Downtown Joplin Third Thursday Art Walk

Hi everyone,

I would like to thank you for reading my blog. In just over two weeks you have taken a look at my humble opinion(s) over 420 times! That shows that there are indeed quite a few people who care about food in Joplin, and want to know about what is going on here.

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This main content of this post will serve as more of a commercial than anything else. Tomorrow is a very special day in Joplin for two reasons, and this post will focus on one – the first Third Thursday Artwalk of 2011! (In case you didn’t know, tomorrow is also St. Patrick’s Day, but more on that later.)

I would like to assume that you are already familiar with the art walk and have been participating in it for the past two years, but if you are unfamiliar with it, here is why I’d recommend you make it downtown tomorrow evening. First of all, it is without a doubt the coolest thing that happens in Joplin. There are art galleries, musicians, food, and exciting people to meet from 2nd street all the way down to 10th. If you didn’t know any better, you could possibly find yourself thinking that you were in a bigger city that had much more culture than we do – but the fact is it’s in Joplin. Contrary to popular opinion, we do have a lot of culture and excitement to offer and this is your best chance to experience and support it.

If you’ve lived here for more than a couple of years, you’ve likely noticed that Main Street is slowly but surely making a come back from commercial obscurity. New businesses are opening downtown, including new and exciting restaurants. (Also, the first restaurant review I did as part of this blog, Columbia Traders, is downtown – and will be hosting musician Adam Francis as part of the 3Th art walk. )

The most significant reason I draw your attention to it is that there are a lot of great places for a foodie with discerned taste to experience.  The following is originally from a Facebook note by Downtown Joplin, who I highly recommend you “like” in order to keep up on exciting events in the area.

Attendees are reminded that when attending the “Third Thursday” event that there is an array of dining options in the downtown area, including:

• The Vinery Wine Shop (120 S. Main)
• El Rey Tacos, Burritos & More (212 S. Main)
• Caldone’s (218 S. Main)
• Arde’s Bistro (407 S. Main)
• Columbia Traders (420 S. Main)
• Blackthorn Pizza (510 S. Joplin)
• Hackett’s Hot Wings (520 S. Main)
• Instant Karma Gourmet Hot Dogs (527 S. Main)
• Club 609 (609 S. Main)
• The Red Onion (203 East 4th Street)

You can read more of the note here to see other highlights of the art walk.

Anyhow, if you’re free tomorrow evening, I hope you seriously consider partaking in all that Joplin has to offer (and if you see me walking around, by all means come say “hi.”)

Hackett Hot Wings

So I’ve gone a little while without posting this week, so I intend to make up for it by writing two posts today.

One of my top 5 favorite places to eat in Joplin is Hackett Hot Wings. This place is hands-down the best place to get a hot wing in the greater Joplin area, and that’s saying something. There are a few places around here that serve hot wings, and a few more who even specialize in it, but Hackett’s is the best.

Hackett’s is a family owned and operated restaurant that has been in Joplin since 2003. I feel comfortable saying that they are the best because the family is originally from Memphis, and they brought their knowledge of how a hot wing is supposed to taste with them when they came to Joplin. They started out in a little hole-in-the-wall on Broadway Street, and have since grown to be a landmark on Main Street.

When you order, you’ll be happily surprised at how affordable their wings are (unlike at some other places). But don’t think that that means they’re going to give you a sub-par wing. I honestly wasn’t all that crazy about wings until I had theirs, so I am something of a skeptic turned convert I guess. Not just any wing could have done that – this is as gourmet as a hot wing can get.

Also, the atmosphere is great. While they do let you order for take out, I suggest you eat there. First of all, it’s a cool building downtown. The atmosphere might just transport you back to Memphis. People like being at Hackett’s so much that I’ve seen a quite a few parties going on in there. Your wait may take a while, but that is not a count against them. It’s because they make their wings fresh for every order. No heat lamps here. And finally, you’ll likely get to talk to one of the Hackett’s, who are pretty charming people.

If you’ve never been there, they do serve more than just hot wings.  I’m sure everything they make is great, but I suggest starting out with what made them famous – the wings. They’ve also got a wide variety of seasonings and sauces for each wing, but I suggest the Hot and Honey. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and it’s not too much of either one.

If you like wings, you’ll love Hackett’s.