Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Mar 2025 ---3/28/25 The RJG's sure know how to pick the most popular times to be out and about looking for dinner. Some of you may recall that two years ago we were in downtown Kansas City - when it was opening Monday Night Football and the Chiefs were playing! That was a challenge. And now we're in Albuquerque, and would you believe the University of New Mexico was in the March Madness tournament? And they were playing on this Friday night. What are the odds? I never thought of UNM as a major basketball school, but quick research tells me a different story. Regionally, they are a powerhouse. It was round 1, and they were playing one of the perennial institution basketball schools: Marquette. Well - that will probably eliminate them quickly*. But enthusiasm was high all over town. We saw it at The 377 Brewery first. The setup was perfect. Our hotel was right next to a tavern. Two minute walking distance. Except... it was jam packed because of the contest and no pla...

First visit: Mar 2025 ---3/28/25 It's now Friday late afternoon. Hmm, maybe time for a beer? Of course it's time for a beer! We happened to be near Nob Hill, and the first brewery we went to didn't have their paperwork in place to serve their own beer. OK, we'll get them on another visit. The next one (Palmer) stopped making their own beer. Oh boy. Next! Third time was a charm. The 377 Brewery is exactly what you want from a local place. Sort of an industrial, make-up-the-building-as-you-go, kind of place (just look at that signage - and that's all there is!). Plenty of outside seating. Dark inside with open windows adorning light in various sections. We were hungry too (not sure how that's possible after having Perea's for lunch) and ordered their chips and salsa. The salsa was delicious though not spicy at all. Does possess a thick texture we both enjoyed. Excellent beers and yet another great New Mexico brewery. Wish we could go more often to all of them!...

First visit: Mar 2025 ---3/28/25 As noted on our last visit, we're slowly working our way through the New Mexico breweries. As is our protocol, we look for the closest one from where we're at - and we haven't tried yet. And in this case, Dripline pulled up (we were close to downtown). It wouldn't have only two years ago. Why? Because they opened last year, bucking the trend of breweries dropping like flies.  The space is modern, with plenty of outside seating. On this Thursday night, they were gearing up for a folk singer. They informed us they only like to bring in folk acts versus full bands due to the noise ordinances. Makes sense to me. We left, however, before the performance. It was time for dinner. The beers you see were excellent. Recommended. 3/20/25  3/28/25 (new entry)

Mr. Music continues on in Kerrville... --- We hoped to try some of the best restaurants in Kerrville on this trip. There are a few Italian spots and known for their pizza, Bella Sera caught our eye as a good place to start. It's a good sized dining room and definitely meant for a fun family outing. Just what the doctor ordered! They have an extensive menu with several appetizers, salads, pizza, seafood, pasta classics and even a steak section. Baby Music opted for fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken, Music Junior decided on meat lasagna and both really enjoyed theirs. I thought I might get pizza but switched gears when I saw the sampler trio which comes with lasagna, chicken Parmesan and fettuccine Alfredo. I wasn't in much of a fettuccine alfredo mood and asked our waitress if I could have spaghetti with marinara sauce instead. She was super kind about it and made it happen without any kind of up charge. It was a big meal. All 3 items were very good and I especially l...

Mr. Music is driving around the beautiful Hill Country of Texas. What does he have for us today? --- Baby Music and I took a drive to Kerrville for Spring Break. Kerrville is a cute little town in the Texas Hill Country on the Guadeloupe River. It's pretty and serene and a place for nature and outdoorsy events, like the Kerrville Folk Festival. It's still small (population around 25k) and fairly secluded, 65 miles NW of San Antonio and 30 miles SW of Fredericksburg. We were hungry when we got there and checked out the local restaurants. We saw two Thai restaurants and decided Thai Ocha looked like the place for us! It had good reviews, but I had my cautions. First, Thai food in the Hill Country wilderness? Next, no fish cakes or Thai corn fritters. But no worries, I've got my expectations in check. We got a great little table on the back patio, overlooking the Guadalupe River! It was gorgeous and peaceful. We ordered Tom Kha Gai. She asked for level 2 heat and I opted...

First visit: Mar 2025 ---3/13/25 It's Wednesday and I'm doing my weekly thrifting around town. Finally I was ahead of schedule and able to make it downtown for lunch. And the weather was nice for walking, just slightly chilly. Nearby where my regular downtown stop sits lies White Pie. I was starving and a pizza sounded perfect. The restaurant definitely screams "downtown chic" and is well appointed. I sat at the bar and quickly made my order since I had researched the menu before arriving. I went for the Porky Porkorino, which you see to your below right (Sopressata man!). And they have their own branded light lager made courtesy of Station 26 (Denver), so I had one of those as well.  White Pie specializes in New Haven styled pizza, the preferred choice of those who reside in Connecticut. It's a super thin patted down crust, not tossed, and then they char the edges. Essentially it's like the knife and fork Neopolitan pizzas you might find in Italy and the rest...

First visit: Mar 2025 HQ: Lakeway, TX (Austin area). Founded: 1989 (Leon Springs, TX) It's Tuesday and it's time for Mrs. RJG and I to enjoy a lunch together. We've been talking about going to Rudy's since we moved back seven years ago, so maybe it's high time we get on that. Sitting prominently on US-24 near RJG favorite Fossil Brewing, it's a noticeable location that usually gets the "we should go there sometime" statement as we drive by. You'll see the large gas station up front, and as you walk in there will be the "country store", but not a typical convenience setup, with primarily BBQ branded goods on sale. The back is where the barbecue will be found and it's obvious that it serves as the place's primary business. They have multiple cash registers and you order from there. They asked if it was our first time at Rudy's. We said yes, and out came two samples: One of the brisket and the other with turkey. Both were excelle...

First visit: Mar 2025 ---3/8/25 It is a cold and dreary Thursday morning, and I'm heading back to Denver for a dig (it was to warm up later). As I said on the Port of Subs review, this is starting to become a weekly ritual. For this day, the sales started a little later, so I thought I'd sneak in a breakfast. Castle Rock is the perfect halfway stop to most places in Denver. I've already been back to B&B Cafe this year, so let's see what else they on offer for an early meal. Pegasus popped up, so let's give it a try. The restaurant sits just a little off the main drag in downtown Castle Rock, near an Italian restaurant we used to frequent called Angie's (Mrs. RJG doesn't like them, but I should try it again, and document it here). As the photo indicates, it almost looks like an office or law building. And it appears some of the structure is used for business. But most of the space is the restaurant. Once you walk in, they ask you to grab a menu and seat y...

Mr. Music is roaming around the northern sections of the massive Dallas metro area. What does he have for us today? --- Mr. Grizzly met me today for an Indian lunch feast! He and I are good friends and dine together often as we have similar tastes. He's from Bangladesh, so I like his perspective on food and other things too. I've been going to Chennai Cafe for over 10 years. I can't believe I've never written about it. When I first started going, we'd go after happy hour for some South Indian items; specifically the 4 ft long masala dosa! The food was good, not great but not many South Indian restaurants were open later in the evening during the week near Plano.   The good news is the restaurant has increasingly gotten better over the years. Today was no exception! They added a buffet a few years back and have become more of an Indo-Chinese fusion spot that does some traditional South items well. The buffet is massive and is offered for lunch and dinner, though you...

Latest visit: Aug 2025 First visit: Feb 2025 ---8/3/25 Snuck into Las Tortugas to try their tortas. Check out that yummy looking delight (to the right)! ---2/28/25 I'm once again in the southern part of Colorado Springs near lunchtime. It's Friday and the weather is similar to the day before: Sunny and very warm for this time of year. Just the way my Colorado Springs digging routine goes, the south is where I'll often be during lunch. I'd hoped to make it back to downtown, but I was running behind.  I was up for a hamburger or tacos and was hoping to try someplace new. Right across the street from where I was lies Las Tortugas, and their street tacos looked good in the images I saw. OK, let's try it. Las Tortugas sits in a strip center that I had never been to before. Most of it is empty, but one segment is still hopping and that's where the restaurant is. Looks like my 2017 Acura SUV, affectionately known as "Zippy" due to its excellent ability to zip...