New restaurant opens in downtown Springfield expanding dining options in city's center
Seoul 4 Soul opened Wednesday above Buzz Bomb Brewing Co., continuing the expansion of the downtown Springfield dining scene that kicked off last fall.
But the Korean-soul food fusion brand is no newcomer to area diners who have come to appreciate chef Kimsimone Manning’s dishes from her stint at the Old Capitol Farmers Market and pop-up events.
The second-floor space at 406 E. Adams St., however, is the first time Manning’s dishes have had a permanent home.
Business partner Emily Tylman – another familiar face to the downtown farmers market scene – is founder of the vegetarian, vegan-focused food stand, VeggOut, and is the reason for Seoul 4 Soul’s expanded meat-free offerings.
The hummus selection offers a glimpse into Seoul 4 Soul’s melding of culinary traditions available in the staple chickpea, but also black eye peas or black bean. Dipping options include pita, vegetables, or cornbread nibs.
The bulgogi – a Korean barbecue – is available in beef, chicken, mushroom, or tofu and can be served as a sandwich with Korean coleslaw, in a rice bowl or used as a filling for street tacos. Other features include ramen with seaweed and grilled scallions, vegetarian Korean dumplings, a bruschetta-inspired salad, and two flavors of hot wings – spicy Korean barbecue or Cherry Dr. Pepper.
A special Sunday brunch menu will be featured each week.
Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Phone: (217) 933-0880. Email: info@seoul4soul.com.
Dine-in and take-out services are available, as well as catering services and space for private parties. Ground-floor seating is available in Buzz Bomb for customers who find the stairs unwieldy.
Cat cafe opening paused
Construction delays have put a “paws” on the opening date for the anticipated downtown cat cafe, The Cats’ Pyjamas, which was scheduled to open Monday.
Owners posted over the holidays that the additional work added several weeks to their timetable. A new opening date for the grab-and-go cafe at 413 E. Adams St. – complete with feline companions – has not been announced.
Other recent newcomers to the downtown include Twisted Fork at The Saint Nicholas, which opened on the ground floor of the St. Nicholas Apartments at 400 E. Jefferson St. in August and the Lincoln Cafe in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in October.
More: Cat lovers will want to check out this new downtown cafe when it opens in January
Downtown additions still expected: Aunt Lou’s Soul Food in the Ferguson Building at 524 E. Monroe St. and a revival of Norb Andy’s Tabarin at 518 E. Capitol Ave.
Golf-inspired restaurant opens
Eagle Golf and Grill has opened with Marc Reeves heading up the kitchen.
The business at 2941 Pintail Dr. combines a full bar and grill menu with state of the art indoor golf simulators with bays that include bays with multiple 15-foot screens and 20-foot curved screens.
Reeves – whose itinerary includes stints in the kitchens at the Crowne Plaza and Conn’s Hospitality Group – is the executive chef.
The menu has several odes to the sport including the Nashville birdie sandwich and the Masters burger – a half-pound patty topped with pimento cheese in honor of the Masters tournament’s signature sandwich. The full menu features appetizers, salads, sandwiches and pizzas.
Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The kitchen opens at 10:30 a.m. Final orders must be placed one hour before closing.
Dine-in and pick-up are available during regular hours and the space can be reserved for private parties. Advance online orders and reservations can be placed at www.eaglegolfandgrill.com.
The business is owned by husband-wife team Jim and Amber Lee and Illinois College’s head golf coach Josh Edison.
Take a cooking class
Lincoln Land Community College is serving up culinary adventures whether your tastes lean toward recreating dishes inspired by iconic TV show food scenes to sipping the turtle soup from New Orleans’ landmark Commander’s Palace.
Registration is open for the college’s spring community education cooking class lineup which features a variety of hands-on classes, demonstrations, dinners, and special nights out.
Baking classes cover everything from bagels to beignets, churros to cream puffs, macarons to eclairs. Cooking classes feature a primer in cooking with ancient grains like farro, teff, and quinoa to cultivating mushrooms, sheet pan dishes to East Coast cuisine. These hands-on classes cost $69.
Youth classes feature yeast doughnuts, scratch pasta and a cupcake bouquet. Participants must be ages 8 to 17. Cost $69.
Nights out demo classes are decidedly a bit boozy with topics including Bourbon Smash, Tequila and Rum Runner. The offerings lead participants through how to cook and mix cocktails with the featured liquors. There are also two wine-tasting classes led by Geoff Bland, who formerly owned The Corkscrew Wine Emporium. The classes, covering Bordeaux and Pinot Noir, include wine tastings and appetizers. Classes cost $79.
Inspiration for "Dinners at the Bistro Verde" range from grandma’s beloved dishes to Turkish cuisine, New Orleans’s landmark Commander's Palace to a rustic Italian meal paired with wines from the Canton-based Spoon River Junction Winery. springfield-area celebrity chefs oversee the menus. Dinners cost $89.
A list of non-credit cooking classes can be found at www.llcc.edu/community-education/culinary-offerings. To register for a class, call (217) 786-2292.
The A La Carte column highlights restaurant openings, closings, renovations, and relocations, as well as personnel changes and business news. Natalie Morris can be reached at (217) 737-7254 or by email at natalie.sjr@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Seoul 4 Soul debuts in downtown Springfield expanding dining options
