Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato ~ Colorado chain : Castle Rock

Latest visit: Nov 2024 (Castle Rock)

First visit: Jul 2009 (Boulder)

Here's yet another establishment serving food that has suffered hard times. Best I can tell, they are now down to three locations: Boulder (only one now), Fort Collins, and this one in Castle Rock.

So after parting ways with Old Boss at Granelli's, I walked a block over to Glacier to squeeze in its annual visit. I had a single cappuccino brownie ice cream in a waffle cone. I've been so spoiled getting overserved that I feel cheated when I get the right amount. But that's OK, I don't really need any more calories. But it sure was good! I would have gone for gelato but I wasn't enamored with the flavor selection. 

Super expensive for what you get, and one can see why all these places are going out of business. Not sure how they're going to solve this problem. It's not just the food costs, it's the labor. Minimum wage is at an unsustainable high level here in Colorado. Owners have no choice but to raise prices to cover their costs. Except young families can't afford the freight, which is your primary ice cream audience. The further we get from zero, the less people can participate in the economy. I'll say that phrase over and over. I hope to come back next year, but I have to wonder will they even be here then?

---original 4/15/23 review

After eating at the Castle Cafe, I visited one record shop and then wanted a craft beer. Mrs. RJG said she wanted "nieve", Spanish slang for ice cream (means snow - helado being more formal). Guess who won that argument especially considering our lunch didn't go over too well?

I remembered the name Glacier, but could not place it until I checked my personal database. Sure enough, we had gone one time in Boulder during our townhome years (on July 4th no less). This is only our second time back. The location sits just outside of the old downtown in a bustling new urban district known as the Riverwalk. It's only a block from Granelli's where Old Boss and I enjoyed a lunch last December (as noted here in the RJG). 

What's nice about Glacier is you can choose between gelato or ice cream, just as the name suggests. In recent years, we've both favored gelato as it's more rich and creamy. Though sometimes I want the more chewy ice cream. Mrs. RJG finally learned that a "small cup" is plenty, as she oftentimes will load up a waffle cone with 3 scoops and then feel terrible later. Ya-huh. I have no such issues enjoying a small portion as it adds up nicely while eating. I tried the Cappuccino and she had the Nutella. Both were absolutely delicious. This is some really excellent gelato, and worth more visits than every 14 years. I think we can manage that...

Though they're a chain, they don't seem to have central ownership. Best I can tell they have 2 locations in Boulder, one each in Greenwood Village (Denver suburb) and Fort Collins - and the one here.

7/4/09; 4/15/23 (new entry); 11/1/24

Granelli's Pizzeria ~ Castle Rock, Colorado

Latest visit: Nov 2024

First visit: Dec 2022

And in what appears to be now an annual ritual, Old Boss and I once again met at Granelli's near the end of the year, though earlier than the prior two. He's 8 years older than me and has been threatening retirement for years (even executing the idea before backing out). I'm now the one talking retirement, and thinking next year may be it. But as it stands, we continue to work for the same software company. I'm forever grateful I've been able to close out my career here, and who knows how long it will go? We'll see if I can get another year out of it.

In any case, demonstrating zero creativity, I ordered the 11" thin crust pizza with hot sausage. Once again it was great, though the crust wasn't as crispy as I remembered. So that's something we'll need to call out if Mrs. RJG ever joins me here. Old Boss ordered a thicker crust pizza with a veggie topping. He ate half and took the rest home. We'd probably still be there yammering as I type this out, but he had an appointment to go to. 

So I wandered over to my next post....

---12/27/23 update

We're back at Granelli's almost one year to the date. And yes, once again with Old Boss. We had much to catch up on since it's been a full year. We're both still at the same company even though he retired then unretired. I rarely get to eat pizza, so I wanted to revisit Granelli's. And despite my bold claims below, I stuck with an 11" thin crust pizza with "hot" sausage. Absolutely delicious. I need to come here on my own next time I'm crate digging in the area or bring Mrs. RJG along. I'm sure I'll try something else. Probably not...

---original 12/21/22 review

It was time to meet Old Boss again, a good friend going on 27 years now. Met him originally at the same place as Mrs. RJG and Rude Dante, though he didn't work for the same company, but rather one of the software vendors. Fortuitous meeting as he indeed hired me for my first job after marriage in 1997. And we've been close ever since. Today we work again for the same firm in our familiar roles. We cannot escape large software companies it would appear.

Old Boss suggested we try Granelli's Pizza, a Castle Rock legend going on 25+ years now. Despite being a resident of nearby Castle Pines, he'd never been. And neither had I, so it was a perfect choice. Sitting just outside the busiest part of downtown Castle Rock, Granelli's is a quaint full service restaurant with a hearty menu of pizzas and Italian specialties. They originally started on the south side of Chicago, and that's why their slogan is what it is. I was tempted to try a deep dish, but having just experienced a mediocre offering from Giordano's in Chicago, I stayed thin crust. With homemade rolled hot Italian sausage. Hey that's two pizza's in a row with that! The thin crust - square and corner cut - reminds me very much of my time working in Racine, Wisconsin (also in 1997 - while reporting to Old Boss in a consulting role - synchronicity overload!). In any case, it was delicious. Mrs. RJG would have approved. Thin crispy crust, plenty of cheese, good sauce, and great tasting sausage. Would like to try one of their Italian entrees at some point, or even a sandwich. Perhaps next year, as Castle Rock is a usual stop on my Denver crate digging runs. Looking forward to a revisit.

12/21/22 (new entry); 12/27/23; 11/1/24

Border Burger Bar ~ Manitou Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2024

First visit: Jul 2021 (Colorado Springs - closed)

At one point Border Burger Bar was a small chain with two locations in the Colorado Springs area and one in El Paso, Texas. The latter is still open with the name Phred's prepended to it. There's no common website anymore either. So we'll presume they are now independently owned and operated.

I had been wanting to revisit Border Bar for a couple of years now, but as noted above, the Academy location closed not too long after opening, another victim of the pandemic. And we never go to Manitou Springs anymore, primarily because of the parking situation. There was a time not long ago where you'd drive down, park anywhere you can, and hit the shops and restaurants. But now you have to pay everywhere in the city except the far outskirts. And I hate paying for parking, especially when it was once free. In any case, I ended up in Manitou for an estate sale that took me about two hours to go through. When finished it was lunch time. Well shoot, I'm already here, might as well go into the city and revisit a restaurant. My first choice was Manitou Brewing but they don't open until noon. That's not going to work. There's always The Loop but that's a lot of food and Mrs. RJG would be mad at me for not taking her along. Ah yes, Border Burger Bar. So after paying my three bucks using one of those mobile apps (that took a full five minutes of my precious hour to complete the transaction), I made the six minute walk over.

Step into the "rotunda" and to the left is the front door of a rather large restaurant. Bar is upfront, so I grabbed a stool and proceeded to order a Mexican lager to quench my considerable thirst. The beer list would be good for out of towners, but not overly researched otherwise. I would have liked one from nearby Manitou Brewing myself, not something I can get anywhere else. Oh well.

I did try something else from the below this time - my tavern favorite Cubano with fries. The sandwich is a thicker variety than I've been enjoying of late. More meat doesn't necessarily translate to better, though usually it does. Here the pork may have been a bit too porky. I certainly liked it, but the balance of flavors wasn't ideal. The fries were homemade and not as crispy as I prefer. But again, still very good. I customized my dipping sauce, and had the spicy aioli. Essentially a mayonnaise based concoction that was exceptionally good. Probably the best part of the meal. Service was prompt and friendly. There were only three of us at the bar, and the restaurant was empty. Sign of the times I'm afraid.

I'll definitely make an attempt to go back and try something else from the menu (which remains large), but it won't be in the rotation, so it could be some years.

---original 7/9/21 review (Colorado Springs)

Saw this restaurant recently while driving up and down Academy doing the routines. It's your classic craft burger tavern, and those were the RJG's favorite places pre-pandemic. Time to get back into some bad habits. Walk in, and you can take a booth, table, or sit at the bar to your right. I took the latter, since I was by myself. Out comes a very large burger menu, and a nice selection of Colorado craft beers to choose from (about 9). Mostly from the Springs, but a couple of others from the state. So I selected one from our very own FH Beerworks, and then chose The Coloradoan. This burger's distinctions include green chile (hear that, did ya Wienerschnitzel?), Swiss cheese, avocado, tomato, spring mix (arugula, etc...), onion slices, and lemon zest aioli. Yea, it's pretty chef-fy, but I'm all for a local burger. I passed on the avocado, as I really wanted to savor the green chile - which is mixed into the ground beef + they add a sliced Anaheim pepper. I asked for truffle fries as well. Basically fries with truffle oil and parm cheese and parsley (excellent BTW). They don't mention it, but this burger comes in a potato bun. The burger was cooked medium well, since I didn't specify. All very good, though I didn't get as much chile flavor as hoped. But given that they have 20 different options, I'll be sure to try something else next time. Overall I was most reminded of an old RJG favorite back in DFW called Jac Mac's Swill and Grill (which you can find in these very pages). Perhaps not quite as beer focused, but the menu certainly is geared similarly. Friendly counter service as well. Great place - we'll be back for sure.

Border Burger Bar is a very small regional chain. They started in El Paso, Texas (hence the name) with only one location there before branching to the Springs area, where they also have one in downtown Manitou Springs - a perfect fit for the tourist foot traffic they receive.

7/9/21 (new entry); 10/31/24