Carrabba's

Mike and I had dinner last night at Carrabba's Italian Grill (I-25 and Woodman area). We occasionally eat there for a quick dinner - and last night was probably the best we've seen there. We started out at bar, where we didn't even have time to order drinks before our buzzer buzzed, and were lead to a very spacious booth. Our server, Chance, was most efficient - and got a kick out of us having a dog named Chance! We ordered a very nice Argentinean Malbec - along with their current appetizer special: "oven-baked blend of spinach with fontina and Gruyère cheeses,served with grilled bruschette bread for dipping" (along with the addition of crab meat). It was really, really good - a bit spicy, which really added a lot to the flavor - it was much better than the usual spinach dips. And lots of crab meat- which is great for the shark in me! I do hope they keep it on the menu. Then, Mike had the soup special (Sicilian chicken) and I had salad. Mike said the soup was very tasty - and my salad was comprised of very fresh greens and not overly dressed. I had the Pollo Rosa Maria (chicken stuffed with fontina and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce with cavatappi amatriciana) for my dinner - it was wonderful! Mike had the Linguine Pescatore (shrimp, sea scallops and mussels tossed with linguine in a spicy marinara sauce), which he said was really good - and a generous portion, too! So, with wine, salad/soup, and a couple of excellent dishes, served with skill by Chance (the waiter, not the dog) - we'd put Carrabba's on the DO AGAIN list!

King Sooper's Chicken

Okay - this really isn't a "restaurant" review - but I just picked up some chicken tenders at King Soopers deli and they are GREAT!  Mike and I get them now and then - they're all white meat with an excellent spiced-just-right coating. Add a little honey mustard - yum!

FYI - last bowling season, I bought the meat for the End of Season Pot Luck dinner. I got the fried chicken from King Soopers and everybody raved about it.  Much better than KFC!

Colorado Mountain Brewery

As I've been so lax on posting - I've decided I need to make sure I post after every MEO (Meal Eaten Out).

After our own version of "Storage Wars," Vera, Keri, Al and I stopped by the Colorado Mountain Brewery (11202 Rampart Hills View at I-25 and Interquest Parkway, by Hollywood Theaters) for a beer and bite. We've never actually eaten in the restaurant - we always head to the patio or bar. This time - the bar - it was nice and cool after being out in the sun too long. Anyway, Al and I had beers - my Blonde Ale was good - but I'm no beer expert. Keri ordered seasoned fries with cheese and sour cream, but no onions and I ordered venison egg rolls. Keri's fries, unfortunately, came with onions, so she could only pick a few that were onion-less. (She declined to send them back.) Vera, however, said they were very good - cheesy and nicely seasoned. My venison egg rolls were just a bit overdone, but not enough to spoil them. The sauces they came with are BBQ and sweet chili - and both complimented the egg rolls - but the drizzled sauce on the plate (a reduction) was actually much better with the egg rolls!

Overall - "Do again." And - maybe we'll try the restaurant one day.

Springs Orleans

Last Sunday, we went to the Springs Orleans restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs (123 East Pikes Peak) after seeing "Midnight in Paris" (which was delightful, by the way). First impressions when we walked in - great ambiance. The hostess, however, was a bit "surly" and when she seated us, she indicated a table adjacent to the kitchen. We asked to be seated at the next closer-to-the-door table and she indicated that was okay. Then, she set the menus and wine list down without another word - no "Enjoy your meal" or "Here's the menu" or "Your server will be here in a moment." While we groused a bit about that greeting, we perused the martini menu, wine list and food menus. Our server (Eric, I believe) was both friendly and personable - and we ordered a couple of Sazerac martinis (which we found we don't care for. No, the drinks were good, just not our cup of tea, if you will.). Eric returned at the proper interval and we ordered: Gorgonzola fettuccine with Buffalo shrimp for me and a bowl of the spicy gumbo for Mike. While we sipped out Sazeracs, we noticed the open brick walls, interesting artwork and table spacing (which was generous). The bar area looked spacious - and inviting!  (I'm sure we'll hit happy hour there soon.)  One thing we enjoyed was that the acoustics kept the noise level down, so it was pleasant to carry on a conversation. Our food came quickly, and it was excellent! My pasta was cooked just right and the presentation was beautiful. Mike said his gumbo was great - spiced just right - not too hot to enjoy, but hot enough to enjoy! We were very satisfied with our dinners. As a splurge, we ordered desserts - vanilla bean cheesecake with Tuaca carmel sauce and white chocolate, blueberry and pecan bread pudding with blueberry coulis . The cheesecake was simply unremarkable - good, but nothing that would set it apart. The carmel sauce was sparingly drizzled on the plate and I didn't detect any additional vanilla flavor. Mike said the same about the bread pudding - not enough "extras" to make it stand out. It tasted more like plain bread pudding. While we were commenting on this, a gentleman from the next table asked if we'd like to try the strawberry shortcake. We said yes, of course, and as I asked him what his connection to the restaurant was, he said he was the owner! (I imagine some of our comments were overheard by him.) Anyway - owner Perry Sanders - who was very enthusiastic about his shortcakes - brought us two strawberry shortcakes - which were good. Again, nothing really remarkable enough to make them stand out - although the shortbread was perfect. As we left, the "surly" hostess did in fact smile and wish us a "Good Evening." I don't know if the owner overheard our conversation about her earlier and said something. Anyway - overall - we put this on the "Do Again" list - especially for dinner - but would avoid the desserts until they pump up the flavors. And - I really can't wait to stop there for beignets and café au lait.

Rasta Pasta

Tonight – Rasta Pasta on North Tejon. Excellent! We put this place on the “do again” list. The pasta dishes were tasty, seasoned nicely; they served generous portion sizes and service was very good. I had the Rasta Pasta – pasta with tomato sauce and chunks of jerked chicken. Mike had the seafood pasta Alfredo, which was really, really good. Lots of seafood and the sauce was not bland, as Alfredo sauces can be. Décor was cozy; tables were not crowded together – but spaced nicely. Overall – a great experience. I would recommend Rasta Pasta.

Uchenna's (in Old Colorado City)

Last Saturday, we ate at Uchenna's, which bills itself as Ethiopian and Mediterranean cuisine. We had the lamb stew - which was more like simple ground lamb in a spiced sauce.  This was okay - but nothing I'd go back for.  It was served with no utensils – you were to eat it with Ethiopian bread – which is a flat, non-leavened bread, grey and spongy.  Not very tasty at all – in fact, kind of yech.  You basically use the bread to pinch up a bit of the stew.  Another person in our party had another traditional Ethiopian dish that was more like a gyro or pita sandwich.  They said it was okay – but again, nothing special enough to draw us back for a return visit.  Service was very slow – even just to get water or tea – but very friendly.  All in all – I would not recommend Uchenna’s – unless you just want to experience Ethiopian cuisine!

Jack Quinn's

Had a quick lunch at Jack Quinn's on Sunday (after a trip to the Zoo) - they were still offering their OysterFest weekend dishes (except the fried oyster platter). Since fried oysters were not available - I opted for the spinach, crumbs and hollandaise baked oysters. WOW! Really, really good! Excellent, in fact. Just enough of everything to be very tasty - but nothing overpowering the oysters! It's a dish I wish they'd add to their regular menu - on the other hand - it keeps OysterFest special!


Also had the salmon appetizer - it was good - but didn't compare to the baked oysters!

All accompanied by beers, of course! Mike and I commented, as we ate, that we've never had a bad or even marginal meal at Jack Quinn's - we'd definitely recommend dinner or lunch at Jack Quinn's!

Poblano's in Falcon

We've been wanting to try Poblano's in Falcon every time we go out east to check on Mike's beehives. Last Monday we finally had the chance to stop there for lunch.  The place was not too busy, but we did get there late for lunch - about 12:45. We both ordered the lunch special - baked enchiladas and each had a margarita. While the lunch was good - it was nothing I'd make a special trip out to Falcon for. We both agreed that the margaritas were lacking.  We really couldn't put our finger on the cause - they were just kinda bland and a bit watery. Before passing judgement - we should probably hit the place for dinner and see if it's any better!

Texas T-Bone (North Academy)

Had dinner last night at the Texas T-Bone on North Academy. That's about the 6th time we've eaten there - it's very convenient for a quick steak.  But - surprisingly - it's turned into one of our favorite steak places in Colorado Springs. The food is very good - salads fresh and it's really handy the way you have a salad menu to pick the toppings. The meat is top quality - and the prime rib (I've had it twice now) had been excellent! The patio is wonderful - we sat outside under the overhand and it was very pleasant even though it was raining and thundering!  Only drawback we can see so far - limited wine list!

Dale Street Cafe

We ate lunch "al fresco" at the Dale Street Cafe this last week - primarily because I had a coupon.  While the patio is very nice, the lunch was just okay. Our appetizer was lemon pepper shrimp and it was obvious that they had only sprinkled lemon-pepper seasoning on the shrimp. I had shrimp/pasta for my lunch and the sauce was very thin and bland. Mike had the reuben and said it was okay – nothing special to bring him back for another reuben. Overall – the experience was just okay and I had really expected more from Dale Street Café. Too bad I have gift cerficate for there and have to go again to use it!!