Regular Joe's Guide

Latest visit: Sep 2022 (Denver - Larimer Sq.) First visit: Sep 2021 (Denver - Larimer Sq.) Well here's a place I didn't expect to revisit. But now it's brother-in-law's 50th birthday as noted below. And he too wanted to go here. So I called my banker to see if we had the funds... Of course it's only gotten more expensive. This time we were missing a nephew-in-law who had family business to attend to in Alabama. So instead of 8 of us, it was 7. And the bill was the same, and we all more or less got the same thing. On this visit, I tried the 14oz New York Strip. Like last year, I ordered it medium, and it came out medium rare. Fine with me - I expected it. Overall the food here is very good, but not exceptional - and it needs to be just that. Primary service wasn't as tight as last time. We had to beg for the bread again. The bathrooms were missing soap and the trash bin was filled with paper towels to the top. These little details should never happen at a fancy s...

First visit: Aug 2021 For our first night of our latest trip to New Mexico, we decided to mix it up a bit and go for Italian. We already knew we were going to indulge in New Mexican cuisine for a few meals, and we had the Thai restaurant (Thai Spice in ABQ) circled as well. So how about the old road trip standby of Italian? Taos is a little bit more of a resort-y town, and you can expect all sorts of restaurants to cater to the tourist crowd. The owner of Mondo Italiano comes from New York, and what better place to learn the craft than the Big Apple. Mrs. RJG and I decided to just keep it simple. A glass of wine each with spaghetti and x, where x = meatballs or sausage. Pardon the programming language. In general, these dishes are rarely cooked properly anymore. Usually the sauce is too tart, sweet, bitter, runny, thick... but not here. Perfectly cooked. The pasta was al dente and the smooth sauce had just the right amount of sweet and tart. The sausage was mild, but tasty. I don't...

Latest visit: Mar 2025 First visit: Aug 2016 We had just finished going to an estate sale in the small village of Tijeras, a beautiful wooded setting that sits just east of Albuquerque. And it's time for lunch. Let's see, we're on the east side of ABQ. Gee, where should we eat? You ask. Of course we go to Perea's. I had secretly hoped that the lunch crowd would be smaller than for breakfast. No such luck. Placed our name on the list and waited, though it was about 10 minutes this time. If you recall, last year we started to bemoan the lack of a hot temperature for our meals. Hooray, that problem was solved. While Mrs. RJG stuck with breakfast and had Huevos Rancheros, I boldly went forward with their lunch pork adovada enchiladas buried in Christmas (to the right, mine is in front,). Those are onions on top (and the red chile is behind them). The enchiladas were delicious, as were the chips and salsa we received at the opening (which were better than last visit). Perea...

First visit: Aug 2021 No road trip is going to happen without at least one visit to a Thai restaurant. That's a Mrs. RJG rule. So for this getaway, Albuquerque was chosen as the city and Thai Spice as the place. We've had good Thai food in ABQ before (Thai Cuisine II - not reviewed here), but we were looking for something a bit closer to our hotel (we stayed up north), and settled on Thai Spice based on the reviews. And those reviews were accurate. Thai Spice could be described as "bustling". A popular place, with both dine-in and to-go orders, the workers at Thai Spice were constantly on the move, and we arrived relatively early. As such, service was a bit slow, but not sure how they could have rectified that situation. The restaurant is open and spacious, and pleasant background music was provided for a serene setting despite the activity. We started with a fried shrimp appetizer. A bit on the small size, but still very good. For dinner, I ordered my usual spicy bas...

(The Cristallo Family) [Since 1962] {Bar and Lounge} Ya almost don’t need to even go in and order. You KNOW it’s gonna be epic! I did say, ‘almost’?! Strangely, this was my second choice for premium wap-chow (ed: well... he is Rude Dante...) in a town named Visalia. How could I go wrong? (Choice #1, incidentally, was closed for a remodel the entire span of my visit). Was here two times Aug-Sept 2021, and the second will have to be first. I came in seeking Penne di Maria, and it did not disappoint. But where are my manners.  You have to sit at the bar in the back. Talk to the other patrons: Skip (owns the meat market that sells them steaks, bread, etc.) Tanya and Teddy (she orders for him). But I digress… Dinner the last trip was Penne di Maria, a spicy red  sauce over penne with Italian sausage, bell peppers and (if you ask for it) extra garlic. Asked for salad with house (Italian) dressing, a couple beers and an old vine Zinfandel. The bread (gratis) was perfect for mopping ...