Sunday, September 5, 2010

Dining Adventures in Colorado Springs

Over the years, my husband Aaron and I have shared in many adventures, one of which has been searching for the best places to eat wherever we've lived. We tend to gravitate toward character, authentic cuisine, and local flavors, which means we've dined at more than our share of mom 'n pop joints, hole-in-the-wall places, dives, and off-the-beaten path restaurants, but we've also discovered a few chain restaurants that are actually worth visiting.

In Tucson, we frequented places like Pat's Drive-In, Nico's Tacos, Viva Burrito, Bison Witches, Daggwood Cafe, El Charro, and Frost.

In Albuquerque, we fell in love with New Mexico green chile and Texas-style barbecue; we became regulars at Sadie's Cocinita and Rudy's Bar-B-Q. We also enjoyed restaurants like Il Vicino, O'Niell's, Hurricane's, and Blake's Lot-a-Burger. We discovered Gil's Thrilling (and Filling) Blog, and his descriptive insight made it easier to decide which places to try next. Urbanspoon was also a great resource for us. We were actually surprised to learn how many great restaurants Albuquerque has. Since having moved away, we really miss the city's food!

In Colorado Springs, finding great places to eat has been a bit of a challenge. With several college campuses and military bases, Colorado Springs has a largely transient the population, which means that the city hasn't really found a food identity, and chain restaurants (which offer predictability) typically do very well. We've also found that Urbanspoon ratings aren't that helpful; when some of the top-rated local restaurants are chains like Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Red Robin, and PF Chang's, we feel like the judgment of the local masses might be questionable. I like most of those places, but I don't feel like they deserve a "top Colorado Springs restaurant" spot.

Out of necessity, my cooking has improved by leaps and bounds since we relocated here last summer, but I do enjoy getting out occasionally. As Aaron and I try to find the best places to eat in Colorado Springs, I'll post my thoughts about our experiences here, and hopefully they might help you the way that Gil Garduno's Albuquerque blog helped us. 

NOTE:  I'll rate each restaurant on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.  I prefer simplicity!

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