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  1. DINING: Las Palmitas

    May 11, 2012 by Kate

    It’s Friday. So slide into a booth and burn away the week’s troubles with a customarily addictive house salsa and warm chips. For bigger troubles, administer a dose of habanero sting from the unique cabbage slaw salsa. Water in a fountain splashes somewhere nearby while ceiling fans twirl above.

    For the last eight years – two under the current owner – diners could enjoy this relaxed, cantina-like atmosphere at Las Palmitas at Tiffany Square. Since December of 2011, however, the neighborhood Mexican gem dropped the “like” and became a full-on cantina by adding cervezas and Margaritas thanks to their shiny new liquor license.

    This is, by far, the best, most convincing and, yes, only indoor cantina I’ve experienced. Now filled with various businesses, Tiffany Square was once a mall and a fountain near the escalators is the source of the gurgling water. The restaurant’s faux walls, complete with paned windows, rise only halfway to the vaulted glass ceiling for an open-air feeling.

    There are, after all, many occasions you only want to feel like you’re outside without being so. Rain, cold weather and Miller moths are but a few examples. Outdoor dining, here brought inside, feels casual and relaxing, sometimes almost celebratory, and there is much to celebrate – now by raising a beer – on Las Palmitas’ lengthy menu…

    Restaurant character: With its new liquor license, it feels like a fiesta on the patio year round at this tasty indoor cantina.

    Rating total: 4.5 out of 5 forks

    Food: 4 out of 5 stars

    Ambiance: 5 out of 5 forks

    Service: 4 out of 5 forks

    Address: 6805 Corporate Drive, Suite 110

    Contact: 719-260-9393

    Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

    Entrees: $5.25-$7.55 lunch, $6.95-$16.95 dinner

    Alcohol: Yes

    Credit cards: Yes

    Vegetarian options: Tostadas, burritos and enchiladas all have cheese and/or bean options, but go for the chile relleno ($5.75 lunch, $6.95 dinner) if you crave more craft.

    Wi-fi: Yes, ask for the password

    CLICK HERE to read this story, which published in the May 11, 2012 Gazette GO! section.

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  2. KRCC: Teen Olympic Hopefuls

    May 5, 2012 by Kate

    With the 2012 Summer Olympics on the horizon, eyes all over the world are focusing on London, ready to see athletes competing for medals and their countries’ pride. Here in Colorado Springs, home of the Olympic Training Center, however, dedicated teens already have their eyes keenly fixed on 2016. KRCC’s Kate Jonuska met a few of these talented teens to talk about their lives, their training and their Olympic dreams.

    CLICK HERE to listen to this 5-minute radio piece.

    This story aired as part of KRCC’s May Western Skies talk show, which aired May 6, 2012.

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  3. INSIDER EATS: The Black Forest

    May 4, 2012 by Kate

    Just north of Colorado Springs, Black Forest is known for its tall trees, views, horse property and lovely real estate. Its more than 13,000 residents, however, can’t survive on scenery alone, and so to meet their edible needs, a small culinary culture has popped up in the town’s historic downtown. It’s now a culture tasty enough to lure nonlocals — like me — into the pines.

    The growing restaurant scene is not always aiming for upper-crust dining, but the hot and homey eats I found there were delicious — including pizzas and barbecue as well as excellent café fare that, for me, was worth the drive.

    Black Forest Pies and Grinders

    12470 Black Forest Road, Black Forest

    495-8555, blackforestpiesandgrinders .com

    As a food explorer scouring the area for new and new-to-me restaurants, it’s prize trophies like Black Forest Pies and Grinders that make the hunt worthwhile. This gem of a pizzeria bursts with delicious smells of garlic and fresh bread and homemade marinara sauce. I would have ordered the pert and chunky bread sticks ($2.99) to serve just as a vehicle for that sauce, but the bread, too, was delicious and crusted with Parmesan.

    And hot. Wow. The garlic bread, my Artichoke Spinach Specialty Pizza ($14.99) and the Sausage Grinder ($7.99) were flaming hot and crisp, as if there were a fire-breathing volcano of an oven back in the kitchen. The grinder’s sizzling sausage and peppers in a hefty, soft bun were a finger-singeing bundle of East Coast flavor.

    Perhaps the volcano sits next to a kitchen garden? The chunks of artichokes and spinach on the pizza, spread on a base of rich but not overly heavy Alfredo sauce, were all at the peak of freshness and delivered on the staff’s promise that everything was made to order daily.

    Currently, Black Forest Pies offers delivery and take-out only, which is a shame, because hungry diners outside the five-mile delivery radius should enjoy this excellent, straightforward pizza. Thankfully, the owners are hard at work renovating the storefront next door into a dining room, where they hope to offer wine and beer to enjoy with pizza and sports on the TV.

    When that happens, I’ll be back to raise a glass of beer to Black Forest Pies and Grinders, which is, hands-down, my favorite recent food find.

    Firehouse on the Run BBQ

    12480 Black Forest Road, Black Forest

    495-8453, coloradospringsbbqcatering .com

    There is something quaint about Firehouse on the Run BBQ that sums up the rustic, relaxed spirit of the Black Forest. Firehouse on the Run is an offshoot of Firehouse Southern Style BBQ in Old Colorado City, but this shoot is growing out of a gas station and convenience store, its 30-seat dining room located in the rear of the store. It’s a cute, picnicky atmosphere with long tables and a concession-style menu board.

    Fill up your car’s tank, and fill your stomach while you’re at it. It’s actually rather brilliant.

    The high point is, naturally, the three house sauces: the sweet and tangy, the “Wildside” and the “Bab E Nero,” which is advertised as ideal for people “who like some kick in their food.” There’s truth in that advertising. I tried all three with a half-rack of baby back ribs ($12.99), which were a little singed but overall enjoyable.

    The sides were mostly secondary in the experience. You can’t go wrong with green beans spiked with bacon or traditional baked beans, but a kick of creativity wouldn’t hurt. Other the other hand, the traditional pulled-pork sandwich ($7.99) was slow-cooked and tender, and if it’s only modest barbecue fare, Firehouse shows that modest can be belly-satisfying and tasty.

    Firehouse on the Run also caters, and with summer barbecue season approaching, its brisket and smoked chickens would certainly please party guests. For a more everyday option, go with the Family Pack Special, a bargain with two pounds of meat, two family sides and two liters of soda for $29.99.

    R and R Coffee Café

    11425 Black Forest Road

    494-8300, rnrcoffeecafe.com‎

    I describe the Black Forest’s restaurant culture as homey, and R and R Coffee Café might be the heart of that home. Sharing a building with the town’s post office, it’s a natural gathering place for meals and meet-ups for all sorts of Black Forest characters, from the mountain bikers to the Harley bikers.

    Perhaps above all else, though, customers are here for the coffee. R and R roasts its own beans, and all coffees sold in the store are guaranteed to be less than 10 days old. Adding in the loose-leaf teas and smoothies, it’s a beverage paradise.

    Serving breakfast and lunch menus all day, the food is also impressive. A simple sandwich like the Gobbler ($6.75, with smoked turkey, sprouts, tomato and Swiss cheese) sings, thanks to the house-baked honey-oat-wheat bread, which has a lovely edge of sweetness when toasted. Sourdough bread, on the other hand, pairs great with the thick, applewood-smoked Callicrate bacon in the B.L.T. ($5.50).

    In addition to café staples like sandwiches and omelets, there are also signs of culinary flair in the daily soup and entrée specials. A recent special of huevos rancheros ($7.50) has a great kick of chilies and moist scrambled eggs.

    Family-owned and operated — most of the family is involved in the café’s day-to-day operations — the service is friendly and genuine, but also casual, heightening the idea that the café is meant to be a home away from home.

    I know that bathing in the afternoon sun on the café’s patio, I was honestly reluctant to leave.

    CLICK HERE to read this story, which published in the May 4, 2012 Gazette GO! section.

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  4. STYLE: University Village

    May 1, 2012 by Kate

    University Village Colorado

    Socialization between the shops

    By Kate Jonuska

    Dollar signs: It’s often what both developers and customers see in shopping centers, the former looking to collect and the latter to part with money in exchange for goods. At University Village Colorado, however, the focus is not only on goods but on doing good by creating a community center in a once-downtrodden strip of North Nevada Avenue between Austin Bluffs and Interstate 25.

    University Village probably first surfaced in locals’ minds when it landed blockbuster brand-name Costco as one of its anchors, but now that it’s up and bustling, many people are beginning to see the shopping center as a place for socialization rather than the simple exchange of money.

    “Quite a few neighborhoods across the highway near Rockrimmon now have a great neighborhood center and frequent it three to four times a week,” says Kevin Kratt, a partner in University Village Developers with Tom Cone and Diamante Property Services.

    Many of those visitors are of the athletic persuasion. For starters, University Village and the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation department worked together to make the center an official trailhead. Past pretty stone retaining walls and green landscaping, the trail connects directly into the network of the citywide trail system.

    On Monday nights, hundreds hit that trail as part of the University Village Running Club. After less than a year in existence, the club boasts more than 700 members – hardcore runners, walkers and families with children and well-behaved dogs – who choose the on-site 1-mile walk or a 4- or 6-mile trail loop.

    “It’s been a fantastic success,” says Kratt. “For instance, BJ’s (Restaurant and Brewhouse) actually has to have a couple of extra waiters on Monday nights now because of our running club.”

    Runners meet near the Village’s Smashburger location at the stone courtyard, which is surrounded with benches and serves as a hub of social activity. An outdoor amphitheater hosts live concert and stage events, and if often the meeting place for seasonal events, such as last year’s Howl-oween fundraiser for Safe Place for Pets with its doggie costume show.

    The population perhaps most affected by the positive change the shopping center has introduced is on the campus up the hill at UCCS, which was previously had few activities within walking distance.

    University Village literally built a bridge between the isolated campus and the center: an underpass beneath Nevada Avenue, replete with mountain lion paw prints (the university’s mascot) pressed into the concrete leading the way to the Village’s pretty courtyard. In addition to providing a socialization location, University Village is also funding many students’ education via employment.

    “Based on their review of employment records and enrollment records from their students,” says Tom Cone, “they think they have 250-300 students that are employed at this shopping center either full or part time.”

    This story published in the May/June 2012 edition of Colorado Springs Style Magazine.

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  5. MARMAPOINTS: Discovering CSAs

    May 1, 2012 by Kate

    Mystery Box

    Spice up your kitchen and your nutrition with community-supported agriculture

    By Kate Jonuska

    In today’s urban, modern world, seed money is capital gathered to fuel a start-up business and shares are the investments in your retirement account. For a growing number of food-conscious Americans, however, the term “seed money” is returning to its roots, meaning money laid out at the beginning of the season to buy seeds in exchange for a “share” of the harvest.

    These shareholders are participating in what’s become broadly known as community-supported agriculture, or CSA programs, and I personally have been a CSAer (as we sometimes call ourselves) for more than three years.

    It’s simple. I write a check early in the spring. When the crops begin to grow, I show up at a set location to pick up my weekly share of locally grown – usually within 200 miles, at most – amazingly fresh produce.

    And then again, it’s not at all simple. Unlike the supermarket, you can’t pick and choose what you take home, nor the quantity. Unlike the supermarket, not everything you pick up is readily identifiable.

    Do you know what a hubbard squash looks like, or how to cut it? What on earth do you do with kohlrabi, which looks like a UFO? How do you make use of only one potato but a bagful of fresh basil?

    Joining a CSA has been a wonderful experience, but it can also be intimidating. As a three-year veteran of the system, let me give you a few helpful hints to get you started on your local food adventure.

    Are you a CSA candidate?

    Not everyone is cut out for CSA membership, and that’s OK. As a CSAer, you must have time, both to go outside of your routine to pick up your weekly share and to devise what to do with it.

    If you’re the type that walks into the kitchen at 6 p.m. without prior planning and wants something done at 6:30, do not CSA. If you’re family is uncomfortable eating outside the box – or the boxes of processed food – do not CSA. I would also advise some degree of confidence in the kitchen, though even if you’re a novice, a healthy spirit of adventure is likely all you need.

    To give you a taste, here’s a list of produce I’ve received from CSAs: red carrots, purple potatoes, sorrel, turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, leeks, mustard greens, beets, shelling peas, acorn squash, delicata squash, more squash than I can name and some I honestly couldn’t.

    Don’t despair if CSAing isn’t a fit for your lifestyle. Visit your local farmers markets instead, where you can buy the type and quantity of produce you want on your own schedule.

    Choosing a CSA

    Not all CSAs are created equal, and not all will be a good fit for your family. A few things to keep in mind:

    • Pick-up time and location. I’ve been a member of great programs that I began to hate because picking up my share took me far out of my way on a day I had little time to spare. Map the location and look at the situation honestly. If it’s inconvenient, you won’t like the experience as much as you otherwise might. Some programs have multiple days or locations for pick up, and others are able to leave your share for next-day pick up.
    • Share size. How many people are in your family? If your answer is one or two adults, with maybe a small child, a full share will be too much unless you’re full-time vegetarians. Not all programs offer half or smaller shares. If your family is larger, make sure the share is large enough, especially if vegetarian.
    • Growing method. Farms that take part in CSA programs are often smaller properties, trying to make a profit outside the corporate supermarket system, and profits are thin. Therefore, few can afford true organic certification. Most are uncertified organic, but all have different tactics for dealing with pests and blight. Thankfully, CSAers can usually communicate directly with their farmer, the man or woman on the ground and in the fields.

    Support system

    Igniting your enthusiasm and sending in your check is only the first step. Believe me, it’s very easy to find your much anticipated and delicious produce rotting in the fridge after a few days because you weren’t proactive in preparing it – which is not only a waste for you, but is a waste of fresh, healthy veggies that could have fed another. I’ve developed a few ways of being proactive:

    • Make a list of your produce as you put it away, and then plan your weekly menu immediately. Do any grocery shopping the day after pick up with that menu in mind.
    • Use the Web. Search your favorite sites using the name of vegetables you’re unsure how to prepare.
    • Look for seasonal recipes. It’s amazing how often you find dishes that call for two, three or even four of the items you received that week, because recipes have always been designed with harvests in mind. Ratatouille and borsht are excellent examples.
    • Keep an archive. I started my Web site and blog www.localdish.net in order to document my CSA adventures and catalog different recipes I’ve tried. Year after year, I can look back to see the recipes that worked during the same time last season.
    • Eat raw. Who says you need a recipe for everything? Especially on the day of pick up, throw together a big salad. Use scrubbed raw carrots, radishes and sliced cucumber as a side dish, or splash cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar.

    Hungry for the culinary adventure of community-supported agriculture? I salute you, fellow traveler, and wish you well. Check back with me here or at Local Dish to tell me all about the triumphs and tragedies, foibles and fun.

    This article published in the Spring 2012 edition of Marmapoints magazine.

    Category Cooking and Recipes, Freelance, Portfolio | Tags: | Comments Off

  6. CHEYENNE EDITION: Phil Long Lincoln

    April 27, 2012 by Kate

    Phil Long Ford introduces Lincoln luxury for a new generation

    For some driver, the Lincoln automotive brand is still connected to the popular luxury Town Cars of the past. Dan Jonuska, however, says that misconception will soon be a thing of the past when Phil Long opens its revamped showroom for the revamped Lincoln brand in June.

    “We’re excited,” says Jonuska, general manager of Phil Long Ford Lincoln in Motor City. “Ford has been such a strong brand in recent years, especially strong here in our community. I think Phil Long is therefore the perfect place to introduce Colorado Springs and southern Colorado to the new Lincoln.”

    The excitement is certainly understandable. The Lincoln MKZ, the first of Lincoln’s new line of vehicles to be revealed, created a lot of excitement at the recent New York International Auto Show. The streamlined design includes a split front grill and chrome accents, and under the hood, a six-cylinder engine or a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost hybrid version that’s rated for 40-plus miles per gallon, the highest in the luxury class.

    “The technological advances in the MKZ are impressive,” says Jonuska, who explains in particular MyLincoln Touch, a smart-phone integration system with an 8-inch touch screen, voice-activated navigation and more. Plus, the MKZ offers an industry-first retractable panoramic roof, measuring 4 feet long and more than 3 feet wide.

    “It’s also an amazingly quiet, comfortable ride with luxury-car performance,” says Jonuska. “It’s the sort of ground-breaking car that will attract a whole new generation of luxury buyers.”

    Lincoln calls this new target market “culturally progressive luxury customers,” a younger group who crave a personal, more boutique buying experience. Phil Long’s newly redesigned, 6,000-square-foot showroom will provide that experience. Already, 40 percent of Lincoln’s customers are conquests from other brands, and Jonuska says the brand’s new culture will only grow that number.

    “Younger buyers tend to be loyal to brands that provide smaller-scale, customizable and quality buying experiences,” he says. “With the MKZ and the seven models Lincoln is rolling out in the next three years, these won’t just be stunning cars. I think they’ll earn that new generation’s lifetime loyalty.”

    The Lincoln showroom is scheduled to open to the public June 1, 2012 at 1212 Motor City Drive. For more information, call Phil Long Ford Lincoln at 719-575-7100 or visit them online at fordmotorcity.com.

    This article published in the April 27, 2012 Cheyenne Edition.

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  7. DINING: Rudiments Cafe

    April 27, 2012 by Kate

    Snapshot, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: The sunset lights up the windows of Rudiments Café, silhouetting people walking through the door with musical instruments. The small, quirky and artsy café, which is a Bohemian sprout in an asphalt desert, is soon full of patrons. The music drifts out the door and turns heads on the sidewalk outside. People enthusiastically greet friends, tap their feet to the beat, and drink sodas and coffee.

    Wait, is this a music review column?

    Nope, although I loved Tuesday open-mic night at Rudiments Café, which opened in September 2011.

    The music was great. I admired the art-lined walls and the fact that my order was taken by an employee who’s a big, tattooed bundle of cheerfulness. Service was either acceptably leisurely or impressively speedy, but always attentive and genuine.

    The food, though, had its ups and downs…

    What’s online
    as of April 20, 2012:
    • 100 percent of 6 voters “liked it” on Urban Spoon
    • 1 out of 5 stars based on 1 review on Yelp
    • Videos online via Food Planet Live: www .youtube.com/user/foodplanetlive
    • Social media at facebook.com
    RudimentsCafe and @RudimentsCafe on Twitter
    • No follow-up violations noted in the most recent inspection by the El Paso County Health Department

    CLICK HERE (jpeg version) to read the full text of this article, which published in the April 27, 2012 Gazette GO! section.

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  8. INSIDER EATS: Food Tourism

    April 20, 2012 by Kate

    One of the benefits of living in beautiful Colorado Springs is the eager family and friends who can’t wait to crash at your house and take in the sights.
    And maybe even a little Colorado cuisine.
    There are certainly a lot of delicious edibles — and drinkables — to choose from. Here, we’ve rounded up three that will tickle your taste buds with the tastes of the Springs.

    Craftwood Inn
    404 El Paso Blvd., Manitou Springs
    685-9000, craftwood.com

    The Gazette “Best Colorado Cuisine” awards that line the walls of Craftwood Inn’s cozy bar may be repetitive (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) but they’re well earned. The menu is a polished intersection of our state’s rugged wilderness and its gourmet culture, and it features the best selection of wild game in town: deer, elk, antelope, quail, venison and boar.
    Start with the latter: the Wild Boar Smoked Cheddar & Bacon Slider ($7). In fact, go ahead, order two and thank me later. The rich, slightly sweet boar and thick-cut, crunchy bacon are a cheese-coated grenade of flavor punctuated with the pop of pickled red onions. Imminently addictable, the brioche bun probably won’t touch the plate again before the slider is devoured.

    The classic entrees of the house include Pepper and Ale Grilled Red Deer ($32), Herb and Merlot Hunter’s Elk Steak ($33) and Spiced Pumpkin Seed Nilgai Antelope ($32). If forced to choose, the sweet pearberry salsa on the antelope elevates it above the others, but thankfully, you don’t need to choose. Order the three as small plate teasers for only $20.
    In addition to killer food, Craftwood exudes historic ambience. Built in 1912 in the English Tudor style, the Inn brings to life the Manitou Springs of a century ago, when the town was known as Little London. The main dining room’s paned glass windows offer stunning views, best enjoyed snug at a table near the roaring fireplace. (To snag the latter, reserve well in advance.)

    Trinity Brewing Company
    1466 Garden of the Gods Road
    634-0029, trinitybrew.com

    From the old to the new: Trinity Brewing is almost four years old and is tucked in the corner of a boxy, modern strip mall. Sitting on the sunny patio, however, the view of the parking lot is easily forgotten  with Pikes Peak  shining in the distance. Eco-minded, organically oriented, often vegetarian and focused on creative craft beers, Trinity is the perfect embodiment of the slightly crunchy, hippie side of Colorado’s personality.
    I offer as evidence the Seitan Gyros ($10), a pita stuffed with the thinly shaved wheat-gluten meat-substitute with the same flavor and feel of the traditional Greek sandwich. Not that Trinity is only for vegetarians. They offer chicken, salmon, Colorado lamb and Kobe beef sliders, and their dedication to quality ingredients make all their meat choices shine. If you’ve never tasted the succulent vibrancy of organic chicken, the hearty Cobb salad ($10) may covert you to the cause.
    Food service can be a little slow at Trinity, but frankly, the food is the secondary reason for Trinity’s success. No. 1 is the beer. The chalkboard features both house beers and a selection of the nation’s best craft brews, and the brewery strives to release 30-40 specialty releases every year. Hops lovers will be knocked over  by the Slap Your Mammy Double IPA, weighing in at 10.5 percent alcohol by volume. Stout drinker will love the Italian coffee-redolent Awaken.

    The Wines of Colorado
    8045 W. Hwy. 24, Cascade
    684-0900, winesofcolorado.com

    Colorado is certainly known for its breweries, but few outsiders realize how far the state’s wines have come. Fifteen minutes up the pass from Manitou Springs, Wines of Colorado’s in-restaurant wine shop is the place to find out. Friendly and knowledgeable staff members lead free wine tastings at the counter, allowing you to sample the glass or bottle of wine you’d later like sent to your table. Grand Junction’s Two Rivers Winery is a staff favorite, especially for its Vintner’s Blend and Cabernet Sauvignon.

    When you do take your seat, aim for a table outside on the spacious deck and patio, which is surrounded by trees and serenaded by a gurgling creek. It’s an environment worth the visit in its own right, but the food has its own draw. It’s hot, fresh and homestyle good with an emphasis on bison.

    For example, the Buffalo Lasagna ($13.95) is a house specialty and features a gargantuan portion of the tasty ground meat covered in house tomato sauce and some tender noodles — more a pasta Shepherd’s Pie than a lasagna. Buffalo reappears in several entrees as well as Marv’s Buffalo Chili ($5.95). Another starred entree that doesn’t disappoint is the Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich ($8.95). The meat practically dissolves between its slices of toasted ciabatta, which is spread with a sweet-spicy pepper jelly.

    In the end, the shop-restaurant business model is rather brilliant: I usually walk away with a full belly and several value-priced bottles to take home.

    CLICK HERE (jpeg version) to read the full text of this article, which published in the April 20, 2012 Gazette GO! section.

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  9. DINING: Las Cazuelas

    April 13, 2012 by Kate

    Tucked deep in North Circle Plaza, Las Cazuelas is one of those tiny, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Mexican restaurants with a handful of tables and the same familiar face serving you each time you visit.

    You won’t miss it, though. The neon in the window declares the restaurant’s presence like a beacon in a storm.

    Most neighborhood Mexican restaurants have a specialty, an angle. It could be a regional focus or culinary philosophy or a dedication to taste-bud-rupturing spice. Las Cazuelas, which means “the saucepans” in Spanish, seems focused on fresh, mildly seasoned Mexican staples, which are served in their own time by a friendly staff.

    Las Cazuelas
    Restaurant character: Las Cazuelas serves solid, if sometimes plain, home cooking served at a leisurely pace by a small, friendly staff.
    Rating total: 3 out of 5 forks
    Food: 2.5 out of 5 forks
    Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5 forks
    Service: 3 out of 5 forks
    Address: 1855 N. Circle Drive
    Contact: 799-66204
    Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays
    Entrees: $5.25-$10
    Alcohol: No
    Credit cards: Yes
    Vegetarian options: Only bean tacos and burritos outside of breakfast, though the latter includes a Huevos Divorciados ($6.25) that lets you taste both the house red and green sauces. Served over eggs, it’s so-called because of the divided (hence divorciados) pools of color.
    Wi-fi: No

    CLICK HERE (jpeg version) to read the full text of this story, which published in the April 13, 2012 Gazette GO! section.

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  10. INSIDER EATS: Faster Food

    April 6, 2012 by Kate

    Colorado Springs’ restaurant scene is continually improving in both scope and quality, much to the joy of the food-loving community. Sometimes even gourmands are too short on the time, money or inclination to sit down for a four-course meal. Sometimes you’re just hungry. Sometimes you just want to eat — and eat fast.

    Insider Eats knows that feeling, the stomach rumble that only a good sandwich or frozen treat can satisfy.

    So this week, we bring you a selection of newer restaurants — what we call “faster-food” — in the Pikes Peak area. Often classed as casual upscale cuisine, these eateries fill a delicious niche in the food scene as well as those nagging cravings.

    Buttercup’s Frozen Yogurt

    27 S. Tejon St., Suite 110

    635-6666, buttercupsfroyo.com

    Top-it-yourself frozen yogurt has recently become the darling of this strata of the food industry, and Buttercup’s takes upscale to new heights. The sunny front of the house feels like a hip coffee shop with its flat-screen TVs, couches and embossed copper tables. Aside from ambience, however, Buttercup’s also elevates the now-common fro-yo concept with the quality of their “yo:” The yogurt is made from local, hormone-free milk with no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.

    There are more than 16 flavors, and they are as vibrant as the pops of lime green in the interior design. The vanilla birthday cake genuinely reminded me of the moist crumb of white sheet cake, while another cake, the cheesecake, captured its creamy richness. On the lighter (tasting) side, the fruit yogurts oozed honest, zesty flavors. The black cherry is a sweet, silky version of the real fruit — minus the pits. Try the seasonal flavor called blood orange, if you’re looking for a bright, tart explosion.

    Staff members guided me through the process of choosing yogurts and toppings, which are then weighed and cost $0.42 per ounce. Many combinations were excellent, such as moist brownie bites to top of banana yogurt, cookies and cream cheesecake with thin mint bits, fresh strawberries and granola atop mango. “Recipe” ideas are also listed on the menu.

    Start to finish, Buttercup’s has a professional gloss that belies the fact it’s the only location of the locally owned and operated shop.

    Larkburger

    1904 Southgate Road

    466-6111, larkburger.com

    The cabin-like feel of the restaurant offers a hint to Larkburger’s birthplace in Vail, where Chef Thomas Salamunovichs put an all-natural, gourmet burger on the Larkspur Restaurant menu. Over time, the sandwich’s popularity warranted a spin-off restaurant. Today there are seven Larkburgers up and down theFront Range.

    The gourmet roots are immediately evident in the titular burger: the 1/3-pound Black Angus Larkburger ($5.95, $0.50 upcharge for cheese). Wrapped in tan paper and tucked in a paper box, the patty is cooked perfectly to temperature — a lovely pink in the middle if ordered medium. The depth of the beef flavor is impressive for a gourmet restaurant, let alone for faster-food.

    In addition to the all-natural, quality meat, the house-made sauces are a great touch. The smoky, spicy “adobe” sauce on the moist chicken burger ($6.50), along with the cilantro and crispy jalapeño toppings, made it a sandwich to remember. The fries ($1.95), on the other hand, were delicate, hand-cut matchsticks that looked delicious but needed more crunch.

    Larkburger’s clean white booths and sunny patio certainly elevate the burger-chain concept, and its very obvious dedication to running green leaves diners with a clean conscience. The restaurant is 100 percent wind powered, containers are all biodegradable, and the kitchen’s canola oil is reused as automotive fuel.

    Tokyo Grill

    7807 N Academy Blvd.

    265-6666, tokyogrillco.com

    Tokyo Grill, a new fast-casual, hibachi-inspired Japanese restaurant, is unexpectedly attached to a gas station at Briargate and Academy boulevards near Chapel Hills Mall. Fast-food joints traditionally inhabit such spaces, and Tokyo Grill still has and uses the drive-thru. The interior, however, thwarts expectations.

    Modern tables line both walls, and the food photography is mouth-watering, leading you to believe you stepped into a tiny, street-food bistro off a bustling Japanese street. Friendly counter servers offered us samples of the signature teriyaki chicken — which is savory, moist and potentially habit-forming — and explained that they cook without microwaves and without MSG.

    Thanks to that attention to detail, I had the best-cooked, best-tasting shrimp I’ve ever eaten so close to a gas pump. They popped in my mouth in the Hibachi Shrimp entree ($6.95, $8.95 combo), which was accompanied by grilled mixed vegetables that were obviously fresh and raw moments before. The steak ($7.95 entree, $9.95 combo), too, was sizzled fresh and the way steak should be, until barely pink and not mealy brown.

    While fresh, Tokyo Grill can be a little salty. Also, the house rice served with entrees is tasty if unusually peppery. Still, by providing access to tasty Japanese food in-house, at the drive-thru or even by delivery, Tokyo Grill is a welcome addition to the faster-food scene.

    Which Wich Superior Sandwiches

    5102 N. Nevada Ave., Suite 130

    599-9424, whichwich.com

    In an age where casual upscale sandwich shops proliferate, Which Wich not only has a cute name but has also developed a novel approach to sandwich creation. Next to the typical wall menu are slots with brown paper envelopes for each sandwich type: chicken, turkey, ham, veggie, etc. Instead of giving orders verbally, customers use markers to customize their sandwich on the envelopes.

    Such details include choice of 11 cheeses, four mustards, four mayos, a dozen sauces and dressings, and unique veggie choices like olive salad, coleslaw, sauerkraut and more. After completion, your order travels down a clothesline and emerges stuffed with your sandwich creation on the other side.

    The process is fun, and the sandwiches are constructed with quality ingredients for great, certainly more upscale results. The toasted Cuban, with ham, pork and pickle slices (7-inch regular for $7.75) burst with lip-licking flavor, and the pepper jack cheese was a nice addition. I also liked the red, spicyBuffalosauce on a chicken sandwich ($8.20 for a 7-inch combo with drink and house-made chips), and the coleslaw topping turned out to be a fun, quirky combination.

    As a fast-proliferating national chain, corporate polish and speed were obvious even in the first days of this flagship Colorado Springs store. Customers need not be so speedy, however. There are more than 50 different sandwiches available, and that’s not including topping variations. Therefore, it’s likely Which Wich has your absolute ideal sandwich lurking somewhere in its envelopes.

    CLICK HERE (jpeg version) to read this article, which published in the April 6, 2012 Go! section of The Gazette.

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