Email this page  Print this page

The Hot List Issue: 2008

Illustration Kari Engel

If you’ve been reading for a couple of years, you know what August means to GO Magazine. It’s our birthday, of course! To celebrate, we pull together a big honkin’ issue of 56 people, places, facts and dishes we dig, call it the Hot List Issue, and throw a party.

Of course we’re doing it again, but with a twist. To celebrate our third birthday, you, our readers, are going to help us decide 10 of our Hot List items. We’ve started the process by choosing the (predictably random) categories and five finalists. Then, beginning July 16, you are invited to vote on your favorites at springfieldgo.com. You can vote as often as you like, and each Wednesday morning the previous week’s lowest vote-receiver will be booted from the competition. The competition ends with the two remaining choices from each category facing off for your vote August 6-13. Winners will be announced (along with our 46 editor’s picks) in the August 27 issue of GO.

Remember, voting starts first thing in the morning on Wednesday, July 16, and continues for almost a month. You can vote as many times as you like. Here is the ballot (categories in no particular order, items alphabetized to the best of our abilities):

Hot Dinner Entertainment

• Belly dancers/Irish nights at Galloway Station: Part of periodic Greek Night festivities.
• Cowboy shootout at Hickok’s Steakhouse and Brewery: A First Friday staple reminiscent of Silver Dollar City, but with beer.
• Opera singers at Macaroni Grill: At least once per shift, a warbling so-and-so ups the Italian factor.
• Showtunes during Nonna’s Cast Party: The city’s most inventive open-mic night, every Sunday at 6 p.m.
• Line-dancing at Texas Roadhouse: Staffers boot-scoot their boogie every hour. Mmm, rolls!

Hot Place for a Hot Kiss

• Dressing room at Eros Boutique: There’s room for two, and a pole. ’Nuff said.
• Elevator in Hammons Tower: It’s a fast elevator—how fast can you be before it gets to the bottom?
• ICON’s VIP couch: Yeah, it’s crowded. You might have to share a bit. Damn.
• Men’s bathroom at Jewel: We don’t normally hold with women in the men’s restroom, but the one-way mirrors looking out on unsuspecting people are just too hot to pass up.
• Kiss Cam at Hammons Field: It’s the best promotion going, and leads to more scoring than the average outing by Kerry Wood.

Hot Place to Have the Rowdiest Night of Your Life

• Electric Cowboy: The new kid on the block, with great promotions and big buzz.
• Ernie Biggs: Downtown’s go-to spot for debauchery.
• Martha’s Vineyard: The gays already love it, and when your straight friends start showing up you know it’s a night to remember.
• Midnight Rodeo: There’s a rotating bar, and we line danced. The fact that that’s all we can remember justifies the Rodeo’s inclusion on this list.
• Roadhouse Cycles: Little known fact—bikers like to drink. Who knew?

Hot Foo-Foo Drink

• Jungle Boogie martini at MudLounge
• McDreamy at Fedora
• Naughty Schoolgirl at Kai
• The Big O at Bubbles
• Strawberry Fields at Parlor 88

Hot Cougar Den (where the Kim Cattralls of the world hang out.)

• Cartoons
• The New Key Largo
• Metropolitan Grill (bar)
• Parlor 88
• Touch Bar

Hot Hybrid Hangout (more than one use for a venue)

• Diamond Ridge Market and Saddle City: Half wine shop, half saddle store (though strangely no vintage leather, sorry)
• The Outland (half music club, half dive bar)
• Rivals Casual Grille (half sports bar/restaurant, half Chuck-E-Cheese)
• The Roadhouse (half cycle shop, half music venue)
• The Skinny Improv (half theatre, half comedy club, occasional wedding hall)

Hot Free Entertainment

• First Friday Art Walk: Lots of free stuff. To look at. To eat. We’ll stop there.
• Ozarks Greenway Trails: Yeah, you pay taxes for them. But on a beautiful spring day, who thinks of that?
• Patton Alley’s trivia night: Trivia nights are popping up more and more, but doing it on a Sunday night sets the Pub apart.
• People watching: Seriously, it’s the Ozarks. Sit down at the mall, the fair or even Hammons Field for a free sociology lesson.
• Park Central Library branch: Free Internet, newspapers (from other states, even!), magazines and book and DVD rentals make this our favorite spot to be sophisticated.

Hot Hangover Killer

• Hooters’ Bloody Mary bar: No kidding. Mix your own, and clear your head.
• Jalapeño omelet at George’s: Those who have tried it swear by it.
• The Mystery Jeff at Gailey’s: Named for the frequent patron, this is both good for you (fruit covered with yogurt and granola) and bad (eggs and sweet browns).
• Sampler platter at Ziggie’s: If Ziggie’s serves it for breakfast, it’s represented here. A good idea at 2 a.m.
• Susie’s Slinger at Merle’s: Downtown’s favorite hotdoggery also serves breakfast. Sweet Susie treats your right with this huge plate of breakfast-y goodness.

Hot Under-the-Radar Sports Team

• Drury Lady Panthers basketball
• Missouri State Ice Bears hockey
• Springfield Lasers tennis
• Springfield Rollergirls roller derby
• Springfield Rugby Football Club

Hot Semi-Insane Male Radio Personality

• E-Man, Q102.1: He’s subdued on-air, but the guy’s a party animal. Trust us.
• Kevin Howard, Alice/ESPN 1400: Perhaps only insane because of his work schedule, but the voice of the Cardinals (in-stadium) is pretty zany.
• Simon Nytes, Z106.7: No one gets people calling in like Simon.
• J. Fotsch, Power 96.5: The caffeine intake of Fotsch’s Morning Buzz partner Dawn McClain’s explains it all.
• George Spankmeister, U.S. 97: The veteran of this group, Spankmeister is a local radio demigod.