Great coffee, pastries, and free wifi

This week’s restaurant review is a day late (sorry folks), but it’s a goodie.  I spent some time this morning at La Baguette having coffee and a croissant as I read more of Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover (I’m preparing a special new book review series for readers, so stay tuned).  I love the new look the Chestnut Street location has been given.  Very fun.  I didn’t need wifi this morning, but some days I do and I noticed when I was at the downtown location this week that they now have free wifi for their customers.  And the food is yummy, too!  I love the apple croissants and when it comes to lunch, they have the best French onion soup in town.  You can take home a fresh baked loaf of bread or rolls and other pastries and surprise everyone in your household with a special treat.  The website only gives 2 locations but you can also find a third restaurant at 1420 Kelly Johnson Blvd, west of Academy near Chapel Hills Mall.  I frequent all three locations.  Tip:  try the creme carmel dessert if you like custard or flan.  Delicioso!

Other free wifi restaurants

But that’s not all!  A long time local favorite coffee house that offers free wifi is Pikes Perk.  They also have multiple locations in Colorado Springs plus an airport coffee shop.  I go to the one on N Academy most often.  It’s a great place to meet friends or clients.  I do!

My final suggestion for great coffee and free wifi is Panera which has been reviewed on this blog.  This is the only one of the three that has locations outside of Colorado Springs and Colorado, so if you want a consistent experience when you are traveling, give them a try.  Good place for coffee, pastries, and also for lunch as they have an extensive sandwich, salad, and soup menu.

I hope to cross paths with you at one of these local restaurants.  Stop and say hi if you see me there!

I try not to indulge in pizza very often because it just screams calories, but when I do I want a good one.  So we try different pizza places to see whose pizzas rise to the top.  So far my favorite overall pizza place is Borriello Brothers.  They have 8 different locations around town and you get to enjoy a fun atmosphere while chowing down on a pizza that definitely is a value for the price.  And it tastes scrumptious!

For a more uptown environment and a crispy pizza with fresh fresh fresh ingredients, give Piazza in Rockrimmon a try.  They have a great lunch special that includes a personal pizza and salad.  Nice spot to take clients when you want good food and a quiet place to talk.

Buon appetito!

I love the food at great deli’s.  Being in Colorado, this isn’t exactly Grand Central Station where you get to eat at the epitomy of New York delis, but we do have a few good ones.  Today my friend, Bev, and I ate lunch at Broadway Deli.  It’s a fun little place with great food and it is in the North Academy corridor - easy to get to for a quick lunch if you work on the north side of town or are visiting the Air Force Academy.  They have daily specials and serve breakfast all day.  We were told a new menu is coming soon.  They have dishes you can’t find everywhere, like hot corned beef and rice pudding.  They’ll even heat the rice pudding for you. :-)  So for a taste of New York in Colorado Springs, try Broadway Deli, 7170 N Academy Blvd.

I thought I’d take a different approach with the restaurant review this week and tell you about some great places to eat if you head south this year.  I spent a long weekend in Santa Fe and Albuquerque in March and went to a few of our favorite haunts plus a restaurant that was new to us in Albuquerque.

SANTA FE RESTAURANT FAVORITES

First, Santa Fe.  There is no shortage of good restaurants in Santa Fe.  If you like chilis, you will be in heaven.  I always hit overload and then need to eat something without chilis.  The two favorites we ate at on this trip were Cafe Pasqual’s where the Huevos Rancheros makes you lick the bowl and Tomasita’s, situated in an old depot where the Margaritas are top notch and the food is varied and delicious.  The red sauce is spicy and the green sauce is pure chilis.  For a yummy lunch when we are walking around the square, Tia Sophia’s is fun and good.  It gets busy at lunch, so go early.

ALBUQUERQUE RESTAURANT FAVORITES

Now on to Albuquerque.  Our usual favorite is Sadie’s, where the red and green temperatures start at “Not So Hot”.  If you want spicy sauce and to enjoy local atmosphere, this is the place.  We can now buy their salsa in Colorado and it’s what we eat at home.  But the place we tried this time was El Pinto.  We love going through Chimayo, NM on our way back to Colorado and eating at Rancho de Chimayo, but El Pinto is a close second without having to leave Albuquerque.  It is a sprawling hacienda in a lovely setting and the food is great.  Our pitcher of Margarita’s was a great compliment to the meal.  And if you like guacamole, El Pinto’s was very fresh and flavorful.  It didn’t last long with the 4 of us digging in.

So the next time you are traveling through central New Mexico, stop and smell the chilis.  Just telling you about them makes my mouth water and I’m ready for another road trip!

I just couldn’t wait until next week to tell you about another great Colorado Springs restaurant - The Margarita at Pine Creek.  I love this place!  It is so unique and the food is wonderful.  Visit in the summer months and eat on the lovely outdoor patio.  But the inside has a great ambience as well.  It feels like you are eating at an old hacienda.  One of my clients said it made her feel like she was back in the German countryside.  Margarita at Pine Creek offers a nice multi-course soup and salad lunch along with specials of the day.  The evening menu always changes.  They are closed on Mondays, but have a nice brunch on Sundays.  This is a great place to take out of town guests or to try if you ARE an out of town visitor.  You will want to come back often.  Patti is the owner.  If she is there, tell her I said hi.  Do not confuse this restaurant with Three Margaritas.  We’ll review them at a later date.

I recently included Paravicini’s Italian Bistro located in Old Colorado City in my restaurant posts.  I found out by receiving their enewsletter that they are included in a progressive dinner being sponsored by several very nice restaurants in Old Colorado City on March 23, 2010.  That’s tonight!  If you want to see if there’s still room and get more details, call Paravicini’s at 719 471-8200.  The other restaurants participating are Gertrude’s, Pizzeria Rustica, and Jake and Telly’s.  The only one of the 4 restaurants I haven’t tried yet is Jake and Telly’s, but it is a local favorite.  The food at all 3 of the other restaurants is delicious.  Gertrude’s menu includes some very nice vegetarian dishes for those of you looking for a vegetarian restaurant in the Pikes Peak Region.  What a lovely way to spend an evening!  Attending offers an opportunity to do a little walking around the area.  In case you are not familiar with Old Colorado City, it is one of my favorite haunts in the Pikes Peak Region.  Lots of fun shops, good restaurants, and an amazing view of Pikes Peak.  Territory Days is coming up Memorial weekend and there are always other events throughout the year.  The lights at Christmastime are really beautiful.

Trying to pick up a quick lunch before going back to work?  In the car between appointments and feeling hungry?  After 14 years in Texas and another 22 in Colorado, I love anything with chilis.  Of course my favorite southwest food is at my favorite restaurants in New Mexico, but I can’t get there every day.  So what’s a girl to do?

When I’m hungry, I pick up a burrito at either Chipotle or Qdoba.  I admit I go to Chipotle more often because I’m a creature of habit and they came to Colorado Springs first, but both have fresh ingredients and lots of options.  Tell me if you think Qdoba’s website is more fun.  Another advantage is that they are both located all over town.  So the next time you feel hungry and want to “fill er up” give one of these local quick food shops a try.  Meet a friend there.  Friends will tell you if you drip salsa on your shirt.  Both restaurants provide napkins.

On Saturday, Gallery Two-Ten in Colorado Springs had their 2nd anniversary celebration.  Grace Wever has her fiber collages displayed there and I had the chance to meet her at the gallery.  I have to admit I didn’t know this fine art gallery existed in Colorado Springs.  They represent some artists who create stunning pieces - everything from Raku pottery to photography to painting and collage.  It’s close to downtown and you can try out one of our local restaurants after your visit.  There are many in the downtown and Old Colorado City areas.  I happen to like to go to La Baguette for their french onion soup.

Ready for another great place to go out and eat in Colorado Springs?  Do you like Italian?  Do you like the ambiance of Old Colorado City?  Then try Paravicini’s.  They also have a second location in Palmer Lake named La Zingara.  We like the variety of menu items (love the mussels!), the fresh bread and house salad, and think they have the best calamari fritti.  Located at 2802 W Colorado Ave at the west end of Old Colorado City, there is plenty of parking behind the restaurant.  If you like dessert, the cannoli is pretty yummy.  I like to take one home and put it in the freezer until I’m ready for dessert.

Realtor.org posted this article and I thought it was interesting to see which communities seem to be the most attractive to today’s retirees.  Top of the list is Ft.Collins/Loveland, Colorado.  Both great smaller affordable communities with Colorado’s temperate climate - milder, sunny winters, and pleasant summers.  We do get a lot of retirees in Colorado Springs too.  I love Honolulu (tropical weather and island beauty), Tucson (great winters, lovely desert terrain, but hot summers), Santa Fe (great SW food and shopping, mild summers, but cold winters), and San Diego (gorgeous ocean vistas, great climate, but expensive).  I would consider some of the other cities  but…Michigan??  Those retireees must like cold and snow, but… property is probably very affordable there now.  Here’s the list of the top 15 cities provided by AARP and CNBC.  Looks like you can still catch the Tom Brokaw story on March 4th on CNBC to hear all the details.

15 Top Retirement Cities - Boomers are willing to move farther than previous generations when they retire, and they are choosing places unlike stereotypical retirement hotspots, says Tom Brokaw in his report on Boomer retirement, airing on CNBC, Thursday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET.The top places listed by AARP and explored on the show are:

1. Loveland/Fort Collins, Colo.
2. Las Cruces, N.M
3. Rehoboth Beach, Del.
4. Portland, Ore.
5. Greenville, S.C.
6. Sarasota, Fla.
7. Ann Arbor, Mich.
8. Tucson, Ariz.
9. Montpelier, Vt.
10. Honolulu
11. Santa Fe, N.M
12. Atlanta
13. Charleston, S.C
14. Northampton, Mass.
15. San Diego, Calif.

Source: CNBC, Paul Toscano (02/05/2010)