08/16/2013 Update

About two hours after my last post, I added the new Moline location of the Barrel House to my list.  The location used to be a hair salon, and, after having driven by it for months, I was astonished at how big it is once I finally went in!  Both the total square footage, which includes half of the second floor, and the actual bar itself dwarfs the Davenport location.  A welcome addition to downtown Moline, lengthening the 5th Avenue entertainment district.


Although ownership changed some time ago, O’Melia’s had recently changed its name to Jake O’s.  The only time I had been in O’Melia’s was downstairs for a bowling banquet, so I’m not sure what, if anything, was changed on the inside.  There’s a nice deck in the front, but it doesn’t look out onto much.  These two additions bring my total to 494.  

Also, for the first time in six months I knocked another one (Jim’s Knoxville Tap) from my “Pre-List List”, bars (still open) that I hadn’t been to since before I started keeping track in May 2009.  There are still 16 on that list.

Casualties on this post include Bennigan’s in Bettendorf (minor surprise), Studio Pub in East Moline (no surprise), and Hard Times in Moline (due to the unfortunate passing of the owner).  Skinny Legs in Milan was almost included, but the news came today that it will be reopening for the bowling season on Friday the 16th.  The Last Chance in Rock Island is now The Platinum Club, which I’m guessing is a gentleman’s club (calling it a titty bar might offend my reader’s sensibilities). 

Work continues on the Riverside Bar and Grill in Bettendorf, as it does on Rudy’s Cantina in the East Village (though that seems to go in spurts, and there’s a 12 foot ladder that I don’t believe has moved out of the center of the floor for about six weeks).  I don’t know what the eventual goal is, but I saw some remodeling at the old Nan’s, the top floor of the Freight House.  I never made it to Nan’s, and I’m hoping it will be replaced by something I can add to the list.

My ‘What’s Left”, with The Platinum Club replacing Barrel House, remains at 11. 

I haven’t gotten into it that much in my posts because I didn’t want to stray too far from my focus, but you go to enough bars, you’re going to hear some live music.  I’ve become a big fan of local music, and almost any genre.  At some point I plan to devote a post to the best – no, scratch that – my favorite music venues, but there are still a couple places I need to go while live music is playing before I post.  The reason I bring it up now is that sometimes, as happened a couple of weeks ago at Wide River Winery, you see a really good musician or band for the first time, and you want to tell people.  In this case, her name is Olivia Dvorak and she’s well worth seeing if you get a chance.


Bars since the July 17 Post (* - new to my list):

It's On The River
Duey's
Captain's Table
River House
Steve's Old Time Tap
Daiquiri Factory
G's Riverfront Café
Bier Stube Leclaire
Generations
Legends Corner
* Jake O's
Peacock's
Blu Shamrock
The Doc's Inn
Pub 1848
Wide River Winery
Jim's Knoxville Tap
Red Lantern
Sam's Take Time
The Edge
Caddy's
Johnny's Italian
Thunder Bay
Bon Air
* Ice (Chicago O'Hare)
* Rosie McCann's (San Jose, CA)
* O'Flaherty's (San Jose, CA)
* Amalfi Grill (San Jose, CA)
Clint's
Poopy's (Savanna, IL)
Rick and Kathy's
White Horse
City Limits
Granite City
* Barrel House


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