Awesome lunch specials every day at Milagros Cocina Mexicana Restaurant on North Academy (next to MOD Pizza). Nicely presented, tasty food, and a welcoming staff. Milagros Cocina Mexicana 7455 N Academy Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 719-598-1030 Nothing like a slice (or two) of hot Joey’s pizza on a cold, snowy afternoon! Warm your heart, AND your innards! Joey's Pizza 1843 Briargate Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 719-265-6922  One of our favorite spots when in Pueblo is the Cactus Flower Mexican Restaurant. The House Special enchiladas are amazing! It's apparent the locals love this place as well. Even with plenty of seating the restaurant was packed with an estimated 20 minute wait, which turned out to be only about five minutes. Rosie was an excellent server and seems to have a great rapport with the guests. We've been coming here for years and it remains consistently wonderful. Cactus Flower Mexican Restaurant 4610 N Elizabeth St. Pueblo, CO 81008 719-545-8218 Our party of six scratched up some tasty selections at a business lunch this afternoon at Roosters on Highway 24 in eastern El Paso county. Roosters Grille & Pizzaria 1000 5th St. Calhan, CO 80808 719-347-3280  What a great way to celebrate the "holiday". Since 1958, this family business has been "dishing out" fresh and delicious Italian meals in a cozy, comfortable atmosphere, complete with authentic Italian music (played at just the right volume). The friendly, welcoming staff found me a table, though a reservation is probably a good idea. Free parking is another plus. Oh, and as for the "holiday", I didn't feel even a sliver of guilt ordering a slice of chocolate cake to celebrate Fat Tuesday! Luigis' Italian Restaurant 947 S. Tejon St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 719-632-7339 Lunch with a couple of my Pueblo friends found us at Ianne's Pizzeria, a "longtime family-run pizzeria doling out pies, pasta, burgers & fried chicken since 1954". Our sausage grinders were awesome, as were the fries and onion rings. That evening I returned to Ianne's to pick up my jacket, which I "accidentally" left there at lunchtime. I decided since I was there, I may as well try a pizza for dinner, which was equally awesome! A couple of co-workers in the Springs had told me about this place, so I was determined to give them a visit. It was exactly as they had described. If you're in Pueblo's Bessemer neighborhood, you'll want to stop in and give them a try. Ianne's Pizzeria (pronounced "Eye ann's") 515 W. Northern Ave. Pueblo, CO 81004 719-542-5942
What an awesome lunch at Pass Key Restaurant today. Thanks to Matt Meister and the FOX21 team's special series "We Are Pueblo", which aired on Channel 21 in Colorado Springs, we discovered the Pagano family's awesome restaurant on Highway 50. It has been a Pueblo tradition since 1952. The Pass Key Special is a delicious Italian Sausage sandwich, sure to tantalize your taste buds to the last bite!
Pass Key Restaurant 1901 W US-50 Pueblo, CO 81008 719-542-9144 Well actually, at Joey's NY Pizza you'll get some great lunch specials, but you won't need a fork! Just fold it, insert it, and enjoy it! Joey's NY Pizza Briargate 1843 Briargate Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 719-265-6922  Sometimes you just get to cravin' some good old comfort food. When we're in Pueblo West we like to drop by the Hen House Cafe and enjoy some tasty fried chicken, just one of the many delicious items featured on their menu. Stop yer cluckin' and get to truckin' on down and see fer yerself! Hen House Cafe 53 E Palmer Lake Dr. Pueblo West, CO 81007 719-647-1048 We've always found our visits to Bourbon Brothers stimulating, and today was no exception. The Jambalaya was just as our server described...excellent! You'll find them located across the street from the Bass Pro Shop in Northgate. Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse & Tavern 13021 Bass Pro Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 719-219-1830 If you haven't been by the Mason Jar restaurant for awhile, you may have missed the fact that after 40 years (1982-2022) the owners have sold it and it is now doing business as Trails End Taproom. We found the staff very welcoming and subtle changes being made to the decor. The beef barbacoa nachos were quite satisfying and the ambience warm and cozy. We've heard the new owners are planning to bring back live music in this building that once housed a Shakey's Pizza. We wish the owners of both businesses well in their new adventures. Trails End Taproom 2925 W Colorado Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80904 719-428-0080 Snarfed me a sandwich for lunch at one of the newest locations for Boulder-based Snarf's Sandwiches. The 7" Smoked Brisket BBQ & Swiss was an excellent choice and very filling. Get yours today! Snarf's Sandwiches 7495 N Academy Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 719-358-7001 You're in for an enjoyable time and dining experience at Crystal Park Cantina in the hills above Manitou Springs. Crystal Park Cantina 178 Crystal Park Rd. Manitou Springs, CO 80829 719-685-5999 Consistently good food, service, and FREE PARKING! This time we tried The Depot burger, which was delicious, as were the upgraded side of onion rings. This burger was the rail thing, topped with Colorado White Cheddar, Applewood Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Stout Braised Onions, and Spicy Ketchup. The restaurant is located in the old train depot downtown where diners can still enjoy passing trains just outside the large windows. Brakeman's Burgers 10 S. Sierra Madre St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 719-375-8769  Enjoy a late breakfast at Colorado's own Urban Egg, featuring award-winning biscuits and gravy. Four Colorado Springs locations to serve you. Urban Egg 5925 Dublin Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 719-591-7329  Our first port of call was Toulon, a charming French naval port on the French Riviera with a beautiful natural harbor. Our cruise ship was docked there from 8:00am until 7:00pm, offering plenty of time for some on-shore excursions. Ours included wandering the market area, a train tour of Toulon, a stop at a local park and beach, and some tasty desserts before a boat ride back to the ship dock. We set sail around 8:00 pm on a calm and beautiful moon-lit sea.  The day after arriving Barcelona from Colorado Springs we boarded Royal Caribbean's Vision Of The Seas cruise ship for an eight day Mediterranean cruise. Our itinerary included stops in Spain, France, Monaco, Corsica, and Italy. The accommodations, food, entertainment, and entire crew were outstanding! Over 80 countries were represented on the ship. Our party of 15 had a wonderful time. After arriving in Barcelona I hailed a taxi to take me to my hotel. It was only around 12:30pm, but I wanted to stop by and leave my luggage there while I wandered around the Gothic Quarter where the hotel was located. The kind gentleman at the front desk told me my room was ready and he could let me check in right away, so I did. Keeping with my tradition of trying to support local businesses, I chose the 4-Star Hotel Colon and was very pleased indeed. It was built in 1951 by Italian Don Antonio Lempar and sits directly across the square from the beautiful Cathedral of Barcelona. One of the small (but adequate) lifts (elevator) took me to my awesome and spacious room which opened up to a rooftop balcony overlooking the Cathedral. After settling in I made my way back to the lobby and out onto the streets to enjoy the sights and sounds of the area. I enjoyed Tapas at the hotel restaurant that afternoon, and my room rate included a fantastic breakfast buffet the next morning. All of the staff that I encountered were absolutely wonderful and very helpful with any questions I had. Everyone also spoke and understood English very well. I highly recommend the Hotel Colon if you're ever traveling in the Barcelona area. Hotel Colon Av. de la Catedral, 7 08002 Barcelona, Spain +34 933 01 14 04 Sights and sounds of Barcelona include an unending supply of beautiful buildings, unique street performers, ringing bells of nearby cathedrals, casual conversations and languages of people simply relaxing and enjoying themselves in the local town squares. Some of my stops included the Sagrada Família Cathedral (still under constuction), the historic Gothic Quarter, and the Picasso Museum. Just a short walk from there I stopped in at Els 4Cats restaurant, built in 1897. The famous Spanish painter, Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973) is said to have been a frequent guest. Since it was still early for dinner I chose to simply have one of the house desserts. It was delicious, and the staff were awesome! Els 4Cats Carrer de Montsió, 3 08002 Barcelona, Spain +34 933 02 41 40 Today we're flying to Barcelona, Spain out of Colorado Springs airport, where we found the price of a round-trip ticket to be about $200 ($684 round trip, booked and paid for in June of 2022) cheaper than flying out of Denver. After a brief stop in Denver our flight included a plane change in Munich, Germany. Since we were going to be gone for two weeks we found it cheaper to take an Uber rather than pay for parking for that many days. We certainly hope to see more flights being offered from Colorado Springs in the future. Non-stop flights to popular cities would definitely be a plus and earn my business! Our Lufthansa itinerary was serviced by United between Colorado Springs and Denver. We found the staff at COS airport to be very friendly and helpful, and security was a breeze compared to the long lines in Denver. Be sure to do some comparisons before you book to be sure you are getting the best value for your hard-earned money. While in Europe we were delighted to discover friends from Colorado Springs were also in the area vacationing. Happy travels! Some things never change…good food, friendly staff, and fun atmosphere. STILL a fam favorite! Fargo's Pizza 2910 E Platte Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-473-5540 
CHEF STAFON HERE… Tonight’s creation is a combination of fresh Palisade, Colorado peaches, ripe, plump blackberries, and mango-lemonade sherbet with white chocolate flakes. Magnifico! 
CHEF STAFON HERE… Remember those Palisade peaches I told you about yesterday? Well this evening nephie and I enjoyed fresh sliced peaches and black berries over some Häagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream. It’s so easy to create a masterpiece with the right ingredients! Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it!  CHEF STAFON HERE... With summer on the downside of the roller coaster track (we’re just a couple of weeks from September folks!) you don’t want to miss out sampling some of the local fruits and vegetables while they’re still available. Today we picked up some absolutely divine peaches from Palisade and cantaloupe from Rocky Ford at Taylor Produce on Powers (in front of the old K-Mart). We’ve also had some awesome corn from Olathe and vine-ripened Campari tomatoes, also grown right here in Colorado! I say this in good taste…you don’t have to be a world unknown chef like me to appreciate the delightfully-fresh (and local) tastes of summer! This evening, nephie and I enjoyed an old favorite my dad introduced to me years ago. Start with half a Rocky Ford (check the label) cantaloupe and top with your favorite vanilla ice cream. We like Häagen-Dazs. Whatever you do, do it fast, for summer definitely won’t last!  |
