Barley and Rye

A week before we became a quaint little family of four, Richard and I went on our once a year date night.  Though Moline's Barley and Rye is not a greasy joint, we decided to head there for a nice quiet dinner.  After all, we are high brow people who enjoy visiting locally owned establishments.

 Barley and Rye's schtick...I mean concept, is that they are farm to table.  They use ingredients grown in a 200 miles radius from the Quad Cities.  The menu is for a sophisticated palate... one that my Taco Bell loving self does not possess.

"You told me we were going to Taco Bell!"

On this particular night, after dusk, we set out to satisfy a distinct craving...for meat !

Though not a fan of red meat, I found a hamburger oddly appealing. To appease my adorable werewolf-like blood lust, I ordered the burger with a maple chorizo and side of Boetje's green beans from the specials menu.  Because meat topped with more meat is just what the doctor ordered for a healthy pregnancy.

Richie must have been satisfying a carnal craving as well.  He chose the bone marrow starter and an order of pork belly dressed with apple butter and fennel.

After a fairly long wait, our dishes were paraded out, one at a time.  The bone marrow looked particularly skeletal and not unlike the marrow treats the corgis enjoy.

dem bones

 I could not muster the courage to try it, but no matter, Richie had it finished in about 60 seconds, which is really not that impressive when you consider the amount of edible food it contained.  He said the texture was off putting.

                                


I did partake in the pork belly, which was similar to a soft bacon but with the apple, had an added sweetness to it.

belly for my belly

 I liked the texture and different tastes in this dish, but again, there wasn't much food there.

The burger was, as requested, well done.  The flavors from the chorizo infused the burger with some sweet and spicy flavor that cleared my sinuses, but the overall texture was a bit crumbly and dry.

McCute

I ate a vegetable.

The chorizo's maple flavor was strong and I finished feeling like I had just polished off a hearty breakfast.   I left with a strong case of acid reflux and I suspect Richie did too, after paying our bill...yikes.

What can I say?  We deviated from our normal food choices and took a chance on some unique dishes from Barley and Rye.  It wasn't our cup of (fifty dollar) tea, but it might be yours.  The menu changes with the seasons and availability of ingredients.  Be sure to check out the ever changing Chef's features and event nights on their FB page.

River House

 Looking for yet another solid burger joint, The River House in Moline (1510 River Dr) beckoned to us from across the Mississippi River.  We obliged, and found ourselves there for lunch one fine summer day.

There is a nice outdoor patio area, but ragweed is raging and my body revolting, so we headed inside and found a nice booth by the front window.

Our waitress was fast to greet us and get us drinks, but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the lunch rush.

Much of the menu looked appealing, but the fried pickles were recommended by friends who said they were amazing.

BE RIGHT THERE

  That wasn't enough to please my pickled palate.  I also ordered the Cuban sandwich consisting of barbeque pork, ham, cheese, and pickles on toast.

Though several burgers looked pleasing, Richie went with his namesake, the Richie Rich.  This bitchin burger was made for him.  It seemed like the best deal, $10.99 for two patties (most of the single patty burgers were $9-10) AND it came with a drink.  The burger was layered with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and "special sauce," which may or may not be politically correct these days.

Pickles were plucked out of the fryer and promptly placed on our table.  I promptly proceeded to reduce my tongue to ashes.

 Lesson learned.  But were they amazing?

And out comes the "differently sauced" beast of a burger.  Richie was all...

And he did.  Though the burgers' flavor didn't quite cut it for him, he did finish his meal satisfied.

The Cuban was quite intimidating, but I stood my ground.  

The pork was great, the ham was a little tough.  Neither of us were impressed with the crinkle cut fries.  

The food was better than average, and portion sizes were generous.  Though not everything was a win, I think we will be back to conquer another Cuban... and a burger.  

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?  

Bare Bones BBQ

Ain't nothin like some good barbeque.

Bare Bones BBQ is located in the old Waffle House restaurant near the airport in Moline (2401 69th Ave). I can't even tell you the last time I had good barbeque. Probably when we visited North Carolina in 2009. Good BBQ in the QC is scarce as a hens teeth, but I spotted this place during an airport pick-up and immediately notified Richie of the grand discovery.


Once again, he took his new partner in crime, Bateman, to the restaurant to check it out, but luckily I scored some takeout.


Richie was fixin to put some brisket and beans in his bread basket.


So tender and rich, the brisket was *almost* melt-in-your-mouth.


Beans were sweet and adorned with small pieces of brisket. Because who doesn't want meat with your meat? Sauce is sweet and spicy, but not too hot. It's always served on the side.


I reckon he inhaled this feast in nearabout 2 shakes of a lamb's tail.


Bean porn


Cornbread...the bane of my existence, the reason for his. Richie declared it hunky dorey fluffy.


Bateman inspecting his cornbread specimen


Ain't bringin a doggy bag home tonight.
Luckily, my pork sandwich takeout arrived unscathed, and though I wasn't fixin on eating it all, it was gone in a snap. Pork was juicy and the perfect complement to the sweet sauce. Their buns ain't no Wonder Bread, they were very soft and flavorful.

I can't find much of a web presence for Bare Bones, but be sure y'all skedaddle over to Moline for some quality Southern barbeque.

Bent River Brewery

Yes I will attempt to review Bent River Brewery without having tried a beer. Obviously, the appeal of going to such a place is the locally brewed ale, but bars often offer a promise of deliciously greasy food and over-the-top hamburgers at rock bottom prices.

















Bent River Brewery is located in Moline on 5th Avenue. They opened in 1997 and started brewing in 1999. They look to have some interesting flavored beers, but again, that is nothing I would know about, so take a gander...








Click here for their handcrafted beers









The brewery is located in a historical building from 1922 that once housed Henry Rehman Restaurant, Moore's Hardware, and Roger's Maytag.





























On Tuesdays, people often gather at Bent River for their burger baskets. For the entire day, the baskets are just $3 and pints of brew are just 2.50. But wait, there's more good burger news-- the special is also available daily from 11am-2pm. You can't get a more filling lunch at such a reasonable price. Unless, God help you, you eat 3 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's.














Richie and Bateman were about 15 minutes late for the burger basket special. That's the price you pay for eating at odd hours. Nonetheless, they forked out the additional 4 bucks for a burger and accompanying fries.













To spice things up, Bent River has concocted some flavorful condiments. The Wasabi ketchup will appeal to those who like things hot and sweet. If you're one of those people that eats ranch with everything (weirdo), try the Cajun ranch dip.

Richie ordered the Stackhouse burger, 1/3 pound of beef obscured by a pile of fried onions and cheese and flooded with the River's Beer-B-Que sauce.



























Bateman elected to give his tongue a zing with the Big Sky Burger, 1/3 lb of beef peppered with pickled jalapenos, red onions, pepperjack cheese, and doused Cajun ranch sauce.














The burgers packed an appealing punch of flavors and filled their bellies with sustenance for grappling with Dracula and gathering magical items.

The menu was revamped for 2010 and includes some atypical pub fare such as fancy schmancy salads, fried green beans, Shepherd's Pie and a half dozen entrees featuring portabella mushrooms.

You can GET BENT daily from 11am-3am. A must stop for beer and burger buffs.

The Belgian Village Inn Drive-Thru

Faithful readers (mom? no?) may recall that we previously sojourned to the olde town district of Moline to visit the Belgian Village Inn restaurant and pub. We learned about the Belgian neighborhood and how the place came to be known for Loretta Ceurvorst's giant loaves of bread and, later for her famous VanDeRueben sandwiches. As demand for their sandwiches grew, the family decided to open another location to serve carry-out and drive-through orders. The Belgian Village drive-through restaurant with carry out and seating inside is located at 532 19th Ave., Moline.




























Before posting, I thought I should attain some background information on Belgium, so I snatched a children's library book aptly titled, Belgium. I was instantly smitten when I read, "it takes 3 Belgians to make a party." I continued to read and, in my mind, likened Belgium to the fat guy at the frat, drinking too much, munching overly sweetened waffles, and claiming to have invented french fries. The one that, when sober, recounts improbable stories about extinguishing massive fires with piss, like Belgian folk hero Mannekin Pis . As we all know, it's easy to seduce such characters, and Germany took advantage of that not once, but twice.

But apparently, Belgium's got balls now...


















and delicious foods.

Bateman and Richie took their bromance to the next level with a lunch date at the Belgium drive-through location.













If Belgians like their food savory and sweet, then Richie must be part Flemish. He ordered the gigantic VanDeRueben on raisin bread. The sweet bread is blanketed with thousand island dressing, then draped with thin slices of corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut.



























Bateman took the more conservative route with light rye bread. n00b.








Impressive bite!





The lunch culminated with a (Belgian?) chocolate chip cookie. Fun Fact: Brussels Airport sells more chocolate than anywhere else in the world. I'd love to have a layover there!



















So check out either location of the Belgian Village Inn for a hearty sandwich and sweet treat! They'll make just about any reuben variation that you could dream of. Alstublieft!