Cabo vibes
Monse's Pupuseria opens chic new downtown location with expanded menu; Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine tours new Fort Carson eatery to hype modernizing military food + more food & drink news & events
In early June last year, Monse and Tim Hines of Monse’s Pupuseria and business partner Humberto Cabrera were opening The Best Coffee & Lounge in the former Wild Goose Meeting House spot at 401 N. Tejon St.
That was on the heels of announcing they’d stepped in to save Mountain Shadows from disappearing after a 32-year run in Old Colorado City. (It’s still under construction, and I’m told could open as early as October.)
The prior year the Hineses had purchased Saigon Café and tried to make a go of refreshing it, but received some push back. When they opted to close it in mid 2025, they teased of bringing a second Monse’s to the spot, with an upscale ambiance similar to the design of the coffee shop, “like something you’d experience in Cabo,” Tim said at the time.
After my preview visit this past weekend, just ahead of its June 23 grand opening, I could clearly see the vision.
With cream-colored tile floors and textured walls, fiber artworks, pendant lights and woven straw furniture, plus light wood accents (including oak handle chairs and beefy, live edge walnut on the bar top) and cool, curvy cement fiber tables, the space feels Latin American tropical and breezy but also a little bit like a Middle Eastern or North African dessert cantina to me. A micro-tiled central support beam has been turned into a palm tree-inspired installation, with light panels jutting out in a multi-pointed star pattern, like a palm’s leaf canopy.
It all looks impressively chic, and not inexpensive. (I asked, but they prefer I don’t share the price tag.) It’s not just a complete overhaul of the dated Saigon Café space, but a new vision for the ambiance and physical feel of Monse’s Pupuseria that may become a blueprint for more locations out of state.
Cabrera, who splits time between here and Florida, acts in a contractor role for the businesses. He’s who gave the coffee lounge its slick look and who’s working on Mountain Shadows now, too. He tells me they’re looking at cities like Tampa and Sarasota to possibly expand. To be clear, they aren’t looking at franchising at this time, but maintaining ownership.
Tim elaborates on that, expressing an interest in other tourist towns, that like Colorado Springs also have strong community ties. In a way, he ways, it’s like following some of the tourists here back home, and bringing Monse’s clean food aesthetic to their markets. “Where do our tourists live? Let’s go there,” he says. “And expand our reach and introduce Monse’s food and culture.”
Monse’s originally launched in its original Old Colorado City location at the beginning of 2018, quickly becoming a go-to spot for gluten-free dining anchored around excellent Salvadoran pupusas. That menu will translate in full to the new location, which will receive some downtown-exclusive items in addition.
At our preview we’re treated to a buffet-style tasting of three of those dishes, each representing a different country. A large menu details “the stories behind the table,” talking about the significance of corn to Indigenous communities in El Salvador; Colombia’s geographic diversity and how it influences various foods; and an Ecuadorian dish named chaulafán that was born out of Chinese fried rice. Staff members representing each country present the dishes to the assembled guests.
Continuing somewhat of a grandiloquent tone, an “our philosophy” note on the menu speaks to recipes representing “generations of knowledge, migration, celebration, resilience and family,” saying they don’t just wish to recreate traditional items, but honor origins “through a modern lens that reflects the diversity and creativity of Latin America today.”
What all that looks like on the plate is Salvadoran aguachile mar y tierra, being texturally contrasting crispy chicharrón and ceviche-like cured shrimp strips with a citrus-chile sauce and fresh cucumber, red onion and cilantro garnish. Then Picada Colombiana, a mix of grilled chorizo sausages with hunks of beef, pork and chicken, served with bits of corn on the cob and yuca wedges. And lastly, the Chaulafán Ecuatoriano, a mound of jasmine rice flecked with bits of pork, chicken, shrimp, plated with avocado pieces and long plantain strips.
Everything is interesting and delicious, especially alongside sips of a stupid-good, mint-watermelon agua fresca (of which I shamelessly drink two glasses). The spot also features housemade sangria and a wide lineup of Holidaily gluten-free beers in cans.
We’re served small slices of gluten-free tres leches and chocolate cakes before we depart, and Monse floats about the room beaming her wonderful smile as she chats with all those who made the pre-opening VIP list. She’s thrilled to bring her brand into downtown, just a couple miles away from home base, but a world away as far as the elevated decor and refreshed vibe go.
Seeking kitchen inspiration? Visit the Side Dish recipes page to find three years worth of monthly dishes created by local chefs utilizing Ranch Foods Direct’s Callicrate beef and pork products.
Modernizing military dining
Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine was back in Colorado Springs last week, following up on his Restaurant Impossible visit to Momma Pearl’s Cajun Kitchen some years ago and his more recent appearance in mid 2023 at the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center.
I interviewed him at the time to glean his opinion on how to push our food scene forward, and rather appreciated his colorful and blunt answers. “If the people you intend to serve are currently flocking to TGI Friday’s, maybe compete with them? Maybe do some of what they do but better,” he said at one point. (If you weren’t a subscriber back then, when Side Dish was only four months old, click here to appreciate the full interview, in which he also encourages technology upgrades in restaurants, offers nutritional advice and gives more thoughts on Momma Pearl’s, which has since closed.)
This go around, Irvine came to tour the newly opened Stack House Bistro on Fort Carson, “part of the Army’s Campus-Style Dining Venue (CSDV) initiative to improve the Soldier dining experience,” in the words of a base spokesperson. “The new standard is one that prioritizes quality, choice, nutrition and an atmosphere comparable to what young Americans experience on college campuses, at innovation hubs and in cities across the country,” Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command, is quoted saying.
Fort Hood, Texas launched the first CSDV in February of this year, with Stack House Bistro following suit in April, as pilot programs. Both are operated by Compass Group, who operates in more than 25 countries. They’re among the top three contract food service providers, alongside Sodexo and Aramark.
I attended a media event to watch Irvine inspect the facility and chat with staff, as well as open a little time for press questions. (Here’s a clip of one that I asked him.)
Before Irvine arrived, I listened in on a pre-shift pep talk by Compass Group culinary leaders, addressed to the line cooks and kitchen hands. “Why are we here,” one began, quickly answering rhetorically: “To make food and feed people. To nourish those who serve our country. To provide hospitality. This is an escape for them. A little time to help them feel good. If you don’t feel that, you shouldn’t be doing this. We are here to serve. Make people smile. That’s the mission.”
Soldiers get a $39 per day stipend to spend between all three meals, with flexible grab-and-go options plus offerings from a robust salad bar. There’s also several kiosks with different menus: Piccola Italia, Forged Grill, Provisions and Noble Fork. Between them eaters will find everything from pizza (okay, so not everything is super healthy) to sandwiches, stir fries and rotating international foods. The staff tell me that including the takeaway items, they’ll serve between 4,000 and 5,000 meals daily — high volume for time-managed people.
The cafeteria staffs nutritionists who float about and answer questions for any soldiers needing nutritional guidance. I chat with one of them, Matt Poland, who refers to the soldiers as “tactical athletes who need to be fit and ready.” Not everyone has the same dietary restrictions or requirements, so he says to “eat for the work required” respective to the person. So someone stuffing sandbags in training will need more caloric intake than someone at a desk, for example.
I next speak with Executive Chef Matthew Miller, who’s been with Compass Group for 12 years. He says they’re well established in corporate dining and senior living facilities, ballparks, college campuses and more, but the military contract is new for them this year. (Robert Irvine says he helped them acquire the contract, and a base PIO clarifies that “Irvine serves as a special, non-paid consultant to the Army on how to improve its food program modernization initiative.”)
Miller tells me that his team cooks from scratch, in-house, with a huge emphasis on nutrition. “For me this so fulfilling,” he says. “I almost get choked up. People really appreciate us. I’ve never gotten so many “thanks” in a short period of time.”
I’m told the soldiers are thrilled for what Stack House Bistro now offers. But of course I want to put that to the test, so I pull one aside to ask her thoughts. Captain Rachel Mingo, 2nd Brigade S&S OIC (Supply and Services Officer in Charge), says she’s noticed that the “throughput is more efficient in this new space” and soldiers are appreciating the upgraded seating and game tables spread about, like a foosball table nearby to where we’re chatting. With 12 years in the military between four stations, she calls this “one of the best I’ve eaten in,” adding “it has a luxury feel.”
Another soldier later tells us: “This place is awesome. It really boosts morale for us soldiers. Especially after long days, weeks, months in the field. To come back to a nice place and get a good, well-cooked meal. I come here every day for food. I love it.”
That seems to validate the (CSDV) initiative’s intent to improve the soldier dining experience. A press release notes 800,000 soldiers in need of feeding worldwide each day, so the mission to replace outdated dining facilities with modern eateries has a long way to go.
A reporter from The Colorado Sun — who I later eat lunch with in order to taste what the soldiers are getting — took a look back at Fort Carson’s recent dining debacles in her writeup, which I encourage you to read here for more info I don’t cover. She found reports of “insufficient meals” and limited hours at dining facilities that hindered many base inhabitants from easy access. Troop ratings of Fort Carson’s facilities on an app named Hots & Cots were so low that complaints caught the eye of media. KRCC reported on that in late 2024, noting food lacking in nutritional value and unable to meet basic caloric requirements for troops, creating “food insecurity in these facilities.”
Enter the man tasked to help fix it.
Robert Irvine finally arrives and his handlers walk him from kiosk to kiosk, speaking to cooks, staff and soldiers. Someone delivers him a drink from an attached coffee and smoothie cafe named Shake Smart. He asks how many grams of protein are in it, sending it back for 20 grams additional.
When he finally settles in front of the small, assembled press pool, he tells the first reporter to ask a question that his title is “cook — of eggs,” kicking off cheekily.
He doesn’t hold back with criticisms, saying this “is what the Army should have done 30 years ago,” and that we haven’t been treating our soldiers “like athletes from a food standpoint.”
Irvine says he’s lived in the U.S. since 1996, working at the White House two days a week. (I couldn’t easily verify that online. It’s worth noting that he admitted to The Guardian many years ago to “embellishments and inaccuracies” in his résumé). “When I started looking at the food, going around the world to every base, sub and ship, I was appalled at the food we were serving our soldiers, sailers, airmen, guardians, marines and Air Force folks,” he says…. “23 years it took me to fight to get this.”
He laments how every four years administrations change and projects get terminated in the middle of their work. “What tends to happen is we start off with a big bang and it all implodes when nobody’s watching,” he says. “Well guess what, I’m watching.
“We owe it to our service members to give them the best that we have. It’s like having a Mercedes and putting olive oil in the gas tank — that’s what gonna happen with our athletes,” if they aren’t cared for, he says. “There’s some great 92’s [92G Culinary Specialists in the Army] and CS’s [Culinary Specialists in the navy], but unless we give them the tools, the training to do the job, we can never achieve what you see here.”
Irvine says the momentum with these first CSDV’s is just getting going, fueled by positive feedback from troops. He says RFP’s are out for more venues soon, and that “a lot of places are being torn down and rebuilt right now.”
When it’s my turn for a question, I ask what finally clicked to make this happen after decades of effort. Irvine seems to credit Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George (who was ousted by Hegseth in April), saying they “decided that people were what we needed to take care of,” and that the effort is “a holistic look at the total force.”
Striking a different, almost sentimental tone a moment later, Irvine calls food “the international language of love and hope because it breaks down barriers, and helps us talk and communicate.” He calls it the “community maker.” He points to the importance of dining halls like Stack House Bistro as offering comfortable gathering space for troops to connect and talk about what’s going on in their day. “That’s what food is to most people. If you go to a restaurant it’s two hours of escapism,” he says. “We want the Army, Navy, Marines to have the same.”
Chef Irvine says he took military leadership to see the culinary program at Colombia University in New York City as a model, pointing out its 95 percent graduation rate as some evidence of happy students. “It works,” he says. “Why? Because the food is fresh, healthy and great flavored.”
There’s also a push for sustainability at Colombia, and Irvine mentions how Compass Group is aiming to buy from local farmers in the areas of bases. Whether that will happen in a meaningful way remains to be seen after I peek at a “What’s Local Today” sign near the Stack House Bistro’s salad bar. While it’s great to find basil, romaine and butter lettuce from Aurora’s Gotham Greens and oyster and shiitake mushrooms from Fort Collins’ Hazel Dell Mushrooms, there’s no meat purveyors listed, which seems like a blindspot (or savings point).
Five other Front Range companies listed are all prepackaged items: Patterbar, Wild Zora, Bobo’s Oat Bars, Purely Elizabeth and Quinn Snacks. All are better and arguably healthier products than national-level commercial counterparts, but talking of farmers and showing off granola smacks of a little greenwashing. (In fairness, I’d need to see “What’s Local” tomorrow and the next day and next week, etc.)
Still, I’m happy to find compostable cups in use and signs of some sustainability shits given, as per the mandate. I stick around after the event concludes to dine, as I’m not sure when I’ll ever get the chance to again on base.
I start at a digital kiosk and order a smoothie named A Perfect 10, featuring blueberries, banana, vanilla protein and peanut butter. I add extra protein and low-fat milk to recreate the drink that Irvine was given after sending his first smoothie back. (It just seemed like a novel thing to do, for funsies.) In talking with staff, we calculate it contains somewhere between 55 and 60 grams of protein now. It’s surprisingly not chalky to drink, but hella rich and dense.
From the international food kiosk, which rotates cuisines daily and is featuring Caribbean island-style dishes this day, I next order spiced jasmine rice, jerk chicken and curry-roasted cauliflower. It sets me back all of $6.50 and tastes a step above the average college dining hall, which is to say impressively good. (And for context of reviewing on a military base, I once dined at the El Paso County Jail for a story in the CS Indy, so I do know what horrific institutional grub tastes like.)
For dessert, we share a red velvet cupcake made with red quinoa (for added protein) and all real ingredients that I can pronounce. It also rates surprisingly delightful, exemplary of nutritional substitutes for basic ingredients. I depart feeling like I can honestly say I’d be perfectly happy to return and eat here again.
“This our way of saying thank you,” Irvine had said when asked by one of the reporters what his message was to soldiers. “You should have had this a long time ago. But now you’re getting what you deserve.”
Bites & Bits
• A new spot named House of Birria has opened in the former Roots Cafe space at 330 E. Colorado Ave., next to Rebel Rebel. According to FOX21, it’s operated by the same folks who own The Mactory at 125 N. Spruce St.
• Angelo’s Taverna and Carboy Winery has bumped its public opening one day back from initial estimates, to July 1. I’m slated for a preview meal on June 29 and plan to share some early content on social media ahead of next week’s newsletter.
• Earlier this month, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB26-1033 into law, effectively expanding the Colorado Cottage Foods Act. Known as The Tamale Act, the law supports entrepreneurs and “remove[s] barriers for home-based cooks to earn a living and legally sell delicious food to Coloradans, growing our economy and supporting communities,” Polis is quoted as saying.
• Two Colorado spots on shortlist of finalists for ‘best new cocktail bar in U.S. The Gazette reported. Both are in Denver. One is Rougarou, and the other is The Peach Crease Club. New Denizen reported on the latter’s opening late last year, calling the cocktail menu “genuinely one-of-a-kind” and said it “reads like the offerings at a globally-inspired restaurant rather than a watering hole.” And she placed Rougarou on her list of Denver’s Best New Restaurants of 2025, saying it “comes as close as the city gets to a cool-kid hangout.”
• Chef John Casto, current Chairman of the Board for the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and a general manager for Sodexo, as well as a Pikes Peak State College instructor, was among six people nationally to receive the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Heroes of Everyday Life award. It came with a $5,000 grant to give to the hunger-relief charity of their choice. Casto selected the Springs Rescue Mission. Then, according to this detailed report by KKTV11, “He was surprised on stage with a grant for a second charity, which he plans to give to the Marian House Soup Kitchen.”
• My latest segment with KRCC/CPR aired this week. Reporter Andrea Chalfin helped me revisit one of my favorite stories that I wrote last year: the Culinary Connections program that serves refugee-cooked meals out of First United Methodist Church downtown. We shared last month’s Afghan meal with friends at my house and she recorded the experience. Give it a read or listen.
• In an amusing act of patriotic mixology, Cocktails After Dusk shared a recipe this week for a Reflection Pond Cocktail, in-part utilizing Fernet Menta, aloe syrup and green and blue Bitters and Glitters cocktail bitters. (Thus far no arrests have been made of those interacting with the drink.)
• According to this Wired article, scientists have invented a way to brew espresso with ultrasonic waves, sans hot water, using 75 percent less energy. Explained in layman’s terms, it’s “a room-temperature brewing process that uses high-frequency sound waves to extract the flavor, oils, aroma, and caffeine from ground coffee.” A group of tasters reportedly couldn’t notice the difference in flavor between the ultrasonic and traditional brew methods.
• Shared with me by local artist Sean O’Meallie: “How to Display Fine Art in Your Restaurant (Without Getting Spaghetti Sauce on It).”
• Allusion Speakeasy is holding The Great Allusion Warehouse Cleanout on June 28 at 9 a.m. They’re selling off pieces from 30 prior Allusion themes, to include “props, decor, signs, costumes, furniture, artwork, themed pieces, and countless treasures.” Click the link for more details.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Wobbly Olive: Every weekday happy hour at both locations is 4-6 p.m.; all cocktails and beers are half off, plus $5 house wines. Plus we have a new happy hour food menu, with small bites like dirty martini popcorn, Szechuan wings and calamari tacos. New cocktail menu launching soon!
Goat Patch Brewing: Our summer music series continues June 28, with Chinaflower Suncats at the Lincoln Center, 5-8 p.m., and the High Life Cajun Band in Monument, 2-5 p.m. Catch Bleating Heart Night at all locations on June 30, benefitting Bike Clinic Too.
Evergreen Restaurant: Join us Friday evenings for live music on the patio, 5:30-9 p.m. weekly. And return for brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sundays. Whenever you come in, you have to save room for our viral mousse cakes for dessert.
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: Weekly specials include all night happy hours on Mondays; Cantina Tuesdays; Po Boy Wednesdays; Wine N’ Snack Thursdays; Happy Hour Date Night Fridays from 3-6 p.m. (with meals for two for $65); Boil Night Saturdays with $20 beer buckets; and Locals Sunday with $1 oysters and more.
Kangaroo Coffee: Join us for our Summer Music Series with Lookee Here, June 27, 1-4 p.m. at our Kangaroo Coffee Hillside Coffee House. Visit each of our locations to discover delightful drinks of the week. Order online for in-store pickup, or have a drink delivered through Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Edelweiss: Enjoy live music on our award-winning patio every Wednesday at 5:30 with Santi Davila, a classic rock and Beatles cover performer. Also come for European brunch, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to include $5 mimosas and Bloody Marys. Join us for the next Germany World Cup matches, June 25 at 2 p.m. and June 29 at 2:30 p.m.
Stellina Pizza Cafe: Join us from noon to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays for our newly launched Cicchetti Hour, featuring bite-sized snacks, similar to Spanish tapas, typically served in rustic Italian bars. The menu includes salads, house focaccia sandwiches, happy hour drink pricing and BOGO gelato.
Hoppenings of the week
Beer Events
World Cup Streaming: USA vs. Turkey at Phantom Canyon. June 25, 8 p.m. Catch game day specials like $10 chili cheese or veggie fries.
Music in the Yard at Bristol Brewing. June 26, 6 p.m. Live music and Bristolicious beer.
Field of Drinks Brew Fest at Black Forest Brewing Co. Noon, $35. Keg barrel race, live music, local trucks and vendors, games, and community vibes.
Beer Releases
Hill Climb Hero Lager at Mash Mechanix. A crushable, golden lager made in collaboration with the PPIHC.
Lite Lager at Fossil Craft Beer Co. The perfect patio beer for dads.
The Prancing Pony at Nano 108 Brewery. A bright farmhouse ale with lemon zest, subtle spice and crisp, dry finish.
For full listings of events and releases download the free Hoppenings app on Apple on Google.
Upcoming events
June 26: Murder Mystery Dinner at Avenue 19 food hall. 6-9 p.m.; four courses, costume contest and prizes, $119-$161.
June 27: Beats, Eats, & Sneaks at COATI. 2-8 p.m. Beat battles, streetwear market, sneaker convention and good eats and drinks.
June 27: Colorado Springs Mimosa Fest at Illegal Pete’s. 1 p.m.; $32-$65.
June 27: Field of Drinks Brew Fest at Metcalf Park in Fountain. Noon to 4 p.m. $35-$130.
June 28: Taylor Swift Drag Brunch at Cerberus Brewing Co. 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; $23.
July 1: Whiskey Church Tasting Series w/Storm King Distilling Co. at The Carter Payne. 6:30-8:30 p.m.; $39.
July 9: Taste of Pikes Peak at Hillside Gardens & Event Center.
July 16: Less Water, More Flavor: A Wine Dinner in the Garden with Ephemera at Hillside Gardens. 6-9 p.m.; four courses, $108.55.
July 17: Coffee as Color, Texture, and Story - A Sensory Tasting Experience at Loyal Coffee. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $34.
July 18: Tag Ulan Baon Supper Club at Good Neighbors Meeting House. 6-9:30 p.m. Five courses inspired by Filipino rainy season plus welcome drink and take-home snacks.
July 18: The 90s vs Y2K Bar Crawl at Atomic Cowboy. 4 p.m. to midnight; $18-$24.
July 26: Below the Belt Bar Crawl through downtown.
Food Truck Tuesdays at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum continue through Aug. 25 (with exception of July 7). Every Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Visit your local farmer’s markets: Full listings here via Visit Colorado Springs.
For more daily events check out springsthings.co/events.
Parting shot(s)
For the second year in a row, I co-judged the Famous Dave’s All-Star BBQ Series, part of the World Food Championships. I was joined by Famous Dave Anderson; (who I interviewed here last year); meteorologist Matt Meister; (who now runs his own Peaks2Plains weather service); area influencer Chris Curtis (of @foodingdrinkingcolorado) and Delilah Ala of the Cos Foodies Facebook group. We’re all pictured above in the top left photo. At bottom right with me are Ashley & Trystan Brown, owner/operators of Texas T-Bone Steakhouse/Famous Dave’s BBQ.
This year’s winners, who competed in chicken, rib and wild card categories, were:
Grand: Smokin BPQ (Jeremy Sanders)
Reserve Grand: Zings BBQ (Bobby Cooks, a Colorado Springs local)
People’s Choice: Smokin BBQ, but golden ticket handed down to Pretty Freaking Good BBQ (Joshua Morgan, a local event caterer)
Monse’s sounds delicious. What’s the downtown address?