4/19/2017: 600!

I was just a young kid with a dream when I embarked on visiting and tallying up all the Quad Cities Bars, after counting up the 166 that, at that time, I figured I’d been to.  I started tracking in May of 2009, and since then (through my March update) added 456 and remembered an additional 77.  With this update, I’m pleased to announce I’ve gone beyond 600 Quad Cities area bars!

Number 600 was Raw, next to the Adler Theater in downtown Davenport.  A small and upscale bar, with unique drinks, sashimi, and charcuterie such as wild boar and smoked duck you can pair with some high-end cheeses.  The only downside on the night we visited was the bartenders were playing hip hop and techno, which won’t attract the type of people willing to pay $9-11 for a cocktail.

Treehouse, originally set to open in August finally did open on New Year’s Eve.  They have a beautiful location on Duck Creek in Bettendorf with a deck that spans the length of the restaurant, and plans for a two story treehouse that will also have a full bar.  They have a stone oven for pizza, and we (along with everyone I know that’s been there) found the food to be above average.    

Black Sheep is a rare thing for the District of Rock Island – a bar in a location (SW corner of 18th St and 2nd Ave.) that was never a bar before, at least since I’ve been here.  It claims to be a sports/arcade bar, but the ‘arcade’ part consists of Golden Tee and a couple other classic arcade games.  It’s painted black and gray, which looked pretty good on a bright sunny afternoon when we went.  We’re not normally in the district at night, but I’m told it’s very poorly illuminated.

Van’s in downtown Moline is the new Brix.  Same owner, same décor, different pizza oven.  It does lead me to a question, though:  The back (north) part of the bar, separated by a corridor that passes the kitchen, is named “Van’s After Dark”.  When it was Brix, it was called “The Annex”.  It has its own bar, which I’ve bellied up to under both names.  Can I count them both?  I’ll consider it, and my total might edge up by a couple next post.

Also in the Rock Island District is Galleries in the District. They extensively remodeled it from when it was El Patron (which moved about a half block down) to better accommodate a night crowd,  replacing the 4 stool bar at the back west side to a 12 stool bar in the center along the east side.  It bills itself as 'Mexiterranean' food, and I love their tacos.

Sriracha Thai Bistro and Oyster Bar, on the Moline Riverfront, once again proves to me that you don’t eat oysters in the Midwest.  I admit I’m probably a bit spoiled by the char-grilled oysters at Drago’s (in Metairie and New Orleans, LA), so I know the oysters here won’t be as big or as fresh, but the ones we ordered here were lukewarm and fishy to the point my wife had to spit hers out.  The rest of the food we had was acceptable, and our friends that had tried it out before us seemed to enjoy it.  Also on the upside, the bar is pretty cool and they have some exotic drinks, plus that location is prime.

Tuggers, the long awaited replacement to It’s On The River in Port Byron, officially opened on April 9th (though their soft opening was a couple days prior).  They did some light remodeling, making it feel a little less like a bar and more like a restaurant, getting rid of most of the high top tables and adding booths.  They also gave it an industrial feel, and in a nod to Tugfest, the light fixtures hang from ropes.  The deck is not quite complete, but will be able to be enclosed and will extend to the next building.  Opened by the same person that opened Central Standard, I think the burgers are even better.

My updated count is 606 – it could have been 607, but Igor’s Bistro, though they do serve drinks, turned out not to actually have an actual bar.

Other Bar News:

·       Triple Crown Whiskey Bar and Raccoon Motel is now open just east of the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport.  While the building, previously the Local 67 Musicians Union, was sort of ugly (even after their grand opening), they’re now updating the exterior.  This is primarily a concert venue that holds about 60 people, and looks like they’ll have 10-12 shows a month scheduled.  Since one of the co-owners also used to own Daytrotter, he’ll have a wealth of acts to book from.   Also unique about the place is there won’t be TV’s or a juke box – the music you’ll hear there will either be live or from vinyl.

·    The Other Bar is finally open in Moline, across the square from the River House, after spending what seems like two years with brown paper covering the windows.  It shares the same ownership as The Office in Davenport.

·    I was confused when I saw a canvas covering some construction on part of what was Downtown Central Perk on 3rd St in Davenport that said “Condon’s Irish Pub “. Turns out it was just a decoration for the St Patrick’s Day parade that they haven’t taken down yet.

·       Two closings I forgot to mention in my last post:  Starr’s Two Wheel Tap in west Davenport, and Red Angus in Silvis.

So six come off (I wasn’t aware of Galleries In The District and didn’t know what Tuggers was to be called, plus Igor’s was disqualified) and two are added on, to bring my What’s Left list to 16.

It’s the time of year to give my opinion on where to do the best open air drinking in the Quad Cities.  For pure natural river views, Go Fish!, Steventon’s, TGI Friday’s, and Tuggers (once the deck is completed) are hard to beat.  Combining river and urban views are Rudy’s Cantina rooftop deck and Driftwood, both looking over Arsenal Island and Lake Davenport, especially cool when the sailboats races are happening on Wednesdays and Sundays.  Front Street Tap Room throws in a view of Centennial Bridge and John O’Donnell stadium, and  Green Tree Brewery gives you a ringside seat during Tugfest.  The Oasis, at the Isle of Capri Casino and the only floating bar in the area, might have cracked the top ten if they would clean up the dead bugs a little more often.  Backwater Jack’s and River House (where their outdoor weekend concert series begins May 20) give a little more city feel.  The list:

TOP TEN PATIOS / DECKS	Updated 4/19/2017
Go Fish	Princeton
Green Tree Brewery	LeClaire
Front Street Tap Room	Davenport
Steventon's	LeClaire
Tugger's	Port Byron
TGI Friday's	Moline
Treehouse	Bettendorf
Rudy's Cantina	Davenport
Backwater Jack's (Stoney Creek Inn)	Moline
River House	Moline
Honorable Mention:
Driftwood	Davenport
Mulligan's Valley Pub	Coal Valley
The Oasis	Bettendorf
Connections	Davenport
BrewHouse	Moline
WORST PATIOS / DECKS
Muddy Waters	Bettendorf
Rascals	Moline
The Edge	RapidsCity

Not only do I tally up the number of bars I’ve been to in the Quad Cities, I also keep track of the number of times I go.  Besides the first year when I only had 341 bar visits, I’ve been comfortably above 500 each year since, and through my first seven years brought my annual average up to almost 517.  I thought ‘d coast in to 4,000 bar visits through eight years, but then my medical issues occurred and I only tallied up 75 from Oct - Jan.  Luckily, since my health improved I’ve gotten back on track and as of this post, I only need to hit six in the next ten days to maintain my 500/year average.

Finally, congratulations to Michael at Blue Cat!  He’s been our favorite server there since the late nineties, but has now tended bar for me often enough to make my Favorites list.

Back next time with tales of the Caribbean, where we’ll pass some time in some St Maarten bars, and return to the best beach bar in the world (according to CNN Travel), Dune Preserve in Anguilla!

Dune Preserve, Anguilla, BWI

Dune Preserve, Anguilla, BWI

Proprietor and reggae legend Bankie Banx

Bars since the Mar 2 post ( * - new to my list):

Fargo
Falbo Bros.
Bierstube Moline
Kilkenny's
Duck City Bistro
129
Sports Fans
* Treehouse
Bleyart's
* Tuggers
Caddy's
Barrel House - Dav.
Bad Boy'z
Steel Head Tavern
Las Regias
Barrel House - Moline
O'Keefe's
Bent River Brewery
Broken Saddle
* Van's Moline
Rebellion BrewHaus
Pub 1848
Grape Life
* Sriracha Thai & Oyster Bar
Boozie's
Bennigan's
Starting Line
Biaggi's
Red Ginger
Harrington's PB
TGI Friday's
Governor's
Bass Street Chop Bar
Blue Cat
* Galleries In The District
Cabanas
Buffalo Wild Wings (Dav)
Circle Tap
Moe's Burgers & Brews
Central Standard
Green Tree Brewery
Paddlewheel
* Black Sheep
Rudy's Cantina
Red Lobster
* Raw