6/1/2016 Update:

After continually delaying this post in the hopes I could add more than two bars to my total, after 10 weeks I decided to go to press with what I’ve got.

Lynn’s BBQ & Saloon in Eldridge was formerly the Rustic Inn and, apart from the menu, nothing else has really but the name has really changed. It is one of the nicer golf course bars in area, and the barbecue chicken sandwich is not bad.

The Rusty Nail on W Locust in Davenport became Rivertown Grille & Bar, though the big sign out front didn’t convey that – a small sign by the door and the t-shirts the staff wore was the only means of knowing there had been a change.

Yep, that’s it. Two, and both were basically name changes. My new total is 586, but I do have high hopes for next post.

At least, there’s plenty “Other bar news”:

I thought Millz Pizza & Grille would be number 587, but they’ve pushed off their grand opening date from 5-8 to 5-13 to ???. Drove by a week ago, and they were having the parking lot asphalted. My guess, another couple weeks.

Waterbar, in Davenport on the river, is becoming the Drift Wood, and after my last time visiting (when the owner, who’s hands looked like he just spent the morning gardening without gloves, then changing the oil on a fleet of vans, reached his hands into the olives to garnish a truly dirty martini), it’s got to be a good change. The location and view merit so much more than it’s had.

Not sure what “soon” means in this case, but a new building in Bettendorf (on Kimberly north of Middle, near what used to be The Fortune Garden) says “Coming Soon: Treehouse Eatery and Pub”.

Both Governor’s locations have recently been sold. I’m led to believe that the Bettendorf location will not be changing its name, nor remodeling. Word is it was purchased by the owners of Steventon’s, Blue Iguana, and City Limits. The Moline location was bought by the owner of River House, and closed May 29^th for remodeling. It’s expected to open in September as Steel Plow Burgers (thanks, Mike).

Wide River Winery is opening a second tasting room in the Village of East Davenport, on the corner of 12th and Mound Streets. We enjoy seeing entertainment on the patio at the LeClaire location, and I believe this will be a great fit for the Village.

Sriracha Thai Bistro & Oyster Bar looks poised at any day to open in The Mills at Riverbend Commons, and join Happy Joe’s PizzaGrille as another food & drink option on River Dr. in Moline.

The Clubhouse in Bettendorf posted this on Facebook: “In case you haven't heard - THE CLUBHOUSE IS MOVING!!! This week will be our last week at our space here in Bettendorf. We won't be moving too far and we are excited to announce our next location SOON.”

Ubriaco’s Trattoria in the East Village is closed for remodeling. I haven’t heard if they are changing the name when they reopen, but the plan is to have a Tapas menu, and to transform the parking lot to the north side into a biergarten.

The Logger House in Hampton looks like it will be opening soon. This sits on the grounds of the old Shannon’s, and has been under construction for some time. The word I got was the ownership decided to create a huge two story bar when they found out slot machines were becoming legal in Illinois bars, thinking they’d fill the entire upper level with machines. When it was realized that max machines per bar was three (some now can have five), construction ground to a halt.

With all the anticipated openings, my “What’s Left” list shoots up from 11 to 16.

Joining my list of Favorite Bartenders are Michelle at Governor’s (Bettendorf), Corinne at Harrington’s (Port Byron), and Tyler at Pub 1848, with Tuesday shifts at Harrington’s in PB.

Bars since the Mar 25 post ( * - first time):

Red Ginger
Captain's Table
Bierstube Moline
River House
Bad Boy'z Pizza
Jimmie Lee's
129
Mulligan's Valley Pub
Sports Fans
Biaggi's
Blue Cat
Rudy's Cantina
Harrington's - PB
BrewHouse
Go Fish
* BS General Store (Follets, IA)
Steventon's
Front Street Brewery
Montana Jack's
Barrel House - Davenport
* Jimmy's Corner (NYC)
* Molly's Shebeen (NYC)
* St Andrews (NYC)
* Peacock Alley (NYC)
* Monkey Bar (NYC)
* King Cole Bar (NYC)
* The Bull And The Bear (NYC)
La Tapenade (ORD)
Jazz Bar (ORD)
R Bar
Thunder Bay
Public House
Governor's (Bettendorf)
Boozie's
* Rivertown Grille & Bar
Cabanas
Red Lobster
GiLanella's
Bleyart's
Moe's Burgers & Brews
Icons
Blackhawk Bowl / Martini
* Lynn's BBQ & Saloon
Fargo
* DeRomo's (Bonita Springs, FL)
* Parrot Key (Fort Myers Beach, FL)
* Ugly's (Fort Myers Beach, FL)
* Doc's Beach House (Bonita Springs, FL)
* Coconut Jack's (Bonita Springs, FL)
* Rode's (Bonita Springs, FL)
* The Pub (Naples, FL)
* Stan's Idle Hour (Marco Island, FL)
* Dolphin Tiki Bar (Marco Island, FL)
* Snook Inn (Marco Island, FL)
* Ford's Garage (Estero, FL)
Harley's
Pub 1848
O'Keefe's
The Venue
Bent River Brewery
Broken Saddle Saloon
Brix
Steel Head Tavern
Buffalo Wild Wings (Dav.)
Starting Line
Cleopatra's Barge (Las Vegas)
Carnaval Court (Las Vegas)
* Ri Ra (Las Vegas)
* Fleur (Las Vegas)
* Catalyst (Las Vegas)
Margaritaville (Las Vegas)
Heart Bar (Las Vegas)
* Skyscraper's (ORD)
Cru
Central Standard
* Fast Eddie's Bon Air (Alton, IL)
* 360 St Louis
* Budweiser Brew House (St Louis)
* Broadway Oyster Bar (St Louis)
Duck City Bistro

It’s been a hectic spring, with trips to St Louis, Las Vegas, Southwest Florida, and New York City within a span of six weeks. I’ve got photos below (some mine, some from the internet), and some brief impressions:

St Louis – Broadway Oyster Bar will be a hangout for us when we go back – good bar, nice patio, chargrilled oysters were good (though not in the same league as Drago’s in New Orleans), but the highlight was the Alligator Sausage and Shrimp Cheesecake. Budweiser Brewhouse was quite touristy, as you might expect from anyplace in Ballpark Village. 360 St Louis affords great views of the town from both the inside and the outdoor terraces, but at night it becomes a little to trendy and clubby for me. If we’re driving, we’ll definitely hit Fast Eddie’s Bon Air in Alton: big bar, music on their enclosed patio, and cheap but good food (cheap, as long as you’re drinking).

360 St Louis

Broadway Oyster Bar

Fast Eddie's Bon Air

Las Vegas – Being Parrotheads, we’ll always stop at a Margaritaville when there’s one in the neighborhood. We’ve been to the Las Vegas location before, but being at a private party with free food and drinks made this visit special. We always love day drinking at Carnaval Court, with probably the best flair bartenders in the nation (Harrah’s actually has its own bartender school). Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesar’s Palace is another favorite – this was always our company meeting spot as we started our evenings, and you may remember it from Rain Man, where Dustin Hoffman takes a fancy to a hooker. We hit a few other hotel lounges that weren’t memorable, but our best new discovery was Ri Ra in Mandalay Bay, which supplants Nine Fine Irishman as my new favorite Irish Bar in Vegas.

Carnaval Court

Cleopatra's Barge

Margaritaville

Ri Ra

SW Florida – Plenty of waterfront bars worth returning to, including Dolphin Tiki Bar (Marco Island), Stan’s Idle Hour (Goodland, where the surrounding scenery put me to mind of the marina at Campbell’s Island), Coconut Jack’s and Doc’s Beach House (both in Bonita Springs), and Ugly’s (Fort Myers Beach). Three standouts: Ford’s Garage, a chain with a location in Estero, with wheels for sinks in the rest room, pick=up tailgates for benches outside, and a Model T behind the bar. Leave a tip, here the horn honk; Parrot Key in Fort Myers Beach, that is decorated with hundreds of parrots hanging from the rafters, and where you can book a cruise on a pirate schooner; and my favorite, The Snook Inn on Marco Island, truly a piece of old Florida).

Coconut Jack's

Doc's Beach House

Dolphin Tiki Bar

Ford's Garage

Parrot Key

Snook Inn

Stan's Idle Hour

Ugly's

New York City – Our first night the plan was to hit some hotel bars, starting with the one on the ground floor of our hotel (Waldorf Astoria), The Bull and the Bear. We proceeded to the King Cole Bar at the St Regis (featured in The Devil Wears Prada), then to the Monkey Bar at the Hotel Elysee. All were what you would expect in Manhattan: elegance, class, and $19 cocktails. We were hoping to end the night at the Oak Bar at the Plaza, but they have yet to reopen (if that’s even in the cards).

Day 2 started with what billed itself as a Scottish bar, St Andrews, but was as authentic as the current democratic front-runner. Disappointed, we were determined to find a good Irish Pub, and Molly’s Shebeen in the Grammercy neighborhood totally turned our day around. The entire staff and a third of the patrons were Irish. After spending the bulk of the afternoon and part of the evening there, we took their recommendation for one last stop, Jimmy’s Corner, just off Times Square. Jimmy’s Corner is not, in fact, on a corner; Jimmy was a cut man (or corner man) for Joe Frazier, among others. The narrow bar is filled with boxing memorabilia, and you will find here some of the rarest things in Manhattan: Three dollar domestics!