If humankind never learned to play with its food, it would never have learned to play with its ingredients, and the world would be one bereft bowl of gruel. Today's Groupon to Ritz Grill appeases playful palates with $30 worth of eclectic and Cajun-infused fare and drinks for $12 at Ritz Grill on Tejon Street. This Groupon does not include tax.

Cozy up on a plush-red booth cushion as you feast your peepers on Ritz Grill's dinner menu of European and global flavors, classic American dishes, and Cajun-inspired cuisine. The Cajun pasta, tossed with rock shrimp, chicken, and spicy cream sauce ($16) is ragin' with Cajun flavors, while a smothered burrito ($8.95) is packed with Southwestern style. But before forking a plump burrito, practice pronging an appetizer such as voodoo chicken tenders, served with onion rings and voodoo sauce ($8.50). If you'd like to keep your meal as light at a globetrotting eccentric's hot-air balloon, stop by during lunch and feast on an ahi salad ($11.95) or tilapia tacos ($10.95). New York strip steak is a house specialty, served with mashers, fresh veggies, and silverware ($12.95). Herbivores use slingshots to bring down the jolly green giant sandwich (herbed cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, and oatnut, $7.50).

Combine breakfast and lunch on Sundays for brunch which—like twilight and friends with benefits—is not quite one thing, not quite another, and totally tantalizing. Fellas and fellettes with fidgety feet should dine after 9:30 p.m. on select nights to shake and twirl to dance music provided by DJs or live bands. Cool off in the evenings with specialty martinis from the drink menu.

Reviews

Ritz Grill has won numerous awards in its more than 20 years of existence, including numerous top-three finishes since 1999 in the Colorado Springs Independent's Best of Lists. Awards include top-three finishes in categories like Best Martini, Best Restaurant for Power Lunch, Best Swanky Bar, Best Bar to be Seen In, and more in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009.

Yahoo! Locals give Ritz Grill four stars, and seven Yelpers give 3.5. TripAdvisors give it 3.5 owl eyes, and five Citysearchers give it 3.5 stars:

• This is the downtown business lunch place of choice. I love bringing clients or meeting friends for a quiet meal where we can hear each other for conversations. – Mark S., Yelp
• Excellent service and the most decadent appetizers I've ever had. – Traci, Yahoo! Local
• Have eaten here almost everytime I am in the Springs and have yet to be disappointed. – alwaysmoving, TripAdvisor