Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: May 2025 ---5/18/25 Location: Strip center dive restaurant. Sits in the same semi-abandoned shopping center as Felipe's 109. As noted before, I find myself down in the south part of the Springs often during lunch time. It's a small place but there are stools to sit at for solo dining. Or benches outside. Order at the counter. Food: Even though I'm a fan of Jamaican food, I rarely seek it out. A good reason for that is most cities don't have a specialized restaurant for the cuisine. Or they find themselves near ghettos, though that's not a deterrent for me. But it's not like I spend a lot of time there. Even Mr. Music hasn't contributed a review, and you know how adventurous he is! J's represents Jamaican food's debut on RJG, some 17 years into the blog. Jerk Chicken is my go-to dish, as it is for many patrons. I just went for a quarter bird and asked for it spicy. Their variety is very saucy, and also exceptionally spicy hot. A bargain o...

Latest visit: May 2025 First visit: Jul 1994 ---5/3/25 Personal history: Rita's was the first restaurant in Pueblo for me to visit. This goes back to my first Colorado Springs residence. I was on my way to Tucson, Arizona to buy some records (sound familiar? - and this was 31 years ago, a few years before Mrs. RJG), which is a very interesting story in of itself. I'll leave that for another day. I enjoyed that first visit and Rita's has been on my radar ever since. Sporadic as it may be. Each visit below has a memory associated with it. Whether it was post hiking or on the way to New Mexico. Location: Just off of the main downtown strip. How did I first discover it? Decided to drive downtown and look for the first appealing restaurant. Rita's was perfect. Back then they had a tall freestanding sign with the Pepsi emblem. I miss those days when you would see that kind of corporate sponsorship. Food: What I always associate Rita's with is their chips and salsa. The ch...

First visit: Apr 2025 ---5/3/25 Location: On Tejon right in the middle of the downtown action. Avenue 19 is a modern day food court with various restaurants inside of a large "hangout space" with tables, TV's, games, etc... I consider the bar area Avenue 19 and the rest are essentially static food trucks. Many of them are (or were) just that. Food: On this visit we tried Firebird Chicken Sandwiches. I went for their hot variety which they call The Phoenix. Fire Mayo and Kimchi Slaw are the key ingredients to the crispy chicken I ordered. Mrs. RJG had the Dragon Rice Bowl (to the right) which she said was too sweet and not hot enough temperature. The latter a common complain for both of us, though mine was fine on this visit. Drink: Fine selection of cocktails and a few craft beers, though not extensive. I went for a Goat Patch that I hadn't tried prior. 4/20/25  5/3/25 (new entry)