communities.
CINCO SABORES wraps up its first summer at the Lake Springfield Marina on Oct. 4.
Regular hours for the taco stand — operated by 5FLAVORS CATERING — continue throughout this week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Operator Chip Kennedy said response was strong for the business’s selection of tacos, burritos, burrito bowls and nachos and that Cinco Sabores will return to run the stand again next season with a March opening planned.
Last year CASEY’S GENERAL STORE celebrated National Pizza Month by giving away a year’s worth of free pizza in a contest to name the chain’s newest creation featuring signature Midwest ingredients.
This October the Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience store is asking contestants to come up with the recipe, as well as the name.
Participants in the Create Your Own Ultimate Casey’s Pizza contest get a chance to design their own perfect pie choosing from multiple crust types, sauces and toppings at www.store.caseys.com/national-pizza-month. The winner will receive free Casey’s pizza for a year; four runner-ups will be rolling in the dough for six months.
Suggestions will be accepted from Oct. 1-18 with the winner named Oct. 25.
Last year Casey’s received 17,000 responses for the Name-Our-Pizza Contest. The Midwestern was the winning name for the ode to the previously unnamed pie featuring pulled pork, bacon, fire-roasted corn and Chicago-based SWEET BABY RAY’s barbecue sauce.
Casey’s is the nation’s fifth-largest pizza chain, operating 2,100 locations in 16 Midwestern states.
The A La Carte column highlights restaurant openings, closing, renovations and relocations, as well as personnel changes and business news. Natalie Morris can be reached at 737-7254 or by email at natalie.sjr@gmail.com.