3/2/2017 Update: Another milestone ahead!

It’s been the longest interval I’ve had between posts, owing to some issues that, ironically, preclude me from drinking.  Despite that (and because of the time elapsed), I managed to add 13 new bars to my list, bringing me to 599!  I actually avoided going to new bars to be able to write a new post when I hit 600.

Four of the new bars added were due to the openings of casinos in Bettendorf and Davenport.  Being casino bars, however, doesn’t give me too much to talk about.  At the new Isle of Capri stands the Lone Wolf, which with its 6 flat screens, I guess qualifies it to be called a sports bar.  Unlike the bars at the new Rhythm City casino, it sits in the middle of the action and has video poker.  The unnamed casino bar at Rhythm City, while in the casino, is a little more removed and doesn’t have video poker, which makes it seem less like a casino bar and to me, kind of dull.

Also at Rhythm City is Draft Day, their take on a sports bar (since it has a dozen tvs, including an 8 sided overhanging projection).  It is completely removed from the casino, which makes it a good getaway for someone that doesn’t share their significant other’s gambling bug.  On the 6th floor is Ruthie’s, a steak and seafood high-end restaurant with windows overlooking Interstate 80 on the north and Wal-Mart (among other retail venues) on the south.  Hardly the river view they gave up to move. 

Driftwood replaced the short-lived Waterbar on the river in Davenport, and I keep wondering why such a great location doesn’t seem to stay in business a bit longer (not helping Waterbar, I’m sure, was the hopefully infrequent incident my wife and I witnessed when who I think was the owner, after unsuccessful attempts at spearing olives with a toothpick, just reached in to the jar and grabbed them with a hand that looked like he’d just changed the oil on a fleet of vans).  Besides a coat of gray paint in the interior, the bar hasn’t remodeled – nor does it need to.  

The fourth and latest Barrel House opened in Silvis, in the location I thought was going to be their third one (before their Utica Ridge location in Davenport).  Barrel House seems to have the formula down:  good menu, drinks and personnel.  This location is a bit smaller than the others, and its patio doesn’t have much to look at, but it’s usually pretty busy.  Since this one opened, they’ve also opened one in Dubuque, I’ve heard.

Stopped in for carry out at Tantra Asian Bistro in Davenport, had a drink at the bar while waiting.  Nice looking deck to the east side, but not much more to say about it.   

What a difference from the dirty and dilapidated Shannon’s, which occupied the fifth spot on my worst ten QC dive bars, to Logger House (Hampton), built about 200’ to the south.  As you might guess from the outside (and the name), inside it looks like a lodge you’d find in Wisconsin.  Great huge bar, a couple of pool tables, nice patio, and a private room on the second floor, reachable by elevator.  The only complaint my wife had was a lack of seasoning on the burgers and the chicken Phillie; I’ve had the rueben and a club sandwich, which really don’t require much seasoning.

Millz Pizza & Grille is trying to be the Bad Boy’z of NW Davenport, and successfully I think.  Big polished concrete bar with 14 stools, 15 flat screens, 16 draught selections, sports themed murals, and good pizza.  I don’t know what the traffic at night is like there, as I’ve only been there for lunch.

Ubriaco’s Trattoria in the Village of East Davenport has been sold, and has been turned into The Mound.  I didn’t live here when it originally had that name (it was the Village Idiot when I moved here), but it was apparently was a strip club when it last had that name.   Gone is the kitchen, though I think there are one or two lunch buffets during the week.  Also gone are the tables in the back, which has been restored to a game room. 

Steel Plow Burgers in Moline completely redid the interior from the old Governor’s – they raised the floor around the center fireplace (although, I kind of thought the pit gave Governor’s a little character), moved the bar from the east to the north side, and reconfigured and enclosed the patio.  Although they obviously want to be known for their burgers, I had a really good muffaletta, and they have milk shakes (some with alcohol) that remind me of what some bars do when constructing a Bloody Mary on Sunday’s. 

Chief’s Bar & Grille in Silvis opened in November.  I didn’t eat there so I can’t comment on the food, but the staff is very friendly.  They may have made the kitchen a little smaller from when it was Thai Basils to gain some bar space, but I sure miss the long winding bar when it was the Pauper’s Den.  

Though I’ve walked past the Mississippi River Distilling Co. in Leclaire many times on my way from Green Tree Brewery to 129, I really had no urge to stop in – I thought it was just a place to see how their liquor was made and have a sample.  I didn’t realize until ‘A Taste Of  LeClaire’ that they had an actual bar, though I don’t believe you can just stop in and have them make you a drink.  This day, however, they were mixing cocktails, so we bellied up and I’m adding it to my list.

During my longest-ever layoff from posting an update, there has been a lot of bar openings, a few closings, and other goings-on.  I actually spent a lot of the winter avoiding going to new places so I can put up a new post when I hit 600!

Openings:

·        The Treehouse Pub and Eatery (Bettendorf) was shooting an August opening, but eventually opened on New Year’s Eve.  Their Facebook page says that eventually they will have an outdoor tiki bar and an actual tree house.

·         The new location of The Clubhouse (golf lounge that originally opened in Bettendorf at 53rd St. and 18th Av.) is 4800 Elmore Ave, Davenport, attached to the south side of the Ashley furniture store. It opened in November, and will have a patio.

·         Igor’s Bistro is waiting on kitchen equipment before they can open.  The Halloween – sci-fi – Day of the Dead themed bar / restaurant is next to Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, in what used to be Ganson’s

·         Sriracha Thai Bistro & Oyster Bar is now open on River Drive in Moline, and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews from friends that have gone there.

·         Wide River Winery opened their second tasting room in the summer – this one in the Village of East Davenport.  My wife and I like going to their Leclaire location and sitting on their patio when they have live music, so I’m looking forward to parking it on the new location’s deck.  Wine lounges I guess are a thing now, with Element Tea & Wine Lounge recently opening in Davenport and Zin Wine Lounge set to open soon in the Rock Island District, where Rock Island Rapids used to be.

·         Just down the hill a half block from Wide River is Baked, a combination bakery / bar with craft beer… I’m confused.

·         Raw is a high-end cocktail and appetizer bar that opened next to the Adler Theater’s box office. 

·         The most recent addition is The Black Sheep, a sports / arcade bar, also in the Rock Island District.  It opened Feb 11.

Changes:

·         Brix in Moline changed names to Van’s Pizza & Grill, like its sister location in Davenport.  Same owner, staff, and apparently same pizza – the only difference I’ve heard mention is that the brick ovens have been replaced by conveyor belt to increase production.

·         Larry Bob’s Oasis in northwest Davenport is now Drink, and in Rock Island, Red Rodeo has become RIDRS (after a quick roof repair), and Cheep Shotz (which I never made it to; in fact, I’m not really sure if it ever opened) is now 11th St Lounge. 

·         Frick’s, the oldest bar in Davenport and the second oldest bar in Iowa, has remodeled and reopened.

·         La Flama has moved from its massive location in downtown Moline to a more modest size location, west of the Centennial Bridge in Davenport

·         With the reopening of Highland Park Bowl in Moline, Fargo has also reopened with a new layout and a flat floor that will cause fewer mishaps.

All these additions grew my What’s Left list to 20, the largest it’s been in years!

Closings: 

The Venue (Moline), Sultan (Rock Island), and Jake O’s in Rock Island, which a fire destroyed a few weeks ago.

Congrats to my wife who, when we stopped at the Service Station in Milan together, hit her 400th bar (she’s at 409 now)!

During my prolonged down time, we traveled to Key West, New Orleans, and New York City.  Normally after trips I’ll post photos of the bars we’ve hit, but the pictures haven’t been developed yet.  Maybe next post.  Instead, I’m going to give you a list of my favorite 100 bars that I’ve been to while traveling – none from areas I’ve lived, which includes metro Detroit, Saginaw, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and the Quad Cities.  Next post, I’ll say why some of these are my favorites.  Please comment with some favorites of your own, so I know where to plan vacations! 

1	Ha’Penny Bridge Inn	Dublin, Ireland
2	Schooner Wharf	Key West, FL
3	The Oak Bar, Plaza Hotel (reopening soon)	New York City, NY
4	Dune Preserve	The Valley, Anguilla
5	Coconut’s On The Beach	Singer Island, FL
6	Molly's Shebeen	New York City, NY
7	Pat O’Brien’s	New Orleans, LA
8	Captain Lou’s	South Haven, MI
9	Carnaval Court	Las Vegas, NV
10	Chart Room	Key West, FL
11	Bar De L' Oubli	Gustavia, St. Barth's
12	Black Horse London	San Francisco, CA
13	Captain Tony's	Key West, FL
14	Cleopatra's Barge	Las Vegas, NV
15	Snook Inn	Marco Island, FL
16	Evelyn’s Place (closed)	New Orleans, LA
17	Guy's Driftwood Boat	Maho, Sint Maarten
18	Bar at Motel Arnold	St Augustin de Woburn, Quebec
19	98 Bar	Killarney, Ireland
20	Karakter Beach Bar	Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
21	Nub's Pub	Harbor Springs, MI
22	Bull and the Bear	New York City, NY
23	Nutmeg Bar	St George's, Grenada
24	Three Sheets	St Thomas, USVI
25	Ostra Cosa	San Juan, PR
26	Parrot Key	Fort Myers Beach, FL
27	Barrachina	San Juan, PR
28	Snapper's	Key Largo, FL
29	Jack's Cannery Bar	San Francisco, CA
30	Willie T's	Key West, FL
31	Rose & Crown Pub (Disney World)	Lake Buena Vista, FL
32	Blue Macaw	Key West, FL
33	Dolphin Bar (Mirage Hotel)	Las Vegas, NV
34	Farrington's	Dublin, Ireland
35	Margaritaville	Orlando, FL
36	Salty's (closed)	Marathon Key, FL
37	Ginger Man	Dallas, TX
38	Jack Quinn	Colorado Springs, CO
39	Fast Eddie's Bon Air	Alton, IL
40	Jimmy's Corner	New York City, NY
41	Le Select	Gustavia, St. Barth's
42	Margaritaville	Las Vegas, NV
43	Tiffany's	Frankenmuth, MI
44	Doc's Beach House	Bonita Springs, FL
45	Margueritaville (now Margaritaville)	Montego Bay, Jamaica
46	Ri Ra	Las Vegas, NV
47	Bucksnort Saloon (closed)	Mesick, MI
48	Douglas Bar	San Juan, PR
49	Nine Fine Irishmen	Las Vegas, NV
50	Smuggler's Cove	San Francisco, CA
51	St Maarten Yacht Club	Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
52	O'Flaherty's	Dingle, Ireland
53	Iguana Joe's	Oranjestad, Aruba
54	Swizzle Inn	Bailey's Bay, Bermuda
55	Rosa's Cantina	El Paso, TX
56	Margaritaville	Key West, FL
57	Bull & Castle	Dublin, Ireland
58	Oliver St. John Gogarty's	Dublin, Ireland
59	Timothy's	Gaylord, MI
60	Rooney's (closed)	Abacoa, FL
61	Tipitina's	New Orleans, LA
62	Little Bear, The	Evergreen, CO
63	Ames Plow Tavern	Boston, MA
64	Tommy Condon's	Charleston, SC
65	Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar	San Francisco, CA
66	Tree Lounge	Rambaud, St. Martin
67	Tattoos And Scars	Key West, FL
68	Burdine's Chiki Tiki	Marathon Key, FL
69	Cabana Beach Bar	Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
70	Shuckum’s	Panama City Beach, FL
71	Trader Todd's	Chicago, IL
72	Blue Heaven	Key West, FL
73	Louie's Afterdeck	Key West, FL
74	Coconut Jack's	Bonita Springs, FL
75	Beach Bar (Marriott Hotel)	San Juan, PR
76	Holiday Inn Deck Bar	Traverse City, MI
77	Weathervane	Charlevoix. MI
78	McSorley's Old Ale House	New York City, NY
79	Tropical Paradise (closed)	Long Beach, MS
80	Margaritaville (closed)	New Orleans, LA
81	Courtney's	Killarney, Ireland
82	Stan's Idle Hour	Goodland, FL
83	Lookout Bar	Delavan, WI
84	O'Connor's	Killarney, Ireland
85	Lorelei	Islamorada, FL
86	Sunset Bar & Grill	Maho, Sint Maarten
87	Biergarten (Disney World)	Lake Buena Vista, FL
88	Playpen South	Fort Lauderdale, FL
89	Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop	New Orleans, LA
90	Sun Sun Pool Bar	Key West, FL
91	Key Lounge	Mackinaw City, MI
92	Meg O'Malley's	Melbourne, FL
93	Parrot's Bar	Chicago, IL
94	George And Dragon	Orlando, FL
95	Pool Bar Iberostar Paraiso Beach	Playa Paraiso, Mexico
96	Drago's	Metairie, LA
97	Cabbage Shed	Elberta, MI
98	Raglan Road	Lake Buena Vista, FL
99	Hotel Iriquois	Mackinac Island, MI
100	Kell's	San Francisco, CA
Honorable Mention (arranged alphabetically)
	Alice Cooper's Town	Phoenix, AZ
	Alpine Valley VIP Deck	E Troy, WI
	Beach On Bourbon, The	New Orleans, LA
	Boondock's	Ramrod Key, FL
	Broadway Oyster Bar	St Louis, MO
	Buccaneer Beach Bar	St Maarten
	Bucket of Blood Saloon	Virginia City, NV
	Churchill's Pub	Savannah, GA
	Conch Republic	Key West, FL
	Hersel's On The Bay	Caseville. MI
	Irish Bank	San Francisco, CA
	Kitty Hoyne's	Syracuse, NY
	Looe Key Tiki Bar & Grill	Ramrod Key, FL
	Mike Fink Riverboat (closed)	Covington, KY
	Monkey Bar	New York City, NY
	Mystic Celt	Chicago, IL
	Pig & Whistle	New York City, NY
	Playpen (closed)	Wildwood, NJ
	Schoolyard Tavern	Chicago, IL
	Señor Frog's	Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
	Smokey's	Cove Bay, Anguilla
	Smokin' Tuna	Key West, FL
	Stag's Head	Dublin, Ireland
	Sunset Grille	Marathon Key, FL
	Winking Lizard, The	Peninsula, OH

Bars since the Jun 1 post ( * - new to my list):

Old Chicago

Bierstube LeClaire

Barrel House - Moline

Harrington's PB

Gunchies RI

Crust

Go Fish

129

Rudy's Cantina

Barrel House - Davenport

Cru

Starting Line

* Millz Pizza & Grille

Red Ginger

Jimmie Lee's

Green Tree Brewery

Riverside Grille

Polish Pub

Moe's Burgers & Brews

Fargo

Bad Boy'z Pizza

Boozie's

BrewHouse

TGI Friday's Moline

Pub 1848

* Geneseo Brewing Co.

* Raelyn's

Sports Fans

Steel Head Tavern

* Gastro Bar (New York, NY)

* McSorley's Ale House (New York, NY)

Molly's Shebeen (New York, NY)

Duck City Bistro

Brix

* Manning's (New Orleans, LA)

Pat O'Brien's (New Orleans, LA)

* Gordon Biersch (New Orleans, LA)

* Café Negril (New Orleans, LA)

Apple Barrel (New Orleans, LA)

Drago's (New Orleans, LA)

* Mississippi River Distilling Company

Wide River Winery

Granite City

The Grape Life

* Vesta (Coralville, IA)

Red Lobster

Faithful Pilot

Biaggi's

* Chief's

River House

* Steel Plow Burgers

Governor's (Bettendorf)

Rick and Kathy's

Bass Street Chop Bar

Bleyart's

Buffalo Wild Wings (Mol)

Blue Cat

G's Pizzeria (Saginaw, MI)

GiLanella's

Harley's

R Bar

The Clover (MIA)

Smokin' Tuna (Key West)

Jack Flats (Key West)

Agave 308 (Key West)

Captain Tony's (Key West)

Schooner Wharf (Key West)

* Blue Macaw (Key West)

Sun Sun Pool Bar (Key West)

La Trattoria (Key West)

* Eden House Bar (Key West)

* Cubs Bar & Grill (ORD)

Osaka (Dav.)

Frankie's

Captain's Table

Parkside Grill

Icons

Smoking Dog Pub

Dam View Inn

Brew In The Village

Paddlewheel

Applebee's (Moline)

Public House

North Shore Inn

* Onomi (Coralville)

* Vine Tavern (Coralville)

Applebee's (Elmore)

Ducky's Lagoon

The Oasis

* The Lone Wolf

* Logger House

* The Mound

Lindsay Park Yacht Club

Purgatory

Great River Brewery

Central Standard

* Tantra

J Bar

Bierstube Moline

Valley Inn

Duey's

* Ruthie's

Bennigan's

Front Street Tap Room

* The Hop At Canton (Monmouth, IA)

Jersey Grille

The Edge

* Barrel House Silvis

RIBCo

Barrel House 211

* Draft Day

* Rhythm City Casino Bar

The Phoenix

Cabanas

Kavanaugh's Hilltop

The Doc's Inn

Harrington's

Outpost (Fulton, IL)

* Driftwood

Service Station

La Belle Vie (Aledo, IL)