I lived in southwest Missouri for several months but never acquired a taste for Springfield cashew chicken. I was definitely in the minority. Around Springfield, every restaurant has its own spin on the dish, and locals gobble it up like mad.
Yesterday The New York Times featured the regional delicacy and was much too kind in describing it as "deep-fried chicken chunks in a brown slurry of soy sauce, oyster sauce and stock, scattered with green onions and halved cashews." In reality, Springfield-style is chicken nuggets covered in a gravy with some cashews. It's as American as apple pie.
The article goes on to say that Springfield has an obscene number of Chinese restaurants and that "in St. Louis and Kansas City, cashew chicken is served 'Springfield style.'"
A lot of the area restaurants that served "Springfield-style" have closed, though. Gee's Jade Wind in the Northland has closed. Max Chao has long since closed his original restaurant Max's Noodles & More, which featured a version that Charles Ferruzza called sublime.
The consensus on Chowhound is that the best place for Springfield-style is in Mission, at Fire Wok. You can also get it from two drive-throughs at China Feast (200 East Linwood, 816-561-8886, and 6216 Troost, 816-363-5151).
Every Springfield resident I've talked to insists that no matter the style, the cashew chicken here doesn't compare. I'd like to prove them wrong, but first I'm going to have to learn to like the dish.
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I'm always excited to visit this blog in the evenings.Please keep on churning out the content. It's very entertaining.
My friend has been searching for a Springfield Cashew Chicken similar to that at the Bamboo Inn (both in Springfield and Mt. Vernon) and can't find it. I tell him he is imagining things, but reading your last paragraph makes me wonder if he isn't correct. Anyone?
/I personally wouldn't know anything about it
I lived in Springfield for over 20 years and still find Cashew Chicken to be just ok. It sort of depends on which restaurant you go to, like the breading of the chicken or the sauce is different. However, in general, the taste is pretty simple. Most people don't really need to acquire a taste for it, it's just ok to eat.
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