Regular Joe's Guide

Latest visit: Jun 2024 (Woodland Park, CO) First visit: Jun 2011 (Woodland Park, CO) Founded: 2000 (Woodland Park, CO) Locations: 9. There are 5 in Arizona (Gilbert, Chandler, Avondale, Sedona, Page); 2 in Colorado (here and Cortez), 1 in Farmington, NM, and 1 in Moab, UT. Since our last visit, Las Vegas closed and they added one in Arizona. We decided on this clear blue Father's Day to make the drive out to Woodland Park. We haven't taken Mrs. RJG's mom out since she's been here other than family events. It's also been two and a half years since we last graced our presence at Fiesta Mexicana. We arrived about 15 minutes after open, and they were still relatively empty, though it filled up while we were doing the same - figuratively speaking. Today I stuck with two Mexican lagers while Mrs. RJG once again indulged herself with a margarita on the rocks. She boldly stated how much she enjoys alcohol only to recant her statement after the meal was over lol. As far as t...

Latest visit: Mar 2024 First visit: Feb 2022 The original is in Pueblo. Time for our annual checkup to Bingo Burger. On this visit, only my 3rd, Mrs. RJG wanted to join me. I was careful to steer her away from anything that might be a sloppy mess. So she built her own cheeseburger, and kept the sauces to the side. She really enjoyed the chile infused hamburger (cooked well done per order) as well as the chile dusted fries. She wasn't keen on the potato bun stating it was a bit too doughy for her liking. I tried something different too - and less saucy - The Steel City. This features thick cut bacon and a Dijonnaise condiment. And I dug into Mrs. RJG's fries. I thought the burger was delicious and far less messy than I'd had prior from them. Fries were great too. Looks like they removed the Fort Carson Burger (see original review), which is a bummer. I asked Mrs. RJG where Bingo Burger lands in local choices. She said Top 5, though last week's Wayback Burgers has become ...

First visit: Feb 2022 (Powers) It was their downtown location that caught my eye while visiting Bell Brothers brewery. Since we had such great luck at Brakeman's, let's try for another burger joint. It had been my intention to go downtown, but then I saw they have a second location out east, which is easier for us to get to (and free parking). From a reputation standpoint, Skirted Heifer is the burger joint to try when in the Springs. It wins Best Of awards every year, and it's been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Which obviously means nothing to the RJG, since I never even heard of the place, even though we are big fans of Guy Fiori (though I don't watch his show much, I just get hungry). So the gimmick here is the way they melt the cheese. It's deep fried and laced around the bottom of the bun, to make what looks like... c'mon guess... a skirt! Weeee. Clever name indeed, and really a cool concept that I've never tried before. I mean it's not...

Latest visit: Mar 2023 First visit: Feb 2022 OK back on our home turf in Colorado Springs. Comfort Zone. Mrs. RJG wanted a hamburger, and since it's been a full year that we haven't been to Brakeman's, we chose to go back on this cold and windy Saturday. As you can see from last year's notes, we went twice in succession with mixed results. And I fear to say that the latter experience returned. So it appears our debut visit was the outlier. You know how Mrs. RJG is with her well-done hamburgers. And she's very clear with the waitress on what she expects. And out comes the burger medium with pink. Knuckleheads! I went with the Pueblo Slopper, which is a regional dish gaining popularity with foodies around the country. Essentially it's green chile dumped on top of a traditional hamburger. I was disappointed with their variation. It's a knife and fork dish, and the chile just isn't that tasty or spicy. Lots of tomatoes and it didn't seem blended very wel...

First visit: Jan 2022 I haven't been to Fort Collins in many years, last time for one of the RJG's official niece's college graduation from Colorado State University. That was in 2014. I wanted to do some record and thrift store shopping in the area, so left the Springs at 6:00a for the 2 hour journey north. And here I am, and I'm hungry! But where to go? The Silver Grill Cafe looks like a wait-in-line-forever kind of place (confirmed later when I walked past it). I don't have that kind of time - full day ahead and need to get back to the Springs by 5. The cleverly named The Breakfast Club (Molly Ringwald anyone?) offers up exactly what one would expect: Breakfast. Of course they have lunch too, but they shutter down at 2:00 at the latest. Walk in, no counter service. Uh-oh, am I in for a wait? Nope - plenty of tables, even though they were quite busy. Flavored creamers with coffee? Nope. Ah, c'mon - breakfast place right? Alright fine, I'll take a hot choco...