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Favorite Places
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Good Company Bar and Restaurant
- 7625 N. Union Blvd. (map)
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Central
528-8877
- Be the first to review this location!
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Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. $$
- 2 E. Pikes Peak Ave. (map)
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Downtown
635-2800
- Be the first to review this location!
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Black Sheep
- 2106 E. Platte Ave. (map)
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Central
227-7625
- (based on 10 user reviews)
Best of 2011: Karaoke Bar
Good food, good service, great atmosphere, lots of regulars and an intriguing beverage list (Knock Me Down and Kiss Me, anyone?) make Good Company worthy of its long-running reign in this category, suggest owners Bob and Nanci Jardon. With a widely appealing menu and a relaxed, fun and safe environment for both men and women, Good Company caters to clientele that's mainly age 25 and up. "It's a great place for date night," says Bob, who adds that for the hardcore karaoke performers, the range of music is endless. The only thing not on the song list? "Silent-movie music," he says with a chuckle. — Suzie Calvin
Best Of 2010: Karaoke Bar
Best Of 2010: Neighborhood Bar: North
While I reserve my Dreamgirls moments for the car or my bathroom mirror, those brave enough to take on the mic have found comfort at Good Company. Theme nights and really pretty servers round out the realized vision of owners Bob and Mary Jardon. (Bob chuckles at people calling him the Hugh Hefner of northern Colorado Springs.) As for the singing, he calls what they do "Three-Beer Karaoke," as in, it takes three beers to get on stage and three beers to listen. A server named Angela reassures, "We have great food, a great environment and we ALL sing." So, if you don't mind a little table dancing and have the courage to take center stage, the Jardons promise good company. — Monika Mitchell Randall
InSider 2010
OK, it may not be the same as watching Bill Murray croon Roxy Music's "More Than This" to Scarlett Johansson, but Good Company's karaoke nights have their own kind of special moments. Like when folks climb up on the bar during feverish renditions of Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me," the occasional Pimp & Ho night ... it's all part of what makes Good Company Colorado Springs' reigning Best Karaoke Bar winner.
2011 Drink Specials
Happy hour: Daily
The goods: $2.75 wells and wines; $7.50 domestic pitchers
Best value: "The company ... the people — it's Good Company."
Best Of 2012: Restaurant for Tourists
Best Of 2012: Place to Shoot Pool
Since it's just a block off the Springs' main strip, lucky tourists often stumble into Phantom Canyon for lunch or dinner. There they find a well-executed seasonal menu, which Phantom's Suzie Nichols says is focused on warmth and comfort food like meat and potatoes in fall and winter, and cool and crisp items like peach- and strawberry-infused plates in spring and summer. But locals flock to Phantom for its brews and 13 pool tables. (OK, maybe for the famous blonde ale and smoked gouda soup, too.) Look for a significant expansion to the brewery soon, which will not only increase brewing capacity, but bring an old-school video-game arcade into the billiard hall — sorry, the foosball tables had to go. — Steve Hitchcock
Bites 2013: Blonde Ale & Smoked Gouda Soup
Like the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones or one of those geek-ass elven blades from The Lord of the Rings, this soup is legend. It's not so much that wars have been fought over it (aside from the personal mental battle of resisting eating it all the time) as the fact that it's pretty much the greatest beer-cheese soup in the known realm. With its Queen's Blonde Ale base and thick cheese, it's so rich it's royal. ($3.25 cup/$5 bowl)
Click here for Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.'s Pork Green Chili
Best of 2012: Local Venue for Live Music
Whether it's the yearly two-night run by Tech N9ne or shows by big-name artists like Foxy Shazam and Cannibal Corpse, the Black Sheep has earned its keep as Colorado Springs' perennial live music mecca. A non-stop winner in this category since 2006, the vaguely dungeon-like Platte Avenue mainstay is owned by Soda Jerk Presents, the Boulder-based company that also books Denver's Marquis Theater and Summit Music Hall. All of which makes this all-ages venue an attractive draw for national touring acts. "We regularly bring in bands that no one would ever expect to play here," says general manager Chris Huffine. "At least once a week, someone at a show will say to me, 'Wow, how did you get this band to come to Colorado Springs?'" — Bill Forman
