Coal Mine Dragon ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Dec 2022

First visit: Feb 2020

In the last days of freedom before our lives were thrown for a loop, Mrs. RJG and I visited Coal Mine Dragon. It quickly established itself as our new go-to for Chinese food. As it turned out, rather than "go to" it became "take out". This was one of our standbys throughout the early days of the pandemic. They had the strangest system that we ever saw. You would call (they may have had an online system too, not sure) and they'd take your order. Then you'd text them again when you arrived. That would usually take me 2 minutes to accomplish, as I would be at the thrift shop next store. They'd then text you back that your meal was ready. You'd open the door, and there was your sack and a receipt, with an all-black barrier in between so it was like a separate room. Sign the receipt,  grab your food and leave. If there ever was a place that made you feel like you lived in a leper colony, this was the one!

Despite that annoyance, we went through that routine almost weekly for some months. And we did that for the obvious reason that the food was very good - and a lot of it (each order would result in two meals each for the Mrs. and I). And it was always of a very hot temperature so that by the time I got it home it was still steaming - and we live 20 to 25 minutes north of Coal Mine. I usually stuck with chicken fried rice, a good staple for to-go orders. And we have a spicy Thai powder from our days in Texas that makes the dish come alive. Mrs. RJG would be more brave and go for some stir fry with a lot of vegetables. But usually she was pleased.

Once things opened up in Colorado Springs in early 2021, we stopped going to Coal Mine's bizarre to-go option, which they maintained much longer than other places that allowed dine-in, which is what Mrs. RJG and I prefer. Now - almost 3 years later - we return for in-person dining. The occasion? The RJG's Official Mom's 84th birthday! Chinese is a long time favorite of my mom's, and she likes the old fashioned styled places. While not exactly a large place with stuffing coming out of the red vinyl booths and gold plated dragon accessories, Coal Mine does maintain the ambience of a pre-1980s era Chinese restaurant. She had the Moo Goo Gai Pan with Egg Drop soup, and stated it was delicious, and took half of it home. Mrs. RJG had the General Tso's chicken with Wonton soup. They have a spice level - 1 to 5. So she chose 4. I have to hand it to Coal Mine, they don't kid around on the spice. We go for Thai food to get spicy, but it's usually a lost cause at Chinese restaurants. Not so at Coal Mine. It was particularly spicy on this visit. Official Mom tried a piece, and it was way too hot for her palate, and took her awhile to settle it down. I went with Kung Pao Chicken - Coal Mine Dragon style. You can also get it "California" style. The latter with vegetables. I went all-chicken! Same level of heat - 4. I was definitely feeling it at the end, which is a good thing. Both Mrs. RJG and I had the same complaint we always do with Chinese entrees - the sauce is too sticky sweet. I also had the Wonton soup. And unfortunately it wasn't blazing hot temperature which disappointed Mrs. RJG and I. I had fried rice instead of white but it was pretty dull without my powder or chicken. Didn't notice much egg either. Mrs. had white rice, as did Mom. No complaints from either. And Mrs. and I both weren't impressed with the bland and mushy (inside) egg roll.

Overall we had a good meal - not a great meal. Though I think Official Mom enjoyed hers more than us. This was her favorite Chinese so far in Colorado Springs. We'll likely come back next year. For Mom's birthday...

Coal Mine operates two other locations. One off of 8th (which we also ordered to-go from once on the way back from a road trip). The other is in Fountain.

2/22/20; 7/23/20; 8/16/21; 12/20/22 (new entry)