Regular Joe's Guide

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...

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

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...

Latest visit: Apr 2023 First visit: 1999 And like with McCoy's, Big Bill's seemed better than ever. There was a much larger crowd on this visit, and the kitchen seemed hotter. We finally got confirmation that their namesake beer is made by Estes Park. We devoured a large ham and pepperoni pizza between us - and finally with the right amount of sauce! Ultimately Big Bill's gave us happy bellies on the drive back to Colorado Springs. JL and I have a big trip coming up in two weeks for another show - but not in Colorado. More to come! ---original 10/15/22 review As if to cement our new friendship, JL suggested dinner at Big Bill's New York Pizza. Alright! This was a go-to place of mine when living in Denver Ver 2.0 (post marriage / road warrior consultant / pre-management). I know Rude Dante and I went here at least a couple of times back then. He used to live nearby and it was his initial recommendation. But it's been 22+ years since I last stepped inside. Way too lon...

Latest visit: Apr 2023 First visit: Oct 2022 It's time for the bi-annual record show in Denver! JL and I are back at it, selling our wares. Him more so. I just bring a few boxes along for the heck of it. I'm mainly there to help and then dig for myself. Most of my inventory is online. In reality most of it is in my collection lol. Selling inventory, I should say. We both agreed to follow the routine of McCoy's and Big Bills (fulfilling the prophecy below). For the October show we might go for mixing it up with two new RJG styled restaurants. We'll see. As for our experience this visit, absolutely everything was the same, perhaps even tastier to me on this fine sunny morning. And yes, of course JL got a hug from the waitress... For old school diners, McCoys is tough to beat. Oh - we did take the time to look up when they first opened - 1988. ---original 10/15/22 review Now for something completely different... After a week of expense account eating - when we were allowed...

Latest visit: Aug 2025 (Flying Horse) First visit: Jul 2018 (Flying Horse) ---8/2/25 A much later annual visit than normal, I've been arm-twisting Mrs. RJG to come here with me for months now. She finally relented, and no idea why there was resistance in the first place. Well I can say after two beers each, and a delicious Polidori Italian Sausage and Jalapeno 14" inch pizza, there was happiness everywhere. Been ages, but it was so, so good. They also now have Flatiron Pepper Company flakes available on the table, and believe me, they make a difference. Spicy and very flavorful, it's a great addition to any pizza. The restaurant was packed on a Saturday for lunch. Inflation is still in play, and Walter's303 isn't cheap by any means. But folks are willing to pay the premium to eat here. It's that good. Walter's continues to maintain their Denver Uptown, Lowery, and Littleton locations, in addition to this one in Co Springs. And they've now expanded to th...

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 ea...

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 -...

Closed: May 2025 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)

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, Trailhea...

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. --- 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 hea...

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. --- 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

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

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 an...

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. --- 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...

Closed August 2023 --- OK - Rude Dante has some more updates from the Cincinnati area to share with us. --- 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 encoun...