Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Aug 2022 (Greenwood Village - closed) They're still open in Aurora. Completing our Denver overnight trip, we decided on Three Little Griddles for our Sunday morning breakfast. Since it sits in a contemporary condo/shopping center in the middle of a business district, we figured it wouldn't be too crowded. And we were right. Guessing their primary crowd is during the work week. It appears this used to be a full service restaurant with countertop stool seating. They really should bring that kind of service back - enough of these pandemic excuses. Anyway, the stools have been removed and you order up at the front. But they still want the same tip to just do their job and nothing more. Not from me you don't!  I think we should start tipping the hardware store clerks when they point us to which aisle the lightbulbs sit it in. Maybe I should tip the bank teller for depositing my check. It really drives me nuts. Tipping was invented for extra service - like filling yo...

Closed: 2024 First visit: Aug 2022 After the 3 Freaks visit didn't pan out as expected, it was time to find our next "stones throw" brewery. Only 2 major blocks west lies Blue Spruce. It's a quick car ride so we settled on this for our final stop of the night. This is much more of what I expect to find in the southern suburbs of Denver. Now we're in a much nicer strip center location. A big spacious place with sports on TV and - of course - a live solo act singing folk music. That everyone ignored. The crowd was a mix of middle aged folks and various neighborhood gatherings. Very comfortable and we enjoyed the people watching. The brewery features a number of beers, and not all the typical styles. So I can get a Vienna or a Helles, not just an IPA. They also promote their kitchen and it seemed like it would be a good place to eat as well. Will have to do that sometime. In any case, the beers are great and it's a nice festive place. The opposite of 3 Freaks ...

First visit: Aug 2022 Anyone who has read my reviews while in Baltimore will note that I like to try as many beers as possible when there. And while the Inner Harbor / Fells Point area didn't have their own brewery, they certainly had tons of restaurants and bars that served all (or almost all) the locally made Maryland / DC brew. I have to push Mrs. RJG to go in on this idea, but she always has a great time once it gets going. So as part of the "date night", I wanted to go to a brewery within walking distance of the hotel. Like I said in the LowDown review, one only has to throw a rock in any direction to find a brewery. And that holds true even in the tony southern suburbs of Denver. Highlands Ranch and Capitol Hill are complete opposites in every single way imaginable, but they both still have hipster breweries. 3 Freaks Brewery seems to be just hanging on from the pandemic's side effects. The breweries of central Denver have the advantage of public transportation ...

Closed Sep 2023 First visit: Aug 2022 Oops - got a bit out of order here. Already forgetting the breweries! On the Illegal Pete's post I mentioned going to the record show. To be honest, it was very disappointing, after having great success at the last 3 shows (there are two different conventions in Denver - though they feature a lot of the same dealers). Everyone wants too much money for their LPs. Come to the Colorado Springs bi-annual show and the RJG's tables is where it's at - and we sell at fair prices! OK, advertisement over. In any case, I was very thirsty and was tempted to get a beer at the show. Great Divide were one of the sponsors and they are one of my favorite brewers in the state. But I wanted to try something more local. We get Great Divide at home. Heck, I first tried them in Texas before our state even had more than 10 microbreweries. When you're in Denver, you can pretty much throw a rock in any direction and hit a brewery. Maybe even 2 if you get a ...

Latest visit: Apr 2024 (downtown) First visit: Aug 2022 (Greenwood Village) HQ: Denver (founded: 1995) Locations: 14 total with 12 in Colorado (+2). Mostly Denver/Boulder with one in Fort Collins and the one here. There are 2 in Arizona (Tucson / Tempe). There's another one coming to Boulder. I've been waiting for our local Colorado Springs branch location to open, and that finally happened recently after over a year of delays. Sunday late morning is the perfect time to try, as we have free parking then. The renovated building is a very nice - and quite large - space. Walk in and take something of a hike to the primary ordering area. I'll state here that the help staff was very friendly. Seeing more and more of this which tells me that jobs are becoming scarcer and the better employees are snapping them up before they're all gone. We saw this from 2008 to 2012, and then things began to deteriorate, reaching its bottom in 2022 when they couldn't even find employees. ...

Latest visit: Jul 2022 First visit: Aug 2018 One of the many breweries out east on the Powers corridor (read: cheaper rents). Nano 108's claim to fame is they never make the same beer twice. I like the philosophy, but I think I'd prefer a little of both. Always new beers to try with some favorites brought out at different times. In any case, Nano 108 seems to be one of the more popular breweries in town, at least among beer aficionados. It's location is a classic run down former agricultural supply area. Inside is dark but welcoming. Plenty of places to sit outside as well and admire the scrub brush and rusted trucks. 8//18; 1//19; 7/9/22; 8/28/22 (new entry)

Latest visit: Jul 2025 First visit: Nov 2018 Jak's now has four locations, including Old Ranch, Dublin, and Platte. ---7/25/25 update (Falcon) Hard to imagine but this is the first Colorado Springs brewery I've been to all year, not counting brewpubs. And it's been a full three years since I last stepped foot into Jak's. At that time I was one week away from starting my final job before calling it a career this past January. On this visit, I was thirsty and was looking for a light beer. And they came through with a nice Mexican Lager. I debated a second, but decided to pass as there was plenty more to do for the day. Otherwise, Jak's is exactly as I remembered it from both our 2018 and 2022 visits. Need to really make an effort to get here more often, especially considering their Old Ranch location is very close to where we live. ---6/24/22 review (Falcon) If heading way out east, then try Jak's, which sits comfortably in a modern shopping center. A large space ...

Closed: Jun 2024 First visit: Mar 2022 Opening in February of 2022, Batch Slapped (lol) is the newest Colorado Springs brewery to open (it was when I visited - no longer the case). They are one of many to be found on the east side of the Springs, so hopefully saturation isn't occurring. It's in a nondescript 1980s looking strip mall, so I suspect at least their rent is reasonable. Inside has been renovated nicely and is what the kids call "chill". Nice open fireplace in the middle to warm up to if needed. All in all, yet another fine brewery for us. BTW - already their name has come under the lens of the cancel culture gestapo. No one has a sense of humor anymore. Must - pass - purity test. 3/8/22; 8/28/22 (new entry)

Last visit: Feb 2022 First visit: Dec 2018 (on 8th street) Closed Apr 2023. Owner (age 71) decided to retire. Can't blame him! --- Smiling Toad has new digs since I last visited, when they were off of 8th Street. They are now in Old Colorado City in a pretty interesting 2 story building. It's original function was likely industrial, but it's perfect for a small brewery. Though in recent times, it too hosted a bar called Thirsty's Tavern. When you walk in, go left and upstairs. Typical RJG I first wandered around aimlessly on the main floor trying to figure out where to enter. The first floor is where the beer is made. Friendly staff. Lots of games to play. A very bright space upstairs. Definitely a hardcore local brewery.  12//18; 5//19; 2/14/22; 8/28/22 (new entry)

Closed: Sep 2024 First visit: Feb 2022 Opened on New Year's Eve 2021, Bell Brothers is one of three new Colorado Springs breweries to pop up recently. Nice downtown space on Tejon, reminds me of the Baltimore taverns. Good lighting and an open industrial feel. Met one of the Bell Brothers, as he was tending bar. He is also the brew master. Very friendly staff. They also serve panini's and other light fare. I took advantage of their beef panini, and it was perfectly prepared! 2/13/22; 8/28/22 (new entry)

Check out that historical photo from their website. That's just too awesome. ---  Truth be told, I fact check myself at many turns of the proverbial road. Partly this is driven by the immense mounds of BS floating around my brain, but getting older and having imperfect recall of places visited decades ago - and revisited recently - are cause for a refresher. Case in point, Pompilio’s. For a few decades I have told folks elsewhere about visiting the restaurant from the toothpick scene in Rainman and incorrectly attributed this to Scotti’s. Now, don’t get me wrong, Scotti’s is also a fine establishment, up on Vine St on the Ohio side. But the 4-in-the-box joint is really Pompilio’s in Newport, KY. Also only visited this place for lunch in the past. Way different animal. Tonight I tried dinner, and it was worth the trip! Sitting at the bar - as is my want - guidance came from the gal behind the bar named Kristen. She guided me to the eggplant parm appetizer - not listed on menu - and ...

Hadn't thought about this chain in a long time. I've only been once - long ago with my Dad on our last road trip together. Hammond, Indiana. May 1989. It was outside the Super 8 where we stayed. It was the perfect Dad kind of experience - cheap motel with a diner next door. We did - in fact - have dinner there. Rude Dante obviously didn't witness us... In any case, the next 3 days we were in Chicago. I selected every place we ate. Otherwise we probably would have eaten at Denny's... in Chicago. That is what is known in Biblical terms as a... sin. According to Wikipedia, there are 442 locations in 18 states. --- An homage to Bob Evans. This regional chain competes (effectively) with Cracker Barrel and Waffle House (Denny's and iHOP do not stand a chance here) across the Midwest. Based in central Ohio east of Columbus, the original farm was in hard SE Ohio - Rio Grande (DAMN CLOSE to West Virginia - in all ways), Bob produced better sausage than Jimmy Dean but did not...

Small regional restaurant & taproom - my location of choice: 1615 Main St, Peninsula, OH 44264 The Winking Lizard is a genuine national treasure (though not sure to which nation they pledge allegiance: maybe Belgium, or Deutschland, possibly the Czech Republic?). One of my favorite taproom format restaurants, I knew I loved them when I discovered their midsummer special was a Belgian Trappist Ale called Orval - ON TAP - paired with a cheeseburger special featuring Orval cheese (yes, from the very same Trappist monastery about 45 minutes from Luxembourg). They stole my heart, or maybe my stomach - and a chunk of my liver. Noteworthy feature of the Peninsula location: it is located just off the Cuyahoga River in the heart of the eponymous national park between Akron and Cleveland. The river - once known for catching fire in the 60s and 70s (to be fair, pretty sure the Maumee in Toledo bears the same claim) is now pristine, clear as a bell, and fields canoe and kayak enthusiasts along...

Gotta love Diamonds and Watches with your sandwich! And those sandwiches look awesome! --- (Zero relation to the Grill; 378 S Main St, Akron, OH 44311) This is one of those deli's where you want to bring your friend with a hollow leg. HUGE mf sandwiches (and that ain't for muffuletta!) Gynormous! A metric shit-ton of meat on each! We had this one guy on my team who was ALWAYS hungry, but ate at a snail's pace. We once sat with him while he ate 2 of their sandwiches. I think we are still waiting for him to finish?! A couple pics - to illustrate the deal (Reuben is my go-to, second one below): - Rude Dante review

Rude Dante also spent a couple of years in the fine town of Akron. He's back for a revisit. And yea, definitely Regular Joe's Guide Hall of Fame signage right there. Also note the extra e on Grill. Yea, man! --- (77 W Market St, Akron, OH 44308) This is a pretty amazing place - but not the best steak you'll ever have. What it lacks in 'fancy' is more than compensated for in ambience. F'rinstance: when it comes time to pay your bill, no credit / debit / other cards are accepted. Cash. Or a check.  Or they can invoice you. That is one bill that I would pay promptly. Dinner options are steak and steak and steak. Truth be told, there is also chicken, seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. But why? I did ask for my steak to be 'Oscar' - then recanted when they said they'd have to check and see if they had crab. And absolutely Zero asparagus. I didn't even ask about hollandaise sauce - just said gimme the meat!' Came here last for a retirement cele...

Latest visit: Jan 2024 (Voyager) First visit: Aug 2022 (Co Springs - Cheyenne Mountain) HQ: Las Vegas, NV Locations: Their website isn't too bad, but they made me tally the numbers manually. I came up with 160 total in 28 states. Most states have 5 or less. Their homebase of Nevada has by far the most at 44 with their original state of Delaware coming in second at 17. Colorado has 7, with 4 in the southern reaches of Denver + 3 here in the Springs. Texas has 6 with 3 in DFW. The NE Tarrant closest would be Flower Mound, something akin to Culver's when we lived there. There's a few "coming soon"s, so it appears they're still in growth mode. Boggles the mind. I hadn't originally planned to go back to Capriotti's after my initial visit plus reading Mr. Music's observations. But they've since expanded in the Springs area, to not only cover their original spot in the south, but also one off Powers in the east, and now Voyager in the north right here...

Last visit: Aug 2017 (Crescent Springs, Kentucky) First visit: Aug 2002 (Cincinnati) As promised from Rude Dante's recent visit, I decided to add a new entry here. For me the Cincinnati chili experience all started with Gold Star in 1995. They had one location (count 'em) west of the Mississippi back then (maybe even outside of Ohio) - and it was in the Denver Tech Center very close to where I was working at the time. So I started to go over for lunch somewhat regularly. Then came Rude Dante to the same company, and where we first met (see El Tepehuan entry for more on that). He had much more knowledge on the subject having just moved from the area. And so began a ritual with us - until the company we were with sold out in 1997. It was at this time that Mrs. RJG and I were married (having also met her at the same company - obviously a life changing place to be!), and joined a consulting firm and hit the road (and tales continue to flow from that experience). Then comes July of ...

Other than Denver and NW Indiana, Rude Dante's roots can be found here. He has started with a summary. We'll see if we can get some of these fleshed out. In fact, one of them I will do now based on my own experience in the state of Ohio. --- OK - this one merits an introduction - albeit briefly. Just started a project within spitting distance of the Cincinnati airport - CVG for those in the know (for Covington KY - although the airport address is in Hebron - what's up with that?) For the reading audience, Rude Dante lived a number of years on the Ohio side of this metropolis, so this is largely an exercise in re-checking boxes last checked some 25-30 years ago. True test of whether or not much has changed in the area comes on day 1. My normal approach is to eat 2 meals per day on the road ( ed: we have that in common as well! ). There is a foodstuff that is local to Cincinnati area - and probably a handful of locations in Deutschland - known as 'goetta'. It is best...

First visit: Aug 2022 (Colorado Springs - Chapel Hill) Met a co-worker here recently, and this was my first visit to the well loved chain. I'm not really trained on the art of coffee drinking, but I've come to appreciate sea salted caramel of late, replacing my old mocha standby. Ideally they would have real coffee ice cream shakes, but you rarely see that beyond the individual specialty shops. In any case, I enjoyed it as did my coworker. The setting inside is comfortable, though we took advantage of the fine weather and sat outside under the umbrella. They have a lot of good looking items on their drink menu. Will have to go back and try some of them. Ziggi's started in Longmont and most of their shops are in Colorado. However you can now find disparate stores in 13 other states. 8/17/22 (new entry)