Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 Back home from our trip. It's the first Friday of the month, so I like to go to Pueblo and take advantage of the citywide 20% discount. This isn't mandatory but many establishments honor that tradition. Location: Located in downtown in a corner unit. It's a very small space without a bathroom. Two patio tables are available for seating outside. Perhaps because we enjoyed ice cream on our recent excursion to Detroit and back, I was in the mood for a dessert after enjoying Pass Key for lunch. I was already downtown digging for records, and discovered Craft Cones. As their name suggests, they make their own ice cream. I wanted coffee but they were out of it, so I went with their "Good 'Ol Chocolate". As the name suggests, you really can't go wrong with that selection. Had one scoop in a waffle cone. Sat outside on the table you see and devoured with much happiness. 6/6/25 6/15/25 (new entry)

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 After Des Moines, we were pretty much done with digging for the trip. If we had gone for another day, we for certain would have dedicated it to Omaha and Lincoln. But there simply wasn't time, and we drove around both cities. Kearney is a convenient stop in the middle of Nebraska. I stayed here for a similar reason on my journey from Denver to Winnipeg and Regina back in 2011 (as noted in the Crawford review). Location: This used to be Old Chicago, and unbelievably that's where I ate in my one prior trip to Kearney! So I've been to the building twice but the restaurant only once haha. Forgot to photo the building. Our hotel was a three minute walk away. Love when that happens! Food: Nebraska Ale Works is what I call a "craft tavern". Essentially the same as a brewpub except instead of their own beers, they bring in a variety of other craft beers. The best of these focus strictly on the state they're in. And that's precisely...

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 Now the drives are getting longer as we have essentially two days to get home. While we didn't exhaust Des Moines in our digging activities, we did manage to cover some quality ground. We're in the Midwest and we haven't had tacos yet? Need to solve that problem pronto! Location: Relatively elaborate Spanish exterior for a fast food joint, though once inside, the atmosphere becomes familiar. It's a large space, and it was very crowded while we were there. Another pre-pandemic type crowd.  My photo only captured the parking lot view, but their website shows the streetside. Food: Tasty Tacos has all the earmarks of a quality local chain. No over expansion to cheapen the product. So the gimmick here is what they call "fluffy flour tacos". So we ordered one of those and one crispy each. Uh-oh, Mrs. RJG does not like the concept of fluffy tacos at all. So she got my other crispy taco that you see and I ate the second flour taco. Tha...

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 After wrapping up in Ottawa, we made the journey west to the Quad Cities. I've never been prior, and made a point to stay on the Iowa side of the border. Like with Indiana, my experience in Iowa is quite limited. We haven't spent a night here since 2009 when we stayed in Des Moines. We had a memorable Italian dinner at Gino's, but they are now closed unfortunately. The last time I set foot in Iowa was in 2011 in Sioux City as I wanted to try Milwaukee Wiener House for lunch (excellent BTW) on my way to Winnipeg. Location: An expansive free standing building. Two stories including a large bar seating area. A great place to host an event, and there were at least two of those when we were there. Food: Fortunately Mrs. RJG was in the mood for another brewpub, and Crawford fit the bill. As with Evil Czech in Indiana, I was able to check off another state that I consumed a local beer in. The photo just shows my spicy breaded chicken sandwich. And ...

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 We were tired of the traffic of Chicago and were looking forward to getting back out to the country. Ottawa seemed like a quaint place, and it is. Completely different in feel, we were back in small town America. And what better way to enjoy a place such as this than with an ice cream. Location: They have two small stands next to each other. One is a walkup, while the other has a small interior. Patio styled seating outside. And we sat under one of those umbrellas you see in the background. Mrs. RJG was craving a chocolate / vanilla swirl soft serve and we each got one. One of those can't miss propositions. A wonderful mid afternoon snack. 6/1/25 6/15/25 (new entry)

First visit: Jun 2025 ---6/15/25 The plan on this Sunday was to work the far southern Chicago suburbs. I knew exactly what I wanted for lunch: BEEF. Location: Anchors a  modern strip mall. Typical fast food setup. I like the bright yellow with red text signage. Food: From about 1997 to 2004, I was in Chicago often, and we had an office in the inner ring suburb of Westchester. Nearby were towns like Bellwood, Broadview, and Maywood - each housing restaurants that said little more than Beef or Hot Dogs on the window. That's it. You don't go to these places looking for cage free eggs or quinoa. And you can see my beef and sausage in all its glory to your right. The au jus was on the side as we both don't like a mushy sandwich. I preferred the sausage just slightly over the beef. Mrs. RJG stayed with just beef. I feared she wouldn't like it as the bread started to mush up on the bottom. But she did really enjoy it much to my surprise. Said both the meat and the bread were r...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/14/25 Even though I've traveled extensively around the United States, Indiana is one state that I've barely touched. In fact I've only spent three nights here in total, and the last two were from the same trip in 1992. And the last time we ate in Indiana was at a barbeque place on the other side of Louisville, Kentucky on the way to Grand Rapids in 2015 (since closed). It's been 33 years since I spent a night here, so that was the plan after making a few stops in southern Michigan. I've never been to South Bend, the home of the famous Notre Dame. And we visited the campus briefly the next morning. We're at that stage of the trip where we aren't going to a brewery followed by dinner, but rather we're combining them in one stop. Location: A very large venue with a concert stage in the back, and a couple of big spaces inside. It's rare these days to get the feeling of 2019 back, but Evil Czech was a happening place on this Sat...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 They have a second location in town which seems more like a to-go only place. And a third place in nearby Michigan Center. On this Saturday morning I went very early to the Record Show in Livonia, and then the plan was to hit the road at about 10 or so in the morning (which we did). We were both ready for the road trip portion of the vacation. The long journey back to Colorado Springs. We were already on our third rental SUV as the first two didn't work out. Haha, so typical. We rented from Enterprise and they could not have been nicer and they bent over backwards for us. Their vehicles need an upgrade (badly), but can't complain about their customer service. Pizza was such a hit the day before, Mrs. RJG wanted another one! Well alll-right! And Andy's features both of the Detroit favorites including Coney Island. But we had pizza on the brain. Location: Standalone building. What we used to call a pizza parlor . Very friendly service. Food: W...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 They have a second location in Novi. You knew it was coming. No trip is complete for Mrs. RJG if we don't go at least to one Thai restaurant. Fine with me. The trick is finding the right one. I'm very particular with Thai. I favor traditional Thai places, generally found in Bangkok. And I really do not like "American Thai". Mrs. RJG is less picky on this front. We hit a homerun with Baramee in Kansas City two years ago. Will we be so lucky here in Detroit? Location: Strip center. Nicely allocated restaurant. Old school setting that is slightly dark. Cozy for dining. Food: I did my homework here. For one we wanted to be in Livonia if possible. Other than location, would I be able to find my traditional Thai? Despite Thai Basil doing everything they could to ward me off, by offering sushi, pho, and ramen, I sensed the cooks and owners were Thai and they were branching out to drum up business. My instincts proved correct! We started with ...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 It's the late afternoon and we both agreed we'd like to be close to the hotel for drinks and dinner. SuperNatural looks perfect. Let's see what we have here. Location: A large free standing building. Much nicer than your average hole in the wall brewery. We sat in the bar area, which was cozy and dark.  Excellent beers* and friendly bartenders. No idea about the food but suspect it's very good. They specialize in pub food: Burgers, Nachos, Sandwiches, etc... * - A reminder that all the beers I personally consume are cataloged in the Bier Reise (see tab at the top of the primary blog page) 5/30/25 6/13/25 (new entry)

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 As if pizza wasn't enough, Mrs. RJG was craving soft serve ice cream. Since we were working the south side of Detroit, I looked for the closest place. Up came Custard Corner. Location: Sits on the corner of what looks like an idyllic little town in the country. Walk up and place your order. A very friendly lady was working this day (owner?).  We got what we came for - soft serve vanilla and chocolate swirl. Found a bench and devoured. Hit the spot. Hard to take photos of ice cream so I usually don't. 5/30/25 6/13/25 (new entry)

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 After Cadillac Straits, we decided to only snack for dinner. The next day, after making a few stops in the morning, we were starving for lunch. Mrs. RJG suggested pizza. Mrs. RJG never suggests pizza. I'm not going to pass on this opportunity. As many of you know, Detroit Pizza is a thing. In fact we have a category already assigned here at the RJG. Mr. Music went to such a place in the DFW area a few years back (and we added the chain Jet's!). On reflection, I cannot say I've ever had Detroit pizza. Well then, time to rectify that great omission! Location: On Schaefer near Ford Rd. Old fashioned brick buildings housing commerce that line the street. There is a parking lot on the side. Restaurant is very large and features a buffet section that was closed on this Friday. Food: Pizza is definitely their primary offering even though they do offer subs, salads, and pasta dinners. Dearborn has become one of the Arab centers in Detroit, and Paisa...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 We continued to work our way south back into the city of Detroit. After a full day of digging, we'd built up a thirst. Closest brewery? Cadillac Straits. Let's go there. Bright open space with plenty of seating, and a bar area. Excellent beers and friendly bartenders. Yea I took a big ol' gulp before the photo. I was thirsty! Food looked good too, though we weren't very hungry and moved on. 5/29/25 6/13/25 (new entry)

First visit: May 2025 ---6/13/25 We were in the far NW edges of the Detroit metro area when it was lunch time. I knew exactly what type of food I wanted, and we'll pick the closest one that looks good. Personal history with Coney Island: Even though we've been together at Nathan's in New York City, the origin of "Coney Island" when referring to a food genre, is in Detroit. We found a restaurant in Jackson, Michigan claiming to be first, but that seems to be a popular claim of many places in the area. As noted in the DeLuca's review, I spent some time in Detroit for work. It was both in 2006 and 2007 that I went to my first Coney Island restaurants. Both were chains in the suburb of Troy where our office was: Kerby's and National. And both chains are still around though National has shrunk quite a bit. Those events were just before this blog's beginning but it's exactly these type of places that inspired me to start this blog in the first place. Loc...

First visit: May 2025 ---6/10/25 Mrs. RJG and I are on our first road trip of retirement. Or half road trip. We flew into Detroit and then drove back in a rental. The idea was to fill the SUV with goodies, including beer (see Bier Reise for current updates). Which we did. A successful trip overall with the usual curveballs these kind of trips throw at you. I plan on an update or two each day as time allows. Have about 10 of these to go. Personal history with Detroit: Mostly business trips between 2004 and 2007. And I had a key interview here in 2016. Had that company made me an offer, Detroit would have been my Baltimore. And we know how that turned out. Perhaps for the better, as that proved to be the peak of my career. My first trip here however was a quick stopover in Livonia on my way to Ohio. This was way back in 1992. I went to a record shop (of course I did) and I didn't have enough time to mine Detroit. In fact this was my first ever record venture in the city. So it was fi...

Today, Mister Music went solo. A mobile taqueria opened up on FM 2181 just West of Genti's in Hickory Creek. I've passed it a few times always looking for an opportunity to check it out. Yesterday, my close friend, Soundgarden Cuz went and had a breakast burrito. Eggs, queso blanco and chorizo tightly stuffed in a big flour tortilla and grilled all around. He said it was delicious and it looked that way to me. I'm constantly looking for a good place for breakfast burritos.  Today, I decided to stop by just to check it out and get a breakfast taco. I got eggs, queso blanco and pan-fried potatoes. It was a good sized flour tortilla as far as taco standards go and was packed as fat as can be with the yummy filling oozing on either size.  I got some salsa verde and salsa rojo on the side. Both were creamy and tasty with a good kick! The green was spicier than the red. Although the tortilla was not grilled like my friend's burrito, I was very pleased with the flavor and po...