Joey's Pizza

2010-02-03T11:25:00+00:00 83 Richard true 7

In this town, when it comes to New York style pizza, Boriello Brothers gets all the love. It's easy to overlook a smaller, non-chain shop like Joey's. Don't! Overlook Joey's that is. It's just as good as Boriello Brothers, and they have the same low priced lunch deals. The shop is tiny. There are 4 booths and a counter. They've got great lunch deals - 2 slices of cheese pizza and a drink for $4.99, or make it pepperoni for a dollar more. In addition, you can get a cannoli for dessert for another buck. That's a full lunch with dessert for 6 or 7 dollars! Where else can you do that? <img src="/system/review_photos/128/original/joeys_pizza.jpg?1265305024"/> I was feeling flush, so I went for the peperonni slices and a cannoli. It was delicious. The cheese was awesome, and the pepperoni was plentiful. The pizza wasn't too greasy, and the crust was perfectly crisp. The slices are so big, sometimes you have to tear them into smaller pieces or fold them in half to eat them. <img src="/system/review_photos/129/original/joeys_cannoli.jpg?1265305032"/> I wasn't sure what a cannoli was, so I asked Joey. He told me it was a pastry tube stuffed with sweetened cheese and chocolate chips. That's exactly what I got, and it was delicious. I was curious about the cheese so I asked him about that - he told me it was marscapone. If you are on a budget, or just in the mood for pizza, I can't reccommend Joey's enough. I'll definitely be back! <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1411731/restaurant/Joeys-Pizza-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Joey's Pizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1411731/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Joey's Pizza 2010-01-15T11:35:00+00:00 82 Richard true 7

Piazza opened up about 7 weeks ago where Slayton's BBQ used to be. My friend Mark and I finally got around to trying it. I have to admit, my first impression wasn't great. It seemed like they were trying to hard to be elegant, but it came off as pretentious. It seemed like they were trying to be a more upscale version of Il Vicino, but not succeeding. Some of these initial thoughts turned out to be true, but not all of them. First - Piazza IS a ripoff of Il Vicino. It is a wine bar / gourmet pizza place. It differentiates itself by offering full service dining. The pizzas are slightly pricier than Il Vicino and, unfortunately, more limited. There are only a handful of pizzas on the menu, and none of them seemed particularly adventurous. They do have a lot of spaghetti options, and a few well priced sandwiches, however. Our waitress defied the atmosphere by being very smiley and friendly - not stuffy at all. Mark ordered a Rustica pizza, and I went with a chicken parmesan sandwich and a bowl of minestrone soup. It took a while to get our order, but just as I was getting antsy, it arrived. <img src="/system/review_photos/125/original/rustica_pizza.jpg?1263599961"/> Mark's pizza was huge - it was literally hanging off the sides of the plate. When the waitress put it down, I exclaimed, "Wow, that's big!". Our waitress smiled and said, "It's my favorite. Don't tell anybody, but I can eat a whole one by myself!" I laughed, and told her that I was going to tell everybody. I'll withold her name, since I'm a gentleman. Or something. <img src="/system/review_photos/126/original/soup.jpg?1263599971"/> The minestrone soup was average. There were lots of ingredients, but nothing stood out - it all kind of melded into the same flavor. Next time I'll try the salad. <img src="/system/review_photos/127/original/chicken_parmasan.jpg?1263599979"/> My chicken parmesan sandwich was awesome. The bread was delicious, and had been grilled a bit on the inside. The chicken breast was tender and flavorful and slightly breaded and topped with tons of gooey mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. I loved it. My iced tea was well priced, at only $1.25, which is very unusual - usually drinks are a huge profit margin for restaurants. Overall, I thought it was a good experience. Il Vicino has them beat when it comes to options and quality of pizza, but if you are in the area, you won't be dissappointed by Piazza. The sandwich was fantastic, and the service was good. We paid about twelve dollars each for lunch, which is acceptable. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1501985/restaurant/Piazza-Wine-Bar-And-Pizzeria-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Piazza Wine Bar And Pizzeria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1501985/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Piazza Wine Bar And Pizzeria 2009-08-26T12:00:00+00:00 81 Richard true 4

I keep looking for great food north of town, but I haven't found it yet. Decided to try Taos Oriental Cuisine with a friend. When I pulled up in the parking lot, there was a big banner on the building that said, "Taos Oriental Cusine" (note the spelling). The same lack of attention to detail that went into the banner was a sign of my meal in general. The waiter was friendly, and funny. He joked about borrowing my motorcycle, and was generally a nice friendly fellow. No complaints about the service. I ordered Chicken Pad Thai and Thai Iced Tea. I asked for my Pad Thai hot and was told "three stars is the hottest we can make it" - I decided to go for it. The Thai Iced Tea was good, but very small. The glass was very thin, so although it was tall, it didn't hold much volume. <img src="/system/review_photos/124/original/taos_food.jpg?1252513207"/> Despite the three star rating, my Pad Thai wasn't that hot. I was able to eat it while barely breaking a sweat. Overall, it was bland. There was nothing exceptional about this meal. I've had worse Pad Thai (Hello, Noodles & Co.), but I've also had MUCH better (Bhan Thai, for instance). For what its worth, I enjoyed the crab rangoon that came with my meal more than the entree. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1471315/restaurant/Taos-Oriental-Cuisine-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Taos Oriental Cuisine on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1471315/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Bland Thai Food IS Possible! 2009-08-06T11:15:00+00:00 79 Richard true 6

I really like Cy's. It has been in town since the early 1950s, and hasn't changed much. I like the James Dean and Coca Cola paraphanelia on the walls, and the malts. It's just a cool place, with a lot of character. Cy's is a little place, so you kind of have to weave your way between the tables to get to the counter. I ordered a mushroom swiss burger and onion rings. Without direction, I wasn't sure what to do *after* I placed and paid for my order. It was unclear if I should hang out at the counter, or find a table and let them bring it to me. I decided to do both. I claimed a table, and sat there for what seemed like a reasonable amount of time, then wandered back towards the counter. As I was approaching the counter, my food became available, and was quickly handed over. I'm still not sure if they were going to bring it to me or not. <img src="/system/review_photos/123/original/cys_food.jpg?1250779808"/> At first glance, I was dissappointed in the number of onion rings served. I paid three bucks for an order, and could visually count them in mere seconds. Seven onion rings. 43 cents each. Not a good deal, in my opinion. Luckily, they tasted great! They were nice and crisp and held together well. Delicious, just not enough of them. I had no real complaints about the burger. The quality of the meat was superb, the bun and vegetables were fresh. Swiss cheese is always good. There were an adequate amount of mushrooms, but I would have been happier with more. Overall, it was an excellent burger. While not exorbitant, Cy's feels a little bit pricy. It cost me almost 10 bucks for lunch, and I left feeling like I should have gotten more food (and I was still a little bit hungry!) However, the quality of the food is excellent. I always enjoy coming here and will be back. Next time I'll get a malt to wash it all down! <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876263/restaurant/Cys-Drive-In-Restaurant-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Cy's Drive-In Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876263/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Blast From The Past 2009-07-28T11:20:00+00:00 77 Richard true 8

Cafe El Paso is a gem, hidden in plain sight. I've driven by it dozens of times and somehow, never noticed the humble little building sitting directly across the street from the dog park. A few weeks ago, I noticed it for the first time, on my way to <a href="http://www.thedivereview.com/reviews/74">Roman Villa Pizza</a>. Finally, weeks later, my buddy Sean and I decided to give it a whirl, and boy are we glad we did! There are only a few parking spots up front, but there is a larger parking lot behind the restaurant. It wasn't very busy when I arrived, and I was sat immediately and presented with chips and salsa. Sean arrived soon after. <img src="/system/review_photos/121/original/chips_salsa.jpg?1249399887"/> The chips and especially the salsa were terrific. The chips are obviously fried on the spot, and were perfect. They had a hint of salt, but it was not overdone. The salsa was amazing. They make it themselves. It wasn't a red, soupy salsa, but was much thicker, and made mostly with a tomatillo base, rather than tomato. I would rate it a medium, although our waitress said they had gotten a few complaints that it was too hot. I thought it was perfect. I decided to order the lunch chicken mole, and it wasn't a mistake. <img src="/system/review_photos/122/original/chicken_mole.jpg?1249399901"/> I'll admit, that the picture isn't that amazing. It just looks like a big blob of brown sauce, but hey, isn't that what mole is? The beans were good, and had melted cheese on top of them. The mole was great! It had very complex flavors that I could hardly begin to describe, but had that distinctive nutty, cocoa smell and flavor that I love. Beneath it was shredded chicken that was moist and delicious. I used the corn tortillas (flour ones are also available) to hold a mix of chicken and mole (and even a vegetable or two), and scarfed it down. My only "complaint" about my meal was that there was too much! I had to ask for more corn tortillas so I could finish eating all of my food. Cafe El Paso has reasonable prices, until you consider dessert. The cheapest dessert is the sopapillas, which are almost five bucks - way too much for some fried dough. The other things (like flan), are all over five bucks - beyond my personal dessert price limit. I'll save you my dessert rant for today ;) Even without dessert, however, you will be hard pressed to get out of here for under ten dollars. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876152/restaurant/Cafe-El-Paso-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Cafe El Paso on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876152/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Holy Mole! 2009-06-17T11:25:00+00:00 76 Richard true 9

I was browsing <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/c/115/Colorado-Springs-restaurants.html">Urbanspoon</a>, and came across Cafe Banzai getting stellar reviews, so I figured I'd give it a go. I gotta say, the reviews were spot on! The place is tiny, there are three or four tables, but my friend Sean and I were the only ones there. There is also a row of stools facing the window. The owners are a married couple - and were both very friendly. The man kept bowing to me every time I said something. The lady quickly brought us menus. We decided to share an order of eggrolls, and I ordered the yakiniku beef - I asked what it was, and was told "marinated beef." Before our meal, we each received a bowl of miso soup, and a salad. I was asked if I wanted ranch or ginger dressing, and I chose ginger. Honestly, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either - next time I will probably go with ranch. The soup was very good, but hey, it was just miso soup. <img src="/system/review_photos/119/original/HPIM0360.JPG?1248364259"/> The eggrolls were great, although not as good as my wife's. They had a surprising amount of pork in them - most places just load em up with veggies, and you get a tiny bit of meat, but not these - they were loaded with it! Delicious! <img src="/system/review_photos/120/original/cb_food.jpg?1248364269"/> The meal was brought out on a large plate - it had noodles, rice, tons of meat, and a piece of gyoza. I can honestly say that it was all wonderful. The gyoza was fried, and just a tad crispy, exactly the way I like it (I much prefer it this way to the soft skinned gyoza you often find.) The noodles were just firm enough to have texture, and the sauce was wonderful. The rice was slightly sweet - I had ordered fried rice, not white. It was awesome. I'm not an expert on rice, but this almost seemed like they had made the fried rice out of sticky rice. I asked, and was told no, it was just rice. Communication breakdown, maybe, but nevertheless, it was awesome. The meat was terrific, although some may call it a touch salty. I'm not sure what it was marinated in, but it was tender and flavorful, and I loved it! I couldn't believe the entire meal was only $6.95 (sans the eggrolls). You can easily get out of here for under 10 bucks, even with a drink. When we were done, I asked if they had anything for desserts. I was saddened when she told me "no". They don't have any dessert at Cafe Banzai, which is a bummer, because I'm sure it would be amazing. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1425458/restaurant/Cafe-Banzai-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Cafe Banzai on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1425458/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Marinated Awesome 2009-06-12T11:20:00+00:00 75 Richard true 4

I'm a few weeks behind on posts, so I'd better catch up! I was meeting a friend for lunch, and he suggested Sheldon's. I only knew about the one on 8th street, but he told me about a different one, much closer to work, not far from the dog track on north Nevada. I arrived right at 11:20, and the place was packed! Come early if you want a table. I scooted up to a stool at the counter, and saved a seat for my buddy. He arrived not long after I did. I ordered the "queen sized" pastrami, grilled. You get a choice of potato salad or coleslaw. I asked if I could get anything else, and was told, "no". I don't particularly like either of those choices, but I went with the coleslaw. <img src="/system/review_photos/118/original/sheldons_food.jpg?1245856161"/> The sandwich arrived, and it looked awesome! I was shocked when I picked it up, because... they only grilled one side of the sandwich!! What the heck is up with that? The pastrami wasn't anything special, a bit tougher and not as seasoned as I like, but it was still edible. Out of a misguided feeling of obligation to try everything, I ate some coleslaw. I still don't like coleslaw. Sheldon's has been around for ages, and is a decent place to swing in for some quick greasy food. I liked the environment - a true diner. I felt like I was stepping onto the set of Alice, and expected Mel to come out of the kitchen and yell at the help at any moment. To sum up my experience: Good friendly service. Mediocre food. Not much elbow room. Fair prices, but not what I'd call cheap. Somewhat inflexible menu. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876904/restaurant/Sheldons-Luncheonette-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Sheldon's Luncheonette on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876904/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Sheldon's Luncheonette 2009-06-11T17:30:00+00:00 74 Richard true 4

I've been trying to visit this place for a few weeks, but it is deceptively difficult. Its closed for lunch. It's also closed on Mondays. Finally, I brought my family here on a Thursday night, right after work. We tried to beat the dinner rush, but the place was packed. We were lucky, and were sat at one of the last tables. I had come here once before, a long time ago (approximately 18 years), and I remembered it being a nice quite, good dining experience. Either my memory is faulty (hey, I'm getting old), or it has changed significantly. There were no kids options on the menu, so I asked the waitress if they had anything for children. They do. You can get a kids sized cheese pizza for cheap ($3.00), and add toppings for only fifty cents. They will also do a child portion of pasta. There is nothing written down about this, you have to ask for it. The service was bad. It several minutes for us to be acknowledged after we were sat, and longer for drinks, and longer still for our order to be taken. Every time our waitress came to our table, she apologized profusely about the level of service, but that of course does nothing to change it. My son went for the kids pepperoni pizza, my daughter and I decided to share a 12" pizza, and my wife ordered the Roman Villa Chicken, which sounded great on the menu. <img src="/system/review_photos/117/original/rv_pizza.jpg?1245001008"/> From the time we arrived, to the time we received our food, nearly an hour had elapsed. The pizza looked good, and honestly I didn't have a lot of complaints about its quality. It was good pizza. It took us a few seconds to find our pepperonis (they were under the cheese), but they were there in abundance. I had mushrooms on my half, and they were plentiful and fresh. The pizza was good, but honestly, I didn't think it was better than Il Vicino. It was a pretty big step up from Dominos or Pizza Hut though, and seemed like a good value ($12.00). <img src="/system/review_photos/116/original/rv_chicken.jpg?1245000994"/> My wife's Roman Villa Chicken was another matter. It sounded great - cheese, artichoke hearts, and a chicken breast baked in some kind of yummy sauce. In practice, the chicken was a bit dry, and tasted a touch like fish. She was not impressed, and by the couple bites I stole from her, neither was I. The cheese and artichokes were good at least. While we were eating, my son noticed a spider hanging from the ceiling by a strand of web, about 8 inches from his head. He pointed it out, and my wife and daughter freaked out. My son and I thought it was kind of funny, but the arachnophobes in my family sure didn't. We ended up crushing it in a napkin and setting it aside. Overall, I can't give this experience more than an average rating. Stay away from the house dishes, and stick with the pizza. If you are going to take your family out to Pizza Hut anyways, this is a good alternative. It is not a small romantic Italian eatery that you would want to take a date to. It is crowded, slow, and loud and they really only do pizza well. And there are spiders. I'm a believer in second chances, but when I told my family that we should come back some other time and see if it was a fluke, I was met with a resounding "NO!" <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876850/restaurant/Roman-Villa-Pizza-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Roman Villa Pizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876850/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Not What I Remember 2009-06-09T11:20:00+00:00 73 Richard true 8

If you are daring enough to brave the ghetto, you must eat here. It's tucked away between scrapyards and body shops, in a not-so-good neighborhood between union and circle, just south of Platte Ave. When we pulled up there was a cop in the parking lot. Mark and I joked that "at least we have protection", but it turned out that the cop wasn't there to eat... he was taking a report! I don't know what it was about, but we went into eat anyways. The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the smells. It smelled awesome. A smokey, meaty aroma permeates the entire building, and we were salivating before we sat down. The menu is simple. Everything they serve fits one one side of a single page. I was immediately impressed by the prices of their drinks ($1.25) and desserts ($1.50 to $2.00) - these are two areas that restaurants usually gouge you. I ordered the sampler plate, which includes 1 rib, 1 slice of brisket, 1 sausage link, and 1 hot link, along with 2 sides. I chose red beans and rice, and collard greens. I had never tried collard greens before, and in fact had no idea what they were, but I've often heard them associated with southern cooking, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Service was a touch slow, but very friendly. Just as we were starting to get antsy, it arrived. <img src="/system/review_photos/114/original/ephriams_food.jpg?1244585065"/> First of all, be aware that the picture above does not do the food justice. It was slathered with sweet BBQ sauce, so hard to really get a good look at what was underneath. The cornbread muffin was very good, but not quite as sweet as I like. The red beans and rice weren't actually made with red beans... they were pinto beans! Still it tasted good and was loaded with sausage, It was pretty mild, not spicy like some. I ate the collard greens, but I probably won't order them again. I don't think this is a failing of Ephriam's - they are just a little too close to spinach for my tastes. Not horrible, but not my thing. Now for the good part - the meat! My order of preference was ribs > brisket > hot link > sausage. The sausage was pretty standard fare. Mark commented that it tasted exactly like the Hillshire Farms smoked sausage that he often buys at the grocery store. The hot links were good, but not super hot. The brisket was a tad dry on the outside, but perfect in the middle - delicious. Finally, the ribs. The ribs are were its at. These are the reason to come to Ephriam's. The sign out front says "Ephriam's Ribs" for a reason. They were big and meaty, and smoked perfectly. They fell off the bone as I was eating them. Not too much fat, but not too little either. Perfect. These ribs are awesome, and they are the reason I'll be back. I love eating dessert, but I usually pass because restaurants charge too damn much for them. It's not uncommon to see desserts selling for 6 dollars or more! It's insane! The portions are also insanely huge. After I'm done eating, I don't need to eat a dessert that is as big as my meal was! Most places could cut their dessert prices in half, and give me a third of the portion, and I'd be happy. Sure, I'd be paying more by volume, but the final price would be reasonable, and the portion would be perfect. Restaurants need to get this through their thick skulls. Thankfully, Ephriam's has! I ordered a slice of sweet potato pie for a mere two bucks. <img src="/system/review_photos/115/original/ephriams_pie.jpg?1244585073"/> Looks like a slice of pie, right? Well, this isn't just any slice of pie. It's the best piece of sweet potato pie I've ever eaten. It was amazing. The crust, the filling, everything - just right. I asked the waitress if they made it on site, and she told me that everything was made from scratch, by "Louis", in the kitchen. As we were leaving, I saw an old man out back, working the smoker. I approached, and asked if he was Louis. He told me "Nope, I'm Ephriam, Louis is inside." I proceeded to tell him how awesome I thought his ribs and Louis' pie were. Ephriam pulled a huge rack of ribs out of the smoker and showed me "how they were supposed to look", then he yelled through the back door for Louis. Shortly, another old man came out to meet me. I expressed my love for his pie, and shook his hand. So, not everything was a surefire hit, but the things that did, hit big. I'll be back for the ribs, pie, and friendly people. No doubt about it. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1446617/restaurant/Ephriams-Ribs-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Ephriam's Ribs on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1446617/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Good Taste Just Got Better 2009-06-05T11:20:00+00:00 72 Richard true 6

I was browsing around online looking for good eats in Colorado Springs when I ran across a <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/colorado-springs/77482-best-meatball-pastrami-sandwich-cos.html">thread</a> on the Colorado Springs <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/colorado-springs/">city-data</a> forums where people were offering their suggestions for the best meatball or pastrami sandwich in town. Meatball and pastrami are two of my favorite food groups, so I was immediately intrigued. In that thread, "Mike from back east" swore that the Philly cheesesteak at All American Sports Cafe was the best one he's ever had. With that kind of recommendation in addition to my love of cheesesteak, I just had to see for myself. My first reaction upon seeing the menu was surprise. It was expensive! The appetizers alone go from 7 to 14 dollars! The hot sandwiches we came for run about 10 bucks each. Ouch! I was in a bit of a dilemma. Mark and I have been on a quest to find the best Pastrami sandwich in town (so far, Broadway Deli holds that crown), but I came here for the cheesesteak. Ultimately we decided that I would order the cheesesteak, Mark would order the pastrami, and we'd each get half of each sandwich. Here's my cheesesteak as it came out - looked good! <img src="/system/review_photos/113/original/aasc_cheesesteak.jpg?1244584906"/> Of immediate note to me was the fact that it was not served on an Amorosa roll - I'm ok with that, but it screams "not authentic!" Mark and I cut our sandwiches and shared 'em. <img src="/system/review_photos/112/original/aasc_food.jpg?1244584891"/> The pastrami looked great. Not a spec of fat or gristle - the only problem was that there wasn't enough pastrami on my half! The cheesesteak was good, but not great. The peppers and meat were tasty. I'm pretty sure it had American cheese on it, instead of provolone. I'm not sure what Mike's experience entails, but this sandwich was nowhere close to the best cheesesteak I've ever had - that honor is held by <a href="http://www.johnsroastpork.com/">John's Rost Pork</a> in south Philadelphia. There are even better cheesesteaks to be found in town (Taste of Phily or Trivelli's). Like I said - it was a good sandwich, but I've had better. The pastrami with swiss was very good. I thought the quality of the meat was outstanding, but it was too thin. Not sliced to thin - layered too thin. There wasn't enough pastrami, so the bread overpowered it. Maybe I just picked the wrong half, and Mark had tons of meat on his side, but for me, the biggest problem was the meat to bread ratio. The friest that came with the meal were awesome. Fresh and crispy and all around delicious. I've probably had better fries before, but I don't remember it. No complaints there. The service was average, the prices were steep, and the food was good. In all, not a bad place to go for lunch. Judging by the food alone, I would definately come back here for lunch, but the prices will always make me think twice about it. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876037/restaurant/All-American-Sports-Cafe-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="All American Sports Cafe on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876037/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Good Food... For A Price 2009-05-27T11:45:00+00:00 71 Richard true 8

We don't have a lot of German restaurants in The Springs, but the ones we do have are pretty good. Eidelweiss is no exception. It was a beautiful day, so we sat outside on the patio. I knew exactly what I wanted - the same thing I ordered the last time I was here. It was so delicious, I couldn't wait to get my hands on another one. It's called baked brie en croute, and is much like a glorified hot pocket. <img src="/system/review_photos/111/original/e_food.jpg?1243899234"/> Basically, it is ham and brie inside a flaky pastry shell. It is served with cranberry sauce and a bowl of fresh fruit. I added a dab of cranberry sauce to each bite of the entree, and it was fantastic - they just go so well together, its hard to describe. The only marginal upset I had today was that our service was just a touch slow - its almost like when your out on the patio, they forget about you - out of sight out of mind, I guess. I've never had a bad experience at Edelweiss, and I love their food. Lunch prices are extremely reasonable, and the food is stellar. It's a cozy little place just off of South Tejon, and you very likely won't be disappointed. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876328/restaurant/Edelweiss-Restaurant-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Edelweiss Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876328/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Edelweiss Restaurant 2009-05-22T11:30:00+00:00 70 Richard true 6

I met a couple of friends at Famous Dave's for lunch today. The place is pretty big, but wasn't very busy at 11:30. We were seated immediately. I loved the atmosphere - especially the music. They had kind of a southern blues/jazz thing going on, and I really dug it. I ordered a lunch plate, with two types of meat - chopped pork and beef brisket (served on Texas toast). It was reasonably priced at eight bucks, and came with two sides. I chose baked beans and corn on the cob. It also came with a delicious corn bread muffin. <img src="/system/review_photos/110/original/fd_food.jpg?1243898856"/> I was salivating when it came out, it looked and smelled fantastic. For the most part, I wasn't dissappointed. The sliced brisket was tender and moist. The beans and corn were good, but not fantastic. Once I was done with the brisket, I used the slices of bread to make a sandwich for my chopped pork. The first bite was pure bliss. The second bite was crunchy. What the heck? The pork was cooked extremely inconsistently. Some of it was perfect, and some of it was overcooked to the point of having no moisture left in at all! It was like they took a previous day's meat and threw it back in the smoker with the new stuff.. or something. I ate it all anyways. It wasn't that it was horrible or anything, it was just unexpected. It was like eating little chunks of jerky mixed in with delicious bits of juicy chopped pork. Their BBQ sauce is good, but I've had better. Their hottest sauce (Devil's Spit) is pretty mild, in my opinion. Mix the Devil's Spit with the Rich & Sassy to create your own that is better than any of their stock sauces :) My friend Sean wanted some pecan pie, and I'm a true friend, so I couldn't let him eat dessert alone (who wants to do that?). I ordered the Bread Pudding, even though it is WAY too expensive at Six dollars. Normally, my dessert limit is five bucks - if its over that, I won't even consider it. But I do love bread pudding. Sorry I don't have a picture, but take my word for it - it was HUGE. I'll never understand why restaurants make their desserts so large and expensive. I would have happily paid half of the price for a third of the bread pudding I received. I ate way more than I should have, but I couldn't eat it all. Famous Dave's isn't my favorite BBQ joint in town, but it is definitely good. If you don't splurge on dessert, you can get a fairly priced, delicious meal in a short amount of time. I've never been dissappointed with the food or the service, I hope (and believe) today's pork issue was a fluke, and not an indicator of a downhill quality slide. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876360/restaurant/Famous-Daves-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Famous Dave's on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876360/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Crunchy Pig 2009-05-05T11:45:00+00:00 69 Richard true 4

My buddy Sean asked if I wanted to try out Jorge's Mexican Restaraunt - in the old Henri's location. I'd never been there, so I readily accepted. Considering its location, parking was surprisingly plentiful and easy to find. We parked around back. The front door kind of sticks, so it was little bit hard for me to open - I actually thought it might be closed, but one of the diners inside noticed and got up to help push the door open. My friends and I came in and stood there for a few minutes while we were ignored by the one waitress on duty. Finally, we decided to grab a table, and hope somebody noticed us. Eventually, an apologetic waitress came to help us. Mark ordered cheese enchiladas, Sean got the chicken taquitos. I wanted the tostadas, but couldn't decide if I wanted chicken, beef, or chorizo. I asked if I could get different meats on them, and was told that it costs "a dollar extra per meat." Ouch! Talk about nickel and diming you for no real extra work. I went ahead and just got two chicken tostadas. I ordered mine with beans instead of rice. <img src="/system/review_photos/109/original/tostadas.jpg?1242137174"/> When it arrived, the first, obvious thing I noticed was that I had rice. I told the waitress, and she rushed back to get me a side of beans. Mark was happy to take the rice off my hands. The food was really just ok. The chips and salsa we ordered was good - the salsa has a kick, so if you're a wuss, be careful! My tostadas was pretty plain, and the chicken was fairly dry, and very bland. Sean agreed that the chicken in his taquitos was nothing special. It was certainly edible, but it didn't knock our socks off. Mark, on the other hand, was very happy. He claims to personally make the best enchiladas in town, and whenever we eat at a new (to us) Mexican place, he always tests the waters with cheese enchiladas. Inevitably, he complains that they aren't as good as his own - especially the sauce. At Jorge's, however, he was content. Their enchiladas and sauce was the closest to his own that he's found. He gave Sean and I each a bite, and I have to admit - it was very good. Definitely better than my chicken tostada! The price here is about average, unfortunately, so is the food. The bright side is that its right next door to the chocolate factory, which is a great place to go for dessert - which we did! <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876433/restaurant/Jorges-Mexican-Restaraunt-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Jorge's Mexican Restaraunt on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876433/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Cinco de Mayo Letdown 2009-04-16T11:30:00+00:00 68 Richard true 8

Culpepper's new location feels like fast food, but it is NOT. This is high quality cuisine served in a fast-food-like environment. You order at the counter, and when they call you, you come and get it, but thats where the similarity ends. I'd suggest getting to Culpepper's Cajun Kitchen on the early side of lunch, because being situated right outside of Fort Carson, it gets awful busy, and it can take a while to get fed. I arrived around 11:20, and was happy to see the owner, Martin, working the counter. I met Martin when Culpepper's was at its old location on the north side of town. He's a nice guy, and took the time to chat with my family and I the first time we ate there. The restaraunt is named after his wife's family - her maiden name is Culpepper. I ordered a shrimp po' boy, and I wasn't dissappointed. <img src="/system/review_photos/107/original/shrimp_poboy.jpg?1241479270"/> The batter around the shrimp was spicy enough to be flavorful and interesting without taking away from the shrimp itself. The sandwich was absolutely delicious. It came with some <a href="http://www.zapps.com/cgi-bin/zapps/new.html">Zapp's potato chips</a> (not sure, but maybe the Cajun Crawtator flavor) which were also spectacular. Crunchy and delicious. I couldn't have been happier with my meal. But we weren't done! I went back to the counter, and got an order of beignets. There were 3 of us (Sean and Mark were with me), and we got 3 beignets in an order. Perfect. <img src="/system/review_photos/108/original/dessert.jpg?1241479283"/> Wow! Look at all that powdered sugar. What can I say? Fried dough and sugar tastes good, and that's exactly how it tasted. You'll pay 9 bucks minimum for a lunch entree here - if you want a drink or dessert expect to pay on the order of 12-15 dollars for lunch, not cheap, but not outrageous. I'll be back. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/1431838/restaurant/Culpeppers-Cajun-Kitchen-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Culpeppers Cajun Kitchen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1431838/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Culpeppers Cajun Kitchen 2009-04-09T12:15:00+00:00 67 Richard true 7

To my four loyal readers, I apologize for the long delay - I had surgery on my elbow, and it was difficult to type. I haven't stopped eating, so I'll do my best to catch up! About 6 years ago, I had a vegetarian friend who was eating some pizza at her desk. "Where'd you get that?" I asked. She told me "Il Vicino." At that point, I immediately wrote Il Vicino off as a foo foo joint that catered to freaky vegetarian types; being the carnivore that I am, I decided that they couldn't possibly have anything on the menu that I would like. Mark dragged me there anyways. Oops? Ok, so I was wrong. I got there, and ogled the menu on the wall. They have a plethora of pizzas that are poised to please any palette. I ordered the 'Molta Carne', which I'm pretty sure is Italian for "lots of meat bound together by a generous portion of yum." Taking my number, I headed for a table. It wasn't fast. In fact, just as I was starting to whine to Mark about how long it was taking, they brought our food to us. Much longer and I would have started to get irritible. I've had slower service, but quicker would have been better. <img src="/system/review_photos/106/original/pizza.jpg?1240240584"/> The pizza was awesome. They didn't skimp on any of the toppings. Pepperoni, sausage, ham, olives, mushrooms. Wow! All of the pizzas are cooked in a brick oven, with wood fires. It reminded me a tiny bit of an awesome Italian restaurant I ate at in Antibes, France. In short - I loved the pizza. The service could have been a tad faster, but for this kind of quality, I won't complain too much. The price is on the high side of average - you'll spend 12-15 bucks for lunch, depending on what you order and if you get a drink. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/115/876454/restaurant/Il-Vicino-Colorado-Springs"><img alt="Il Vicino on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/876454/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a> Delicious Foo Foo Pizza