Regular Joe's Guide

Mr. Music is hanging out in our old stomping grounds! Technically this is in Denton County, but we had adopted Roanoke and Trophy Club into our NE Tarrant routine. Don't remember Komrai Thai from back then, so let's see what Mr. Music has to say. --- Mr. Brisket and I stopped in for a small snack. We had been playing disc golf in Trophy Club and needed a little something before heading home. We found this little Thai restaurant through a Google search. It was close by and we decided to pop in. The place was a little hard to find because it is in the rear of a very small shopping center that seemed almost abandoned on a Saturday. Plus they don't have a sign yet, but read they have one coming. Komrai Thai is tiny (which I love) and is also a boba shop. You order from the menu which is on the wall behind the counter. At first glance, the menu looks small but has plenty of Thai dishes to choose from. All the basics like Pad Thai, Pad See Ewe, Pad Kee Mow, a few curries, some r...

Latest visit: Jul 2023 First visit: Aug 2021 ---original 4/22/23 review This is only the second time for us to visit Thai Taste, the first listed above. I quite liked it, but couldn't enjoy it entirely because I was having so much fun with some crazy gum swelling (details somewhere in this blog, not worth rehashing). I've been pushing Mrs. RJG that I wanted to go back, but there was an unknown resistance. Finally that night has arrived. Coming off my children's meal at Black Bear Coffee, I was ready to devour a full sized dinner. Before walking in, they have photos of the food to be offered on the window. And - oh my God - my dish is right there on the door! Basil Fever. Open up the menu - there it is again on the front page! Real Thai Basil - ground chicken, fried egg, and little Thai chilis sprinkled throughout. I finally don't have to explain what I want - they're advertising it!  This is getting more promising by the minute. We decided to order the shrimp blanke...

First visit: Apr 2023 I was way down south at an estate sale in the Broadmoor area, and the day was getting away from me. I had a meeting I needed to take in the car, and after that, whatever food was afforded me, I'm taking! I usually eat my main meal between 8 and 11, and here it is 1:30. To say I was hungry would be a major understatement. But I only wanted something light at this point, since I knew I'd be going out with Mrs. RJG for dinner. It's been many a year since I found myself in this shopping center right off of I-25 near Cheyenne Mountain. During the Denver townhome years of 2009 through 2011, we occasionally would come from southern Colorado through Colorado Springs. There was a very good Thai restaurant in here at that time (now it appears to be a Chinese place). While sitting in the parking lot listening to the meeting, I contemplated my choices. There was a Which Wich that I'd been to once in Southlake many years ago (wasn't impressed but probably s...

Latest visit: Apr 2023 First visit: Apr 2019 Interesting to see that I've been to Lost Friend three times and they're all during late April, spread evenly two years apart. A complete coincidence. In any case, staying with our "win theme" of experience over things, Mrs. RJG and I went out for a second night in a row. The impetus to going here was that Dr. Taco's truck was setting up outside (see my review). I knew Mrs. RJG would love them and so we waited until his truck landed somewhere we wanted to go. As I predicted, Mrs. RJG loved them and declared they are the best tacos she's ever had. I knew it! We'll probably be following him around like the Grateful Dead here for sometime. As for the brewery, Lost Friend refers to dogs in particular. It's more dog friendly than human friendly. Perhaps the dogs should order and pay for the beer as well lol. This setup doesn't sit well with Mrs. RJG, though once again I'm more tolerant of the modern way o...

Latest visit: Apr 2023 (Colorado Springs) First visit: Dec 2019 (Colorado Springs) Mrs. RJG and I are trying to get out more during the week, as we got into a rut during the pandemic that we're trying to get out of. Our routine has been to eat at home every night and occasionally go out for lunch on the weekends. I would sometimes personally get out for lunch later in the week while digging for records depending on my work schedule. The idea here is to spend more money on "experience" versus "things". We have enough of the latter. Most folks do if they're honest about it. The problem is that the dining experience dollar has gone up exponentially in the last year, and it's only a matter of time before something gives. Either an implosion of the market, or prices come back down to reasonable levels. Time will tell. Interesting to note that my Google feed has decided to tell me how many restaurants are closing around the country. And there are a lot for cer...

Last visit: Apr 2023 First visit: Aug 2010 Ever since we moved back to the Springs, we've been saying that we want to go back to Castle Cafe. Neither of us remembered all that well what the experience was prior and wanted to try it again. Almost a full 5 years later, we finally made it over here. This would be our 3rd visit - the first one with Rude Dante as he was about to leave for Akron, Ohio. Castle Cafe sits in an old building dating back to the 1890s. Apparently there's been a restaurant, bar, and (at one point) dancehall in this spot since that time. There's not a lot of detail on current ownership and what really happened during the urban decay days of the 50s, 60s, and 70s but it really doesn't matter in the scheme of things. It's a cool looking building, with plenty of booth and table seating. Or you can grab a stool at the bar if eating or drinking solo. Mrs. RJG had the "famous" Pan Fried Chicken, which they now serve all day - it used to only ...

Latest visit: Feb 2025 (Castle Rock) First visit: Jul 2009 (Boulder) Locations: Boulder; Castle Rock; Fort Collins After Port of Subs and then over an hour of digging at a local record shop, I was ready for some dessert. Ooh, look what's walking distance away? Our annual visit comes much earlier this year as it's only been five months since my last trip. On this visit, I went for the peanut butter fudge gelato in a waffle cone. I did receive more than last time (see below), but not as much as Westcliffe's Sugarlump. So creamy and so flavorful. They are really good at making gelato. Of course I didn't photo my treasure like a knucklehead. But then again they didn't provide a place to put my cone when paying, which is weird. So that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. See you next year Glacier, if not sooner! ---11/1/24 update Here's yet another establishment serving food that has suffered hard times. Best I can tell, they are now down to three locations: ...

Latest visit: Apr 2023 First visit: Sep 2019 Mrs. RJG frequently drives to Garden of the Gods to go on a solo hike or with a friend. She happened to notice Trinity Brewing on this drive and suggested we go for lunch. I'm not going to pass up on that opportunity! We'd been once before pre-pandemic, and she didn't enjoy it. I thought it was good, perhaps could have used a slight improvement. Since that visit, they have a completely new menu and chef, so it's like going for the first time. I think they expanded to the space next door (can't remember for sure), and now have two very large rooms to spread out. As well as some outdoor seating.  We settled on brewpub food - she had a Buffalo chicken sandwich and I went for the fried chicken sandwich, something I'm going more and more for these days. The modern way of frying isn't so bread or grease heavy. Or at least it shouldn't be. I thought she was going to enjoy hers, since the bread appeared toasted on bot...

Food truck Latest visit: Jan 2024 (Fossil Craft Beer) First visit: Apr 2023 (Colorado Springs Record Show) Well we haven't really been the most dedicated "Dr. Tacoheads", as we didn't follow Dr. Taco everywhere as I predicted we might. But we did catch him at the Black Forest Brewery in Peyton during the summer as well as Urban Animal Brewery down in Cheyenne Mountain in the late autumn. And Lost Friend Brewery is where I first introduced Mrs. RJG to him. As noted in the Fossil Craft Beer entry, he was the impetus for us visiting there - and our first time to have his yummy tacos for the new year! I had the battered fish, battered chicken, and carne asada. Mrs. RJG did similar except substitute the fish for shrimp. His habanero sauce is insanely hot but I love the piquant flavor. Mrs. RJG's favorite condiment is the cucumber salad which also packs a punch. Carlo is just a super nice guy as is his entire family. Find where they're going, and be sure to try thei...