Regular Joe's Guide

Latest visit: Apr 2022 (Colorado Springs) First visit: Oct 2018 (Colorado Springs) Back for our annual review a bit earlier than anticipated. Mrs. RJG and I had just finished a very successful day selling at the Colorado Springs Record Show (side hustle as they now call it), and we were exhausted. Unfortunately the taco truck that was hired didn't show up - so we were starving too! So we decided on an early dinner at Biaggi's. Not too much different than our experience below, especially the kitchen was on point this late afternoon. Despite the early hour, we were looking at a 20 minute wait. Fortunately there was a table in the bar area, and we went for that for immediate seating. I went with the Spaghetti and Meatball this time, and the pasta was cooked perfectly, as were the meatballs. Probably could use a bit more flavor in the sauce, but not complaining. Mrs. RJG went for the Farfalle Alfredo, which she enjoyed. It was a bit salty, but this was a day where extra salt was w...

BWI airport First visit: Dec 2021 To be honest, the rest of my business trip was disappointing from a dining perspective. I fear to say that my peers would rather "meet than eat", but OK, when in Rome... There were so many places I would have loved to drop by and say hi again: Joe Benny's, Max's Taphouse, Taco Fiesta, and Ale Mary's leading a long list. But I wasn't there on vacation, and there's work to be done. So roll up the sleeves and sway with the breeze. There's always a next time. I hope. The coffee place in the Marriott where we stayed (Harbor East) is awful. They serve Illy, but the mocha was really bland. There used to be a Starbucks in there, but I guess they decided to pack up and leave. For lunch on "big meeting day" they did bring in some food (that was good of them...). I'm not entirely sure where it came from, but I think it was Samos Greek Island Grill, which is nearby and the menu items look about the same (the photos t...

First visit: Dec 2021 Continuing on from the same day as Pasta Mista, it was time to meet the new boss for the first time - again in person. Also two peers, including a new hire like myself. Boss Man chose Cindy Lou's Fish House. It's a new place, established after my last foray into Baltimore. It's in an ideal location at the edge of the harbor with super views. In fact, it's part of my harbor running route in the morning, so I knew exactly where it was. Cindy Lou's is the latest venture from well respected chef Cindy Wolf, and her nearby Charleston restaurant has won many awards. As it turns out, she is also a personal friend of our very own Rude Dante! It's the Indiana connection. Small world, eh? Ms. Wolf was not on hand this night, working her regular job at the Charleston. I was hoping for a quick introduction on behalf of the RJG team. Though Cindy Lou's could be considered high-end dining, it doesn't really feel that way. It's a unique menu, ...

First visit: Dec 2021 (Canton) They have a second location in Towson. I met with my new direct reports for the first time (in person) in the morning. Now it's time for a team lunch, but where to go? The office is in Canton, so I'm not that familiar with the neighborhood. Bo Brooks would have been great, but they are no longer open for lunch. Hudson Stackhouse wouldn't be appropriate. Fortunately one of our team is a resident of Canton. Grew up there as well. His go-to place for an Italian lunch? Pasta Mista. The RJG is always about local, and can't do better than a local recommendation! Pasta Mista is your classic pizza pasta place, with sandwiches and pizza by the slice. And a welcoming owner. I settled on the meatball parm sub. Excellent bread, meatballs (though I don't think they're homemade - too perfect), gooey cheese, and best of all a slightly sweet tomato sauce to bury it in. I like that they leave the sauce on the side so you can add on each bite as you...

Latest visit: Dec 2021 (Fells Point) First visit: Jan 2019 (Fells Point) A bit surprised to see I hadn't added The Abbey Burger Bistro. This was a tip I received from a fellow patron at Max's Taphouse, and it's pretty much around the corner from there. After my first visit, it became part of the weekly rotation when in town. I chose it as the first place to come back to when returning to the Charm City, since they have the perfect balance of beer choice and high quality food. While the beer selection isn't quite up to Max's (no one else does either), the food quality is definitely a cut above. But one's a beer bar that serves food and the other is a restaurant that has craft beer. And Abbey Burger Bar definitely brings the beer selection - close to 40 if memory serves, and constantly rotating. They used to have the large screens with the latest and greatest, but it looks like they canceled that service, another victim of the pandemic.  As for the food, there are...

Latest visit: Dec 2021 First visit: Oct 2016 Our first visit here came via one of our personal trips to the area before moving to the Springs. Not sure if our flavors were off, or they just had an off night, but it wasn't to our taste. Last month we decided to try it again, and it's much better than we remembered. And we're already back again. As you all know, Thai food was always a dinner pursuit for us, with a BYOB of Chardonnay by our side. It was a weekly tradition Mrs. RJG and I had going in Texas for almost the entire 15 years we lived in NE Tarrant. BYOB is not legal in Colorado, despite a recent effort to reverse that course. I have no idea why the concept hasn't taken off here. It would be even more popular than in the Bible Belt. And most Thai restaurants don't want to bother with getting a liquor license, and if they do, the costs are fairly exorbitant. As such, we've decided to make our Thai meals a lunch event sans wine. It's something I first d...

Latest visit: Apr 2025 First visit: Dec 2021 This is only my second visit to Wade's. I was way ahead of schedule and found myself further north than usual for an early lunch. Let's see how it goes. Location: Just off of North Academy at the intersection of Carefree. Standard issue free standing diner restaurant. In addition to plenty of tables, they have a few solo counter stools, so I grabbed one on this visit. I should mention that I've been here twice since my last visit but both times they had a waiting list, so I moved on. It's a popular place. I think with today being Wednesday that helped. Food: Breakfast appears to be the main draw and since I had a bird's eye view to the kitchen that is mostly what came out. But they have a hearty lunch menu of sandwiches, burgers, and even entrees like liver & onions. My dad would have liked this place since he loved that dish! I went with the chili cheeseburger this time, doused in green. See for yourself. Came with f...

OK, starting to get back on the horse again. Honestly, dining out has been a huge disappointment for the latter half of 2021 (though it's been on the downhill for a few years now). The reasons are hardly a secret, and is national news. Supply chain issues, inflation, and worker shortages have been particularly hard on the restaurant industry. It's been relentless. For long time readers, you'll note the RJG was around during the Great Recession. That had the opposite effect - the dining experience was at its peak. For most of my life, the idea of eating out has been an exciting one. For the last 6 months, I'd much rather eat at home than go out. Even when I go to Denver to buy records, I eat before I go, not to waste time on a bad experience. $50 for a mediocre meal for 2 (with no alcohol) and bad service is a non-starter here. And we eat great at home for a fraction of the price! Thank you Mrs. RJG! As much as I'd like to support our local dining spots, I'm not ...

For dinner, we decided to check out a place in Novato called Boca Pizzeria. It's a Napolitano pizza place, wood fired grill, ya know - my fave! The place was really nice. They had plenty of outside seating as well as inside. We ordered some roasted brussels sprouts, which were excellent. Then we got a salad with feta, cured olives, cucumber, and heirloom tomatoes with homemade croutons and lemon vinaigrette. It was huge, fresh, and yummy! We then had the Margherita pizza. It was amazing! It had a very light sauce, nice pools of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil just as the traditional ingredients prescribe. The crust was awesome. Chewy and delicious! We had a little dessert. A Belgian chocolate mousse cake! Oh boy, it was so rich and delicious! I also had a sparkling lemonade and mint drink with dinner. It was very delish and refreshing. We saw some things go by as we ate. One was the chicken picatta, one of Ms. Music's favorite dishes. So we decided to eat there again th...

Muir Woods Park Quick hitter here: Ms. Music was feeling low on energy after our long hike in the woods. We were planning on going up the Coast and to Muir Beach and Stinson Beach. She wasn't sure if there would be places to get food and wanted to have a snack before getting on the road. To be honest, I was not so keen on spending a precious meal on a park cafe. I wanted to reserve my stomach space and meal experience for something more interesting. Plus most park cafes serve crap! Ms. Music understood but said she needed a little snack. She ended up getting a hot turkey & cheese melt  as well as the turkey and white bean chili.   It was all delicious! They said everything was locally sourced. Even the bread was delicious! It was some sort of grainy wheat, which I love. The cost for those were about $25. Not cheap, but considering we were in NorCal, at a state park, and it's all locally sourced and organic, I thought it was reasonable enough. We indulged on an organic oat...