SILVER SEVENS

I'd been hearing about Silver Sevens over the last few months and seeing some good commentary on social media about its food, so I figured it was time to give it a try. I'm glad I did.

Silver Sevens is located on Lake Plaza Drive just off of Stevenson Drive. For those in need of a landmark, it's located across the street from Déjà Vu. Parking might be tight if Silver Sevens is at full capacity, but the day we visited it was not a problem, and the restaurant was about two-thirds full. Surprisingly, we only saw one gambler at the video gaming terminals.

There's a small bar area and a compact kitchen together with a drive-up window that was being put to quite a bit of use. The space is clean, if somewhat spartan, and has plenty of TVs, most of which were tuned to various sporting events. Thanks to all of the front-wall windows there's plenty of light, something unusual for video gaming in my experience.

Silver Sevens' menu reminded us of a diner's menu — sandwiches, burgers, horseshoes and daily specials. All handhelds come with homemade chips and tots or fries are available for a $2 upcharge. We visited on a Monday, and the special was the ribeye-steak sandwich and chips ($8.50). Although it's not on the menu, Silver Sevens' Facebook page promotes fish specials (served with chips and slaw or potato salad) on Fridays and Saturdays ($10 shrimp, $9.50 for two pieces of fish and $11 for three pieces of fish). Tacos and a handful of salads are also on the menu if you aren't looking for diner or tavern fare. Finally, if you're inclined, Silver Sevens serves alcohol, as a gaming parlor.

Food comes out in baskets lined with wax paper and the portions are quite fair for the prices, which we found to be reasonable. Service was friendly and excellent. Although there was only one server on duty, we were well-attended to, and our drinks were kept topped up. I particularly appreciated being given a to-go glass as we were paying our check. As to paying the check, Silver Sevens' servers all have tablets on which orders are placed and hand-held credit card machines, which gives customers peace of mind knowing the location of their cards at all times.

We decided to start with bowls of chili ($5.50). They came with onions and cheese on the side. My guests liked the color, grease quotient and the heat level, but opinions were unanimous that it lacked the necessary chili flavor. Nonetheless, we all finished off our bowls.

Silver Sevens bills itself as offering the best pork tenderloin – period. So, naturally, I had to give it a try ($8.50). This was a pretty big sandwich – enough for two traditionally sized offerings. It had a nice crust and was very well-seasoned. I opted for tots, and they paired well with the sandwich. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that it was the best pork tenderloin ever, but it was pretty darn good.

One of my guests opted for the double cheeseburger ($6.50) and fries. It was a smashburger that reportedly had a nice crust. She particularly appreciated that the bun was nicely toasted but found the fries to be somewhat soggy. On the plus side, they were reported as well-seasoned.

My other guest decided on the ribeye sandwich with the homemade chips. We all sampled the chips, and they were the star of the show – well seasoned, crispy and browned but not burnt, with just a hint of softness in the middle. They were the perfect vehicle to scoop up some ketchup. And speaking of ketchup, we were impressed that our ketchup bottle, unlike so many other restaurants, was filled to the top. The ribeye was also nicely cooked and was generously sized.

Silver Sevens isn't a fancy restaurant, nor is its food. But it's fresh, made with quality ingredients, at reasonable prices and with generous portions. Couple it with some good service, and we understand why we've heard so many good things about it.

Address: 3217 Lake Plaza Drive, Springfield

Phone: 217-585-0460

Website: silversevengamingpub.com

Kitchen Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.