11/8/2010 Update, plus My Favorite Bartenders

Since the last update, I’ve added Boozie’s, Symposium Café, The Pour House, Happy Hollow, Murphy’s, and the Svithiod Club, making my new total 295.  At this rate, I should hit 300 by the Thanksgiving (click ‘The List’ above to see them all).


By the nature of this blog, you may have guessed that bartenders are very important people in my life.  To me, there are three traits that make a good bartender:  Friendliness (which really is just being able to put up with me), wit, and…I was going to say ‘promptness’, then thought ‘awareness’, but really it boils down to the basic skills.  If I put an empty in the well and I’m still sitting there, that’s a clear indication that I need another.  I admit I can become a little exasperated when my bartender keeps asking if I need another, when I’m only following the rules they made up.  Much worse, however, is not asking, removing my empty, then failing to replace it.
What follows is a list of my favorite bartenders of the past and present, as well as my Hall of Fame.  I purposely left owners off this list; that may be another list some day.  Please let me know your favorites by commenting below.
One of my Hall of Fame bartenders is Kelly.  Kelly was cheerful, funny, and a little racy, with a unique ability to move her breasts independently of each other.  Tragically, we lost Kelly in March of 2009, when she was killed in a car accident on her return from her honeymoon in Key West.  Her husband, Mark, founded the Ride With Kelly Foundation to help children during their time of grieving a loss of a parent or sibling.
HALL OF FAME (* = still bartending)
Kelly – Poor Boys
Sam – Governor’s Bettendorf
Jason – Starting Line
*Sheila – Yankee Doodle:  
*Mary – O’Keefe’s / Biaggi’s
FAVORITE PAST BARTENDERS
Brandi – Applebee’s Moline
Theresa – Governor’s Bettendorf
Josh – Duck City Bistro
Lisa –Bennigan’s Bettendorf
Charlotte – Paddlewheel
Lynn – Governor’s Bettendorf
Julie – Sports Fans
Ryan – Harley’s
Michelle – It’s On The River
Amy – Governor’s Bettendorf
Tonya – Rick & Kathy’s
Amy – Sports Fans
Tim – Governor’s Bettendorf
FAVORITE CURRENT BARTENDERS
Nam – Duck City Bistro
EJ – Old Chicago
Debbie – Parkside Grill
Sally – Paddlewheel
Megan – Shenanigan’s
Debbie – Bon Air
Bill – Rascal’s
Anne – Bleacher Bums
J – North Shore Inn
Patti – Rosy’s Watering Hole
Ashley – Rosy’s Watering Hole
Janine – Rick & Kathy’s
Kathy – Rick & Kathy’s
Sarah – Shenanigan’s


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