Gut Food, Gut Service, Gut Prices ... UWE's IS THE BOMB!

Uwe's German Restaurant

31 Iowa Ave

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

(719) 475-1611

Price Range: $$$$

I have spent quite a bit of time in Germany over the years, so I know good, authentic German food when I see and eat it. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL! I been eating at Uwe's for many years and very little has changed over the decades ... authentic German food, friendly and efficient service, large portions, and very reasonable prices. What more could you ask for?

The restaurant is not impressive to look at, being in a small 1950s era strip mall off of Pikes Peak Avenue with an interior that looks like it has not been updated since the 1960s. But looks are deceiving because their fresh bread, delicious salads, frothy beer, zesty goulash, rich sauces, tender schnitzel, succulent bratwürst, and homemade späetzel are everything you would expect at a restaurant in Germany. In-fact, the owner, Sabina and her husband (the chef), and most of the employees have a German accent, always a good sign.

My favorite is meal the wiener (veal) schnitzel cordon bleu, two breaded veal cutlets stuffed with ham and cheese then baked to gooey perfection, served with a side of Hunter's (mushroom) sauce, crispy home fries, and veggie of the day. Meals are preceded by fresh pumpernickel bread and either a salad, an assortment of German potato salad, pickled green beans, crisp greens, tomatoes and cucumbers topped with a light vinaigrette dressing, or you can have soup, either goulash or their soup of the day (if available).

Jägerschnitzel (Jaegerscnitzel)

The roulade is a traditional German stuffed beef roll with thinly sliced beef wrapped around pickle, bacon, onion and mustard, topped with a light sauce, and accompanied by German potato dumplings (spätzel) and red cabbage. For those with a zest for the spicy, the Hungarian paprika schnitzel is a good choice and the Jäegerschnitzel, breaded pork cutlets (2) covered with a thick mushroom (Hunter) sauce, is always a hearty, filling, rib-sticking meal.

Uwe's has a nice selection of wine and beer, domestic and import, with the Wärsteiner Dünkel, a dark, frothy, delight being my go-to beer for German meals. You can even get a pitcher of Wärsteiner in a traditional ceramic German decanter for around $15. Desserts are traditional and inexpensive with warm apple strüdel and ice cream taking center stage for those with massive appetites and room left over for their sweet finish.

Lunch is an even better value with slightly smaller portions and greatly reduced prices, but do not plan on getting much done that afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, the service is always excellent and, as you would expect in an authentic German restaurant, very efficient with little small talk while remaining friendly and helpful.

I have many excellent meals in Germany and Uwe's ranks right up there with some of the best, so if you like German food, do not miss a trip to Uwe's while in Colorado Springs. Because of their great food, excellent service, and outstanding value, I have no choice other than to give Uwe's my highest rating ...

CombatCritic Gives Uwe's German Restaurant 10 Bombs Out of 10 ... BOMBS ARE GUT ... And A Spot On CombatCritic's WALL OF FAME!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

"Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique, we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH! - CombatCritic

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Title: Colorado Springs: Gut Food, Gut Service, Gut Prices ... UWE's IS THE BOMB!

Key Words: Uwe's, Uwe, German, restaurant, 80909, Colorado Springs, Colorado, springs, schnitzel, weiner, Jäeger, Jäegermeister, Wärsteiner, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: HOOAH - "Sehr Gut!"

Went Twice, Closed Both Times - Stop Wasting My Time!

Duca’s Neapolitan Pizza

12229 Voyager Pkwy

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Phone: (719) 487-3200

Website: ducaspizza.com

Prices: $$$$

My son and I tried to eat here twice during my recent visit to Colorado, but on the night I got into town (Wednesday), they were closed when we arrived shortly after 8pm. We returned the following Sunday at around 5pm hungry for a Neapolitan pizza, but they were again closed so we gave up on Duca's.

How is the pizza? No idea and I guess I will never know because they will not be open long if paying customers arrive to find the doors locked. 

I checked their prices online and they are not unfair, but I cannot tell you if this is a good value because I COULD NOT TASTE THE PIZZA. For example, a Margherita pizza in Naples (hence their name, Neapolitan: "someone or something from Naples, Italy") runs around €5 to €6 which equates to around $5.50 to $6.50 (today), so $6.95 is not unreasonable. 

American "Neapolitan" pizzas tend to average 12" in diameter, but if you order a pizza in Naples, you will never get a 12" pizza unless it was a mistake. True Neapolitan pizzas are at least 13" to 14" in diameter and you would never find chicken on a pizza in Naples, particularly the "BBQ" or "Buffalo" or variety as is the case at Duca's.

A pizza place that closes at 8pm? Give me a break and stop wasting my time!

CombatCritic Gives Duca's Neapolitan Pizza 1 Bomb Out Of 10 ... You Know The Rest

One Bomb Equates To:

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Title: Colorado Springs: Went Twice, Closed Both Times - Stop Wasting My Time!

Key Words: Duca's Neapolitan Pizza, Duca's, Duca, Neapolitan, pizza, Naples, Colorado Springs, Colorado, springs, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Monument: Oh Brothers, $19 For A $10 Pizza Special?

Borriello Brothers

15910 Jackson Creek Pkwy

Monument, CO 80132

Phone: (719) 884-2020

Website: borriellobrothers.com

Prices: $$$$

Beware when ordering "specials" and adding extra ingredients. Our $10 18" one-topping pizza specials skyrocketed to $19 because the $1 extra toppings we were quoted turned out to be $3 each on an 18" pizza.

The pizza is average and the Genoa salami I paid extra for as a "specialty topping" was used very sparingly. I may as well have ordered a cheese pizza because there was hardly any of the up-charged salami anywhere to be found.

My son is vegan and ordered his pizza without cheese, but having added red pepper, roasted tomato and fresh basil, the "$10 special" ballooned to $19. I can buy an entire basil plant for a little more than $3, so charging that much for a few measly leaves is unconscionable. His pizza was also burnt on the bottom, so we had to wait an additional 20 minutes to get an edible pizza while mine grew cold to the touch.

It is difficult to find good pizza anywhere but on the right and left coasts and I was left unimpressed after this experience. My son also told me that the last time he went there he asked if he could substitute an additional topping seeing that he cannot eat cheese and asked that the mozzarella be excluded, but he was told, "no you cannot" ... UNSAT. 

CombatCritic Gives Borriello Brothers 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

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Title: Oh Brothers, $19 For A $10 Pizza Special?

Key Words: Borriello Brothers, Borriello, brothers, brother, pizza, pasta, Colorado Springs, Colorado, springs, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Monument: Muy Bueno ... Very Good, Authentic Food And An Excellent Value!

Rodolfo’s Mexican Grill
15932 Jackson Creek Pkwy
Monument, CO 80921
Phone: (719) 487-9410

Prices: $$$$

Bare bones atmosphere, a few tables and chairs, a walk-up service window, and no servers, but very good food at reasonable prices in the corner location of a strip mall.

My son is a vegan and loved his bean and rice burrito with guacamole ($4.45). It was huge!

I am not vegan, or even a virgin for that matter, so I ordered chips and guacamole ($2.80), carne asada tacos ($2.35 each), and cheese and onion enchiladas ($3.95) ala carte. The chips were a tad too greasy, as if they had just been reheated in the deep frier, but pretty good with a little shredded cheese and a bit more guacamole on top. I needed some more guacamole, so I went back to the counter to get an additional side order for the chips and my tacos., but when I asked to pay I was told "no charge". Wow ... gracias!

The carne asada tacos came on large corn tortillas and were heaped with sliced beef, diced onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, and a little shredded cheese ... just the way I like them ... buenísimo! They also have a small salsa bar with three different salsas (two red and one green), some pico de gallo, fresh cut lime, and pickled jalapeño and sliced carrots. They were all great, but I had to taste each to find out how hot they were, so some signage would be my only suggestion.

The enchiladas were also very good. The red chili sauce was spicy and tasty and there was just the right amount of cheese to sauce ratio. The only drawback being way too many sliced onions on top instead of a few diced onions inside the enchiladas. The taste was pretty much the same, but it was hard to see the enchiladas through the onions and they were a bit overpowering.

In all, the food was fresh, excellent, and very reasonable. Coming from Lawrence, Kansas where they do not seem to know what good, authentic Mexican food is, Rodolfo's was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. Being a cold Colorado night, the place was a bit chillier than expected, so dress warm and enjoy some good food.

CombatCritic Gives Rodolfo's Mexican Grill 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... Más Bombas Son Mejores!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

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Rodolfo’s Mexican Grill

Menus

Title: Muy Bueno ... Very Good, Authentic Food And An Excellent Value! 

Key Words: Rodolfo's Mexican Grill, Rodolfo's, Rodolfo, Rudolfo, Mexican, grill, Monument, Colorado, springs, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Tabelog, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: WTFO! = "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Colorado Springs: "I remember this place being better" - C.T. Sorrentino - aka CombatCritic

Trivelli's Hoagies

2819 N Nevada Avenue 

Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Website

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"I remember this place being better" - C.T. Sorrentino - aka CombatCritic

The sandwiches are "OK", not as good as they once were. We had the "meatball" sandwich, which oddly enough does not come with cheese (unless you ask for it - costs extra) and the "cheesesteak". Because the original owner is supposedly from Philadelphia, the cheesesteak should be a no brainer. Or should it?

The meatball (6 inch - $5.70) was tasty enough, but neither very big nor loaded with meat as I remember and the tomato sauce flavorful, not too sweet or spicy. The bread was good, not too soft or hard (old). The cheesesteak ($11.78 for a 12 incher), which came on a similar "hoagie" roll, was loaded with meat and a bit greasy even for my taste (read my review of Dempsey's in Lawrence, Kansas). I added a side order of french fries ($2.15) which was rather small for the price and cold by the time our meal arrived.

My son, a vegan, asked the young lady on the phone before ordering if they could accommodate his dietary restrictions, including no meat, eggs, cheese, or oils (a personal preference), and she indicated that they could (after checking with her  manager/chef). Having confirmed that the pasta was not made with eggs and that the tomato sauce had no meat or added oil, he ordered the spaghetti and meatballs (minus the meatballs - $6.89). He was also told that his meal "comes with a salad" and that our entire order would come to a little over $28.

Side Salad - $6.89?

When he arrived to pick up our order, my son was told that the pasta sauce was cooked with the meatballs (vegan?) and that there was oil in the sauce after all, so he could not eat the spaghetti and meatballs. They appeared perturbed over his dietary restrictions and removed the spaghetti and meatballs (but did not deduct the price), leaving him with what he thought was a "large side salad full of veggies" (it was in a large container which he did not open before leaving). However, when he arrived home and opened the container, there was a pile of shredded, brownish iceberg lettuce and a few chunks of tomato and even fewer slices of onion (see photo). They charged us nearly $7 for a pile of lettuce and a few veggies that probably cost them less than fifty cents!

The food alone would get 3 out of 5 stars (5-6 out of 10 "bombs") based on quality, quantity, and "value", but the $7 side salad and their anti-vegan attitude forced me to deduct a "star" (two bombs). Therefore ...

CombatCritic Gives Trivelli's Hoagies (Nevada Ave) 5 Out of 10 Bombs ... MORE BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Trivelli's Hoagies, Trivelli's, Trivelli, travelli, hoagies, hoagie, sub, sandwich, cheesesteak, meatball, salad, fries, menu, CombatCritic, TravelValue, Colorado, Springs