Best of the Quest: The Horseshoe Quest of 2011 Awards

The summer of 2011 started with a simple question, who has the best horseshoe in Springfield? As the debate progressed, we realized that the task of naming a winner was not nearly as simple as we originally thought. The discussion led to the creation of a short list of about a half dozen horseshoe restaurants.   This list then evolved into the Horseshoe Quest of 2011. The Quest was expanded to include 15 restaurants in Central Illinois, but could have easily featured more than that.  Since time was an issue, the list was finalized and the Quest began with Norb Andy’s Tabarian.

The idea for the Horseshoe Quest blog hadn’t fully developed until after our first stop, and we never imagined that we would get more than a few hundred views over the course of the summer. The two of us had discussions with several of our friends as to how to best create a fair and unprejudiced rating system.  We concluded that a 0-100 rating system would be the best way to rate the three main components of the horseshoe.  The two of us would also assign an overall score based on the entire experience, which would encompass everything from uniqueness, to presentation, and even price.  The Quest started off with an incredible horseshoe at Norb Andy’s, and our first stop eventually turned out to be one of the Best of the Quest. 

As the Quest continued, we perfected our rating system and started attracting more readers to the blog.  The rating system was consistent and fair, since all preexisting opinions of the restaurant were checked at the door. The Quest was gaining more notoriety and our goal was to have fun, but we always wanted to remain professional.  Our blog caught a big break when Kathy Rem spotlighted the Horseshoe Quest in the SJ-R.  Our blog exploded in popularity and we would like to thank the thousands of readers (as well as Kathy Rem) who made us the 2^nd highest read article for the entire week. 

The Horseshoe Quest of 2011 was completed only a few months after its start, but the Quest is certainly not finished.  We plan on reviewing more horseshoes in the upcoming months, but with school back in session, the Quest will be taking a brief hiatus.  Again, thank you to the thousands of readers of the blog; it has been an absolute blast and we genuinely hope that all of you enjoyed reading about our Quest. Now, without further ado, let’s get down to the Best of the Quest awards!

Biggest Surprise: Track Shack

Best Traditional Horseshoe: D’Arcy’s Pint

Best Unique Horseshoe: Catie Girl’s / Corner Pub Horseshoe Pizza

Best New Horseshoe: Boulevard Tap & Grill

Best Cheese Sauce: D’Arcy’s Pint / Catie Girl’s

Best Meat: Norb Andy’s

Best Fries: Verda Mae’s

Best Overall Horseshoe: Norb Andy’s

Best Horseshoe Restaurant: D’Arcy’s Pint

The Last Stop: Top Cat’s Chill & Grill

As the Horseshoe Quest of 2011 draws to a close, we were literally able to taste the finish line.  Fifteen horseshoes later and one very memorable summer, we found ourselves ending the Quest at Top Cat’s Chill & Grill.  Top Cat’s is certainly not the classiest establishment we have visited on our Quest, nevertheless, it is one of Springfield‘s favorite horseshoe destinations.  Top Cat’s seems to be a little bit dated, as there aren’t very many  flat-screen TVs lining the walls, and the decor gives it a distinct feel of being stuck in the 1990’s.  However, just because the restaurant isn’t on the cutting edge of technology, it doesn’t really mean much, since we are there to grade the horseshoe. Putting the interior design aside, Top Cat’s definitely makes a very good horseshoe.  

We decided to order the pork tenderloin horseshoe, because it was very highly rated by our waiter.  We were told that many restaurants use frozen pork patties, but Top Cat’s uses fresh pork tenderloins on every shoe. The tenderloins are prepared and served fresh, and we could really taste a difference in the horseshoe. The freshness of the pork tenderloin definitely stood out and it was one of the better meat choices we have encountered on the Quest.  This horseshoe features the fries on top of the cheese sauce; a quality that we believe improves the overall quality of the shoe.  The fries were not too thick or too thin, and they were just about the right size of fry that should be on a horseshoe.   Most importantly, they were able to stay hot and crisp through the meal, a trait that was aided by being on top of the cheese sauce.  The sauce itself was high quality and deserved a high score.  We have encountered better cheese sauces on the Quest, but this sauce would be able to hold its own when compared to some the elite cheese sauces.  

Top Cat’s was a fitting final stop to our official Quest.  Over the summer we enjoyed over 20 horseshoes and we were thrilled to be able to end the Quest on a high note.  This horseshoe is deserving of an A rating, and Top Cat's warrants consideration as one of the better horseshoe restaurants in Springfield.  Top Cat’s is a place where you can always order a horseshoe every time that you visit; and 9 times out of 10, you will enjoy it. The Horseshoe Quest of 2011 officially ended at Top Cat’s Chill & Grill, and we can undoubtedly say that this restaurant is one that you certainly need to visit. 

Cheese: 87

Meat: 88

Fries: 89

Overall Score: 90

Green with Envy: Lime Street Café

Lime Street Café is located on the West side of Springfield in the Clocktower business plaza (right off Durkin Drive).  The restaurant offers a more of an upper scale dining experience, but it has a moderate price range and is definitely suitable for casual attire.  While the all brick exterior of the building is traditional and conservative, the interior design can only be described as unusual.  Guitars and other musical instruments can be seen hanging from the ceiling, and several of the walls are lined with mirrors, creating an optical illusion that the restaurant is actually twice as large.  The dining area is a bit small, but it is large enough to hold an ample dining crowd.  Lime Street Café has a very relaxed atmosphere and it could be a nice place to enjoy a quiet dinner. 

We ordered a chicken horseshoe (no hot sauce this time), and it was pretty good.  The horseshoe was better than some, but it didn’t have any one aspect that could differentiate it from many of the horseshoes on the Quest.  The presentation of the horseshoe was the most interesting part of this meal.  The shoe was served in a skillet shaped dish and it was able to keep the horseshoe from moving around, as well as kept the horseshoe evenly balanced throughout the meal.  The horseshoe was very filling and looked a lot smaller than it actually was. The cheese sauce on this shoe was pretty good overall.  The cheese was more of a mix between the white and yellow styles, and it was very tasty.  The meat was nothing too impressive, but it did not distract us from the overall experience.  The fries were solid and were much thicker than many of the fries on the Quest.  The added potato flavor really complemented the cheese sauce well and added a boost to the horseshoe. 

This stop on our Quest was acceptable, but not spectacular. It was better than several horseshoes in Springfield, but it is not the best in town.  If you ever find yourself at Lime Street Café and you are in the mood for a horseshoe, you will not be disappointed. With that being said, it is not a place that you should drive out of your way to try their horseshoe.  I’m sure there are plenty of other wonderful items on Lime Street Café’s menu and we recommend checking out an alternative to the horseshoe.

Cheese: 84
Meat: 80
Fries: 84
Overall Score: 84

A Hidden Treasure: Verda Mae's

The latest stop on the Quest we journeyed farther than we had ever previously gone, into the unfamiliar territory of Waverly, Illinois. Neither of us had ever been to Waverly before, so we literally had no idea what to expect.  When we arrived at Verda Mae’s, with a little help from a sign on the side of the road, we were greeted with an environment that had the distinct feel of a small town restaurant. 

When ordering the Horseshoes we were hit with more choices than we previously anticipated.  Verda Mae’s offers a Mexican horseshoe that sounded delightfully unique.  In place of the bread, this creation includes a tortilla with meat and fries, and then is topped with green chili salsa, black olives, and sour cream as well as the cheese sauce.  While this sounded like something we would both enjoy, we decided to play it safe and go with their buffalo chicken.  However, we didn’t play it completely safe, because we ordered ours with “fat fries,” in place of their traditional fries.  

The moment of truth finally came, and we were completely blown away.  This horseshoe had everything we could have wanted.  The cheese sauce was a white sauce with a nice balance of flavors.  One thing we both noticed about the cheese when it arrived was that it seemed to be rather thin.  This is something that off the start we thought would be a negative, but turned out to be a big addition to the overall quality of the meal.  The consistency being thin at the start really helped the cheese to not become overly thick as it cooled. This is a common problem in horseshoes and one that Verda Mae’s seems to have found the solution to. 

The meat was very good and the buffalo sauce provided a great bite that both of us enjoyed greatly.  This buffalo chicken was not the best that we have had so far, but it fit perfectly with this horseshoe.  The flavor of the hot sauce really mixed well with the cheese, and the fries really tied the whole plate together. Verda Mae’s offers two types of fries, traditional and fat fries.  We decided to choose fat fries, which are fries that have been battered prior to being fried.   The fries were the best part of this horseshoe, and are easily some of the best fries that we have had on the Quest.  These fries sound like they could be extremely heavy and weigh the horseshoe down, but we did not feel this way at all, and in our opinion they completed this horseshoe perfectly.

Verda Mae’s is definitely one of the better stops on our Quest. There is no doubt that it will be competing for several spots on Best of the Quest.  Even though Waverly, IL is about a 30-minute drive from Springfield, we definitely recommend giving it a try.  Verda Mae’s is by far the best horseshoe we have reviewed outside of the capital city.  The drive is easy enough and the fat fries make the journey worth the extra travel time.  If this restaurant was located in Springfield, we wholeheartedly believe that it would be one of the more popular spots in town.  Verda Mae’s is a hidden treasure that shouldn’t remain that way for much longer. 

Cheese: 93
Meat: 89
Fries: 93
Overall Score: 93

You Totally Redeemed Yourself: The Dublin Pub (Bonus Blog)

For this bonus blog we decided to take a trip back to one of our previous stops that did not live up to expectations.  We headed back to Dublin Pub for a chance at redemption for what has become known as, “the debacle.” The first time we visited Dublin Pub on the Quest, we had high hopes for their horseshoe pizza and it did not live up to expectations. Their horseshoe pizza remains the lowest rated stop on our Quest thus far. Having Dublin Pub at the bottom of the list was something that we were very uncomfortable with, considering Dublin is one of our most frequented locations for a shoe. 

We decided to play it safe and order the buffalo chicken horseshoe with white cheese sauce. We were able to breathe a sigh of relief as the horseshoe arrived at our table, because we could already tell that it was going to be a great horseshoe.  The shoe was freshly prepared and the fries were very hot. The cheese sauce was easily one of the better sauces that we have had on the Quest, and we were very pleased with the overall quality of this horseshoe.  The fries were hot, the cheese sauce was an excellent consistency, and the buffalo chicken was living up to the standards. This is the kind of effort that we expected from Dublin Pub. 

We came in with an open-mind and we were pleased with the quality of the horseshoe that we were given.  Everything about the horseshoe was above average and had no weak link.  The scores will reflect the overall great quality, but no one aspect truly stands out to give it a chance of Best on the Quest.  The Dublin Pub will consistently give you a good horseshoe and is highly recommended for a shoe of any occasion.

Cheese: 91
Meat: 90
Fries: 90
Overall Score: 91

Will the Real Horseshoe Pizza Please Stand Up: The Corner Pub & Grill (Bonus Blog)

The Corner Pub & Grill is an Irish-American themed restaurant located on the West side of Springfield.  The Corner offers a wide variety of both food and drink choices, but one of their most unique creations is the Horseshoe Pizza.  The Corner was one of the first (if not the 1^st) restaurants to combine a pizza with the horseshoe, and the mixture is a true delight for any diehard horseshoe fan.  This horseshoe pizza is an actual hybrid of both a horseshoe and a pizza and is unlike anything else in Springfield. 

The horseshoe pizza starts with a pizza crust and then is topped with all the usual fixings.  The fries, the meat, and even the cheese sauce can all be found on this pizza.  The whole dish is then baked to perfection, creating a horseshoe that can be eaten by hand. Of course, it is still easier to enjoy the horseshoe pizza with utensils, but the option to ditch the fork is out there.  The pizza is thick, due to the heavy number of fries and toppings loaded on top of the crust. This pizza is very reasonably priced, and is definitely enough food to split between 2-3 people.  Under all normal circumstances, we would never recommend taking any horseshoe home to eat as leftovers. However, in the case of a horseshoe pizza, it actually reheats wonderfully.  On numerous occasions, the horseshoe pizza has been taken to-go and then reheated at another time. Every time it has been a success. 

Unfortunately, our scores for the Corner Pub & Grill are currently incomplete.  The official score would easily be in excess of 90, and would earn the seal of approval from both of the contributors.  Nevertheless, this post is designed to be more a follow-up to the horseshoe pizza debacle that we encountered at Dublin Pub.  It was our intention to demonstrate that there is an excellent horseshoe pizza in Springfield, and we recommend this dish to all horseshoe fans.