Colorado Springs, CO

Giuseppe’s Old Depot Restaurant is a destination spot in Colorado Springs for great food, drink and atmosphere.

Giuseppe’s is a popular spot in the Springs for family get-togethers, family reunions, wedding rehearsal dinners and just about any occasions that is made better by food.

I recently had just such an occasion thanks to a high school reunion. A group of us got together there and caught up with each other, reminisced about old times and enjoyed the food and drink. I keep saying food. That must be because the food is very good as well as affordable.

Giuseppe’s has a long history and I won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say that it used to be a busy train station and you can read all about it on their website.

The restaurant was very busy on a Friday night but we received decent service. Considering we had a table of 13 and we all had drinks and entres and we all had separate checks we were all happy with our wait staff.

In addition to great food the wine list was pretty good and priced right. I think the most expensive by-the-glass wine was less than $7 and they had many good choices for around $5. Even the mixed drinks were surprisingly affordable. It’s always nice to get the bill and be pleasantly surprised by the total.

You know, this blog isn’t supposed to be all about food and drink though it seems like that’s what has been filling the pages recently. Thanks for hanging in there as I settle back into the city and bring you items of interest beyond food and drink!

If you’ve not been to Giuseppe’s or even if you haven’t been there in a while it’s always a good place to go. The food is good, the drinks are good and the atmosphere is fun and upbeat.

As you have probably gathered at this point I’m a big fan of the downtown scene.

We went downtown again on Tuesday afternoon for an early dinner and wine. We had a very good meal at the Sonterra Grill. This is the actual table we sat at! Robin had the Prime Rib and I had the Filet Mignon. Both were very tasty! We also had a bottle of Angeline Dry Creek Zinfandel. Angeline is the bargain label for Martin Ray wines but the wine was very good. It was not as robust as a Cab but held up valiantly to our meaty dishes. Our server at the restaurant was Megan and she was very attentive. We finished up around 6:30 and beat the dinner-time rush.

After dinner we had to stop by Vintage’s Wine & Spirits to bring home a few bottles of wine. Have I mentioned that I like this place?? Erin wasn’t in but the clerk was very helpful and directed us to 2 great bottles of wine. The wines will be reviewed in the coming weeks at the Redneck Wine Review.

Incidentally, if you like wine you should check out my co-bloggers wine site called the Wine Outlook. Farley does an excellent job with tasting notes, wine and food pairings and sharing wine experiences.

Since I now live just 1.2 miles from downtown Colorado Springs I find it very convenient to shop and eat there. In the old days it seemed that I couldn’t be bothered with the downtown scene and truth be told - there wasn’t much there anyway.

A sort of renaissance has occurred there over the last decade or so as it has in many downtown areas across the country. More shops, restaurants, clubs, parks and niche businesses are located in the downtown areas these days.

Last weekend we had some time and a little money so we headed downtown to get a cup of coffee. We parked on Bijou near Tejon St. and since we were directly in front of Jamba Juice we decided to get one of those instead of a coffee. While waiting for our drinks we spied a kitchen store across the street. Hmm…we’re much more into kitchen things these days and I really could use a new set of knives!

After finishing the juice drinks (where I signed my credit card receipt with a crayon, yes a crayon…I guess the CC machine was down or it’s a new trendy thing) we headed over to Sparrow Hawk Cookware. Wow! They seem to have everything in this store. From knives and cutting boards to bean pots, crock pots, tea pots and more. Forgiving their severely inadequate website the store makes up for it with more things crammed in there than clowns in a car. Yet, it wasn’t overly difficult to shop.

We purchased a new rolling pin for our special homemade tortillas and a new paper towel holder for our new kitchen. Pleasantly, the prices seem to be competitive. I judged this by comparing some Chemex coffee filters priced at about $8 vs. $7 PLUS shipping online. Since I’m now so close the $5 shipping seems like overkill compared to the minuscule amount of gas I’ll use to drive downtown.

Sparrow Hawk Cookware is a great store. If you’ve got some time to kill and are shopping for kitchen stuff stop in.

Yesterday I made my way downtown for a visit to a wine store. I was just going to go to Cheers Liquor Mart but thought the downtown store might offer a better range of lesser-known wines. Boy, was I right!

The place I visited is called Vintage’s Wine & Spirits at 9 S. Tejon St. and one of the owners, Erin Collins, was very helpful. Her thorough knowledge of most wines, wineries and vineyards was evident after I gave her a short list of wines on my “wish list”. She politely pointed out that a few of the wines on my list were going to be very difficult to find in Colorado because most everything that was brought into the state (of that brand) was for restaurant distribution only. Aha! That answers my question as to why I can never find these wines in wine or liquor stores.

After a few minutes I knew I could trust Erin to recommend a good wine based on my tastes. I told her what I look for in a wine and she carefully considered it then recommended 2-3 different wines that were within the price range I wanted to spend. This seemed like a match made in heaven!

You should also know that when I first walked into the store I was very impressed with the ambiance, the layout and immediately thought I had gotten myself in over my head. I just knew that everything was going to be out of my price range. On this account I was wrong. Vintage’s Wine & Spirits has a wide selection of wines available in every price range. I was very relieved to discover that I could shop there without breaking my budget- and I’m cheap! I usually try to find the best wines for less than $10-12 per bottle. Not that I won’t spend more on occasion but for everyday wine drinking I find this to be a suitable range. Erin pointed out many wines that were within my budget and would seem to be a good fit for my palate.

The store has been voted “Best Wine Shop” by the Colorado Springs Gazette In 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2006 for their impeccable knowledge and service and their mission is to find the perfect wine for every palate & price.

In the end I walked out with 3 bottles of red wine, 2 that I’d not had and 1 that I already knew I liked. I took one new bottle to a friend’s house for dinner last night and it was a hit. Erin picked a winner! I’m eager to try the other one she recommended and look forward to shopping there for wine on a regular basis.

I highly recommend Vintage’s Wine & Spirits to anyone who enjoys drinking wine!

When was the last time you were out and about in downtown Colorado Springs? I must admit that its been a while for me but in anticipation of getting back there in just a couple of weeks I wanted to refresh myself on the happenings.

One of the nice things about doing the downtown thing is that you can pay just a few bucks to park your car in a central place, say across from the Phantom Canyon on the corner of Cascade and Colorado, and you’re within walking distance of nearly everything in the small but lively downtown area.

In fact, if you like microbrews you can start at Phantom Canyon where you can enjoy a meal and custom brew downstairs or a game of pool upstairs. Right across the street in the Antlers Hilton hotel is Judge Baldwin’s and they also concoct their own beer. For a more casual dining and brew experience walk 2 blocks over to Tejon to Il Vicino…definitely some of the best brews around as well as some great pizza.

Forgetting microbrews but still in the same general area is McKenzie’s Chophouse, a local favorite with an extensive martini menu. Of course, they also do steak and even have brunches for those special occasions. If you’re in the mood for some live music check out the Ritz as they will usually be hosting a band on the weekends.

For some seriously good food its hard to go wrong with Jack Quinn Irish Alehouse and Pub. This place has authentic interior decorating imported directly from Ireland that reminds me of the decor at the Golden Bee. Quinn’s has been voted the People’s Choice for Best Bar in Colorado Springs and they have brunch every Sunday from noon to 3pm.

This really is just the tip of the iceberg for entertainment downtown. After having gotten out to explore some of this stuff I’ll feel much more comfortable with where I’d like to hang out when meeting friends down there. By the by - if you have a taste for wine over hops then be sure to check back in a few weeks for a review of place to get good wine in the downtown area.