Cocktails on the patio on a crappy day
Cocktails on the patio on a crappy day
How one strong friendship has buoyed two businesses; a destination drive to Stage Stop Cantina; Bingo Burger and Solar Roast Coffee on hiatus after fire and smoke damage + more food & drink news
Jenny & Rebecca
“Someone who understands exactly what you’re going through is the best kind of friend you can have.”
That’s Jenny Sherman, proprietor of north downtown’s 10-year-old Odyssey Gastropub and North Cascade Avenue’s newly opened Nacho Matrix, describing her dear friend and nearby business neighbor Rebecca Taraborelli, owner of Rasta Pasta. The two are Co-Presidents of the Colorado Restaurant Association Pikes Peak Chapter (and both are Side Dish Dozen members). They’ve taken on these voluntary leadership roles to assist other small businesses and advocate for our local industry as a whole. That’s on top of overseeing day-to-day operations at their own enterprises and managing busy home lives with families.
That may not sound overly unique in our modern world of dual working parents, and folks running businesses and making time to serve on boards and get involved at some community level — plenty of people juggle life tasks to make it happen — but Jenny and Rebecca’s friendship is rare for the many other levels on which they’ve bonded over the years to cement a holistic bond that’s at times been a life support. “We’ll meet on one of our patios for cocktails on a crappy day,” says Jenny. “Living and working with my partner [co-proprietor Tyler Sherman] and sharing stress — it’s sometimes nice to have someone else to have those convos with. To be able to unload without creating more burden for your partner.”
Rebecca describes a level of best friend, shorthand, girl-speak the two share during which they can cover all necessary inside three minutes when required. To me (a male brain), it sounds like a degree of mind reading and empathic connection where subtle body language informs as much of a convo as the words being spoken — they lock eyes and just know. Whatever it is. That’s not too woo-woo actually, nor is Rebecca’s description of “everything everywhere all at once — that’s being a woman-owned business. There’s no compartmentalizing. You’re everything all the time.”
She says the two “lean on each other heavily” and have “ridiculous” conversations that bounce between the personal and professional. They’ll compare sales numbers and talk staffing, sharing resources, like sometimes asking one another if their kitchen can give some extra hours to a cook who’s not able to get enough at their main station. Jenny credits Rebecca as a mentor and for ushering her into activism with our local CRA chapter, which she portrays as male-dominated for years, benefitting from Rebecca’s strong will that “established our place at the table.” Rasta Pasta launched 15 years ago, five years prior to Odyssey’s opening, so Rebecca had the head start and institutional knowledge to share with her friend. In a world where restaurants and bars often view one another as competition, the two have proven the power of cooperation. (More broadly, places can stay isolationist islands or join a united force, creating vital retail rows in downtown areas with strength in their concentration and collaboration.)
Outside of the restaurants, Jenny’s and Rebecca’s home lives overlap too, as their 17-year-old sons are best friends, both of whom have worked in their moms’ eateries for an early taste of industry life. The women first met 15 years ago when Rasta Pasta was just opening, as their boys were in daycare together. But once they boys went off to different elementary schools, they didn’t see one another much or really reconnect strongly until around five years ago, when the boys reunited at Holmes Middle School. Then COVID hit, and the families were basically forced to form a pod together as part of pandemic advisements, with the kids floating between homes. That’s when the friendship grew extremely close and Rebecca inspired Jenny to become active with the CRA. Restaurants were playing such a vital role in community wellbeing as essential services, too, so the work life took on new meaning and importance as all businesses struggled to survive as they pivoted. The CRA itself became a more critical than ever resource between advocating at the state level with government departments and disseminating key info to all restaurants and bars in-state.
Like Rebecca said: everything everywhere all at once. It sure helps in times like that to have your good friend to rely on, who’s by your side in the trenches, living a somewhat mirror life.
In many ways the pandemic challenges haven’t entirely relented, as restaurants segued right into navigating to the new hurdles of rising costs around labor (new minimum wages increases, tied to the Consumer Price Index and adjusted annually for inflation); new mandates (adhering to federal Family and Medical Leave Act laws and offering 401(k) plans which require admin fees); and the worst restaurant inflation nationwide here in Colorado. “Our industry specifically is going through a really challenging time right now,” Jenny says.
Odyssey Gastropub and Rasta Pasta haven’t been immune, but in the past two years they have attempted divergent approaches to solutions with a frustratingly similar outcome, as both women tell it. They’ve experienced very similar volume and sales numbers when they compare books, enjoying the 2021 rebound year and generally suffering through 2022 and 2023’s new normal of middling business, with 2024 not showing improvement. Rebecca opted to rely on Rasta’s time-tested menu, while Jenny sought to reboot in an effort to stay up with food trends. She added new lunch specials, had her chefs refresh seasonal menus, etc, but really to no avail as it bore out in the numbers. “We tried different approaches to the same problem, and we’re still at the same place,” says Rebecca. “We’re seeing the same results. It’s been an interesting experiment.”
Rebecca stands by Rasta’s offerings, crediting the outfit for fresh food individually made-to-order, with house-made jerk seasoning, marinara and dressings made daily. They’ve developed a niche following for gluten-free and vegan diners as well as those with specific allergies. “We’re highly customizable,” she says. Menus were designed for the original Breckenridge spot (from which ours was spawned, later becoming the sole location) by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef who’d worked internationally and became a ski bum. These 15 years later Rebecca believes they’re “fantastically curated.” A big innovation for them was the introduction of “vegetti” noodles a decade ago, which is the only real change she’s made to the OG Rasta menu.
“I’m proud of our menu and green practices,” she says, referring to their near-zero waste as a place that recycles and composts. “But it is tough being the ‘Steady Eddie’ in a market where people like shiny new things. We’ve never been one to chase trends, like suddenly offering kale. At this 15-year mark, we’ve questioned ‘do we stay the course, or what would innovation look like?’ How do we keep it interesting for a culinary community that wants their balls tickled all the time?”
From the regular change Jenny has attempted at Odyssey, she says “staying relevant is very challenging.” One problem is customer expectations, because to put new items on the menu from their small kitchen, others must leave — typically the lowest selling plates of a given menu refresh. Inevitably, she says, someone will complain that their favorite dish has disappeared. “It’s finding that balance between pleasing everyone and not alienating existing customers while still making yourself appealing to new customers. Ten years later, we’re still figuring it out day-by-day.”
What that looks like now, for example, on Chef Andrew Borek’s current menu, is the inheritance (since he came aboard last year) of the Crispy Brussels starter, popular Odyssey Burger (with house pork green chile, bacon, cheddar and egg) and green chile cheese fries. Flagship items that won’t change. Then there’s seasonal variations of the mac and cheese and chicken and waffles that themselves will always be around in some form. But from there, roughly 80 percent of the menu is his to play with, and on this latest fall iteration, he’s countered the heavier dishes with light items like a vegetable tartare, Thai red curry and baked sole entrée. He’s balanced the menu with gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and classic comfort food items with hearty meats. With originality intact it’s still the industry standard something-for-everyone menu, yet as Jenny and Rebecca said, Odyssey’s no better off performance-wise as “Steady Eddie” Rasta Pasta is.
Jenny’s hopeful that the recent opening of Nacho Matrix in the Lincoln Center will by association reinvigorate interest in Odyssey “in terms of remembering we’re there.” Both she and Rebecca have felt that the north end of downtown has had to work harder to maintain attention when so many new spots are opening down Tejon Street on the south side. Diners following the latest openings are convening more densely down there. As CRA representatives especially they don’t begrudge those other business owners nor wish for our scene to not keep growing. They just don’t want to fade into culinary irrelevance as they gracefully age, despite maintaining excellence in their own ways.
All that’s more fodder for banter between them on the patios, over cocktails — and not always on a crappy day. Even though it’s everything everywhere all at once, they’re in it together.
* For all of October, mention you’re a Side Dish Schniper subscriber and get a free beer, wine or rum punch with your entrée purchase at Rasta Pasta. Attend their 15th Anniversary Party from 8 p.m. to midnight, Oct. 12, with live reggae music.
*Odyssey Gastropub plans to celebrate its anniversary party on Nov. 17, with event details coming soon. I’ll keep you informed here.
Stage Stop Cantina winds down season off Old Stage Road, ramps up service at Mash Mechanix
I finally make it to destination eatery and drinkery Stage Stop Cantina, located alongside Old Stage Riding Stables just off Old Stage Road (near the turnoff for the Broadmoor’s Emerald Valley Ranch). We’re up to view some aspens on a nearby hike. I quickly realize my timing to write about the Cantina isn’t optimal, as it’s winding down its season, operating only on weekends the next couple weeks before closing in November (to reopen next year when warm). However there is an Oct. 19 pumpkin carving event and Oct. 26 Trunk or Treat event; so maybe I’m right on time to promo those, ahem. Either way you can mark a calendar to take this jaunt next spring/summer, too. Or at the end of this blurb I’ll tell you how to dine sooner.
The modern story of the place, once a stage stop between Colorado Springs and Victor/Cripple Creek and the site of a tiny town named Clyde, is that it came into the family of owner Eve Childers in the early ’90s. Her father built a mini replica town which today consists of some storage buildings between the cantina and stables. At a glance it reminds me of Cuchara Village. In recent years Eve and her husband Mark opened the Cantina with a small barbecue menu and full bar, to serve riders and those rumbling up and down Old Stage Road. The Cantina consists of a lower patio deck with half a dozen tables and an upper order counter with a couple more tables and a long counter rail with tall bar stools. It’s weathered-wood rustic, with a cozy charm and fantastic view down the valley over a rolling mountainside.
Eve describes Mark as the idea guy, while she’s the cook. The true-story joke is neither of them really like barbecue, but they knew it’s what people want out of a setting like this, so Eve poured her talents into doing it right. She tells me she’s cooked her whole life, including as a camp cook for back country trips inside our National Parks. (Think 40 miles in the back country with a Dutch oven.) “Pack trips are my passion,” she tells me, noting she also used to lead hunting trips in search of elk, bighorn sheep and even bears. She more recently did a winter stint with SSA Group at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, too. So, with pride, everything at the Cantina is homemade, she says, down to the awesome house ranch dressing that our sizable chicken salad comes with. (I’m not even a ranch guy.)
Eve smokes her meats — pulled pork, pulled chicken or brisket — which come on a choice of sandwich, mac and cheese bowl or salad as the protein toppers. We also elect to get a pulled pork sandwich with honey-sweet, tangy Carolina Gold sauce that comes on a nice bolillo roll. And an extra side of the loaded potato salad, which is sour cream-covered red potato chunks cut with red onions, chewy bacon bits and a rain of chive and shredded Colby cheese garnish. It all tastes fresh, better than what I expected way up off a dusty road in the mountains, and just perfect for the place. Destination drives take on a higher significance in this way.
Off tap we drink a surprisingly sweet peach wheat from Red Leg Brewing plus a blueberry honey wheat from Mash Mechanix, which is where Stage Stop Cantina also exists as a food truck. So you can go by daily (2-8 p.m., Mondays-Tuesdays; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays) downtown to dine off this same menu and enjoy some pints. I suppose for all you without the requisite Colorado Subaru or other AWD vehicle this is the easier option — though plenty of regular old sedans and the like do venture Old Stage FWIW. But if you can make the time this month or next year to head up to home base, the real spirit of Stage Stop is there.
Oktoberfest with Ranch Foods Direct + October ground beef special
This month we’re celebrating Oktoberfest with this Jägerschnitzel recipe from John Kuespert, Area Chef for SSA Group, who operates food services for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Flame Cafe and Royal Gorge Bridge. Chef Kuespert has German/European heritage and used to serve this Jägerschnitzel at a restaurant named Prost Kitchen + Bar in Tampa, Florida. Head to Ranch Foods Direct for your pork tenderloin and tallow to make this at home during Oktoberfest. Mention Side Dish for your subscriber benefit 5% off at the register on your whole basket.
* Ranch Foods Direct is running a special for the month of October on 80% lean ground beef: 20-pound bundles of 1-pound packages for $100. Individual one-pound packs for $5.50.
Bites & Bits
• Last weekend, in the early morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 5, Colorado Springs Police Department officers working downtown noticed smoke emanating from Bingo Burger at 132 N. Tejon St. They called the Fire Department, who extinguished a fire inside the space before it had time to do any structural damage, though it caused extensive damage to equipment and the smoke damage was so severe that it bled over into neighboring outfit Solar Roast Coffee. That’s the situation as told to me by Bingo owner Richard Warner by phone later in the week. He says the CSFD and insurance representatives have yet to release information on what they believe started the fire, which Warner says didn’t appear to have begun on the hot line in the kitchen, as the Ansul fire suppression systems did not trip there. He describes heat severe enough that it melted the plastic cutting boards in the prep area. At this time, his best guess as to when Bingo will be able to reopen after restoration work will be in four to six months; this affects employment for 10 staffers. “We’re devastated by this, and look forward to being back open as soon as we can,” he says. “Meanwhile, please come see us at Bingo Burger in Pueblo.”
I also messaged with representatives from Solar Roast this week, who estimated around four months until they might be able to reopen. They referred to the ordeal as a “harrowing process thus far” and said the smoke damaged “Everything in the store. Inventory, chairs, refrigerators, maybe more. We’re really heart broken as our busiest season is December, and we’ll totally miss that. No Parade of Lights, etc.” (You can also venture to Pueblo to support them at their coffee shops there and in Pueblo West, and you can also order coffee and merch like gift box sets online.)
• Toodles Tearoom opened at 110 E. Boulder St. this week in the former Brooklyn’s on Boulder space. Springs Magazine published this preview last week, noting ownership related to Sasquatch Cookies and how Toodles’ opening benefitted from a $7,500 Retail Incentive Grant from the Downtown Development Authority. The outfit offers afternoon tea service for $48/person which includes unlimited tea (during 90-minute reservation windows) and “an assortment of delightful tea sandwiches, scrumptious scones with jam, lemon curd, & Devonshire Cream, and an assortment of heavenly mini desserts,” as described on the menu. There’s also a à la carte lunch items like quiche, salad, tea sandwiches, scones and desserts plus teas by the pot and mocktails. You can book the space for events, too, and it features a small retail shopping area related to tea products.
• Golden Pine Coffee Roasters just (finally) opened at 12470 Black Forest Road, a little over a year after R&R Coffee closed in the area. The outfit is selling retail coffee only for now (including online), and will begin limited coffee bar service soon (after necessary septic work). But owner Ryan Wanner is also doing demos and offering workshops. Temporary hours at the moment are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “It's been way too long since I've been able to invite you into my store, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to do so again,” Wanner wrote in an email newsletter to his subscribers. And in a more personal post on his own Instagram page, he wrote: “13 months of self doubt, a feeling of loss over losing R&R, and heavy lifting hauling my roasterie around to five farmers markets. And I came out on the other side with a new brick and mortar roasterie and a new sense of purpose. Let’s gooooo!”
• Russ Erbe of RF Prime Craft Sausage will be doing a Steakhouse Takeover at Black Forest Bistro on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The menu will consist of a classic wedge salad, then a choice of a 12-oz. boneless ribeye or New York Strip sourced from Wyoming’s Bootheel Ranch. Next, steakhouse mashed potatoes with a creamy peppercorn sauce and bacon roasted asparagus. And finally, classic New York-style cheesecake or pumpkin cheesecake. “This is absolutely huge for me,” Erbe tells me in a message. “About 10 years ago I decided that my end goal was to own my own Steakhouse. The name I came up with for it was RK Prime [which stands for Russ and Kim, his wife]. When we moved here and decided to start the sausage company, I thought it would be a good idea to use the name RK Prime so that I could start building brand awareness around the name… I'm so thankful that Deanna [Johnson] is giving me this opportunity as it’s allowing me to take a step towards my dream, to dip my toes in the water without having to buy the pool.” Seats were $90/person and between me writing this and publishing this week, 63 of them sold out in around six hours. “My mind is blown, and I’m beyond humbled,” says Russ.
• A California-based chain named Mountain Mike’s Pizza — that launched in the late 1970s and now has around 275 locations — will soon open at 123 Spectrum Loop at Polaris Pointe. The Gazette reports that it comes via franchisees Isaac and Allie Brandon, who plan to open two more locations around the Springs. This location will mark the second to open in the state (behind Parker), with a third via another franchisee already planned for Aurora.
• Congrats to Distillery 291, who won Best Craft Distiller Whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this past weekend.
• Remember to vote, here, before Oct. 24, in the Colorado Restaurant Association & Foundation’s inaugural HOSPY awards. Red Gravy’s chef Eric Brenner is a nominee in the Chef of the Year category. Richard & Jessica Fierro of Atrevida Beer Co. have already been recognized with an honorary Philanthropist of the Year award.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
• Odyssey Gastropub: Our new fall and winter cocktail menu is live! Tuesdays are our SIN Night for service industry workers; get happy hour pricing all day, friends.
• The Carter Payne: Food and Wine Flight Night with Julie, 5:30 p.m., Oct. 11. $50 includes four wines paired with small plates, “like a mini wine dinner.” Local Relic Monthly Bottle Release Party, 1-5 p.m., Oct. 12. Sample new brews and get first crack at buying bottles before they go to wholesale. Free; beer and light snacks for purchase.
• Rasta Pasta: For the month of October say Side Dish Schniper and get a free beer, wine or rum punch with your entree. Plan to join us for our 15th Anniversary Party from 8 p.m. to midnight, Oct. 12. Catch live reggae and more.
• Wobbly Olive: This weekend’s special downtown is a pretzel crusted schnitzel Bahn mi with bacon pate, sweet pickled onion, cucumber and carrot, and a curry gravy.
• Red Gravy: We’re proud of our chef/owner Eric Brenner, who’s a nominee in the Chef of the Year category for the 2024 Colorado Restaurant Association & Foundation HOSPY awards. Vote for Eric here, before Oct. 24.
• Bristol Brewing Company: Join us for our annual Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout release party, 6 p.m., October 11. Enjoy our award-winning oatmeal stout paired with a small bite and join our traditional group toast to welcome stout season! Movies Under the Stars, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 12.
• Edelweiss: For a limited time, buy our Oktoberfest-style gingerbread hearts ($12.50) and bags of Lebkuchen cookies ($15). Also, visit us Mondays for a goulash soup special.
• T-Byrd’s Tacos & Tequila: During our Sunday-Friday Happy Hours, 3-6 p.m., come for Chef Dustin’s $7 pork belly burnt end bites in chile-citrus sauce and our $4 nachos. Beers: $3-$4; margaritas starting at $6.
• Ascent Beverage: Ask for the “Walk the Plank Mule” at Bunzy’s-n-Booze. It’s Robb’s Red Rum with real lime juice, ginger ale, ginger beer and a splash of cherry juice.
• Goat Patch Brewing: CC Hockey night in the taproom, Oct. 11 and 12. Second Saturday Firkin release: "PsL LiFe" with our Pumpkin Patch Punch + Coffee, $5 pints; 2 p.m., Oct. 12. Trivia, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. Singo music bingo: Boy Bands, Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
• Eleven18 Latin Tapas Bar: Our Chef’s Counter dinners with Chef Brother Luck are selling out quick! Three courses plus two wines for $75/person; limit 12 per night.
• Blue Star Group: Celebrate this spooky month at Decent Pizza and Ivywild Kitchen with ghost pepper special menu items: ghost pepper wings at DP and a ghost pepper burger or loaded ghost pepper fries at IK. Get tickets now for the Oct. 21 Stellina Supper Club. Start with a Pumpkin Chai Spritz, and settle into a fall-inspired five-course menu, including homemade wild boar and pumpkin bolognese, a bright fall salad, roasted chicken marsala, and pumpkin-gingersnap tiramisu.
• Kangaroo Coffee: Where's Roo this weekend? We love events so much we decided to throw ourselves one on Saturday. The Roo Crew along with family and friends will be filling a suite at the Switchbacks’ final season home game. Looking forward to celebrating with food, beverages and a victory!
• The French Kitchen: Our Taste of October Bundle includes Brussels sprouts quiches, a beer cheese brat soup plus a mulled cider Queenet. Malted milk chocolate is October’s mousse flavor. Ready-to-grab meals include lamb stew and cassoulet.
Upcoming events
• Oct. 14: Indigenous People’s Day at Cocktails After Dusk. Three-course cocktail and amuse bouche pairing, 6-8 p.m., $35.
• Oct. 17-20: Colorado Springs Distillery Week & Festival. Multiple events in the area.
• Oct. 20: Paella on the Patio and Birthday Bash at Tapateria. Three seatings between noon and 5 p.m. $49 includes first wine, beer or sangria. October’s style: chicken thighs, scallops, jumbo prawns, clams, braised short ribs, artichokes, snow peas, sweet onion, roasted red peppers, yellow Divinas on a base of paprika, saffron chicken stock.
• Oct. 22: “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Trivia Night at Bristol Brewing. 6-8:30 p.m., teams of two $10 + $5 more per person for larger teams. Hosted by Atlas Middle School’s principal (with questions written by fifth graders) as a fundraiser for the school’s gym renovation.
• Oct. 24: Feast & Froth, an Autumn Goat Patch Brewing Pairing Dinner with Homa at Kinship Landing. 6 p.m; five beer-paired courses, $98.98. View menu here.
• Oct. 25: SoulFULL Series Culture Mashup with Latimers Kitchen & Catering and Chef Katie Fisco of Baon Supper Club. 6:30 p.m., five courses, $103.
Parting shot(s)
I sat down at bartender Jacob Pfund’s counter this week at (Side Dish Dozen member) Eleven18 to try several items off his newly released cocktail menu. Firstly, I’ll say we loved finding six smart mocktails taking up nearly as much of the menu as the boozy drinks — kudos. The one we were initially drawn to is the Diabolist, a warm drink made with Three Spirit Livener, lemongrass and oolong tea; it finishes lightly tannic, herbal and spicy, delightfully.
Next up the Of the Trees presented a wholly unique flavor I can’t say I’ve ever tried before. That’s thanks to mastic turned into a Greek liqueur, as explained by Pfund. That tree sap joins maple syrup (hence of the “trees” plural) and fig-leaf infused Bacardi (for a third tree-related touch) plus lemon and a tiny float of olive oil (so it’s not fat washed, but garnished by it). The mastic’s aroma alone holds an ouzo-like hint of anise but once in the drink with the other elements it all melds into an indescribably unique flavor that I highly recommend you try.
Ditto for The Cobra’s Pearl due to a ballsy Thai green curry-infused Screwball (yes, the vile-on-its-own in my opinion peanut butter whiskey) pour mixed with Coco Lopez and lime. Think crushed peanut garnish on your Thai curry with a fresh lime squeeze and you get it. Brilliant, only because he pulls it off beautifully.
Lastly, the Black Magic Woman is a Black Manhattan riff with the addition of Italicus (bergamot liqueur), which is the ingredient most bartenders reached for in challenge rounds in last year’s bartender battles we hosted at this same bar counter. It’s potent with cask-strength rye, and the reason to order it is the smoke show and final garnish of Bitter & Glitter gold color. Yeah, a lot of bars are puffing smoke these days and one day it may get old, but not quite yet. The aromatics are too good and it’s just a fun presentation and photo opportunity every time. Call me a smoke slut but it’s my feels on the matter — for now. Cheers.