7 Good Things

These dishes or drinks have passed our lips and met our approval, and we think they'll meet yours, too.

1. With its reclaimed-wood furniture and environmentally sensitive everything, you might be learning more about The Coffee Ethic (124 Park Central Square, Springfield, 417-866-6645) if you visit the soon-to-open downtown branch of Springfield–Greene County Library next door. The Coffee Ethic serves a truly refined set of gourmet single-origin coffees. At $2.25 per cup, they’re steep, but like wine varietals, each bean has its own taste.

2. Souped-up comfort food: Little Saigon (1402 W. Sunshine St., Springfield, 417-865-6664) serves tasty bo bun hue. It’s a Vietnamese pho soup with lots of noodles, bits of pork and shrimp balls with fresh sprouts, fiery peppers and soothing herbs on the side. And it’s inexpensive, too: Just $5.99.

3. Cluck contentedly after a visit to The French Hen (1015 State Highway 248, Branson, 417-336-4436), particularly if you’ve pecked your way through the café’s delicious sourdough grilled cheese or sipped its lobster bisque. ($6.99 on Fridays for both, with a drink). “Fabulous… or should I say très bien,” gushes a friend who ordinarily does not use the French language.

4. Salad perfection: Find it at Chateau Grille (415 State Highway 265, Branson, 417-334-1161). It has a salad topped with toffee pecans, super-thin slices of apple, Gorgonzola cheese and grilled portobello mushrooms, dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. “A little sweet, but the portobellos had a delicious tangy marinade on them that added some zip, so it balanced out,” says one of our colleagues at GO Magazine. ($8)

5. Ohana (310 W. Battlefield, Springfield, 417-823-7788) has charmed Springfield since it opened. A friend tells us she loves a chicken dish served there. “The ‘not-teriyaki’ chicken,” she says. “It’s yokosabi, or something like that.” Actually it’s yakisoba. Served with chicken, it’s a dish of noodles resembling ramen or lo mein, stirred with a wonderfully rich sauce. ($14.95)

6. Sushi House (3310 W. 76 Country Road Blvd., Branson, 417-336-3788) in Branson opened recently. Our favorite thing there: The Alaska roll ($8.50).

7. Lebanon is perhaps not synonymous with so-called “ethnic” cuisines, but the town of 12,000 has an excellent Mexican restaurant: El Charro (699 S. Monroe St., Lebanon, 417-532-0087). The best dish: Chiliverde ($8.49), a dish of pork braised a long time in green chile sauce.

7 Good Things is chosen by the editors of 417 Magazine as a service to readers. We’ve tried everything on this list, and we like it. Click Contact on 417mag.com to send us your 7 Good Things suggestions.