Ivywild Kitchen ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2022

First visit: Jan 2019

It seems nothing is like what it was before (see El Tepehuan and countless others in this blog). Chalk up "The Bristol Pub" as yet one more victim of the pandemic. We last went here in the final days before our freedom was wiped off the map. The Bristol Pub is where Mrs. RJG and I thought we were going for lunch on this fine Sunday. It was essentially the restaurant arm of Bristol Brewing, by far and away Colorado Springs' largest brewery. No more. Sitting inside the Ivywild School - an ancient former elementary school repurposed for food and drink - the way it works now is that you can order a beer from Bristol and then walk around to any one of your favorite restaurants nearby. Sort of like brick and mortar food trucks. There's a barbeque option, empanadas, Detroit-styled pizza, coffee/ice cream, and burgers/chicken. Ivywild Kitchen is the latter and made up most of the old Bristol Pub menu. We were completely confused at first, but we got it figured out. I can see the allure of this setup, but we had already settled in our table only to find out we needed to go fetch our meal. Mrs. RJG did not like that at all. Well - now we know.

OK fine, so we wandered over to the Ivywild Kitchen counter to order our meal. The cook-cash register dude didn't really seem too happy about more business. But took our order anyway. What a guy. They then proceed to text you on your phone that your order is ready for pickup (they want a tip for that too - just amazing). By now, Mrs. RJG and I were sitting in detention in another seating area. It had all the warmth of dining in - well - an elementary school hallway. OK now I understand what they mean by "community eatery". Remember this is how English majors make a living now. I had the cheeseburger with a side of green chile. The chile was actually pretty spicy and tasty for such an endeavor. But - stop me if you heard this from me before - it wasn't hot enough. Are personal injury lawyers roaming Colorado Springs looking for burn victims? This is starting to drive me batty. I knew Frank Azar was everywhere, but this is getting ridiculous. The burger was flavorful - also pretty small. And they charged for something bigger. Mrs. RJG got a similar burger with fries. Her pet peeve is not toasting the bread, and sure enough, they didn't. Cold potato buns. And she thought it was too messy with the chipotle mayonnaise all over it ("house sauce"). Fries were good - perhaps a bit too much cooking oil though.

OK, scratch one more off the list! Beer was great though. I'll go back and review the taproom separately at another time. Maybe I'll grab a snack too. But this is no longer a brewpub operation.

1/27/19; 2/8/20; 10/23/22 (new entry)

Tanias 33 ~ Tucson, Arizona

I (the RJG) haven't been to Tucson since 1994. Really need to get back there...

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Mr. Music is flying solo today! After a short visit with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew in Chandler, I stopped in Tucson for a little lunch. There are quite a few places in Tucson that I wanna try, but this place was close to the freeway and caught my eye. I drove into the parking lot which was in an area that was pretty run down but lined with plenty of Mexican food options. I pulled up into the parking lot only only to see a large non descript building with a giant menu on the front wall! The menu is huge and they have plenty of amazing looking options.. Lots of breakfast options, sopas (soups) like menudo, pazole, and albondigas, several meats for burritos, quesadillas, and meat plates like birria, barbacoa, carne verde and roja and more! Tania's has the biggest vegan menu I've ever seen. I'm not vegan, but some of these dishes look so delicious I would try them. Mushroom Pibil for one! I decided to get a burrito and the Colorado Red Chicken caught my eye! It's shredded chicken soaked in Colorado style red chile. The burrito also had rice and beans and pico de gallo and lettuce which I opted to leave off. They offer a myriad of extras; In fact they have a build your own burrito where you pick the meat and all the toppings.

They offer 3 sizes! Regular, large, and extra large! The guy told me that a large is about the size of a burrito from Chipotle, so I decided to go with that. It was at least that big and it was absolutely delicious! The sauce was tasty and reminded me of Hatch red chili. The chicken, rice and beans were great and I loved the tortilla it was wrapped in! When I went inside the place to pick up my order, I saw that the dining room was very small. Just a handful of tables. I guess they have a giant kitchen to make all those delicious dishes. Inside it looked like they had commandeered an old bar. It was cute and nicely done. There was a very long counter, that I'm pretty sure used to be a bar. It had some fresh made odds and ends that you could buy to go. I saw a stack of packs of gigantic fresh made flour tortillas! I am sure they are 18" across and I had to buy them! They are very thin so they don't really use too much dough. I have been making breakfast burritos with them every day and these tortillas are light and scrumptious! I plan to go back there as much as I can. I get to Tucson on occasion when I drive out to see my brother or or on my way to and from California. This is my 2nd excellent food experience in Tucson. I wish I could just spend a month there and eat there every day and try a bunch of the other great looking restaurants in Tucson as well.

- Mr. Music review

Ruby's Inn Cowboy's Buffet & Steak Room ~ Bryce Canyon City, Utah

Lady Music and I rolled into Bryce Canyon in the afternoon as we decided was our preference. Hiking late in the day brings cooler temperatures and almost guarantees smaller or no crowds. We chose to hike Fairyland Point. It was highly suggested by some locals. The initial view told us we made the perfect choice! Unbelievable hoodoo's for as far as the eye can see. A hoodoo is an irregular shaped rock spire. See the pics below!

We wandered and wondered down the trail, deeper into Fairyland Canyon. By the time we made our way back up, it was dark! Ya know what happens at dark in little towns? Yep, everything shuts down and by then, we were very hungry. Turns out the only restaurant in town that is open past 9:00, is Ruby's Inn Cowboy Buffet and Steak. And it just happened to be attached to the BW hotel we were staying at!

Since it was the only restaurant open, there was a very large line to get a table. Luckily there is a great big gift shop in the complex too. Lady Music and I bought some shirts and stickers and stuff and got back to the restaurant just in time to be seated. They had a pretty decent menu with steaks, fish, a few shrimp dishes, burgers, sandwiches, soups, etc...  Main course prices ranged from $15 to $30. Lady Music wanted something light and decided to try the Coconut Shrimp @ $18. I wanted a something a bit more substantial and went for the buffet @ $26. Choices included baked salmon, steak, pork chops, BBQ chicken and a host of sides including rice pilaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, mac n cheese, a few veggie dishes and desserts. Both our meals came with a full salad bar. The salad bar was average and we both agreed it had enough to make a good dinner salad. The highlights were sliced beets, olives and the homemade croutons. Lady Music got a huge plate with 8 or 10 very large coconut shrimp, asparagus and a baked potato. She very much enjoyed her dinner. She shared some coconut shrimp with me and I liked it a lot. A great meal for the money too. I had a nice piece of the salmon. It was moist and fresh. The top was nicely seasoned. I had a small bbq chicken breast too. It was really good. Moist and fresh as well; the bbq was good too. I tried a little mac n cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, rice pilaf, sliced carrots, and steamed broccoli. Everything tasted good and was definitely freshly made. Nothing canned or premade. For desert, I tried a little piece of chocolate cake. It was pretty good. But then I saw the soft serve ice cream machine! We asked the waitress if it came with all meals and she graciously invited Lady Music and I to help ourselves! We loved it! I had a little chocolate and vanilla as the Lady stuck with vanilla. There were some toppings, but we just wanted the cold, sweet cream on our tongue. All in all the dinner was good and definitely reasonably priced. 

But the saga is not over! A free breakfast buffet came with the Best Western room that we stayed in. And where was that? Yep, the breakfast buffet was also in Ruby's. Now this is where they shine. Big fluffy fresh made scrambled eggs. Yummy, thick, fresh made pancakes. Bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, biscuits & gravy. There was a fruit bar although most of the fruit was canned, with yogurt or cottage cheese. They had oatmeal with all the fixins and some cereals too. There was homemade, warm red salsa to go with the eggs as well. It was a little less than medium in heat, but tasty. I had a nice pile of scrambled eggs smothered in the red, A stack of pancakes, and a little sausage. It was really great! Coffee, orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice and sode are included. I asked if they allowed patrons that didn't stay at BW to dine. They said sure, it's $12 a person. Wow, that's a great deal! The food is nothing fancy, just good ol American fare at a good price.

- Mr. Music review

Citizen Rail ~ Denver, Colorado

First visit: Oct 2022

We didn't even get to leave for lunch on the second day, mooching off some other group's Italian take-in. Whoever the Italian restaurant was that prepared it did a great job, though by the time we got there, the food had been sitting under the burners for a while in the open air. Mrs. RJG would have pitched a fit had she been there, but my options were limited.

This time dinner is at 9. I might as well just check into the hospital afterward. We only had to walk across the street to the wonderfully named Citizen Rail. And they do a great job off making you feel like you're sitting in a rail station in old Denver. Theoretically it's a gastropub, but their beer list was hardly extensive, especially for Denver. The group (same 5) went for some appetizer I didn't care for - oh it was Mussels. Of course they have to be "coal simmered". Now I know how English majors make a living. They write menus... Since it was so late, and I hadn't eaten right, I knew it was best just to stick with a protein. And they had the perfect solution: Swordfish. Ah thank you Citizen Rail - I like you just for offering it. Don't see swordfish much any more and this was delicious. Of course it was "oak grilled". What - not fried in a vat of grease? Pfft. I even felt healthy after we all walked back to our respective hotels. Great meal, excellent atmosphere, no way in hell I'd pay for it. Expenses. Love 'em.

Have to laugh at the Zagat styled summary as found on Google Maps: Sophisticated Restaurant with a Patio. "Uncle Jed used to have a patio too when we had catfish!" BTW - we didn't even have lunch on the 3rd day. I survived off a Starbucks breakfast sandwich (at 5:30a before my workout) until I got back home for dinner in Colorado Springs. Mrs. RJG had the medical equipment ready to go.... Too old for this sh*t.

10/15/22 (new entry)

Panzano ~ Denver, Colorado

First visit: Oct 2022

Ah finally - dinner. Like at 8:30. Waaay past my usual meal time. Heck I'm oftentimes in bed by then. But such were the circumstances we were under. To be fair, we had a difficult deadline, and we're all of a similar age - it was just too much work for us, and we didn't have as much "junior" (woke phrase = less-experienced) support as we needed. Long story here, but we'll get that all fixed. Anyway - let's eat!

Group of 5 on this visit, and they started with multiple appetizers. When you name your restaurant with a single moniker, and you sit under a boutique Kimpton hotel (Monaco in this case) in downtown, then your appetizers aren't called "meat and cheese platter", "fish plate", and "octopus with greens" but rather "Piatto di Artigianale", "Fritto Misto", and "Polpo alla Griglia" respectively. Have to pay for those names, so add $10 to each tray. I tried some of each - certainly very good. God I could have eaten the wood serving board by that point. For the main course I needed carbs bad (and I had some bread there - excellent too) - so I had the "Bolognese" (found under "Pasta della Casa" - really?), which is definitely not spaghetti and meat sauce, but rather "tagliatelle with lamb & pork". And it turned out to be great with lots of meat and the sauce was excellent. 

So while Panzano is not an RJG kind of place with a name like Luigi's Garlic House, it definitely served its purpose and is very good. Besides we were on expenses. If going on your own, be sure to add a zero to whatever you expect to pay.

10/15/22 (new entry)

Metric Brewing ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2022

First visit: Sep 2018

When we first visited Metric, it was a Friday night after enjoying some Thai food. And the place was absolutely mobbed. We went again a year later, and had a similar experience. In both cases, they seemed to struggle to keep up and they were always out of their own beers - or close to it. On this visit, I went on a Saturday afternoon, and it was peaceful and quiet - and they had a full range of their own beers on tap. Metric Brewing resides in a suburban strip mall, and is a spacious place. Comfortable. Food trucks will often setup here, though none were here on this visit.

9/7/18; 2/16/19; 10/15/22 (new entry)

Trailhead Public House and Eatery ~ Moab, Utah

Lady Music and I rolled into Moab with our jaws to the floor and mesmerized eyes! 

When we hit 191 off I70, we first stopped at the bizarre gas station and snack stop called Outer Limits Smoke Shop. When we saw it, we had to stop! After a good laugh and getting some great jerky, we headed down 191.

The walls of incredible red rock grew higher and higher as we drew closer to Moab. Our feeble minds could not fully comprehend how incredible these sights were!

Before hitting Arches for another mind blowing experience, we decided to get food! There were a few interesting options, but a peek at the interesting menu sealed out fates! Trailhead Eatery, table for two please!

Now the sights were a bit of a double edge sword. Old downtown Moab looked cool with great shops, old motels and some cafes. Very cool. But buildings were bulging out the sides and new, big hotels were popping up in front of some of those majestic walls of red rock and massive boulders. Not so cool.

Thankfully, Trailhead is in an old building in the middle of old Moab. It's a really cool corner building, very small but 2 stories including outside seating upstairs. Tile floors, wood stairs, railings and tables. We loved it!

The drink menu was big and boasted several craft beers on tap; bottles too. A host of interesting mixed drinks and wines were available as well as some non-alcoholic choices.

Lady Music opted for a bottle of ginger beer brewed by Cock n Bull while I dared to try a watermelon kombucha. It was a beautiful shade of green and very refreshing. Lady Music loved her ginger beer! I liked it too, but hoped for a bit more bite from the ginger!

The menu had a wide variety of unusual appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches. One thing that caught my eye, was the spicy green chili poutine! Poutine (??), my middle name! I fell in addictive love with traditional poutine when I was teaching and working in Ottawa! But, we had our sights on other things this day! We started with a bowl of homemade green chili soup. Unfortunately, they only had mild. Even so, Lady Music slurped with glee! It was scrumptious and I'm not sure I've ever had pork more tender and tasty! The bowl was huge and we ended up taking leftovers for later. We split a fresh and delicious salad, the Cranberry, Chicken and Pecan salad with mandarin oranges, feta cheese and salad fixings with cranberry vinaigrette dressing. Yum yum yum! And we topped it off with a fantastic burger called Hot Trails and Bacon! Wagyu Beef. House fire roasted hot peppers, ghost pepper jack cheese, provolone cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion and tomato. It had a nice kick! The homemade fries were very good too. They could have been a little hotter (temperature heat).

The prices were very reasonable and the staff was great. We had a waiter named Jeff who was funny, personable and super helpful. Possibly our best restaurant finds on our trip.

- Mr. Music review

Heart of Jerusalem ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

We received a surprise visit from Mr. and Lady Music recently! They slipped into town without notice (explained below). For this meal, we didn't attend, so Mr. Music gets in the first non-RJG RJG review from Colorado Springs! Haha. We haven't been here, so let's see how they fared.

Just noticed that Heart of Jerusalem has 3 locations here in town, including a new one up north near where we live. They also have a location in Winter Springs, Florida.

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Lady Music and I went to Colorado Springs to visit friends and do a little sight seeing. Of course we had plans to drop in on Mr. and Mrs. RJG! Our other friends that live there had their first baby just 2 days before we got there. They recommended Heart of Jerusalem so we decided to check it out. We had a plate with some falafel, kebobs, chicken shawarma, hummus and tabouli and yummy pita, of course. We also ordered a wrap with most of the same stuff. Everything was fresh and delicious. The falafel was shaped into a heart! It was very light and crispy. I think the chickpeas were ground more finely than other places I've had it so it was not as chunky and gritty, but I like it both ways. The chicken shawarma had a different texture too. I cannot put my finger on it but it was not as chewy maybe. It was very tasty though. The kebabs were moist and flavorful. The tabouli and hummus with pita were delish. The meat and falafel seemed to be more processed than other places I've been. I'm not saying this in a negative way, in fact some people might like it like that a lot better. It's just a little different then what I've had before.

The staff was super friendly and helpful. The restaurant was very cheery and super clean. The prices were very reasonable as well. All in all it was a great experience. Lady Music is a big fan as well!

- Mr. Music review

Alcove by MadTree Brewing ~ Cincinnati, Ohio

We have had at least one beer from this brewery from one of our trips to Cincy, but haven't been to the facility itself.

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1410 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Good brewery, huge venue (not sure I have the whole footprint figured out), and pretty good food in a part of Over-the-Rhine district that we probably would have avoided the last time I lived in Cincinnati. On the evening of our visit - a rather large project team outing - I walked from my downtown hotel (maybe 8 blocks). Beer options were pretty diverse: I opted for the Ziegler Octoberfest (Marzen) first, followed by Psychopathy IPA. Dinner was the fresh catch - salmon - quite good, worth going back to try more of their menu.

- Rude Dante review

Nicholson's Tavern & Pub ~ Cincinnati, Ohio

625 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 

A place I passed without interest until one of my old friends recommended meeting here for a bite and a sip. We sat at the bar - there is a reason we are friends, right? Long list of taps which we sampled 2-3 each - as well as a decent list of single-malt scotch. Friend said they have great fish & chips, so we both ordered and enjoyed / cleaned our plates. Fairly generic joint, but the food was good, easy to get in and out of, and worth exploring the Scotch if I return.

- Rude Dante review

Molly Malone's ~ Covington, Kentucky

112 E 4th St.

A limited-locations Irish-owned Irish pub (one in Covington, KY, the other downriver in Louisville, KY). In general, I hate joints that pretend to be 'authentic, Irish pub' - and it was with some hesitation that I walked into Molly Malone's as the only open dining option on a Tuesday evening. As I chatted with bartenders - mainly Tracy, who happens to share a birthday with my younger daughter - I realized this was a bit of the real deal. A wide range of taps, and a nice selection of single-malt Irish as well as Scotch whisky - plus really good food and a barkeep who was willing to steer me to the right menu items. I drank a Narragansett because, frankly, I have never seen this beer on tap before (ED: Had one myself in a Providence bar back in 2011). Followed with a couple Guinness stouts because... why not? Tracy told me they roast their own corned beef and recommended a couple other options (fish & chips, prime rib sandwich). I opted for the prime rib and it was quite good. Service definitely caters to locals / regulars, but I felt completely welcome as a wayward stranger. Worth going back - and may skip more likely joints in my travels to the area.

- Rude Dante review

Gold Star Chili ~ regional chain : Lexington, Kentucky

You can read my personal history with Gold Star in the Skyline Chili review. If I ever get back to Gold Star, I'll be sure to enhance this entry. For now, we'll let Rude Dante take over...

Unlike Skyline, Gold Star can be found almost exclusively in the Cincinnati area. They only have one location in Indiana and aren't in other parts of Ohio. The one state they explore more is Kentucky.

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1900 Plaudit Pl, Lexington, KY 40509

Short and sweet, this Gold Star aligned with my prior experience with the 'other' Cincinnati chili parlor. A bit sweeter, spicier, and containing more cocoa and cinnamon than the typical Skyline, while I still prefer Skyline, Gold Star seems to be more consistent even when you get farther away from the mothership. One other difference: Skyline uses pulverized beef rather than just ground beef (Gold Star is close to what you would cook at home). Short synopsis: I'd go to a Skyline over Gold Star most days, but Gold Star is still pretty good.

- Rude Dante review

Dee Felice ~ Covington, Kentucky ***CLOSED***

Closed August 2023

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OK - Rude Dante has some more updates from the Cincinnati area to share with us.

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529 Main St.

Historically one of my favorite Cajun joints anywhere - within or outside of NoLa - I revisited this place in Sept 2022 after at least 15-20 years had passed since my last visit. Having first tried Dee in the late 80s, two landmark changes have occurred since my first visit. First, owner and house band drummer for which the joint was named passed away sometime in the 90s. Pretty sure his kids owned and / or ran it from Dee's passing until early 2021. In Jan 2021 the family sold to another local entrepreneur, and either since that sale or possibly through prior chef changes, the menu - while featuring some of the same dishes - is not quite the same. For this latest visit, I went with my stand-by favorite dish from earlier days, crawfish etouffee. The dish I was served did not resemble the 'dirty rice' kind of cumin-laden concoction I had previously encountered: it was fresh tasting, but light on spice and more tomato flavored than I expected. Good - but not the same. The upside: it was still a good meal, service was excellent and the music was outstanding - simple jazz piano that started with one of my all-time fave tunes (Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life). So while it is not the same...it's still worth going.

- Rude Dante review