Dining and drinking in the now
Food & drink news briefs galore; Porkbutt BBQ up for sale; Beans & Brews expands into Springs; a first look at Amore Italian Grille; nostalgia at The Brit + beer news and events
It was a newsy week, so I’m kicking off this edition with something timely and relevant and then my briefs section. Make sure to read to the bottom for all that’s inside. I’m aware that ESPs like Gmail clip longer Substack newsletters, so please click “view entire message” at the bottom to finish reading. Sorry for that inconvenience that I hope is minor. I write how I write, which is born of my days in the newsroom and long-form journalism reporting practices. It’s hard to tell robust stories with bullet points, even though the Axios/Smart Brevity model suggest that average attention spans demand quippy content, heavy on photos and captions versus long paragraphs. I guess that means I trust my audience to stick with me, or at least scan as they desire, if not read word-for-word. Hopefully you’re here for the human touch in an increasingly AI-saturated world. But if you have feels on the matter, comment below or drop me a line. Or better yet, come say hi at a future Sip with Schnip event. Anyway, thanks for supporting Side Dish. Now back to the news:
“Food has always been political”
• As I write this, a National Shutdown general strike is underway on Jan. 30 that encourages no work, school or shopping, with a call to “stop funding ICE.” In response, I’ve seen several local businesses post on social media to express support, but explain why they’re staying open; mainly to support the livelihoods of their own staffs. One particularly well-expressed statement came from Fountain’s Olde Town Coffee Shop, who in-part wrote: “We respect every individual and business making the choice that aligns with their values, and we’re grateful to be part of a community where people care deeply about the important events happening right now.”
• James Beard Foundation posted earlier this week to say “The independent restaurant industry needs immediate action on immigration enforcement… The current approach to immigration enforcement is hurting our communities, restaurants, and the immigrant workers who are essential to America’s food system.” (As just one example that gained a lot of attention, you might have heard the story about ICE detaining a Mexican restaurant’s workers in small town west of Minneapolis after eating lunch at the spot.) “…Fear has replaced community,” JBF continued. “The social fabric that restaurants help weave and rely on is unraveling.”
• “Like a lot of people, I’ve been sitting with a deep sense of powerlessness and dread. I’ve found myself questioning the value of my own work. Helping people cook dinner, or pointing them toward a great slice of pizza feels so trivial when the stakes seem so enormous. But this instinct to dismiss everyday care as meaningless is exactly what oppressive systems rely on,” wrote James Beard Foundation Award-winning Chef/Author James Kenji López-Alt a few days ago on his Instagram page as part of a poignant, larger lament and call to action. I recommend reading it. It hit home for me.
Bites & Bits
• Three Colorado Springs breweries medaled at the recent 2026 Colorado Brewers Cup Beer Competition: Bristol Brewing Co. won Gold in the Export Stout category for their Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout. Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. won three silver medals: in the Experimental India Pale Ale category for their Nuthin’ But a G(uava) Thang; in the Other Strong Beer category for their Her Majesty’s Hammer; and in the Dark Mild category with their Dark Mild. (What? You ran out of clever names, guys? Sheesh.) Lastly, Mash Mechanix Brewing Co. won Silver in the Chili Beer category with their Bullitt Green Chile and Bronze in the American-Style Black Ale category for their Power Brake Black IPA.
• Colorado has 17 semifinalists up for James Beard Awards in 2026. Here’s the full list, via Westword. (None are in Colorado Springs.)
• 105 West Brewing has now opened in the former Trinity Brewing spot. Here’s details on it if you missed my December preview.
• Braving the capriciousness of Colorado weather, the Great American Beer Festival announced this past week that it will be leaving its longtime venue at the Colorado Convention Center and heading outdoors to Levitt Pavilion for its “first-ever open-air festival.” The event will be held Oct. 10-11, with tickets going on sale in June.
• ArkCleoRich African Kitchen — which I reviewed here in early 2024 — announced it will be expanding from its original spot at 1371 N. Academy Blvd. into a second location at 10 N. Sierra Madre St. It’s taking over the former Owambe African Restaurant & Lounge — which I reviewed here in early 2025. ArkCleoRich plans to open its doors at the downtown location on Feb. 14.
• I kept getting reports this week that Salsa on the Rock has closed. Their website remains up though, as does a Facebook page last posted on on Jan 4 (with a call for Gazette Best Of votes), and an Instagram page (that hasn’t been fed with content since April 2025). So, I did the old-school, pre-internet thing and picked up my phone to call them. Nobody answered, but a recording said: “We are officially closed at the moment and will reopen at a later date, thank you.”
• Brett Bixler, founder of Mission Coffee Roasters — founded in 1991 but located in the Springs for the past 13 years — has created his own line of Grinder Hopper Extensions, which he’s manufacturing himself on site. The 3D-printed units fit onto the top of commercial bean-grinding units and allow baristas to pour more beans all at once, instead of having to feed the units smaller portions which must be weighed to equal wholesale, 5-pound bags. Essentially it’s a labor-saving device that pays for itself with time savings.
• Back in November, I told you about a pretty fantastic ramen popup inside District Elleven that’s operated by a couple guys from Miami seeking to establish a location here. It’s named Hayato, and those guys — Chef Keiichi Maemura and apprentice/friend/employee-turned-partner Melvin Davila — tell Side Dish they’ve now landed their next location: inside of COATI food hall farther south down Tejon Street. They launch on Feb. 3. And they initially plan to serve weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. And for February only, they’ll still popup at District Elleven on Sundays and Mondays.
• Among destination drives in the area for a unique food and drink experience, Stage Stop Cantina off of Old Stage Road makes a strong case for barbecue and beers during warm months. (It’s currently closed for the winter season.) When I first visited in late 2024, I met the owner, Eve, and enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich with some fruited brews from Red Leg Brewing and Mash Mechanix. It was at that second brewery that I caught up with her again in mid 2025, dining from her barbecue cart parked there daily. And just recently, I learned she’d set up another food cart at Urban Animal Beer Co.’s original Star Ranch Road location for exclusive food service. So I reached out to say hi and check in. “I can’t believe how quickly time is flying!” she responded, noting that she’s underway with changing the business names. “Mash will be Mash Mechanix Smokehouse, and Urban is Urban Animal Kitchen, and the Cantina will stay Stage Stop Cantina, all by Chef Eve Natasha.” So, now you know three spots to find her ’Q around town depending on where you are, or where you feel like venturing.
• Gunnar’s Deli grand opens at Red Leg Brewing Company on Feb. 2. It’s the latest business to occupy one of the conex boxes in front of the brewery as part of its food courtyard. “The new deli will feature classic and elevated sandwiches made with fresh ingredients,” says a press release. It’s operated by Malek Deeb, who also owns Sasquatch Cookies, also located in a conex at Red Leg as one of its three locations.
• Evergreen Restaurant will launch a new lunch menu on Feb. 3. New owner Crystal Kiernan sent me a preview copy this week. It shows roughly a half-dozen items in each category of apps, soups, salads, pastas, flatbreads and entrées. Eastern European cuisine remains on prominent display with items like smoked salmon on potato latka; pierogi; a Georgian salad with eggplant, burrata and za’atar seasoning; borscht; and Chicken Kiev Piada. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, which includes weekend brunch service with the existing menu.
• My latest segment with KRCC aired/published Jan. 28. Check it out here.
Ranch Foods Direct founder Mike Callicrate recently presented at Seattle’s City Hall as part of a hearing titled “From Farm to Kitchen Table: How Consolidation Spikes Food Prices.” (Watch it here.) Callicrate spoke alongside a handful of Congress members from Washington, Oregon and Philadelphia. The takeaway: Corporate consolidation is a key factor driving up food costs for consumers. Partly because of predatory pricing and leveraging of size to control supply. Watch the five-minute talk (which begins around the 22-minute mark) to learn more.
Porkbutt BBQ for sale
I had been hearing great things about Porkbutt BBQ, particularly since they moved into brick-and-mortar in mid 2024. They’d started as a food truck the year prior and gained a barbecue following as loyal as Chuckwagon 719’s. For no good reason other than I fell behind in my long list of spots to review, I didn’t make it by until last month.
I was long overdue, but owner Joshua Cheney was gracious when I introduced myself, saying something to the effect of wondering when I’d make it by. We chatted for a bit, as the evening rush had died down, and he told me the quick version of his backstory, which included moving across the country 17 times. Hence truly knowing barbecue coast-to-coast. He’d been making his own at home for a couple decades, perfecting his recipes, and he tells me he “loves smoked meat and a good cigar.”
Rather than a puritan approach to one regional style of barbecue, his menu is an unapologetic catch-all, best reflected in a basket of delicious house sauces set at tables for guests to doll up their own plates. Those range from a chipotle aioli and flagship Sweet Heat to a not-too-spicy Creeper sauce. Everything in house is gluten-free, as Joshua’s wife Bonnie has celiac disease. Even items in their front retail coolers, like GF breads, are carefully curated to be on-theme.
They’re already sold out of their signature Texas brisket and Memphis-style ribs this evening, so I promise him I’ll make it back in to try those before I write anything up. Meanwhile, we order a smoked turkey sandwich and side of delightful fried Brussels sprouts lightly glazed with maple syrup. The sandwich comes piled high with juicy meat, lettuce, tomato and pickled onions, and the GF bread’s good enough to not raise alarms as an alternative produced (as many GF items have textural or taste issues).
We also get the Pig Pile, which is smashed chunks of baked potato, deep fried and then seasoned with salt-, pepper- and garlic-laced, smoked tallow. On top comes succulent hickory-smoked pulled pork, a thick house cheese sauce and more pickled onions. It’s a symphony of rich, crispy-crunchy, creamy and smoky elements with the acidic offset of the sharp onions — overall a total comfort-food treat.
Now comes the part where I confess that I didn’t yet make it back for the brisket and ribs, though it was literally on my to-do list this week. But on Monday, Jan. 26, I noticed a trending Facebook post, where Porkbutt BBQ announced that it was placing itself up for sale, “turn-key.” Damn. They had even been working on expanding into the neighboring storefront, having held a fundraiser in mid November toward that end. That night, Joshua told me it would likely be summertime before they would be able to punch through the wall to connect the new space.
Joshua, by way of explanation, wrote: “My wife, whom many have come to know as the heart of this place, has been facing many health challenges that require more of my attention… We will continue to operate as normally as possible until a smooth transition can be made for our team and customers.” They remain open regular hours for the time being: noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday.
I’ll still aim to get back by to try more items, even if the future remains uncertain as to whether a new owner will execute them as well as Joshua and his team have. I’m confident, given how many people have told me positive things about Porkbutt BBQ, that everything they serve is pretty on-point. I do have one friend, a diligent pit-master at home, that doesn’t prefer their brisket style; that’s the only criticism I’ve heard. Writing this now, I’m almost relieved that I don’t have to compare it to the spectacular substance that is Chuckwagon 719’s brisket, and playfully argue it out with that friend. When I do get by Porkbutt, I might just savor the moment quietly and say nothing to anyone. Just enjoy a rare meal without working alongside my bites. Appreciate the fleeting moment, and wish Joshua and his family well on whatever their next move is. In short time, they established a legacy-deserving business.
Springs gets a Beans & Brews franchise
Beans & Brews Coffee House launched in Salt Lake City in 1993 and began franchising in 2008. They’ve since opened 30 corporate locations, and a newly opened Colorado Springs shop marks the 59th franchise. There’s only one current other location in Colorado, in Englewood, which is a couple years old.
The Springs shop is located at 3703 Bloomington St., directly across the street from Kangaroo Coffee’s New Center Point location. It’s also a five minute walk from a Starbucks location inside Target, just up the hill, and a short drive to multiple others along the Powers Boulevard corridor.
I mention all this for context, and because I chat about it with the Springs franchise owners Andrea and David Kruth on the first day of their opening earlier this week. They’ve lived here since 2022. She’s leaving 18 years in the nursing profession and he’s still a Colorado Branch Director for Huntington Bank. Neither have food or drink industry background, she says, but she’s ready to “build independence” and work for herself. “We love coffee and connecting with community,” he adds.
I’m curious why they chose Beans & Brews a franchisees, in a sector where national coffee brands proliferate. They researched others and had even traveled to California to look closer at one they almost bought into, but decided it wasn’t the right fit. When they later ventured to Utah to explore B&B, they felt “the mountain vibes connected with their high-elevation roasting… there’s a more natural connection to Colorado.”
They also appreciated a very hands-on training regimen — a pair of trainers were still on site during my visit — and like that there’s a good structure to B&B’s menus but they also allow for some “autonomy to do some things locally.” One example David offers is a plan to have local high schools compete to create custom energy drinks for their store, which could get named after them.
B&B’s food menu features bagel and croissant sandwiches, panini and a few more items like avocado toast and pastries. Corporate sends down a buying guide and franchisees order via Shamrock. The extensive drink menu offers everything from frappes and iced items to protein-infused coffees, sweet lattes, chai and matcha drinks, teas and lemonades and basic brewed coffees and traditional espresso drinks. With automated Franke machines it’s more of a quick-service, volume coffee model than contemporary craft coffee independent shops. To that end, there’s a drive-thru imminently opening (as soon as permits clear and signage goes up), which wraps past B&B’s building facing N. Carefree Circle.
Even though there’s the impersonal drive-thru option, David and Andrea hope to be a vibrant sit-down space for folks (differentiating them from the other nearest drive-ups). In addition to lots of seating in the front of house near the ordering counter, there’s a rear private meeting area that’s open for private bookings and community events. That could be a work presentation or a candle-making workshop, and the TV could be tuned to sports games as well, like World Cup matches this summer.
The couple will soon offer catering options like grab-and-go breakfast platters, lunch boxes and coffee carafe takeaways, and they’ll soon be up on all the local delivery platforms as well. Guests can also purchase retail bags of beans from B&B’s roastery in Utah, some of which are special releases, not necessarily served on drip or in espresso drinks on site.
First look at Amore Italian Grille
Earlier this month I noted how Ambli Kitchen + Bar in University Village was planning to rebrand into an Italian eatery, saying, “the Ambli name doesn’t carry the clarity or strength we need to truly thrive in this space.”
Now, the spot has re-opened as Amore Italian Grille. We paid to attend a $75 per person, five-course soft launch on Jan. 27. I’ll share photos and dish descriptions below that give a first gander at the goods (versus reviewing on day one — not cool).
Chef/co-owner Ricardo Morffin doesn’t make bad food, so everything was roundly delicious, even if tiny elements like some soft, sweet cornbread-like croutons on the Caesar salad didn’t fully make sense to us. They were still a joy to eat on their own.
Nostalgia at The Brit
By Lauren Hug
A friend and I popped into The Brit Pub the other day and enjoyed a delightful time downing a pint and sampling several dishes. Since it was happy hour (Monday-Saturdays, 3-6 p.m.), starters were $2 off and 16-ounce beers were only $5. (The standard pour at The Brit is a “proper 20-ounce pint,” regularly priced at $9.)
I was thrilled to see Old Speckled Hen on the draught list! It was my drink of choice decades ago while working on my masters of law at University College London. The first time I went to a pub with my classmates, I had no idea what to order, so I picked the brand name that jumped out at me. I was later informed by a pal that Fuller’s was superior, but by then I was hooked on the Hen. Instant nostalgia sipping that pour.
My dining companion was not as enthusiastic about my drink choice and opted for a Strongbow Cider. We both ordered the soup of the day — corned beef, cabbage and potato. Filling and flavorful. We shared the accurately named Crispy Cauliflower which popped with curry leaf, garam masala, cilantro and mango chutney. We also shared the Tikka Chips, fries (to Americans) smothered in tikka masala sauce. It wasn’t a pretty plate, but it was darn delicious.
We couldn't leave without trying the Sticky Toffee Pudding, a classic British dessert of dense date sponge cake topped with a toffee sauce. The sauce was a little grainy and wildly sweet sampled on its own, but when eaten with the not-very-sweet cake, it created a balanced flavor combo. We promised each other we’ll return soon to try more things, especially the Sunday Roast (11 a.m. until sellout, Sundays only).
Hoppenings of the week
Beer Events
Free Comedy Night at Nano 108 Brewing: Jan. 31, 8 p.m. Featuring Joe Cruz, with special sets from Ashton Wayne and Joe McKenna.
Apres Ski Party at Red Leg Brewing: Jan. 31, Noon to 4 p.m. Shot ski, beer pong, DIY hat bar, dance party and contests.
Aravaipa Group Run at Fossil Craft Brewing: Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m. Weekly run in Red Rocks Open Space, adjacent to the taproom. Love running? Join our community!
Beer Releases
It’s my Father’s Lager at Storybook Brewing: Light and refreshing brew that drinks easy while still packing flavor. Crisp, clean and approachable.
Dude Incredible at Urban Animal (both locations): Dude Incredible is back and better than ever. Brewed with Cryo Cascade and 20 pounds each of grapefruit and Cara Cara navel oranges.
Curated by Brandon Heid and Gerry Reyes. For full listings of beer-related events and releases download the free Hoppenings app on Apple on Google.
Upcoming events
Jan. 31: 31st annual Great Fruitcake Toss in Manitou Springs’ Memorial Park. Noon to 3 p.m. Collecting canned good donations; Great Fruitcake Bakeoff with prizes; and yes, this is pretty much the most Manitou-ish event of all the bizarre annual Manitou events, like the coffin races. Stay weird, Manitou!
Feb. 2: Cocktails After Dusk’s Title-Belt Championship, Round 3 at Caddie’s. 7 p.m.; $25 includes a welcome drink, samples of seven competition cocktails and more.
Feb. 3 (and 17): Wine Education Tuesdays at Enoteca. 6-8 p.m.; $49. Chef Jay Gust presents four wines with accouterments.
Feb. 4: WhistlePig Rare Whiskey Dinner at Viewhouse. 6:30 p.m.; $100 includes four paired courses.
Feb. 7: Local Relic’s Small Brew Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. New beer releases and light bites available.
Feb. 7: Winterfest at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Food trucks will be part of the kickoff of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games festivities.
Feb. 10: Raise Hell for a Reason Charity Pint Night at Seven’s Gate. 4-7 p.m. $1 from every draft sold benefits Mattersville, a veterans’ program; come meet a wolf dog.
Feb. 15: A Celebration for Bar Mom Sally Wood at Lulu’s Downtown. 4-8 p.m. With after party at Rebel Rebel, 8 p.m. to close.
Parting shot(s)
Wow! That was quite the turnout at Thursday’s Sip with Schnip at Stellina. Way to show up, everyone. We packed the place out!
Nobody ended up ordering the 10-scoop Side Dish Surprise gelato. Boo — where are my thrill-seekers?! And we totally forgot to auction off Ava’s amazing portrait of me — which everyone says makes me look like a Hasidic dude, haha! (She was going to give the proceeds to the staff as a tip — sweet!)
But the wine flowed and paddles of pizzas were fabulous as always. Thanks to everyone who shared a magical evening with us.
Don’t change your format just because some people haven’t figured out how to use the Substack app, and still read emails that might get truncated. (Cough ~like my husband ~cough) You’re amazing just the way you are 🫠
The re-branded Ambli might just be our upcoming anniversary dinner spot - looks amazing! (though we never did make it to Ambli in its original form).
IMHO, your long form newsletters are informative, entertaining, enjoyable to read and include a good mix of pictures. I appreciate your craft and value add to our culinary scene.