Front Street Brewery

I apologize in advance for the lack of beer in this post about a brewery.  We are just in it for the food.  

Front House Brewery is housed in a building that has worn many hats.  It used to be a vegetable warehouse, a car repair shop, and a printing company.  It became Front Street Brewery in 1992.  Front Street references River Drive which runs just outside it's doors and separates the building from the mighty Mississippi River and that lovely smell.

Both of us have been to Front Street Brewery before, but never at the same time.  We decided to visit on a relatively quiet Tuesday evening.  The restaurant is long and narrow with booths along one wall and a bar on the other.  They also have a nice beer garden area in the back.  The booths were full, so we grabbed a table right in the front of the restaurant.

I remembered enjoying fried pickles on my last visit, so I was a bit dismayed to not see them on the menu.  Dismayed is a nice way of saying this hangry prego lady was pissed. It was a long day and I was about ready to eat my hand, so the Slow Roasted BBQ Pork Nachos sounded particularly pleasing.  Richie ordered the Cajun Burger.  I think he was sold as soon as he read "candied bacon."  Having just watched the movie "Bears," Red wanted to eat fish like a bear.

Yea...like that.

 Luckily they have fish and chips on the kids menu.

 Our food arrived in a timely manner and I was immediately overwhelmed by my plate of nachos.

 This was a 1/2 serving.  Maybe the cook can't math?

How do I...hands?...fork?...dump into mouth? The chips are layered with pork, BBQ, roasted sweet corn with onions and beans, and melted cheeeeeeze. They normally come with jalapenos, but my stomach would have NOPED on out of there.

I attempted to eat politely with a fork, but what's the point?  I eventually threw that aside and dug in with my hands.  The pork was moist and tender.  The BBQ is a Chipotle Mustard blend that was sweet and tangy.  There was more than enough cheese to make a vegan cry. When the waitress took away my plate it looked like I hadn't touched it, but touched it I had.  Mhmm.  I also snagged some of Richie's sweet potato fries.  He said they were too sweet, so I guessed they'd be perfect for my palate.   They were.

Between roaring like a bear and trying to lick the window, Red ate one of the fish fillets.  I call that a victory.

Richie's burger was a hot mess.  I mean that in the best way possible.

The burger was crowned with pepperjack cheese, jalapenos, spicy mayo, and candied bacon.  He said the flavors blended well together and created a spicy masterpiece of a burger.  The burger itself was juicy and cooked well.  The fries were a nice contrast to the spiciness, but they got too sweet for his tooth.  How anything can be too sweet to a guy who drinks 6 cans of Mt Dew in a day is beyond me.  

Front Street has earned itself a return visit by this dining duo and their bear child. The food was delicious, filling, and priced fair.  I presume that Front Street would appeal to people who are both food and drink connoisseurs.

Pizza Throwdown

Just stopping by for a quick post about PIZZA. 

 What makes pizza so delicious ? Yoga mats? No that was Subway. Apparently it's MSG. And no one cared and we all continued to eat pizza. In fact, 13% of Americans consume pizza on any given day! That's a statistic from the USDA 

Over the past few months, Richie has partaken in many a pizza. First, I treated him and Red to a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's for Valentine's Day. If you can operate an oven, Papa Murphy's is pretty much pizza perfection. It's seasoned perfectly and the toppings are well distributed (until you drive it home in your car and take a hard turn).

Just tilt your head to the left, k? Heart!

Then we headed downtown to Falbo Brothers Pizza (2nd and Main Davenport). It's a Midwest chain that started in Madison WI. Here is their cute story. They have pizza slices most of the day and a full menu, including gluten free crust.
 Richie and his friend shared a Cajun Firebomb. My stomach wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. Last time I ate spicy food, I ended up in the ER. NEVER FORGET

They ordered a deep dish but got served thin crust. So I guess the service wasn't the best.  It was jazz night when we visited. Despite all those darn seniors making noise, we both give Falbo's food thumbs up.

 Then we have Monical's Pizza. A point of contention in our relationship. He loves it, I hate it. He grew up with it, so I imagine that is some of the appeal. This is also true of our opinions on Quad-Cities style pizza. I grew up with it and I love it. He does not.
 Monical's is a chain located mostly in Illinois and Indiana. They serve scant pizza toppings on crackers. But that's just my opinion. SOME people put this bright pink french dressing on top and call it delicious while inhaling an entire medium. Some people. *shakes head*

Chef Boyardee makes a better pizza.

Finally, we have The Slice.  The Slice Pizza opened in downtown Moline (1401 5th Ave) back in January.  They offer a lunch buffet, a full pizza and sandwich menu, and pizza slices are available from 9 pm to 3am on the weekends.  The name is a tad misleading as a couple people stopped in while we were there and wanted to know if they could just get a slice.  No dice.  I could hear the cook's frustration as he once again explained, "it's just a name."

                                 

                                                           Le Menu

  I knew Richie would, yet again, want the spiciest pie on the menu, the Cajun Gumbo.  I ordered an unbreaded tenderloin with fries.  He also got an order of 5th Avenue Bread, which is a fanciful way of saying "pizza crust with garlic and lots o cheese."  

Red was quite amused when the cook began tossing the pizza crust in the air.  It truly is an art.  The cook then brought us out fancy white plates and nice silverware, a stark contrast to what I would expect of a pizza joint on the corner.  

Our food came out about 15 minutes later.  Here is our bounty:

                               

My tenderloin is hiding under that mass of pickles.  I am still half heartedly on a quest to find the best tenderloin in the QC.  This was not it, but I have no complaints.   It was thin and grilled with a touch of spice. 

The 5th Ave bread ended up being the big hit.  Richie called it addictive and finished over half of the pan.  He also took in two slices of gumbo pizza while telling me, "you definitely wouldn't like it."   He thinks pizza sauce is mixed with cajun spices to create the "cajun gumbo sauce."  The crust had a nice chewy consistency, not too thin, not too thick.  Hmm, that's how I like my men.  

So there we have four pizza joints.  As if you needed help finding pizza, right?  

Grille 350

Let's just pretend it hasn't been an eon since the last update...

The latest issue of River Cities Reader's Dining Guide recently hit the news stands, so we eagerly picked up a copy and made some notes of places we would like to visit.   We were again reminded that we had yet to stop by the restaurant approximately . 3 miles from our front door, Grille 350 (350 E LeClaire Rd Eldridge).  Earlier this year, Lancers Grille went through a renovation and morphed into Grille 350. The e on the end makes it fancy, k? Lancers was nothing to sing about, and I had heard mixed reviews of 350, but we decided to try it out anyway.

The menu is small, but intriguing.  You can order from the adjacent Happy Joe's as well, which in hindsight, would have been a good idea.  Nomelet pizza!
 I am a sucker for mac n cheese, and the "Eldridge Mac N Cheese" had sweet corn, steak, bacon, and green beans?!  I was hoping this could be a side dish because I really shouldn't eat macaroni, but no dice.  I was also tempted by Smokehouse BBQ Candied Bacon options.  Luckily Richie ordered it so I could steal a taste.

Entreese frome thee grille

Though our waitress was prompt and polite enough, the food was slow to come out.  We waited 20-25 minutes but it felt like 60 because we had our toddler crawling on the dirty floor and trying to eat ice cubes.  The bar was pretty packed with sad retired teachers and coaches, but only a few other booths were ordering food.

When our food arrived, I was disappointed by what I saw.  It looked more like cheese soup than homemade macaroni.  I had flashbacks of eating similar looking Hamburger Helper meals in the 90s.  Like buried treasure, I had to search for the steak.  I found about one big piece of what looked like a slice of Steakums guiltily hiding under the mess.

"Sorry, not sorry for pretending to be steak"

 I have to admit, this photo was taken right before we left, after I had eaten about 3 bites of macaroni and picked out most of the green beans and bacon.  I did not get a doggy bag.

 

?

Richie's burger came out branded like a cow.  

"moo?"

The burger was tucked under aged cheddar, BBQ bacon jam, and candied bacon. His expert opinion on the burger? The jam was too sweet. It did not have the smoky or savory flavor that he expected. The candied bacon was caramelized and well prepared. The patty was mediocre and he felt that it was probably frozen and pre-made, as it did not have much flavor or juiciness. His onion rings were crisp and delicious but also probably frozen and dumped in a fryer. For the price tag, he felt the food should have been fresh and on par with Red Robin. And here is Red's burger and sweet potato fries. I eventually coerced her into eating most of the burger.

 I ate most of the sweet potato fries. They were quite good, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  

                                     

 My overall impression of Grille 350 is that it is a bar that offers food to soak up the alcohol. I appreciate the thought put into the menu, but the food doesn't live up to its description. I mean, I'd eat it if someone else bought it, but I'm not opening my wallet to go there.  The interior is nice and features one billion TVs all tuned to ESPN.  Like Lancers, there just is no reason to make a return visit.

Lee's on 14th

Don't worry, we are still alive. We still eat food, but it's usually microwaved or served in a white paper bag. Our weights our down, but our cholesterol and BP are through the roof. Truthfully, Richie has been to a lot of delicious food places lately, but refuses to write a blog, so I had to wait until we actually went somewhere together.

Holes in the wall (hole in the walls?) aren't easy to visit when your child is a picky eater who despises high chairs. So we finally decided to leave her in the car while we ate and got lunch at Lee's on 14th. (Is she joking?)

 (Yes.)

Photo from Road Tips       < Check out his blog!

Lee's used to be a little joint called the Waffle House, but not affiliated with the amazing chain. It reopened with new owners and the new name in 2010. They are only open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. You pretty much have to be old or jobless to eat there.

The place is very small but well lit and clean. It can get a little warm in there with all of the cooking going on, but a fan created a nice tropical breeze. We sat at the counter and perused their one page lunch menu.

It is a typical diner menu with grilled sandwich baskets, a couple of cold options, and fries for the side. Richie, of course, had to conquer the cheeseburger basket. Their single burgers are 11 ounces of beef, so only the truly brave and noble should try the double. Being neither, he opted for the single.

 I ordered the grilled tenderloin with a side of cheese fries. I am on a mission to find the best grilled tenderloin in the QCA. Stay tuned.

The cook is in full view of the counter, so we sat mesmerized while he prepared our meals. Let me set the scene for you.

A young rugged man wearing a black t shirt and cargo shorts emerged from the steam carrying a giant burger patty and slapped it hard on the grill. Then he grabbed my loin, gently laid it out, and covered it with a press. Getting hot yet?

Next he snatched a bag of crinkle cut french fries from the freezer and cast them into the sizzling fryer. I spent the next five minutes eye stalking my pork and thoroughly creeping out the cook. Nonetheless, our food was promptly delivered to the counter and to our mouths.

My tenderloin was BIG. I finished about 3/4 of it, sans bun. It was juicy and topped with God's gift to the sandwich... pickles. The crinkle cut fries were cooked perfectly, a delicious potato pillow wrapped in a crispy case. The melted cheese was the golden icing on the cake.

Richie describes his colossal burger as juicy and flavorful, despite only being comprised of beef, salt, and pepper. The bun was also delicious...as it should have been... I saw the cook slather about half a stick of butter on that thing. 

It was so huge, he was barely able to finish.

I'm sure that, on a better day, he could conquer the double. Like maybe on a day he exercises. J/K! Richie doesn't exercise.

Lee's on 14th is definitely where all the cool cats hang out during the day. The food is good, price is fair, atmosphere is homey, and service is stellar. My tenderloin was filling and satisfying, but I still think 11th Street's was a God send. Burger aficianados should definitely check out this cracker box short order diner, as it is in the running for best burger in the QC (according to Richie).

CLICK HERE for another review from Road Tips and HERE for a similar tenderloin quest.

Bandana's Bar-B-Q

After running a race in Marion, I was famished and craving something filling, so we stopped at Bandana's Bar-B-Q in Coralville.  I was unaware this was a chain until I googled them today, but apparently they have about 30 restaurants sprinkled throughout the Midwest.  Bandana's first opened in Missouri in 1996.  They use a real wood pit smoker that is smokin 24 hours a day.  The meats smoke for 11-14 hours before they're ready for their adoring fans. 

The decor has a fake rustic feel, like eating in a really clean poorly lit barn.  I was craving a diet Coke, but the server informed me they only had Pepsi products and sweet tea.  .  I had water.
The menu is quite extensive and includes calorie counts on each platter. Seems like a good way to lose business. The barbecue nacho appetizer was enticing until I peeked at the gluttonous calorie count. Yikes. Of course men don't worry about such things, I doubt it even registered with Richie. I don't know who thought "Wet Bandana" was a good name for a barbecue plate, it sounds like a term straight from Urban Dictionary, but I ordered one anyway. It's a jumble of turkey and chicken steeped in spicy sauce.

The lunch plate came with one side, so I chose my favorite green legumes. Richie struggled with his choice and eventually decided upon the pulled pork sandwich, cloaked with coleslaw, and a side of baked beans.

Scarlett chose to eat crayons and two Tootsie Pops, but we also ordered Beans and Weenies for her amusement. See? Amusing.

Apparently it was too cute to eat.

 My food was eaten in such haste, I barely remember my nose running from the spicy barbecue sauce slathered on top. The turkey was juicy and the chicken was pretty moist as well. The green beans needed more meat. Literally. I want mine coated with bacon grease.

 Richie fell in love with the vinegar based Carolina-style sauce that had quite a zip to it, but determined the pork was a tad on the dry side. He was also unimpressed by the baked beans, which is no surprise to anyone who has tasted his homemade brown sugar loaded version. For a barbecue chain, Bandana's is certainly a step above the rest. The meat has a good smoky flavor, but seems to be missing some of the love you'll find at smaller bbq joints. Nonetheless, it will satisfy your hankering for smoked meats and thousands of calories.

Which Wich

Finally rolling out a new blog post.  Taking a one year old out to eat isn't exactly a barrel of fun.  Who knew?

This past weekend we headed west to Hawkeye country for an overnight stay in Coralville, Iowa.  Desperate for food on a busy Friday night, we finally ended up stopping at a strip mall in a mall parking lot.  I had heard of the chain Which Wich, but again, this one is slow to expand in Iowa, so it's new to us.

 What makes Which Wich different from any other sandwich place?  Well it doesn't smell like a boy's locker room.  It also lets you customize your sandwich in a variety of ways by marking your choices on a paper bag into which your sandwich will delicately be placed.  As someone who likes a weird combination of tastes that could cause the snotty food workers to give me a stink eye, I liked the anonymity of the bag.  They do ask you to write your name, but you could write any version of the Seymour Butts gag if you choose. Which wich also has a lot more options than your average sandwich joint, hence the "no holding up the line" paper bag trick.

 After marking our choices, we grabbed a table and waited for our big Come on down! moment.  Richie got called first so he grabbed his Wicked Wich and got to munching.  The Wicked is a 5 meat monstrosity that includes 3 cheeses to really get your heart pumping and failing.  He also asked for horseradish, crispy onion thingys, and a kitchen sink.

My tame looking salad came out next, just the way I asked.  Double the ham, scrambled eggs, feta cheese, and yellow mustard.  Chef don't judge.

 Red has a pretty limited taste palate, so we hoped pizzawich minus the crusts would satisfy. It did. 

Which Wich was created by a veteran in the food business who was burnt out on the quality and lack of variety in quick service sandwich shops.  I would say he did a great job of improving the food and atmosphere.  The food costs a little more than your 5 dollar footlong, but it's worth bypassing the slimy meats and tasteless cheeses.  If you happen upon a Which Wich, stop by for a brown bagged treat. 

Sunshine Family Restaurant

On a freezing cold day in Iowa, there's really not much to do, except maybe clean your house, but who does that? Certainly not me. We decided to head North to Dubuque to visit an aquarium. But this is Iowa, so it was just filled with big ugly suckers like gar and catfish. To make up for the less than impressive aquatic displays, we decided to stop for a hearty meal. We settled on the closest place that served breakfast food.

Sunshine Family Restaurant is located in an old building on a tiny corner in downtown Dubuque. The history of the restaurant is printed on the menus but did I think to take a photo of it? Nope. It has had many different names over the years but, as I recall, it has always been a family restaurant. The restaurant has an open floor plan with booths along the walls, tables in the center, register up front, and closed off kitchen. The decor is retro, but not really in a cool way. It seems stuck in the early 80s, but at least it was clean and comfortable.

 Clearly we were moving in this pic




The menu resembled a short novel. I found the breakfast chapter and settled in. The waitress was very prompt, so I panicked and chose the meat lovers skillet, which was a good choice in the end. Richie asked for his current food infatuation, the corned beef and hash. We ordered a burger for the offspring whose tastes seem to be a perfect blend of both of us, eating only red meat and sugar. Our food came out blazing fast, which is a huge plus when you have a toddler with limitless energy

The skillet a lovely nest of freshly shredded hash browns mingling with the three little piggies, bacon, ham, and sausage. A light blanket of scrambled eggs laid on top. The meal came with a side of toast and cost less than 6 dollars.

Richie's plate could barely contain the mountain of hash and more than generous serving of potatoes.

Red's hamburger came on a soft bun and heap of thick cut french fries.

 Swimming always leaves me famished and just watching those fish must have had the same effect. We threw the food down our throats like it was our last meal.

Sunshine was the perfect place for these two breakfast loving bodies. The food left our bellies full and warm on that chilly Sunday. Hours: 6 am-9 pm daily Partial Menu