Torchy's Tacos ~ regional chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Dec 2021 (Colorado Springs - Interquest)

First visit: Jun 2013 (Southlake, Texas)

Well lookee here. As I said in an update, it's as if we never left Texas. Right across the street from Fuzzy's is a new Torchy's, Austin's finest taco house. It's been open a few months now, so we gave it time to process the crowds. Catty corner to this is In-N-Out Burger which still hasn't seen the lines deplete. In any case, we haven't been back to Torchy's since 2015, at the Southlake location, where the reviews and updates below came from. Like Fuzzy's, this Torchy's is much more spacious than the one we were used to. Wide open space, and here they have a full bar, that looks really nice. It wasn't crowded at all on this day, and we ordered right away. Mrs. RJG & I went with some old favorites like Green Chile, Baja Shrimp (we each had this), and the Brisket tacos. Bad news. Not anywhere near as good as the below review suggests. First of all, I was a bit perturbed that I have to leave a tip - no option! That really agitates me with fast food places. Sorry, but at these prices, they need to compensate their workers better. Had a bartender served me a beer, then fine. Speaking of which, I was excited to see what a Colorado Torchy's would do with the beer selection. Not impressed. 8 beers, most of them lame standards, with a couple of inspired choices. C'mon. As for the food, the tortillas were cold, and the food was warm. It's like they prepared everything way in advance and just assembled them on order. Without even keeping them hot. There's just nowhere to go with this annual review except fail. And I cannot see a reason to go back. It's overpriced, they force an unearned tip, the food is lukewarm, the beer list is uninspired, and the food was blander than I recall. Yet another chain not focused on their product. Might explain why there was no line...

Torchy's has grown dramatically since our first posting. They now currently operate in 10 states. I see trouble ahead though. They've lost their way.

--- Jan 2014 update

Ever since we first came here, Torchy's Tacos has remained very popular with lines out the door. It appears they have a license to print money. On this visit, Mrs. RJG and I were with Official Niece #1 (age 21) and we enjoyed a quick snack of one taco each. My favorite has become The Republican, which comes with a perfectly spiced jalapeno grilled sausage, cut in half, and get that with the Diablo sauce. Which they always forget to include. Niece #1 had The Democrat, what is basically their beef barbacoa taco, which she enjoyed but it had "too much meat" for her tastes (how is that possible? asks Uncle RJG). However that didn't stop her from cleaning up the basket with a fork later on. And Mrs. RJG had Mr. Orange (blackened salmon), and could now be considered her favorite taco here. Since we were their only for a snack, I didn't imbibe in one of their potent margaritas - something that was hard to give up, but alas I had to take one for the team. Sigh. 

---original 6/25/13 review

When I was a kid in the late 60s and early 70s, one of my favorite comic books was Hot Stuff, the Little Devil. What does that say about the parenting in those days, eh? What says wholesome like reading about a devil in a diaper! Of course he performed good deeds, but still.... Anyway, it appears Torchy's felt it the perfect emblem for their budding chain, and even adds the moniker "Damn Good Tacos", which they proudly light up in the interior of the restaurant. My, such potty mouths...

Austin based Torchy's is the latest high end taco place to infiltrate Northeast Tarrant county. Like their brethren Fuzzy's, Funky Baja's, Taco Diner, and Tacos y Mas, Torchy's provides a range of tacos far beyond the usual crunchy ground beef, or taqueria styled "street tacos". Ingredients such as pork green chile, fried chicken, ahi tuna, blackened salmon, jalapeno sausage, and jerk chicken, with an array of salsa's to choose from, is what you'll find at Torchy's.

Mrs. RJG and I recently tried Torchy's for the first time, and sampled four of their tacos: Green Chile Pork, Trailer Park, Baja Shrimp, and Chicken Fajita. As well we had three of their salsa's (all conveniently served in a small plastic cup): Tomatillo, Chipotle, and Diablo. And I'm glad to say that everything was absolutely excellent. The tacos are big, per urban protocol, and are loaded with meats, pico, and other fillings depending on the taco. The Green Chile Pork was a bit dry, with very few green chilies, but had a great flavor. It's definitely not the type of green chile one would find in New Mexico or Colorado, but we already guessed that going in. The Trailer Park is a fried chicken taco. One option is to get it "trashy" with queso instead of lettuce, but I wanted to keep it from being too messy so I didn't choose that route. The Baja Shrimp is fried, and superb. And the fajita chicken has a wonderful marinate and a great flavor. The green Tomatillo and the creamy Chipotle sauces were both excellent, the latter having a mild kick. The Diablo sauce is also creamy and reminds me a lot of Fresco's Chile de Arbol salsa. They say it's habanero, but I honestly didn't get the habanero taste this time. And while it was hot, it wasn't screaming spicy. But it was still our favorite. Of course it was...

As well, and it's not readily apparent on their website, Torchy's offers adult beverages like beer and frozen margarita's. I had the latter, and it's a very tasty mix. They serve it in a small plastic cup, but it packs a punch.

If I had to nitpick, I'd say Torchy's is a bit pricey compared to the competition. Considering Torchy's tacos are on par with those at Funky Baja's (size, ingredients), I think we have an apples to apples situation. Funky Baja's charges $3 each, while Torchy's range from $3.25 to $4.75 depending. And the margarita was $4.50, which sounds good until you realize just how small it is. It's a minor gripe, and will have zero impact on our willingness to continue repeat visits, but for those who are on tighter budgets, it might be a tougher sell.

The interior features fun paintings with Torchy's Little Devil embedded into famous art scenes, e.g. Dali's The Persistence of Memory and Van Gogh's The Starry Night.

Torchy's is a great addition to the Northeast Tarrant taco landscape. We'll be returning. Many times I hope.

As an aside, based on some recent feedback, it's been requested nicely not to call these type of taco restaurants "taquerias", and I have to agree with their point of view. So I've come up with a new nomenclature called "Tacos y Margaritas", and I will update the other entries as appropriate.

6/25/13 (new entry); 1//14; 5/31/15; 12/27/21

Flying Dog Tap House ~ Baltimore, Maryland

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 that is). This was very good - and I definitely want to go to their restaurant. Maybe next time with my own team if the opportunity presents itself. Not writing about it here because I'm not 100% sure it's the right place, and we didn't actually go there. For dinner it was a bowling event at Mustang Alley. It was definitely a social get together, and the food offerings were appetizer finger food. Not exactly a fair way to judge a restaurant. Mustang Alley sits right next to what used to be our regular Thai stop at former company: My Thai (who have since moved out of the area). So anyway, definitely a liquid dinner, if you know what I mean. The next day, they didn't even cater the lunch. NO food (well, they ate donuts and cookies, good Lord). I can't do that. Running 3 miles and having no carbs is crazy. I can barely think. Fortunately I mentally prepared for just that situation (I sensed what their priorities are), and I was to head to the airport in the early afternoon anyway. I'll just eat there I figured.

And now we get to the subject of the post. I had my former standby's at BWI (the Baltimore airport). One was DuClaw's brewpub which sat outside the secure area. It's now gone. The others (Firkin & Flyer, Potbelly, Urban Bar-B-Q, and Harbor Grille) all sit inside the American terminal (didn't research if they're still there), which is my airline of choice (Million Miler if curious as to why...). Well, doggone it, they eliminated their early Sunday flight from COS to DFW heading out (don't want to get to Baltimore too late), so I'm now flying Southwest to Denver and onto my destination. What does the Southwest terminal at BWI have to offer? A much better selection of restaurants, that's for sure. And how can I pass up Flying Dog Tap House? OK, we have a date!

I have a long history with Flying Dog going back to when we had a summer townhome in Denver, and a nearby tavern called City Pub (2009-2011). Long time readers will remember that joint, which is deeply hidden in these very pages (I think the restaurant might be gone now actually). Flying Dog was their primary craft beer provider. At that time, they were based in Colorado. Since then, they reestablished themselves in Maryland, and are one of the more known craft breweries in the state. And we reacquainted with them on our numerous visits to Baltimore from the prior job. But I didn't realize they had a tap house, and right in the airport. And I haven't eaten (proper) in like 30 hours. I'm hungry and I'm thirsty. I hope this hits the spot...

...and it did! Big ol' fat YUMMY cheeseburger (with banana peppers), fries, and 3 craft beers later, my belly is finally full and happy. I found a nice snuggy table in the back, and just relaxed for a few hours before my flight, nursing my beers and settling the stomach. Overall it was a great trip from a work perspective, and it was great to get back to Baltimore. Hopefully next time I'll have a bit more eating freedom.... But for certain Flying Dog Tap House will be the bookend before heading home.

12/21/21 (new entry)

Cindy Lou's Fish House ~ Baltimore, Maryland

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, heavy on seafood as expected. And on this night, my compadres all had seafood and wine. They seemed to enjoy it, and one got the evening Special which featured crab cakes. For myself, I went for the flat iron ribeye, which was gigantic. Or at least it appeared that way at first. But then you realize that about 20 percent of it is fat. This is by design to seal in the flavor. All the same, it's still a lot of steak, more than I'm used to at this point in my life. I finished it all the same. And it sits on top of a bed of fries. And I mean a "bed of them". The steak was delicious, and perfectly cooked to order (medium). According to a local source, Wolf has this offering at all her restaurants. I could only each so much fries, to which Boss Man gave me a hard time about. "Can't finish 'em, eh? Disappointing". I didn't join in for the wine, sticking to craft beers, of which they had a respectable selection. We did start with the Shared Snack Plate appetizer which is a mix of (cuts and pastes from online menu): Edwards of Surry Virginia Ham, Buttermilk Biscuits Hush Puppies, Fried Green Tomato, Nanny’s Pickles, Pimento Ricotta, Hot Pepper Jelly & Toasts. It's quite large and we didn't finish it, though I made sure the ham was gobbled up...

All in all a delightful place to dine in Baltimore. Always wanted to use "a delightful place" in an RJG review. Mission accomplished.

12/21/21 (new entry)

Pasta Mista ~ Baltimore, Maryland

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 go. Two of the team (including resident) got the Philly Cheesesteak, which looked awesome. And the other got a huge slice of what they call a Spaghetti Pizza. It's a meal in of itself. She said it was super and took half of it home.

Pasta is an order up at the counter place, with a few tables inside and some more outside. Excellent lunch option if in the area!

12/14/21 (new entry)

The Abbey Burger Bistro ~ Baltimore, Maryland

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 few places that compete at this level in the burger sweepstakes. So even if you're a teetotaler, you will probably find Abbey Burger Bar to your liking, if food is all your after. In an area where your choices are taverns or high end restaurants, Abbey Burger Bar provides a clear middle ground alternative. And of course they provide more than all-beef hamburgers, as they offer exotics like bison, as well as turkey, duck, shrimp, vegetarian, etc... Excellent flavor throughout. You can select from the menu or build your burger with a multitude of options. Homemade potato chips are the default side item, which is all I ever have, but they certainly have fries and other options for a small fee.

The Fells Point location is a welcoming spot. Walk in and head to the bar or there are a few tables in the back. Sports dominates the multiple TV screens, which have nothing better to show since the beer lists disappeared. 

There are 3 other Abbey Burger Bar locations in the Baltimore metro area.

1/23/19; 12/14/21 (new entry)

Thai Mint ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

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 did in Baltimore, which requires a bit of a palate change from what I'm used to. Mrs. RJG, for her part, has also been sneaking in Thai meals for lunch while shopping about.

With that out of the way, Mrs. RJG had the Pineapple Curry last month and the Pad Thai this time. She stated that the curry was excellent but wished it were a bit hotter in temperature. The Pad Thai was also very good, but she prefers a thicker noodle to the vermicelli like you get in the Vietnamese pho bowls. For my part I went with the Pad Krapow both times. I customize the dish: Add ground chicken, remove the green beans and mushrooms, add a fried egg, and go THAI HOT. That would be known in street parlance as "Thai Style". Both times it has been excellent - in fact this visit was better than the last. Perfectly cooked rice as well. If I could make a request, I wish they'd offer a bigger plate to mix it all up in. The two small plates have to be carefully maneuvered to ensure the rice or ground chicken don't end up on the table. Last time I got the Thai Iced Coffee which was also superb. I passed this time, 'cause we decided to go to Josh and Johns for ice cream. Weeeeeeee.

Thai Mint is a well appointed place with plenty of booths and tables in a serene setting. It sits at the end of a strip mall.

12/10/21 (new entry)

Quick update

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 going to put up with mediocrity, due to excuses. And too many places use excuses versus stepping up and fighting the challenge. Leading the way - no surprise - are the national chains (the publicly traded ones, that is) which have become pitiful. It's time for them to go out of business. For example, Arby's had won me over during the pandemic, only for them to completely fumble the ball in 2021. They removed just about every menu item, except what you could get in 1980. Of course many places have done just that - take on the challenge - and we do support them as much as possible. Wade's Cafe is a good example of new place for me to try, and I was happy with the experience. It's been months since I could really say that. I fully expect this situation to rectify itself, or the whole industry will just disappear. No more free money from the government, so something has to give.

One exception has been Thai food (though the costs are still too high, but that's more understandable). We have found 3 good places in town since our last update, and at this point, I think we'll revisit each before publishing here.

In other news, it appears we never left Texas. Torchy's just opened, and Whataburger is on the way. Add that to Fuzzy's and In-N-Out Burger. Of course the latter isn't from Texas, but we had them ahead of Colorado by close to a decade. Though one can see the chain getting pretty close to leaving California - they've had enough of their insanity. We still haven't been to our local In-N-Out, even though it's practically walking distance from our homestead. The lines are still around the block - and the next one. Even though they've opened a second location. Probably next year on a slow weekday I'll go. Obviously they need to open one or 2 more locations to feed the demand.

And for perhaps the biggest news - the RJG is back in Baltimore! As noted prior, I knew the former job was coming to an end as they decided to divest the business. In fact, I was in charge of it! I was responsible for my own demise lol. Interview question: "What did you do for your last company?" Answer: "I took them down." Haha, well it's true! In any case, during the interview process I landed another excellent gig - in Baltimore! Not at all related to my last job either (other than job role of course). All new faces. Moved 2 neighborhoods over - from Harbor East to Canton. The latter being a destination of mine from before. I'll be adding new places very soon, plus hopefully a couple of revisits to old favorites! 

Much to look forward to in 2022. Let's hope for better times.

Wade's Cafe ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

First visit: Dec 2021

I had Wade's circled to go to earlier in the year, but it was still during the pandemic, and there was a long wait so I tabled it for a future day. And that day has arrived. And joining me on this venture is none other than business associate, and good friend, Tampa Pound who last graced these pages in early 2018. As it turns out, he too is now a resident of Colorado Springs, so there's always an opportunity for a quick get together. I arrived early, and stated there would be 2 of us, but they only seat you if the whole party is already here. Which makes sense for a popular place such as this. He arrived about 5 minutes later, and we were promptly seated. Wade's has an extensive menu of breakfast and lunch items (they typically close at 2), so figuring out what I wanted was a challenge. We were there at 11:00, so I could have gone either way. I decided on breakfast, as it's always hard for me to resist a Breakfast Burrito smothered in green. These also come with "3 dollar pancakes". I was starving so the egg burrito had little chance of surviving the 10 minute onslaught. The green chile had an excellent flavor - definitely not that spicy for those who are sensitive to such things. As is often the case, I could have used more chile, as it was pretty dry by the end. Maybe I should stop eating it by itself on the side of the plate? I can't help myself. The Tampa Pound ordered the Farmer's Omelet which he devoured with glee. I then attacked the pancakes as if they were dessert, slathering all the butter they gave me, and dousing it in maple syrup. A perfect way to close off the meal. 

Complaints? Sure, why not, gotta complain about something I s'ppose. I wanted coffee but they didn't have flavored creamers, which is pretty standard these days. Oh well, I went for the hot chocolate instead, which was also excellent. So I won for losing. So much for complaints. And service was very prompt, something very rare these days.

Definitely need to get Mrs. RJG over here. The primary thing with her has to do with the hot temperature of the food, and I have to give credit to Wade's here too. I too prefer it as hot as possible. Nothing worse than warm or cool food - at least for food that isn't supposed to be that way! We'll be back for next year's "annual review".

12/6/21 (new entry)

Boca Pizzeria ~ Novato, California

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 the next night. This time we tried the roasted beet salad. It was ginormous and had thick slices of roasted golden and red beets. It also had lots of roasted hazelnuts, sheep milk feta, and a creamy dressing. We loved it. We got a Margherita pizza again (sorta wanted to try the Italian sausage with funghi), but we went with sinister elegance again (ed: now there's a metaphor I haven't seen!). Then we had the chicken picatta which was served with homemade mashed potatoes with roasted green beans, carrots, and broccolini. The chicken was so light and moist, and the sauce was delicious. It was also a very large portion. Going twice in a row was nice to explore more of the menu and see if the food was consistent. Check and check. The staff was super friendly and excellent service. We are big fans! Other items I was DYING to try were the leg of lamb sandwich and Nona's meatballs!

- Mr. Music review

Cafe in Muir Woods Park ~ Mill Valley, California

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 oatmeal-raisin cookie for dessert which was delish!

- Mr. Music review