Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse & Tavern ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

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 certain. Most of them are the mega chains, but lots of legendary institutional independents are going by the wayside as well. All the signs of 2008 are upon us - at the time we started this blog. Remember Bennigans? Steak and Ale? That was when they met their demise. And many more.

So what about Bourbon Brothers? This is our fourth visit, and our first in a couple of years. It's a beautiful building perfectly set to view the mountains here in northern Colorado Springs. It sits essentially across the street from Vaqueros that we reviewed last year. Their draft beer mechanism wasn't working (major bummer), so I settled on a glass of white wine. Good sized pour and a decent flavor for a house wine. Mrs. RJG is hardcore teetotalling it these days, so she stuck with water. We both went for entrees. She had the blackened salmon with rice and spinach. She really enjoyed it - strong flavors, hot temperature, and perfectly cooked. I had a bit of the salmon and agreed. I prefer more "blackening" so expect a lighter blend than usual. I went with my favorite Cubano. I'd had it here before and it was better last time. It's a large sandwich, so it's definitely filling. I wasn't pleased that the pulled pork was tough this time, and it didn't really settle well with my stomach (which fortunately is highly unusual for me). The bottom of the bread was mushy (Mrs. RJG would have hated it). And the pickle/mustard combo didn't rise to the top offering that wonderful contrast. The tater tots were great though. Next time I'll order something else. Overall, I like Bourbon Brothers, but not sure it separates much from the competition. Mrs. RJG may feel differently though. We'll probably be back, as we know a couple of friends that really like it as well.

Though I have labeled Bourbon Brothers as a national chain, that is more their aspiration than the current reality. Not even sure when they opened their second location, but they were originally a Colorado Springs only restaurant. Where is that second location? Gainesville, Georgia. Not exactly around the corner, and not sure where the economy of scale is coming from. According to their website, they plan on opening in Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, so they definitely are sticking to Southern themes and locales. I was just near Gainesville interestingly enough. It was a possible route I could have taken on my drive from Atlanta to Greenville, South Carolina. I went through Athens instead.

12/18/19; 9/6/21; 4/20/23 (new entry)