Spring Fare
As the winter snow melts, the ground begins bursting with spring blooms and the days get longer, the telltale signs of spring emerge, and with these come spring traditions. And spring traditions always involve food. So if you delay your spring cleaning for just a little while in favor of taking part in the season’s most memorable (and savory) traditions, you’ll be happier and more fulfilled for it.
Fairs
While late summer and early fall is reserved for the big-time county fairs centered around the annual harvest, spring has its own community gatherings to help people shake off the chill of winter and welcome the season. Arts and crafts fairs, flea markets, myriad boutiques and family festivals abound in every community. After a day at the family fair, a round of Sam & Louie’s Cowboy Burgers, with barbecue sauce, bacon and tangy cheddar, with a side of piled high crispy fries, is the perfect cap to a day of supporting local artisans, hearing live music, playing games, and connecting with the community. And if you get a barbecue stain on your white T-shirt, don’t be mad: It even happens to Tim McGraw, and he wrote a song about it.
Baseball
In states where you’ll find Sam & Louie’s locations—Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Montana and Iowa—you’ll also find plenty of minor league baseball teams to support at their home stadiums as they get in the groove and start their season. Packing a picnic of hot wings, calzones and sky-high sandwiches is the only way to enjoy America’s greatest pastime, especially in the more relaxed vibe at these smaller, community-centered stadium games. Cheering on the Omaha Storm Chasers (the Royals minor leaguers) is undoubtedly better with Hoagies. And if your idea of a perfect spring game is relaxing in front of the big screen with friends and family, a Sam & Louie’s pizza party is a fine way to enjoy a Saturday double-header with friends.
Spring Harvests
They don’t call it a Spring Mix for nothing: the quintessential salad, made up of tender baby lettuces and other greens is a delicious, nutritious part of any spring meal, and Sam & Louie’s offers a variety of salads with a spring mix base, like the House, Thai Chicken, Cobb and more. Popular spring harvest vegetables include garlic, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and onions, which, when battered, fried, seasoned and served as Sam & Louie’s onion rings, they can’t be beat. Shrimp season begins in April, and Sam & Louie’s honors this with their Shrimp Alfredo—flavorful garlic shrimp served on a bed of creamy fettuccini alfredo—or plump, juicy garlic butter shrimp added to any Sam & Louie’s pasta dish, including spaghetti, fettuccini or cavatappi.
May Day and the Kentucky Derby
The first day of May is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe as a symbolic representation of springtime. The holiday shares themes and rituals with the Ancient Roman festival of Floralia, a tribute to the goddess Flora. The spring celebration, held during the reign of the Roman Empire, involved games and competitions, theatrical performances, and the pelting of beans and a cornucopia of spring legumes. Seasonal soups, cheese bread and a Caesar salad are fine ways to welcome the month of May. The Kentucky Derby begins on the first Saturday in May, and this year it falls on May Day, May 1st. If you love to don a ridiculously oversize hat and watch the horses run, get into the Southern spirit with a Sam & Louie’s appetizer of fried pickles and cheese bread appetizers as a warmup to a crispy chicken sandwich.
Mother’s Day
We saved the best spring tradition for last—Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis is credited with inventing the modern version of Mother’s Day, designated as the second Sunday in May by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914. Honor the Moms in your life with a special celebration incorporating all of Mom’s favorites, from delicious meatballs to homemade lasagna to piping-hot calzones served with a side of signature pizza sauce. Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 9, and show Mom how much you appreciate her with gifts from the heart: a card, a simple bouquet, and a delicious lunch from Sam & Louie’s. Here’s to a bountiful spring and a Happy Mother’s Day!
