* HALE & HEARTY SOUPS *
(7th Ave & 34th St)
three lentil chili
spinach salad w/chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion
Ok, ok. It has been a long time since I posted anything, but the only way to get back into it... is to get back into it!
Hey all, started another new thing that may (or may not) get finished!! Hope you enjoy part 1 of my new comic "Dog Party Weekend"!
Well, now that you know all about Rock Island and the Quad Cities, it's time to get to the really fun stuff - the food!
Here are the non-reunion specific places I visited on this trip:
Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream
(30th St & 14th Ave, Rock Island)
Happy Joe's is probably my most favorite place to eat when I'm visiting the QC. Not only do I love the pizza, I also love the fact that I used to work there. During my time there I was a delivery driver, a pizza maker, a dough-man, even the cleaning guy at one point.
It's great to go at lunch on a weekday because you can sample all types of pizza from the buffet, but for this trip I ordered a whole pizza. I had them do half Happy Joe's special (canadian bacon & sauerkraut) and half taco (my favorite). Happy Joe's claims to have originated this (and maybe they did,) but all I know is that it is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!
Pizza and Subs
(Blackhawk Road at 38th St, Rock Island)
They call themselves "Home of the calZONE" and they don't lie. It's hard to describe just how good this is... the meat-cheese-crust ratio is perfect, and when topped with sauce - ouch! These days they have over a dozen specialty calzones, with half-a-dozen sauces, but I'm old school and can't tear myself away from the original.
Rudy's Tacos
(18th Ave @ 28th St, Rock Island)
When I think of Rudy's, one thing comes to mind - CHEESE! No matter what you order, it's covered with cheese (and cheese grease). It's somehow disgusting and wonderful at the same time. This visit, I brought an order of beef & bean burritos (w/hot sauce!) home - they were great.
Ross' Restaurant
(under the I-74 bridge, Bettendorf, IA)
Ok, if you're at all sensitive to over-the-top food ridiculousness, SKIP THIS SECTION. But, if you have a strong stomach, I will introduce you to the "magic" that is Ross'. This 24 hour truck stop is a must at 3:00am. Their signature, the Magic Mountain, is a dish beyond compare - only topped by it's more ridiculous cousin, the Volcano. No picture will do it justice, so just imagine... texas toast, loose meat, french fries, cheese sauce, chili, chopped onions (the chili is what changes the mountain into a volcano.) Many joke that the name is more of a prophecy than a description, but it works for me.
Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club
Located on a 946-acre island in the Mississippi River, this country club shares real estate with the Rock Island Arsenal Garrison, an active US Army facility. The weather was beautiful, and lunch (seafood gumbo and a blackened grouper sandwich) on the veranda of the clubhouse was fantastic.
Whitey's Ice Cream
(16th St. Moline)
Yes, the name is almost offensive, but the ice cream is anything but! Named “Best in the Midwest” by Midwest Living Magazine, this chain is known for shakes thick enough to stay in the cup when turned upside down. Everyone has their favorite, but this time I went for mint chocolate chip with vanilla flavoring. YUM!
Believe it or not, I didn't explode after all of this. And unfortunatly, I didn't have a chance to get to Harris Pizza or Jim's Rib Haven this trip - each of them worth a trip home themselves.
NEXT UP: Part 3 - reunited and it feels so good! (coming soon)
So... it was my 20th High School reunion this past weekend and I made the trip back to the Quad Cities (QC) for the first time in a couple years.
Let me start this recap with a little info about my hometown area (via visitquadcities.com):
The Quad Cities rests on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River and share a population of 400,000. The region is made up of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois, and surrounding communities.Here's an awesome video:
* SOSA BORELLA *
(8th Ave & 51st)
sosaborella.com
fresh crab ceviche
caesar salad
rosemary lemon chicken (grilled boneless chicken, side of sautéed spinach and gorgonzola mashed potato)
wine
After having a few happy hour drinks at The Ritz (the bar, not the hotel), the group decided on our ol' favorite, Sosa Borella, for dinner. Once again, the food matched the company - GREAT!
So, the past few weeks (since I got back from Russia) have been hectic. As such, I've done nothing on the blog and sincerely apologize to everyone who actually humors me enough to check in from time to time. Here goes a quick recap of June highlights...
Best restaurant meals:
Craftsteak (15th St. and 10th Ave)
Tom surprised me with a visit here as a way to prepare for the new season of Top Chef which is judged by the restaurant's head chef Tom Colichio. We started with oysters and I had one of the New York Strip selections. The meat was incredible.
Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (5th Ave & 1st St)
One of my favorite restaurants, we went out to celebrate "just because" with a bunch of friends one night. I had one of the Paella's for the first time - and it ROCKED!
Landmarc TWC (Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle)
This was a 5th grade graduation dinner for my cousin - so not only did I get good food, I had a great time hanging out with my family. The mussels were a big hit as an appetizer, and my grilled skirt steak salad was great.
Fun & activities:
Cousin Lindsay's wedding
A quick flight up to Rochester was all it took to have a really fun weekend with my family. Seeing everyone was great & the wedding was beautiful.
Xanadu - the Musical
A MUST SEE for anyone who has a sense of humor and/or likes ELO and/or likes roller-skating. It was just funny & fun. The post-show banana-split and cheesecake at Junior's didn't hurt making the night one to remember either.
The Mermaid Parade
Tom and hosted a Saturday brunch before dragging a bunch of our friends out to Coney Island for the mermaid parade (click on the picture below to see the slideshow I put together.) It was great and the mini-Wii competition afterwards was lots of fun.
Well, it's not much but it's a start to getting back on track. I figure that this past weekend's HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (!!) deserves it's own post, so I'll make that a goal for this evening.
