Quad Cities Bars

I have often mentioned that when I just needed to add a number to my total, I’d find myself a Rudy’s location I hadn’t been to that had a bar I could belly up to, have a beer, and chalk it up.  Well, Rudy’s Cantina opened on 11/27 and I stopped in 12/3, and have to say they did a beautiful job on the place, and made it an actual destination.  Gorgeous bar, lower level overlooking the park and river, and a second story balcony with tables and access to a roof deck that I’m sure will be a popular hangout in the summer.  Took the wife and met friends there to see the fireworks during Christmas in the Village. Apparently Parkers in East Moline became Sideways more than a month ago, and I missed it (thanks go to Mike Koester for bringing me up to speed).  It had been a while since we’d been in Parkers, but seemed to me that the name was the biggest (if not only) change. These two additions bring my new total to 505 , but I’m hoping to hit three more prior to the end of the year,

So far in November, there have been two new places open in the Quad Cities.  Barley & Rye opened Nov 1 across from the Barrel House in Moline.  They stress local, ‘farm to table’ ingredients, and I was impressed with the duck sandwich I had.  While it’s definitely still more of a restaurant than bar, it does have an impressive back bar and 8 stools, so it goes in my directory.  Me & Billy Kitchen and Bar opened at the corner of 3rd and Main in Davenport on the 11th, and I stopped in the next day.  I’m not quite sure what to make of this place:  they have a pretty sophisticated menu (and I did like the food), but the staff is wearing checkerboard shirts, putting out a Petticoat Junction vibe that conjures visions of squirrel and cornbread for lunch.  They have a beautiful old back bar that apparently was crafted in the 1890’s in Dubuque, but apart from an American flag and one big wall painted with green and white horizontal stripes, they have no other décor (besides two

I started tracking the number of bars I’ve been to about four and a half years ago and, on a friend’s urging, started this blog in October 2010.  At that time, I thought I had been to 287 bars in the Quad Cities area.  I knew that number was light, and over time I’ve remembered (or been reminded of) at least a dozen more.  Within a month I got to 300, and hit 400 in Jun 2011.  It took another 2 years and 3 months, but… Riley’s Roadhouse in Cordova, the former River Oaks, became number 500 .  And, despite the buildup, there were no balloons or confetti dropping from the ceiling. I was somewhat surprised to see that they are dressing the place up a little.  They tore out the grill behind the bar in advance of putting in a new kitchen, and gave the interior a coat of paint. So, now that I’ve hit 500, I can start acting my age and put away this silly blog?  Naaah.  I’m gonna go anyhow, so why not document it.  After I get my Julie/Julia type scriptwriting deal for the first 5

DaVinci’s (in downtown Davenport, next to Boozie’s) has reopened as The Office.  Minor physical changes inside, and the impression they give is that they’re downscaling a little.  Kitchen will at some point be rented out, but currently no food. Los Agaves has opened their fourth location near the corner of 53 rd Ave and Avenue Of The Cities in Moline.  They’ve added a bar and rearranged some walls (with subtle paintings of Tequila logos), but it doesn’t really hide its heritage as a former Denny’s. Those two are numbers 498 and 499 , and now it’s decision time. I’ve got the Platinum Club in Rock Island and Riley’s Roadhouse (the new name of the former River Oaks that was bought by the owner of Jesse’s Saloon) in Cordova that have recently opened, and could become bar # 500 on my list, or I can wait for the opening of Riverside in Bettendorf, which for the last 8 weeks or so I’ve been anticipating would be the one.  Due to electrical issues, their projected opening is now