Pies & Grinders ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023 (Colorado Springs)

Other locations: The original is in Black Forest (opened in 2001) and the other is in Monument. All 3 are approximately equidistant from our house.

Tried the meatball sub with a Caesar salad. Salad came out on a small pizza tray, was cold, crisp, and very good. The meatball sub wasn't toasted enough and the sauce was cool. I asked for it be heated some more, which they did, and it still wasn't hot enough. Sigh. So it was hard to gauge the flavor of the sauce, though my initial impression is it's a sweet pizza variety, which I quite like. The meatballs, however, seemed to come off of a truck versus homemade which is a bozo no-no. Definitely won't get that again, though I'm tempted to go back and try a pizza from them at some point. We'll see. 

The Colorado Springs location sits in a large space inside of a strip mall. It was empty on this lunch visit, but I'm sure they do well during the evening. 

7/30/23 (new entry)

Buchi Cafe ~ Leadville, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Breakfast, lunch kind of place. Lots of outdoor seating, not too much inside. Our favorite meal of the trip by far. Didn't expect to find a Cuban place in Leadville, what a pleasant surprise. Great sandwiches and coffee!

7/2/23 (new entry)

Before & After ~ Leadville, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Pleasant bar with plenty of seating. Decent selection of craft beers. Enjoyed the vibes, and they played neo psych music too. First time we've experienced that! Had my Sound Hound out and ready for new tips! On our annual visits to Leadville, it would seem this makes a regular nice stop as we walk back to the hotel.

7/1/23 (new entry)

Two Mile Brewing ~ Leadville, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Nice location on the edge of town. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Very good beers too! Denver is famous for being the Mile High city. Leadville is the Two Mile High city! This is the only brewery in Leadville, and we now plan on visiting annually, so it's looking good for regular revisits :-)

7/1/23 (new entry)

Louie's Ice Cream Shop ~ Buena Vista, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Soothed our stomach nice after the lackluster House Rock Kitchen lunch. Nice outdoor seating with shade. They serve Liks Ice Cream from Denver, which is great. Would prefer locally made ice cream, but certainly this place is nice. We might go back when in town.

7/1/23 (new entry)

House Rock Kitchen ~ Buena Vista, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Not coming back here. Too many other places to try. Should have been much better - and it's crowded too! If you like super rare hamburgers though... Mrs. RJG gives it a huge thumbs down. Falafel salad was horrid.

7/1/23 (new entry)

Wackadoo Brewing ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

Large space with plenty of indoor seating and a bar area. Good beers too with nice service. The only brewery in northwest Colorado Springs.

7/29/23 (new entry)

Ozzie's Smokehouse BBQ ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

First visit: Jul 2023

This is the old Billy Sims BBQ joint that closed down since the owner is in Kansas and it was hard to maintain this location. Sorry to say the new restaurant isn't up to snuff. The beef brisket sandwich is kind of fatty and a little tough, but not too bad.

7/29/23 (new entry)

Hops N Drops ~ regional chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

First visit: Jun 2023 (Colorado Springs)

The FNABQ's were in town, and their hotel was in the Powers nightmare corridor. They asked for a recommendation, but I'm really not that familiar with that part of town, and go to great lengths to avoid it. In doing some research Hops N Drops showed up, and we all like places like this, so let's try it. 

Hops N Drops has the "feel of the 90s" when craft beer was just getting its sea legs. Some of you might remember a chain called Hops Grill and Brewery. Hops N Drops reminds me of that genre. Their beers (for this location anyway) are made by Odell, so they don't brew their own. The food is standard pub fare with sandwiches and burgers. They also offer up more interesting entrees, but I stuck with the cheeseburger. I seemed to enjoy myself more than the others, probably due to nostalgia. The restaurant was mostly empty. Too expensive and the idea is outdated. People prefer to go to the breweries and try whatever food truck happens to be around that day. I probably won't go back, but wouldn't mind an invitation if someone offered. Mrs. RJG however would likely take a pass.

As of this writing, Hops N Drops has 22 locations in 3 states: Washington (15); Oregon (4); Colorado (3). Mostly in suburban areas that aren't served well by local breweries. Their original name was Hop Jack's (founded 2009), and switched to the new moniker in 2018.

7/8/23 (new entry)

Billy Sims Barbecue ~ regional chain :

Latest visit: Apr 2023 (Colorado Springs - closed)

First visit: Dec 2018 (Colorado Springs - closed)

Colorado Springs location is now closed. I'll update this post if we go to another location.

---4/16/23 notes

OK we're back sooner this year for our annual Billy Sims Barbecue visit. They still had the "limited time" chili, so I went for that as my side (dollar extra) to my go-to Heisman sandwich. This time I substituted chopped brisket for pulled pork ($1 more). So how did we compare to last year's visit? Touchdown! The chili was steaming hot and very flavorful. Probably the best Texas styled chili I've had since leaving the state. They added onions and cheese per request. The sandwich was delicious as well, with the chopped brisket giving it a different flavor profile. I hope they remove the interim tag from the chili and make it a permanent item. I noticed on this visit they have sliders. I may try 3 or 4 of them next time to get the full palette of meats they offer. I need to go here more often than once a year, that's for certain.

Latest chain news: There are 24 locations in Oklahoma; 7 in Kansas; 2 in Wisconsin; 1 each in Missouri, Iowa, and Michigan. Plus the one location here in Colorado Springs. Total of 37, down one from last year.

---12/1/22 notes

Back for our annual review. A small downward turn from last time, but still the best BBQ we've had in the Springs. Though we're not claiming that title still, as we've only been to a handful since moving back here. On this visit, I got exactly what I did below. Most items were equal in quality, and I'm wanting to give a slight edge to the pulled pork this time. The bologna could have been a bit hotter temperature though, and the bread would need to be more toasty for Mrs. RJG's approval (though I saw them put it in their unique toaster). Worse was that the mac n' cheese was gummy this time, and not creamy (boo). It was served hot, but it just seemed a little old. Added a pepperoncini this time, which was great. Definitely a filling sandwich, not something many barbecue places can claim. We'll be back next year and probably need to go more often and try other items. They had a "limited time" chili, which I'm regretting not having instead of the mac.

As of this writing, there are 38 Billy Sims BBQ restaurants, mostly in Oklahoma plus 6 other states. Colorado represents the western border, and it's only this location in the Springs, down one from last year. Overall they lost 4 stores since 2021.

---original 6/19/21 review

For many of us, Billy Sims is fondly remembered as a college football running back legend. He won the Heisman as a junior (rare) at the University of Oklahoma for the 1978 season. I was still in junior high school by this point, which is at an age when you begin to pay close attention to such things. Sims also had a great start with the Detroit Lions, but a serious knee injury cut his career short at only 4+ years. In 2004, along with a business partner, Sims launched the barbecue place with his namesake in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

This was only my second visit, but I remember enjoying the first one. And going on 3 years, nothing has changed. While I no doubt need to try more bbq in town, so far Billy Sims is coming out on top. I obviously need to visit here more often. It's a spacious and welcoming place sitting comfortably in a strip center right off the road. Walk in, head to the counter and order away. I went for The Heisman, a healthy sized sandwich that includes bologna, hot link (with cheese), and pulled pork (chopped brisket can replace the latter if desired). As a side, I went with the mac and cheese. Added a pickle and a drink, and off to my table I went. Always glad to see Diet Dr. Pepper at the fountain, so that's a nice bonus. As I often do with a sandwich, I pick a little bit at it, so I can taste each of the meats, and also soak pieces of bread into the two hot sauce containers I asked for (hickory and spicy in this case). And occasionally I'll have full bites of the entire sandwich, with and without sauce. It's an art lol. Excellent all around, and I think bologna is something many barbecue places typically eschew, and they really shouldn't. The cheese infused hot link is also a winning idea. The sauces are also both excellent, though it doesn't need them for the meats to be flavorful. The mac n' cheese was really good as well. The key? It comes out super hot, so it stays creamy. How often do we get this dish and it's already gummy? It stayed hot for the duration too. And I really appreciate they gave me two pickle spears, and very good at that. If you're a barbecue fan, definitely give Billy Sims BBQ a shot if you haven't been already.

12/1/18; 6/19/21 (new entry); 12/1/22; 4/16/23; 7/15/23