Ganson's Neighborhood Bakery and Cafe

Open for just over a year, Ganson's in Rock Island has become quite the busy little place. Ganson's is located on 38th street, right next to Saukie Golf Course in a little farmhouse that has been beautifully renovated into the cafe. The name comes from combining the last names of the two owners, Thompson and Ganzer. Both were nurses, one was known as a good cook and the other has a home based bakery, so they combined forces to create the ultimate food cafe. My words, not theirs.














The place was hoppin when we got there. Getting there is a whole other story because of some Avenue vs. Street confusion. It's somewhat embarrassing to get lost in this day and age. Luckily Richie's phone GPS saved the day.













We walked into the small lobby and it was pretty crammed with people. Some were waiting for a table, some paying, and some just perusing the baked goods. The diners in the other rooms seemed to be taking their sweet time, completely oblivious to the grumbling emanating from the old people in the lobby.














We really didn't have to wait very long, maybe 10 minutes before a small table opened up. The interior is still very much a farmhouse, with small rooms and wood floors. I felt like we were attending a tea party in someone's fancy schmancy house and I was under-dressed. Then again, the server and I had on the same Nike shoes


















The lunch menu includes a lot of very fresh and fancy sounding sandwiches. I went with a cheddar, ham, and apple panini with mango chutney spread. I chose cranberry sauce for my side, not sure why. Richie chose the spicy beef and avocado with yellow peppers, swiss, and chipotle mayo and a side of coleslaw.


















It took awhile for the meals to come out and then CRASH BANG BOOM. Our server dropped half of Richie's sandwich and his coleslaw on the floor.














I didn't wait for it to be replaced, just dug into my delicious panini. The mango chutney spread was really great with the ham and apples. But I like anything sweet...except cranberry sauce. Not a fan.














Richie also enjoyed his sandwich, but he got a stomachache soon after and did not finish it. Odd.
Not to worry, as I soon found out, it was the stomach flu. He spent the next three days sick and then I spent the subsequent three days sick. OOF





Sup







Now that we know it was the flu and not the food, I'm sure we will be back to try their breakfast and hopefully eat on the deck outside. Breakfast is served all day on the weekends. This is not a greasy place, so I would recommend it to sandwich connoisseurs and healthy eaters. They had very pretty looking desserts and pastries as well. Ganson's has a great cozy old-fashioned atmosphere, but they also have a terrific website that is updated with daily specials. You can even forgo the wait and order ahead online. How 21st century of them.
Check it out here.