Regular Joe's Guide

Latest visit: Dec 2023 (Interquest) First visit: sometime in the 1980s (Dallas - Northwest) HQ: Dallas, TX Locations: 41 states and 442 locations. There are 23 in Colorado with 5 in this area. Texas by far is their largest presence at 127. NE Tarrant has locations in Grapevine, Bedford, and a couple in far north Fort Worth. Our former location in Keller appears closed. According to Wikipedia they had 483 locations in 43 states, so they've also been impacted negatively in the last few years like most. Dickey's is a lot like Schlotzsky's in my world. As with that sandwich mega-chain, its origins are in Texas, and in this case right where I grew up in Dallas. They started in 1941 but began to grow rapidly in the 90s. The biggest issue I've had with Dickey's is that it's middle of the road barbecue. I think they've gone to great lengths to try to distinguish themselves with more meat and sauce options than prior. In Texas it felt like we were merely settling on ...

Last visit: Dec 2023 First visit: Aug 2019 Mrs. RJG has been hankering for Thai food and she wanted to go back to Pho-N-Thai, a place we visited once before the pandemic. We thought it was good then, but neither of us remember much about it. I'm not usually fond of Thai restaurants that also specialize in other Asian cuisines, in this case Vietnamese. We also haven't really been anywhere since I returned from DC, and it's time for a lunch date. When you walk in, you'll order at the counter, so it's almost like a fast food place. But you can customize your dish like at a restaurant.. I ordered my usual basil chicken and they customized it with minced chicken, no zucchini, add a fried egg, and Thai Hot. Mrs. RJG went Vietnamese with a rice noodle bowl and flank steak. There's a regional type of cooking from Thailand that I don't care for much, and Pho-N-Thai cooks in that style. The sauce is almost red, not the familiar brown that I'm used to. My meal was ...

First visit: Dec 2023 Our company has an office in a very nice building - and is walking distance from our hotel as well. No one was paying for our lunch on this final day of meetings, so we decided to eat at the cafe in the building. Used to be these kind of places served warmed over Sysco Foods. Now they're better than Fleming's. Nothing makes sense anymore. Whatever the case, I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with fries. Out comes this wonderful sandwich with excellent bread, a very crispy, spicy, and flavorful chicken breast, all on a bed of fresh lettuce and jalapenos. With a basket full of fries that I couldn't even finish. But they were great too. I'll be perfectly fine to eat here again if we go back to this office again, which remains a very real possibility. 12/6/23 (new entry)

Latest visit: Dec 2023 (Tysons Galleria Mall) First visit: Aug 2000 (Denver, CO) HQ: Dallas, TX Locations: Yet another dumb website that does not allow you to research the chain. You can only know about your location. Makes you wonder what they're thinking. According to Wikipedia, as of March 2021, there are 54 locations in 23 states including DC. They still have two locations in Denver it appears. I don't think I've ever written about Maggiano's but have been plenty of times. Their day in the sun has passed, but they're still a good viable option for a nice Italian meal. Especially for groups like this. They were all the rage in the late 90s, and that's when I first tried them in Denver. Mrs. RJG always enjoyed it as well. They're part of the Brinker chain (acquired from Lettuce Entertain You in Chicago), and this is the next level up from Romano's Macaroni Grill. Yet another vendor hosted this dinner (yep - our group is influential for vendors). It...

First visit: Dec 2023 (Marriott Courtyard) HQ: Tampa, FL Locations: They are located in 25 states across the nation. Denver has one as does Plano in DFW. I seem to recall seeing the name Flemings in one of those "Best Steakhouses in America" advertisements you'd see in the airplane magazines. Remember those? They used to be in the front pouch of your seat. Old times, eh Uncle RJG? I don't recall ever eating at Flemings prior. It's been forever and a day since I ate at a high end steakhouse like this for business. I think it was Ruth Chris in (ironically) also in Tysons, Virginia, almost exactly seven years ago when I first started at the global education company (where most of my Baltimore restaurant experience comes from as documented here in the RJG). We arrived way later than my normal din-din time, but I was mentally prepared. It was a short walk to the neighboring Courtyard, where most of my peers were staying. Service was unfortunately painfully slow, so it ...

First visit: Dec 2023 I was sober as a judge about midway through my record store excursion, so by the time I arrived back at the hotel, I was ready for the meet and greet session with my team and the vendor who hosted the event. I stayed at the Doubletree which is where Tysons Social Tavern happens to be. The hotel itself is very nice though non distinctive unlike the Kimptons and some of the historical hotels I prefer to stay at.  I arrived and the vendor was chowing down on munchies and already imbibing. My team had yet to arrive so I motored to the bar, and was more than pleased at the local craft beer selection. I started in with one (first in Virginia!), and began socializing as my team arrived in concert. Two hours and two more craft beers later, good vibes were in the air. I wisely avoided the appetizers as I figured our team would go out to eat, and we did just that afterward. I really enjoyed Tysons and would certainly go back to this hotel just to return here for Happy H...

First visit: Dec 2023 I took the next day off to look for records in the Northern Virginia suburbs. I was informed by the stores in DC that I could spend all day at the CD Cellar so with that in mind I decided to eat lunch first, and let's see what is nearby. Well look at this, Dogwood Tavern is my kind of place and they essentially share a parking lot with the record store. They have an excellent selection of local craft beers and their menu looked perfect. Sat at the long bar on the right side of the restaurant (as you walk in) and ordered my first beer. I originally had intended to have a hamburger but while perusing the menu, they have a monthly special of a Cuban. Well that's a no brainer. A few minutes later out came my delicious sandwich. Crispy bread, hot temperature, all pickley and mustardy. Perfect. Of course I took the option for tater tots just like the night before. These were much better than ChurchKey's variety. Grabbed another beer during lunch, which set t...

First visit: Dec 2023 The day after the record show I had to get up super early (like before 3) to catch a flight to DC through Atlanta. I'm there for work, but wanted to have Sunday and Monday (as a PTO day) to look for records. In order to have time on Sunday, I need to get there as early as possible. Everything more or less was timed perfectly, and I was into my first shop by around 2 or so. After visiting four different places, it's time to settle in for dinner and some craft beers. One of my goals in life is to try a local craft beer in every state (including DC). I've already accomplished having a beer from each state, but not in the state if that makes sense. I was eight short going into this trip, but DC and Virginia are two I'm missing. So this should be easy. And it was. I recently read an article on the top 10 craft beer bars in the US, and ChurchKey was one of them. And it's less than a 10 minute walk from my hotel. Incidentally I stayed at the Kimpton H...

Food truck First visit: Dec 2023 It's time for the Colorado Springs Record Show, and for this show I ran one table full of my goodies. Did very well and it's always great to meet fellow music and vinyl enthusiasts. For lunch I had presumed it was going to be Dr. Taco, since this is where I first tried his tacos, and we've visited him a few times since at various breweries (as noted here on the blog). But he was apparently booked so the showrunner obtained Sapo Guapo, who is new to me. Cool - trying something new then. The Handsome Frog wasn't busy by the time I wiggled free, and I ordered two tacos each for myself and my seller neighbor JL. They're fancy and offer a buzzer, so I could get back to work while I awaited for our tacos to be ready. A few minutes later I retrieved my meal. Didn't ask for salsas, but tacos are messy enough, and I'm dealing with rare records so I don't need more liquids. The tortillas are pretty much served as is, right out of t...