Rudy's Brisket Beats All in Colorado Springs



Dining room at Rudy's Colorado Springs

 After having played 18 holes of golf on a warm Sunday afternoon, nothing sounded better to my husband and me than some brisket and sweet tea, so we headed over to the new Rudy's Bar-B-Q location that opened in June on the corner of Hwy. 24 and 31st St. in Colorado Springs. 
 

When it comes to eating at Rudy's, this wasn't our first rodeo.  We've been a fan of the Texas barbecue joint since moving to Albuquerque -- which has two locations -- about four years ago.  Then, a year ago, we decided to relocate to Colorado Springs.  We tried the popular local barbecue places (Front Range, Firehouse, and Bird Dog), but none had brisket that measured up to Rudy's.  We missed Rudy's so much that our family, who drove through Albuquerque on their way to visit us, actually stopped there and bought us a whole tray of green chile stew and a couple of bottles of Rudy's spicy "sause."  If my throat starts to get sore, Rudy's green chile stew is my go-to remedy, so I like to keep some in my freezer at all times.  I also became a fan of Rudy's Facebook page just so that I could beg the company to find a willing franchisee here in Colorado Springs.  (Yes, I was desperate!)  So when I learned that Rudy's was actually coming to the area, I was thrilled.  We made several visits to the restaurant during its first few weeks.  It was packed, but that was to be expected given the local buzz that often surrounds new restaurants.



Line to order at Rudy's

Several months later, on a Sunday evening, the scene was no different.  The dining room, which features long tables decorated simply with red and white gingham tablecloths, was bustling with people.  The line to order snaked around all the way to the door, though lines at Rudy's always move relatively fast.

The food, as usual, was fantastic.  I ordered my usual, a jumbo baked potato -- a steal at just $5.99.  The potato skin is always crispy and smoke-flavored, and the potato is stuffed with artery-clogging favorites like moist brisket, butter, sour cream, and shredded cheese. 


Jumbo Smoked Potato

I also love Rudy's green chile stew, spicy jalapeno sausage, and pinto beans, but the smoked potato is always more than enough food for me.  My husband ordered some chopped brisket and pork ribs.  We'd only tried Rudy's ribs once before, and that time, we weren't impressed.  Unfortunately, this time, we still weren't impressed.  Although Rudy's brisket beats that of any other barbecue place in Colorado Springs, the restaurant's ribs don't hold a candle to Bird Dog's.  

Rudy's Menu

Drinks at Rudy's

Rudy's Fare

Barbecue is very personal, but if you're the kind of person who likes your meat so moist and smoky-flavored that it doesn't need sauce, check out Rudy's.  Oh yeah, and their peppery, spicy sauce isn't too bad, either.

My rating:  5 (on a scale of 1 to 5)



Find the Best Ribs in the Springs at Bird Dog BBQ

Aaron and I moved to Colorado Springs before the city had a Rudy's Bar-B-Q, so we were forced to find another restaurant that could satisfy our "meat tooth."  One of the first restaurants we tried was Bird Dog BBQ, which had won The Gazette's coveted "Best BBQ" designation for two years straight (2007 and 2008).  The restaurant describes its barbecue as "Oklahoma-style," which apparently means oak-smoked meats, sauce made fresh daily and served on the side, counter-side service, and value.  At the time, Bird Dog's only location was at Powers and Stetson Hills, which was clear across town for us.  Since we'll do just about anything for good barbecue, we made the drive.

We arrived at Bird Dog BBQ's strip-mall location (beside a liquor store) to find a long line, which moved quickly, and a bustling atmosphere with full tables and pleasant smells in the air.  We found the prices to be reasonable, with meals ranging from about $5 to $14, a pound of barbecue meat running $11, and a whole rack of ribs priced at $19. We also noticed that Bird Dog offered cheap lunch specials Monday through Friday. 

We sampled the sliced brisket, pulled pork, chicken, hot links, polish sausage, and ribs. We did not order any sides, as none appealed to us at the time.  Almost everything lacked the smoky flavor that's indicative of good barbecue.  While the brisket, for example, was tender, it reminded me of meat that's been stewed all day in a slow cooker, not smoked.  The ribs, however, were Bird Dog BBQ's saving grace.  Their tenderness and smoky flavor impressed me.  I'd go so far as to say that they were the best ribs I'd ever had. 

We were prepared to drive all the way back to the northeast side of the Springs to eat Bird Dog BBQ's ribs again when we learned that they'd opened a second location, which was closer to us.  Although the quick-service, value-oriented BBQ joint seemed a bit out of place in the high-end Promenade Shops at Briargate, we weren't its only patrons.  Our ribs were just as delicious as those we'd had at the Powers location, and this time we also tried the steak fries, which were made fresh and complemented our main dish well.  Since then, we've returned to the Briargate location several times.  We've given the other meats, like the brisket, another try, and they're still not worth ordering.  However, the ribs... Oh, those ribs...  The ribs are consistently delicious and keep us returning for more. 

IF YOU GO:  Ask for the "extra hot" sauce; they don't keep it out, but it's available (and quite tasty!).  The wasabi sauce isn't bad, either. 

My rating:  4

Mobo Sushi: Strip-mall sushi that deserves respect

I'd been craving sushi for a few days, and I knew that Jun Sushi on Centennial (which won "Best of" in The Gazette this year) is closed on Sundays. I'd been wanting to try Ai Sushi (also on Centennial), but after a quick look at the Web site, I realized it's not open on Sundays, either. Hmmm.

Though I usually don't give much credence to Urbanspoon Colorado Springs ratings, I decided to check the sushi listings, where I found Mobo Sushi. Located on Academy, just north of Vickers, the restaurant had a rating of 94 percent, with 51 votes. I was intrigued.

Aaron and I headed to the restaurant, which was nearly empty. The inside of the restaurant looked totally different than its strip-mall exterior. Decorated with Asian decor like fans and bamboo, the atmosphere felt pleasant and casual. We were seated at a table beside the sushi bar and given several menus.

Feeling frugal, we settled on some options from the Roll Combo Special menu, which offers three rolls for $12.99. We started with the spicy California roll, spicy tuna roll, and Hawaiian roll (tuna and avocado). Our server brought each of us a complimentary bowl of miso soup, which we both thought had more flavor than the miso soup we'd had at Jun. All three sushi rolls were fresh and tasty, but the spicy California roll was the star. It was so delicious that I had to have another order. For our second order, we also tried a Crab Tempura roll and a Beef Teriyaki roll. Both were fantastic!

The service was excellent, too. Our server was attentive and made sure our drinks stayed full. Overall, we were pretty impressed, and I'm sure we'll be back.

My rating:  5



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!