Regular Joe's Guide

Last visit: Jan 2023 First visit: Jul 2022 We had one of our Official Niece's in town while her husband was taking care of some family business. We gave her a choice of 3 places, and she chose Thai. It had been a few months since we last went here, and it was dinner time, so NaRai Thai was the obvious answer to which Thai restaurant that would be. It's been almost a full year since said niece and nephew-in-law treated us to Aung's Bangkok Thai in Denver. And NaRai Thai is closest in taste and atmosphere to Aung's. We were excited to go back - though there was a caveat... Some of you may recall the surprise visit we received from Mr. and Lady Music last September. We took them to NaRai Siam. That would be the name of their Cheyenne Mountain location. While we collectively enjoyed our meal, they refused to make my dish as noted in the original review, even though they have all the ingredients. Well that was a bummer. At least our closer locale is much more amenable. We ju...

Latest visit: Jul 2022 First visit: Nov 2017 (Aurora) Summary: Not as good as my memory had it. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing?  Quick program note: We are still keeping up. Nothing new since the Cowcatchers have left and that includes our annual reviews. No word from Mr. Music or Rude Dante either. But plenty is coming. I have a new job that promises some travel, so we'll see what that ultimately leads to. Now back to our regularly scheduled program... --- Sabor is a place I've had circled to return to since we moved back to Colorado Springs in 2018. It was the last restaurant for me to visit on my semi-annual visits to Colorado. And I thought it was fantastic. Essentially Sabor is of the modern variety of Mexican taqueria's. They cater both to the Hispanic community (in particular the local workers), as well as to the gringo's who work and live nearby. I prefer these places, as I admittedly tend to be overly guero. Mr. Music is more hardcore than I in these matters...

First visit: Jul 2022 For the final day with the Cowcatchers, we filled the afternoon with the Royal Gorge Route Railroad train ride. Mrs. Cowcatcher had purchased the tickets a few weeks ago for all of us, and we'd never been before, so we were much looking forward to it. We partially retraced our steps from the trip to Westcliffe and arrived in the late morning. We enjoyed a beverage at Happy Endings, a caboose that sits on the railroad property, and also serves food. For those with a keen eye, you'll note that a cowcatcher is the front grill of a locomotive engine. So yes, our friends our train enthusiasts, especially Mr. Cowcatcher.  We sat in one of the "dome" trains, which are the ones that have curved glass by the windows so you can see upward. Very interesting to look up to the Royal Gorge bridge rather than down. Service was impeccable - our lady also did double duty as the train guide and added bits of humor throughout. The big surprise was the food itself. ...

Latest visit: Jul 2024 (Colorado Springs - Barnes @ Powers) First visit: Jul 2020 (Colorado Springs - Interquest) HQ: Greenwood Village, CO (founded: 2007 in Parker, CO) Locations: 24 total (+6); Colorado: 11 (same), including 3 here in the Springs; Texas: 11 (+6); Arizona and Nevada have one each (same). The Colony would be the closest to our old roaming grounds in NE Tarrant.  It's Sunday and I'm still working eastern Colorado Springs for the hobby business. The restaurant has an alternate concept called Parry's Sliceria. It's similar to the full scale restaurant, including a full bar, but it's essentially geared towards the quick service crowd. You can come here and grab a slice, and be back out quickly. Since it was a Sunday I took advantage of the bar and had one (very) light beer and a slice of pepperoni. The slice is gigantic, and very thin. To the point you almost want to ask for a knife and fork, because it's impossible to fold down the middle. I was ha...

Latest visit: Jul 2024 First visit: Jul 2022 As mentioned on the Chuds review, we had every intention of going to Westcliffe at least once this summer. And yesterday was the perfect day to do just that. Blue skies and a cool breeze. The town was more crowded than in the winter, but not that much more. It's not on the tourist map and I hope it never does get on there. Bootleggers Bistro has become one of our go-to lunches in the area, and we decided to play it safe and went here again. Ah, but there's cracks in the foundation this time. I tried something new, essentially an Italian meats panini. Mrs. RJG stayed true to the chicken cordon bleu. Each comes with chips and a pickle spear. Problem was they didn't heat it up enough, so our sandwiches were lukewarm, though the bread remained toasty. The beer list has gone from interesting to perfunctory. Gone is Paradox and any other near-local brewery. Now they only have national brands, even if some are truly craft. I'm sure ...