Two-Minute Review: Tonic Ultralounge

Vegas–style is all the rage, but drinks are drinks. We put Tonic's menu to the test.

The dimly lit Tonic Ultralounge (317 Park Central East, 417-863-7575) greets you with a chic wall of lazy water falling and seating options of high bar tables or intimate VIP-style booths. The atmosphere gives the feeling of a lounge found in an upscale Las Vegas hotel. The drink menu follows suit, offering unique concoctions with high-class names like Elixir and Go Juice. Try the Go Juice—you can barely tell there is alcohol in it. But what really has people buzzing at Tonic is the food menu (they won the “best of show” category at the recent Taste of Springfield event downtown).

For dinner I chose the grilled vegetable skewer ($9). It came out deliciously presented on a bed of red pepper hummus and pita points. The vegetables where marinated in charmoula sauce, giving it a very bold and mildly spicy flavor. My boyfriend ordered the crab cakes ($10) which were baked crisp with more crab than cake. The cakes were served with a chipotle pepper cream sauce that gave it an unusual kick for seafood. For dessert we shared deep-fried chocolate brownies, fried in chocolate batter and served with raspberry and chocolate sauce. The brownies were ooey-gooey in the middle, which I thought was sinfully perfect. My boyfriend felt that they where not fully cooked. The brownies surrounded a dish of very homemade-tasting vanilla bean ice cream.

Our bubbly server was very attentive and interested in what we thought of each item. Tonic’s prices are typical for a downtown establishment—but fortunately much cheaper than Vegas.