3/15/2019 St Patrick’s Day Update:

Well, look at me!  After not doing an update in more than eight months, I got a little ambition and am posting only 10 weeks after my last!  Too much new happening in the Quad Cities that I needed to recap.

In the two and a half months since my last post, I added 7 more bars, bringing my total to 654.

648 – V I P’s Corner Bar & Grill, Moline – Nothing on the interior has changed since it was Van’s or Brix, with the exception that the back room is now cut off.  Ownership brought over the basically the same menu as Generations, which she previously owned.

649 – La Flama, Davenport – The third location I’ve been to, greatly downsized from the prior locations (about 1/4 the size of the last location, and maybe 2/3 of the one that is where Café Fresh in Moline is now).  Barely qualifying with a 3 stool bar, but you can still get $1.50 domestics.

650 – Formerly the Rusty Nail (and most recently the short-lived Rivertown Grill), Gypsy Highway in Davenport has been spruced up, the menu upgraded (even has a few Thai selections on it), and a small motorcycle shop added separating the front and rear sections.  It bills itself as a music venue, and appears to have live music 3-4 times a week and guitars lining the walls.  Definitely an upgrade over the prior bars at this location

651 – Fields Bar in East Moline took me by surprise.  You can order from the full Fields of Pizza (two doors down) menu and have it brought over.  The most striking feature is the mural of the Chicago skyline at night that occupies the entire west wall.  This is definitely set up as a gaming bar, though they haven’t got their machines yet.   

652 – I thought the River Dr. location in Moline would be a good one for Happy Joe’s PizzaGrille, what with Western Illinois being right there and students living literally above it, but it closed in around 6 months and has been vacant for almost a year.  Senor Julio’s (owned by the same people as the El Patron restaurants) stepped in, placed a few cacti, ceramic lizards, and a map of Mexico on the wall, and transformed it into a perfectly serviceable Mexican restaurant, Best of all, they didn’t remodel so the unique sideways ‘W’ shaped bar is still there!    

653 – The oldest liquor in the world is honey mead, but I had never sampled it until I went in Bootleg Hill Meadery (2nd St in downtown Davenport).  I had no idea what to expect, but after trying sample sizes of the Orange Sunshine and their Blackberry flavors, I’m a fan.  Word of warning:  14% ABV (some are less), but you can’t taste any alcohol. They also have wine and beer.  Opening by April 1st will be a restaurant next door, Half Nelson.

654 – Fumbles (Bettendorf) looked like it was going to change the name to back to the Wing Dam, but instead took the more mundane moniker “Just 1 More”.  Set up to be a sports bar with 16 flat screens, they have $2 domestics, but no food yet (coming soon).  It’s been probably six years since I went in Fumbles, so I’m not sure if anything has changed with the layout.

Even though I knocked four bars off my ‘What’s Left’ list, it actually grew to 22 with all the anticipated openings.

What’s New: 

North of US Bank on Utica Ridge in Davenport, construction is underway on a building that will include Basil and Vine, a wine and pizza bar being opened by the owner of Faithful Pilot.

Galena Brewing Company is moving in to what was Ducky’s Formal Wear on River Dr in downtown Moline (which, at one time, Moe’s Burgers and Brews was thought to have been moving to).  I looks like the bar growth of downtown Moline is spreading to the east, as this building already contains The Other Bar, Bad Boy’z Pizza, and Rebellion Bew Haus, with River House one building to the west and Pub 1848 across the street.

Foundry Food and Tap is coming to one of the outlying buildings on the Bettplex grounds, Bettendorf.  I’m sure there will be more, as Veteran’s Parkway becomes busier.

The Blue Cat in Rock Island closed in the fall, but is becoming Big Swing Brewing Company, and is owned by the same owner as Backyard Bowl / Abides. Their last Facebook post indicates they are opening the Friday before St Patrick’s Day. 

Changes: 

Something is being built at 320 20th St in Rock Island, where Augie’s on 20th was, and most recently The Lucky Shamrock.  What, I don’t know, but I’ll keep monitoring it.

Uncle Harley’s (Blue Grass) is now Mayne St Pub –N- Grub, Woo Dogs in Orion is O Kitchen & Tap, and I’m not even sure how long the Country Pub N Grub name lasted, but it’s back to Jammerz Roadhouse, and is now for sale.


Favorite Bartenders:  Though I try to write this with some measure of impartiality, it’s probably not a big secret that 129 in LeClaire is one of my favorite bars in the area.  There are a lot of reasons for this, but the consistency and quality of service is chief among these.  So no surprise I’m adding two more of their bartenders to the list:  Sara (who we’ve known from It’s On The River, Governor’s, and Tap 22) and Victoria.

Irish Pubs:

As St. Patrick’s Day is Saturday, it’s time for me once again to bemoan the fact that there are no Irish bars in the Quad Cities area.  Sure, there are a lot of bars with Irish names, but an Irish bar, to me, is one that has snugs (tables or even spots at the bar with high dividers, usually with windows at the top), one where I can get a full Irish breakfast at 9:00 pm, and maybe even some traditional Irish music.

My favorite Irish Bars in America:

Molly’s Shebeen                    New York City, NY
Jack Quinn                            Colorado Springs, CO
Ri Ra                                     Las Vegas, NV (Mandalay Bay)
Tommy Condon’s                  Charleston, SC
McSorley’s Ale House           New York City, NY
Nine Fine Irishmen                Las Vegas, NV (New York, New Tork)
Raglan Road                         Lake Buena Vista, FL
Irish Bank                              San Francisco, CA
Kitty Hoyne’s                         Syracuse, NY
Meg O’Malley’s                      Melbourne, FL

Honorable mention:

Rula Bula                                Tempe, AZ

I found out yesterday that my favorite, Molly’s Shebeen, is also a favorite of a famous late night TV host!


My favorite bars in Ireland:

The Ha’Penny Bridge Inn, Dublin
O’Flaherty’s, Dingle
O’Connor’s, Killarney
Bull & Castle, Dublin
98 Bar, Killarney

Honorable Mention:

The Laurels, Killarney
Oliver St. John Gogarty’s, Dublin

Where I’ve been since the last post ( * indicates first time)   
Sports Fans
TGI Friday's Moline
* Just 1 More
129
The Tangled Wood
* Bootleg Hill Meadery
Fargo
Ruby's Beer, Bikes, & Brats
Tap 22
Waterfall Lounge
Van's Downtown
Barrel House 211
* Senor Julio's
* Fields Bar
Boozie's
Lindsay Park Yacht Club
GiLanella's
Bent River Brewery (RI)
Brew In The Village
Abide's
Caddy's
Biaggi's
Barrel House - Davenport
Jimmie Lee's
Svithiod Club
Sippi's
Parkside Grill
Faithful Pilot
Central Standard
Go Fish
Bierstube Moline
Harrington's
* Gypsy Highway
The Grape Life
Red Ginger
The Little Deli
Van's Davenport
* La Flama (Davenport)
Tuggers
Rudy's Cantina
The Doc's Inn
Roam
Jersey Grille
Treehouse
Red Lobster
* Houlihan's (Dubuque)
* Q Lounge (Dubuque)
* Q Showroom (Dubuque)
Applebee's (Elmore)
* V I P's Corner Bar & Grill

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