Shuga’s – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Gastronomes shall not live on great restaurants alone.  Sometimes, our souls need to be fed, too.  Few cities can accomplish both feeding our bodies and nurturing our souls as well as Colorado Springs, a city of incomparable beauty and endless outdoors opportunities.  As a “foodie” destination, WalletHub ranked the city 70th overall from among 180 major U.S. cities (Albuquerque ranked 49th).  In terms of diversity, accessibility and quality, the Springs ranked 63rd nationally.  For affordability, it ranked 79th, indicating dining out and food-related costs are slightly higher than average.  Colorado Springs has a rapidly expanding independent culinary scene, food trucks…

The Range – Bernalillo, New Mexico

The phoenix of ancient Egyptian mythology was a sacred firebird of beautiful red and gold plumage said to live for centuries. At the end of its life, the phoenix built itself a nest of cinnamon twigs which it then ignited. Both the phoenix and the nest burned fiercely and were reduced to ashes from which a new phoenix arose. Similarly, the Range Cafe in Bernalillo was claimed by a fiery conflagration only to rise up from the ashes to exceed its former glory to become one of the most popular restaurants in New Mexico. Like the phoenix, the Range is…