Springfield Food News

“Not” a Progress Pop-Up

We dropped the news a couple of weeks ago that former Progress chef/owner Daniel Ernce and former Progress pastry chef Kyle Davis are teaming up for a pop-up on May 17 at 6 p.m. As promised, we have more details and a ticket link to share. The dinner will take place at The Royal, which will head up the cocktail and wine offerings. Tickets cost $115 per person and include a five-course meal. Come expecting dishes with in-season produce like asparagus, potatoes adorned with ingredients like tomato dashi and smoked trout roe, foie gras, and Wagyu with black truffle and horseradish. And yes, the dessert will be the fan favorite, the Milk and Honey. There are only 22 tickets available (well, now just 20 since we just bought a pair), so don’t wait too long to snag yours. “It's hard to call it 'Progress' because that restaurant was so specific and took so many hard-working individuals to make it happen every night,” Ernce says. “Kyle and I have worked together for seven years now. We know each other's styles and palates, but those things have also evolved in the years since we closed the restaurant. Still, you can expect things to be seasonally driven, clean, and inventive, with a sprinkle of luxury without pretense.”

Arrivederci, Italian Kitchen

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially when it comes to a quality local business closing. But Italian Kitchen announced last week in a Facebook post that it is closing its doors at the end of May. They’re packing this last month in business full of cooking classes and delicious dinners, so there is still some time to soak in chef Alessandro De Luca’s culinary knowledge that he gleaned as a Torino, Italy native. We reached out to De Luca to find out what the future holds for his food truck, Bedda Matri. We haven’t heard back quite yet, but we will report back when we do.

New Sandwiches at La Mère Bakery

We love a fresh grab-and-go lunch option around here, and it looks like Springfield just gained another. In celebration of the warmer weather, La Mère Bakery is now serving seasonal grab-and-go sandwiches from its walk-up window in Rountree. The sandwiches will rotate, but you can always expect them to come on La Mère’s delicious sourdough. One offering the bakery teased is The Mort, which features a house-made herbal focaccia, mortadella, provolone, greens and basil pesto. You can also order an iced peppermint or honey tea to go along with it. They’re only open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so we know what we’re doing for lunch tomorrow. 🥪

Take Mom to Tea

While tea parties certainly aren’t anything new, they’re definitely having a viral moment. Mother’s Day is the perfect time to hop on this trend, so here are three places around 417-land we’d recommend for a spot of tea and all the fixings.

• The European is hosting an afternoon Mother’s Day tea party. Make a reservation for 3:00 or 5:30 p.m. and treat mom to an elegant display of pastries, tea sandwiches and scones served on a tiered tray (alongside tea, of course). Tickets cost $30 per guest.

• Ms. Gilmore's offers a very picturesque tea party. The Wonderland’s Tea for Two includes finger sandwiches, fruit and dessert, also on a tiered tray and with tea. You can add on extras for more guests, including special offerings for little kids. Just keep in mind that they’re closed on Sundays, so plan to celebrate with mom early on Saturday if you go this route.

• This past week was a rough one for Tea Bar and Bites, as they are one of the businesses in town that were without power for several days. So if you want to show some local love while showing your mom love, this would be a great place to do both. They’re open both Saturday and Sunday as always.

Find more ways to celebrate Mom this Mother's Day.