Regular Joe's Guide

Latest visit: Sep 2022 First visit: Jan 2019 Time for our annual review. In a lot of ways one can certainly say Broken Bones is consistent. Much of what I said below applied to this visit as well. I purposely tried something new on this day, looking for that one craveable food item that makes me want to return again and again. I did not find it. In fact, this visit resulted in a -1 rating. I opted for the 2 meat platter. I chose pulled pork and pulled chicken. The latter was - I really don't like to be this way but... terrible! It was like a boiled thigh that they pulled and served on a plate. It had zero barbecue flavor, and it was tasteless. Broken Bones - hear me - the only pulling you should be doing with chicken is pulling it off the menu. It was an embarrassment. The pulled pork was better - at least it had a barbecue flavor. But it was too mushy. Miles away from Red Hot and Blue that's for sure - and they're a chain for crying out loud. I wanted to try the jalapeno t...

Latest visit: Oct 2024 First visit: Jul 2021 (Colorado Springs - closed) At one point Border Burger Bar was a small chain with two locations in the Colorado Springs area and one in El Paso, Texas. The latter is still open with the name Phred's prepended to it. There's no common website anymore either. So we'll presume they are now independently owned and operated. I had been wanting to revisit Border Bar for a couple of years now, but as noted above, the Academy location closed not too long after opening, another victim of the pandemic. And we never go to Manitou Springs anymore, primarily because of the parking situation. There was a time not long ago where you'd drive down, park anywhere you can, and hit the shops and restaurants. But now you have to pay everywhere in the city except the far outskirts. And I hate paying for parking, especially when it was once free. In any case, I ended up in Manitou for an estate sale that took me about two hours to go through. When ...

Latest visit: May 2024 First visit: Oct 2009 Founded: 2009 As with Leon Gessi, it's time to get in an annual review of an old favorite. On this Friday, I had some morning meetings, and then decided to do the thriftin' rounds for my "break" before having to come back in the afternoon for more meetings. As I headed south, lunch time had arrived (around 11:00) and I was nearby. I knew what I wanted - The Italian Stallion. I was slightly disappointed on this visit because the bread wasn't very hot, which came as a surprise considering the below update. But otherwise I was satisfied. I'm not usually in this area during lunchtime, so it'll probably be another year before I get back. But I'm sticking with my "new usual". On the plus side, the little restaurant was very crowded, filled with white and blue collar workers. That's a good sign. ---7/29/23 update OK, we're late for our annual review to a building I used to frequent weekly almost 3...

Latest visit: Jul 2021 (Colorado Springs - Austin Bluffs) First visit: 1983 (Lubbock, Texas) Not proud to admit that Wienerschnitzel at one time made up a good portion of my daily bread. Especially after I left campus and lived in an efficiency apartment at the end of my college tenure (1987). When they opened up in the DFW area, Mrs. RJG, The RJG's official Mom, and myself gave it a try (2004) and it was as I remembered it. Good. Not great.  I was watching them convert this quirky building (not sure what its original function was, but it last served as a cigarette store - see below photo (courtesy of the Gazette)) - as I drove by on my weekly visits to a nearby thrift shop. When they opened, they had the In-N-Out effect, and there were (I think unexpected) long lines along Austin Bluffs, that got them in hot (dog) water with the city. The novelty has already worn off. With In-N-Out, even though they've been open since late November, the lines are still incredibly long. Once t...

Latest visit: May 2024 First visit: Jul 2021 Founded: 2010 I really had no intention of revisiting Daniel's. I didn't consider them a "rotation" restaurant, and my first experience was good, but not great. It was lunchtime and I decided to try my recent "Pollo Asado" test. And look what popped up? It just so happens I was at an estate sale all of two minutes from Daniel's. As I read the below, it appears I wanted to try their tacos con salsa, and guess what I did? I went for three tacos: Grilled Chicken (they were careful not to call it pollo asado - more on this later); Grilled Steak (not carne asada); and Ground Beef. Received two salsas in small containers, one mild green, and the other a hotter red. Just as with Erickberto's last week, I passed on the guac and pico de gallo and made sure to have lettuce and cheese for the first two options. The older Hispanic gentleman (probably my age lol) running the counter is super nice. A few minutes later, ...