Table Talk: January 5–11

Gilardi's Makes Improvements

While the rest of us head back to the office, Gilardi’s Ristorante is taking some time off. The Italian restaurant’s owner/“head dishwasher,” James Martin, announced via Facebook that the restaurant will be closed for the first two weeks of January. The time will be spent performing maintenance and planning for future improvements. Keep your eyes peeled from an abundance of good things to come including updated curbside service and updates to the restaurant’s interior.

An Award Winning Health Nut

Many of us will opt to join the healthy side this month, as we often do at the beginning of a new year. But, that doesn’t mean we have to skip the treats—with a small batch bakery in Branson serving gluten-free, no sugar added, all-natural muffins, we really can have it all. 

Sarah Coday began selling her healthy treats about a year ago, in February 2020. Originally from the island of Trinidad, Coday grew up eating fresh, healthy foods, unlike her husband Daniel who she met in Branson. She developed her gluten-free, no sugar added, all-natural muffin recipe about ten years ago as a ploy to get her husband eating healthier. Her creation was a hit among friends and family, so she decided to share it with her community. Last October, just eight months after opening, Sarah’s Treats won the Silver Award in the dessert category of the 2020 Best of Branson. We’re dying to get our hands on one of these muffins, available at grocery stores across Branson, and ring in the new year with a treat that not only tastes good but makes us feel good, too!

New Coffee Comes to Nixa

When I was growing up in Nixa, something that always drove me crazy was the lack of coffee options. I was lucky to gain Walkabout Coffee Shop sometime in high school but, beyond that, I was always driving to Springfield. To say the least, I’m jealous of the abundance of coffee Nixans now have. Two new coffee shops sprung up in the later part of last year, bringing the city’s total to three. Cup of Joe is a quaint little scarlet food truck parked in front of Coyote’s Nixa Grill. “Quality coffee for a quality life,” is their motto, and we hear they follow through. Chance of Sno & Coffee Co. is the other new shop in town, located just west of Nixa’s downtown on West Mount Vernon (or Highway 14). While Cup of Joe’s serves more traditional, back-to-the-basics quality coffee, Chance of Sno & Coffee Co.’s menu is a bit more done-up with specialty lattes and their signature sno: a dairy-free combination of shaved ice and ice cream. Both spots offer drive thru service, which I’m also hugely jealous of.

Updates Abound

There are so many reasons to be excited for the year ahead, but we’ll start here. Downtown hot-spot European Cafe is developing a new breakfast spot called Rise, which we wrote about a little while back. They’ve officially taken to Instagram to post updates on their square-side spot and we can’t wait to see it in person when they open next month. Prairie Pie will also open up shop downtown this year, and they’ve been posting updates via Instagram, too. We don’t have an official open date for them yet, but they say it’s “SOON!”

In case you missed it, Cherry Picker Package x Fare got a little facelift last month. The little corner shop is looking cute and cozy as ever with her new coat of paint, and I can’t wait to go grab a Spiced Oddity latte soon (I’m seriously obsessed). And, finally, The Coffee Ethic is getting a bit of an update, too. Since a small, overnight fire in late November, they’ve been serving to-go and curbside orders, only and working on repairs. The timeline is a bit hazy, but they’re working to get things up and running as normal ASAP, and making a few improvements to improve their workflow. They’ve commemorated the unfortunate incident and, really, all of 2020 with a limited-release pull-over sweatshirt that will be available in shop soon.