D'Arcy's Pint Restaurant in Springfield, Illinois: The Ultimate Horseshoe Sandwich

Springfield, Illinois, is famous, not only for Abraham Lincoln, but also for their creation called the Horseshoe sandwich. What is a horseshoe sandwich you ask, well a Horseshoe sandwich is a delicious open-faced sandwich layered toast, meat, french fries, and then a delicious cheese sauce. Sounds simple enough, right. If you go anywhere within a 50 mile radius of Springfield, Illinois, the chances of finding a restaurant that serves a Horseshoes will be limited though so if you want one guaranteed to please your palate, drop into D'Arcy's Pint Restaurant, located at 661 W Stanford Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. Although D'Arcy's Pint was not the originator of the Horseshoe, in my opinion, they have one of the best around. D'Arcy's Pint restaurant offers your choice of meat from ham, corn beef, turkey, bacon, hamburger, grilled chicken or Italian Sausage or even a vegetable horseshoe. They also have their specialty Horseshoes as well. A full Horseshoe ranges from $7.50 to $7.75 and a Ponyshoe from $6.50 to $6.75. For a first timers horseshoe experience, I suggest going with a ponyshoe, as D'Arcy's Pint is extremely generous in their size portions.

Originally, the Horseshoe sandwich presented with a couple slices of thick sourdough bread and topped with ham or hamburger, fries, then the cheese sauce. Joe Schweska and Steve Tomko of the Leland Hotel first made horseshoes back in 1928. Many speculations have been made to the why behind the horseshoe sandwich. The most common response one would hear is that it was a hardy meal for the horsemen that frequented the hotel. Some say it was a tribute to the horsemen where others claim it was an accident due to too much food on one plate and just became a hit. It is believed that the metal platter that the horseshoe was served on represented the anvil that a horseshoe was formed on, that the ham was the shoe and the fries the nails that secured the shoe. That does not explain the cheese sauce though. If you are ever at a loss of conversation while visiting Springfield, bring up the question of how the horseshoe originated and you will hear all kinds of folk lore stories.

One of my favorite variations of the horseshoe sandwich, that is a family pleaser, includes bacon of course. I have included a few pictures of the steps of compiling our family favorite. At the base, or bottom of your plate I place a single slice of toast, (we prefer whole wheat), top that with a char grilled hamburger, topped with grilled or sautéed green peppers and onions, top that with crispy fried bacon, top that with a ton of crispy French fries and smother it all in tons of cheese sauce. Your cheese sauce is up to you, whatever your taste may be. The traditional cheese sauce used on horseshoe sandwich was a Welsh rarebit sauce. We use a cheese sauce made from Velveeta cheese, milk, a small amount of beer, flour, and Ragu Double Cheddar Cheese Sauce.

I feel the need to add a disclaimer to this article for health purposes. I will be the first to admit this is probably not the best choice for a meal for anyone who is watching their weight, has high cholesterol, bad heart, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure or anyone who is on dang near any dietary plan. However, it is one meal you will not forget!