Comings and Goings

A new event, a new nightclub and a new place to buy a saddle (and wine).

Mmmm... Tastes Like Springfield

In an effort to attract the masses to Park Central Square before it changes forever (click here for more on that), the Urban Districts Alliance is setting the table for the first-ever Taste of Springfield, a daylong showcase of food and beer. St. Louis types will recognize such an event—Taste of St. Louis is a mammoth party held downtown every year. Will Springfield’s stack up?

The event, which will have food samples from more than two dozen restaurants beginning at 1 p.m., will stretch down South Avenue. Activities include cooking demonstrations, live music (the band Lost Highway is scheduled), a cake-decorating competition and a sandwich-making showdown between four different local sandwich joints—Lenny’s, O’Connell’s Center City Deli, Planet Sub and Dagwood’s Sandwich Shoppes.

Thankfully, there will also be a beer garden featuring national brews as well as local selections from Hickok’s and Springfield Brewing Company.

Admission to Taste of Springfield is free, though you can only get samples by buying coupon books (10 tickets for $10, according to itsalldowntown.com).

New Nightclub Coming Downtown

We’d heard some talk, but until last week had received nothing official. Now it’s official: Jewel Nightclub, a Vegas-style club that claims it will be “Springfield’s only Luxury Nightclub” will be opening “soon” downtown.

The tricky part? We don’t know where it’s going to be, and the press release was no help—it simply says the location of the club will be revealed one week prior to opening. Clues: the PR says Jewel will be two stories, feature a VIP room, a waterfall and an ultra-modern floorplan. [Editor: We encourage random speculation—just read this story online and leave story comments on where you think the club will be.]

The grand opening, the PR says, will be invite-only, hosted by MTV and feature a well-known guest DJ. (Question: Wouldn’t you want the public at such a grand opening?) Perhaps our judgement is clouded by competitive instinct: Jewel’s owner is Jesse Witham, also the publisher of Downtown Beat magazine.

Does this vertical integration mean Beat won’t be writing about all the other clubs downtown anymore? Either way, it’ll be interesting to see what another high end club can add to the downtown mix.

Wine Stores: The New Black?

Brown Derby really started something, huh? The latest specialty wine and cheese shop to hit Springfield comes to you courtesy of the folks at PFI Western Store (2816 S. Ingram Mill Rd., 417-889-2668). Diamond Ridge Market and Saddle City, part of the PFI Town expansion that includes the ex-Club Nutrition and Fitness building, opened September 22 and offers more than 400 wines and 120 varieties of cheese. Other amenities include a 16 foot wine-tasting bar, which will be in operation all hours the store is open.

The goofiest bit (dare we call it brilliant?)—PFI’s saddle section is also moving to the Diamond Ridge market. The freed-up space at PFI will be used for more boots. It all sounds a bit Sideways-meets-Urban Cowboy… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.