Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Jun 2022 Mrs. RJG and I enjoyed a nice morning run along the Rio Grande River and the Cattails Golf Course. Type into your phone "State Ave River Trail Access" if looking for a pleasant walk or run. After yesterday's dinner debacle, Mrs. RJG was ready to devour a big breakfast. Checking the reviews nearby, All Valley Cafe looked to be a safe bet. And it was. Once again, I settled on my staple all meat breakfast burrito. We had the option of red or green chili. Or both, so naturally I went with that. As with the others on this trip, the green chile is whiter and thicker than I'm used to. But not near as starchy as San Luis Valley's version. It was closer to what I had at Jan's in Buena Vista. Packed a nice little punch too. The red was more of a Texas blend - on the thicker side. I don't want to disparage it too much, but Wolf Brand did come to mind. The burrito was loaded with bacon, sausage, and ham. Perhaps too much potato - and it was more ...

First visit: Jun 2022 As noted on the Jan's Restaurant (Buena Vista) review, the end destination of this trip was to go to Crestone. The town itself sits right at the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. It's exactly what I thought it would be - something of a hippie enclave. It looks more like a commune than an Old West town. It's current fame is that apparently it's a vortex/energy area for those looking for spiritual enlightenment. And there's a large amount interfaith entities represented here. Mrs. RJG and I didn't get the vibe I guess, but after walking most of the town and environs, we did stop in for a beer at a new brewery that hasn't yet started brewing their own beers (T Road) and enjoyed a couple of beers from nearby Three Barrel Brewing (hey - 6 uses of beer and brew in the same sentence - wow!). Maybe after our first beer we became a little more spiritual.... We knew Crestone wasn't going to be our hospitality stop so we co...

First visit: Jun 2022 It was time for Mrs. RJG and I to take a much needed quick road trip to the mountains. We haven't spent a night in the interior of Colorado since before the pandemic. The purpose of this trip was to visit Crestone, which sits on the other side of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range from Westcliffe. As noted recently, Westcliffe is a favorite destination of ours. As the crow flies, it would be a very easy jaunt to Crestone. However, there a few 14,000 foot mountains to get in the way. It must have been quite a sight for those wagon trains heading west in the 1800s to behold. And I'm sure terrifying. As such one has to go around the range - and that's what we did. One way is via US 24 and the others are US 50 and US 160. We usually go through via US 50, so we mixed it up a bit this time. By going US 24, it allows us to visit one of our favorite stops: Buena Vista. We arrived for a late breakfast / early lunch, and after reviewing a handful of places, Jan...

Latest visit: Jan 2025 First visit: Sometime in 1999 We are back at the B & B for the first time in two years, as the RJG had some record business to attend to in Denver. And why not stock up on a hearty breakfast before a full day of battling estate sale goers and thrift shoppers.  It's a frigid Friday morning, sunny, and 20 degrees. Managed to park up front for the first time in my entire history of going here. No big crowds and long walks through downtown Castle Rock. Took at seat at the bar / counter and proceeded to order what I had in the initial review: Wrap It Up with bacon, eggs, potatoes, and smothered with pork green chili (you can get vegetarian if so desired). And a side of refried beans. Came out hot temperature, though the beans could have been a bit hotter (not a complaint, more of a suggestion). The beans are excellent by the way, a very unique flavor that is crave worthy. I also ordered coffee, as this time they did have flavored creamers, but you have to ask ...

Latest visit: Jan 2026 First visit: Jun 2022 Other location: Monument ---1/21/26 It had been my original intention last year to add Back East Bar & Grill to the RJG Rotation. As I thought about it though, it doesn't really fit the model of a focused annual event. But if the opportunity arises, then it rises to the top of the list. And that event happened today, as Dr. Boom and I had some serious record business to attend to.  It occurred to me, just before going into the doors, that perhaps I should lose my Denver Broncos cap and switch to something more neutral. Why is that? As noted below, they are the official Buffalo Bills headquarters in Colorado Springs. And last week's playoffs created a controversial game between the Bills and the Broncos, to which the home team won. Yea, let me put that cap on the right seat of the car. As for lunch, I jumped on the Horse and Dragon Hazy IPA, and then ordered their Chicken Parm sandwich. And no surprise here, if you read below, the...

Last visit: Jun 2022 First visit: Aug 2018 This was only the RJG's second visit to Paravicini's, the first with Mrs. RJG a few months after moving back to Colorado Springs. We had noticed it on our semi annual trips here, but never ventured in until then. We thought it was pretty good, but wanted a chance to return. Almost 4 years have gone by, and now that moment has finally happened. Joining me for lunch on this day was the Tampa Pound, as it's been a couple of months since our last outing at The Public House. Needed to catch him up on my latest new job situation, and I asked him to choose a place. Perfect, I've been wanting go back! He had real work to do in the afternoon, so he had a flavored tea of some sort. I went for the craft beer menu (since I'm still an unemployed bum - for 2 more weeks anyway), which is pretty limited. Stuck with one of my favorite Colorado Springs beers - Bristol's Laughing Lab, a Scottish Ale, a style no one else makes anymore. The...

First visit: Jun 2022 (Monument, CO) It was time to celebrate the RJG's new job, and for this event we had Mrs. RJG, her official mom - and my official mom. So with two ladies in their 80s, that means Early Bird Special! My official mom had been wanting to go here for some time, so now we had the perfect excuse. My comment on the Rating is pretty much all you need to know, unless you've never been to a steakhouse before. The roots of Texas Roadhouse are actually in Colorado, and the founder started with a restaurant known as the Buckhead Mountain Grill. He dropped out of that and started Texas Roadhouse. So clearly he moved his theme from Colorado to Texas. Hey, he's going in the opposite direction of the RJG! As for the food, each of us had a small sirloin, as either the feature of the meal or as part of a combo. Mrs. RJG likes hers well-done as you all know. Finally she got a completely futzed out - no juice steak. It was dry she complained. Yea, how about that? For the r...