Quad Cities Bars

Zero To Sixty opened back in August in what most recently was the 811 Lockdown.  Not sure what it looked like before, but I’m guessing they did a pretty massive redo.  The diamond-plate on the walls is there to remind you it’s a NASCAR themed bar, but the red and white walls and all the mirrors give it a real kitschy (never thought I’d use that word in this blog) cross between a 50’s malt shop / 70’s disco feel. Goombazz, next to Rudy’s Tacos on 18 th Ave in Rock Island, is certainly more of a food destination than a bar, though they have 16 stools, and the gambling machines were getting installed the first time I was there in the “Atlantic City” room.  Menu includes pizza, calzones, stromboli, corned beef and pastrami, hot dogs, and a darned fine muffuletta.  The addition of these two brings my total up to 470 .  Also stopped by the Greenbriar, one of the bars on my Pre-List list (the bars still open that I haven’t been to since before May 2009, when I started tracking).  Th

I wasn’t quite as prompt getting to Legends Corner Sports Bar & Grill when it opened on November 8 th as I was with Pepperjack; it took me until the next day to chalk it off my list.  My desperation for new bar inventory is showing.  On the corner of 7 th Ave and 30 th St in Rock Island, I think the location by Augustana and down the hill from Kavanaugh’s might work out for them. The owners are the same as own Legends in Aledo, so experience will help, too. As I had surmised, the name change from Do Dah Tap to Gateway Pub was an attempt to clean up the perception of the place, if nothing else.  Same owners, same dump inside, same clientele (who I assume are there because they can’t afford the bus fare to Big Daddy’s), and probably the same volume of 911 calls.  I read in the QC Times that the Davenport city council was debating renewing their liquor license, concerned that it sits at the “gateway to the city, with 20 to 30 thousand cars passing” it every day.  I believe choo

Pepperjack’s on Kimberly Rd opened October 22 nd and it took me all of a half hour to add it to my list.  Not a huge difference on the inside from the old Cheddar’s, but I hope they plan on putting a little more on the walls / windows; it’s a little boring on the bar side.  My other additions were Leisure Lanes Lounge in Davenport, and the three remaining bars in Orion:  Stooge’s, Woo Dog’s, and The Factory.  My list now stands at 464 . The Do-Dah Tap, bowing to the pressure to clean itself up, I assume, has become the Gateway Pub.  This reluctantly gets added to my What’s Left list.  Adding that and taking off the 3 Orion bars, plus Pepperjack’s, reduces my What’s Left list to 16 . Legend’s Corner Sports Bar is coming right along.  When I passed by Wednesday, I had to do a double take to see if they were already open. The Valley Inn has reopened after more than a 5 months remodel.  Originally I had heard they just wanted to spruce up the place, but I guess ownership deci

I immediately took advantage of my newly defined Quad Cities area borders to add the Corner Grill in Blue Grass and Belly Up (formerly Sarge’s) in Orion.  I also hit the Grotto in Rock Island, and, dipping again into the desperation bucket, Rudy’s Tacos on Elmore in Davenport (there’s still nine more Rudy’s to hit, but I’ll still need help getting to 500).  This brings my total to 459 . The Grotto occupies the front half of the Black Ram restaurant, which has been open for a couple months but had their grand opening two weekends ago.  It’s owned by the Gendlers, wine sellers in town for the past 90 or so years.  The area around 14 th Ave and 30 th St is becoming quite a little Augustana enclave, with the Black Ram / Grotto, Cool Beanz Coffee House, Against The Grain Nano-brewery, and Cavanaugh’s Hilltop. The Corner Grill in Blue Grass (formerly Cliffhanger) has a feature unique in the Quad Cities, as far as I’ve seen – in between the bartop and the well was roughly a six in

It didn’t start out this way back when I started tracking this in May of 2009, nor even when I started blogging about it in November 2010, but I’m now on a quest to hit 500 Quad Cities Area bars.  When I first started journalizing my bar count, I set up some parameters for what counts as a bar, as well as what counts as the QCA. First, what counts as a bar:  As I defined it in my inaugural post, a restaurant can count as a bar, providing there is an actual bar with stools.  For me to count it, I must physically belly up and have a beer, or other adult beverage.  Same goes for bowling alleys, golf courses, and sports venues.   This rule has cost me counting Huckleberry’s, where over the course of two Parrot Head socials I’ve certainly gotten my Miller Lite on, and more recently, Cool Beanz Coffeehouse (a little more on that below).  This rule is set in stone. Next, what counts as the Quad Cities area:  I originally defined this as eastern Scott County in Iowa and Eastern Rock

Though I managed to hit nine new places in Florida, Wisconsin, and Michigan, I only have two more Quad Cities additions since the last post, bringing me up to 452 . In Davenport, Stickman’s apparently reopened last month, with a remodel and under new management (same guy is also running Lumpy’s and McButt’s).  Since I never got to this place before it closed a couple years back, I’m not sure what the remodel entailed, but it seems presentable enough now.  The Quad City Family Entertainment Center in Moline also opened around the end of August.  It includes a bowling alley that has 24 lanes, plus 8 ‘boutique’ lanes (which means couches instead of tables and chairs), a large video game area, laser tag and two bars:  one by the lanes (which will make the list eventually), and Frankie’s, which will be a really nice sports bar when the put in the 10 flat screens that are conspicuously missing.  The huge downside of Frankie’s is the $3.75 (actually it’s 3.50 PLUS tax) price for a d

My latest additions include Sergeant’s in Andalusia, Bass Street Chop House in Moline, and Secret’s and Famous Dave’s, both in Davenport.  This pushes my total to 450 .   50 to go for my latest goal of hitting 500 by Dec 31. I hadn’t updated this in a while, but I also keep a “Pre-List” list, which is the list of bars I hadn’t been to since I started tracking my bar progress.  During the last 2 months, I have been able to deduct The Arena, Go Fish, and Granite City from that.  There are still 22 places on my list that are included in my 450 (and still open) that I haven’t been to since prior to May 1, 2009. August 31 st is the scheduled opening of the QC Family Entertainment Center, which will include Frankie’s Sports Bar & Grill, as well as a concourse bar to serve the bowling alley.  Frankie’s goes on my “What’s Left” list; Sergeant’s and Secrets drop off, reducing the list to 16 .  Still on the horizon are Pepperjack’s in Davenport (previously Cheddar’s), The Barrel H