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.

Boston Mass part 2

On the only morning that it didn't rain in sheets, we walked up to Beacon Hill for breakfast and stopped in a cafe called The Paramount. The guidebook I found in our hotel room claims it has been a Boston favorite for breakfasts since 1937.














Walking in, I was surprised at how tiny it is. It's very narrow and a half dozen or so small tables were crammed against the left side of the wall. They have specific instructions on going to the counter and ordering, paying, and then finding a seat. The rules explain that this helps keep people moving in and out and minimizes wait. Though the restaurant was full when we walked in, by the time we had ordered and were ready to sit, a table had opened up.




























We both ordered spinach, feta, and tomato omelets. They were 8.50 and came with toast and potatoes. Just a couple minutes later the food was ready and were eating.




























This definitely beat the Rice Krispy treat I had for breakfast the day before. The ingredients were fresh and the food was prepared in open view of patrons, so I know he didn't sneeze in it.

After visiting Paul Revere's sad little house, we were in need of a sugar rush and luckily we were in Little Italy. We passed by a few pastry shops but I was drawn to this one because of the funky marquee.













Modern Pastry was opened over 70 yrs ago by Italian immigrants. They claim that the recipes are originals passed down from 'the old country.'
I drooled over the pastry case, while my mom picked up some pasta for my sister.
























































My mom got a slice of carrot cake, while I got a whoopie pie. Here's the cute little box they came in.













I took that baby back to the hotel room and had my way with it. The next picture includes content of pleasurable nature. Look away if you are easily offended.

































Best whoopie pie ever. then again, I've only had grocery store versions and Wicked Whoopies
Much like Lindsay Lohan's nostrils, my lips were covered with a sinful layer of white powder. My mom quickly scarfed the carrot cake before I could poke a finger in it. Bummer.

If we ever return to Boston, I'm definitely stopping by Modern again to try a cannoli, just so I can exclaim, Holy cannoli!

Boston Mass

I happened to be in Boston the week of the worst raining and flooding the region has seen in like 100 yrs. I was also "blessed" with the stomach flu. Luckily I was still able to suck it up and eat at a few historical 'greasy joints.' I'll just highlight a couple.

Jacob Wirth Company on Stuart Street is a German restaurant that was established by Jacob, a Prussian immigrant, in Boston during the reconstruction era. I imagined they suffered a bit during prohibition... and World War 2... with the whole Hitler thing...and a logo that looks like him...














As you can imagine, the building smelled like an old museum or barn, or your grandmother's house, but the interior was clean and the mahogany interior was restored and well maintained.














The menu had many traditional German foods, so of course we thought we would try some... sort of. Though they offered wiener-schnitzel and sauerbraten, we both ordered Americanized German food. I opted for the grilled chicken Reuben with sweet potato fries and my mom ordered a bratwurst with onion rings.



I wasn't a fan of their sauerkraut, but the sweet potato fries were pretty awesome










Bratwurst and rings







The food was alright, but I think the main attraction at Jacob Wirth's must be their beer. Check out their beer board...


This guy was attempting to draw an Easter bunny








We also walked the Freedom Trail to the oldest restaurant in the U.S., a National Historic Landmark- The Union Oyster House.

The building is over 250 yrs old but the restaurant was established in 1826 as Atwood and Bacon Oyster house. The Kennedy family frequented the restaurant and a booth upstairs is dedicated in memory to JFK, who liked to dine there. And probably fornicate in the restroom.

































The actual Oyster bar-














Of course we were given oyster crackers to snack on...














Not being a fan of seafood, I knew I would probably be eating some mediocre chicken plate.














It was good and bland which happened to be just what my stomach needed.

Neither of us had the cajones to try oysters, but my mom did get a lobster salad roll. Turns out she doesn't like lobster. eh, who knew?













Being in such an old building with a lot of history was fun, but once again, the food was just okay. Probably would fare better for seafood lovers instead of landlubbers.

Sports Fans

(Indulge me as I celebrate baseball season)

"They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom."

Sports Fans in Bettendorf Iowa is, surprise!, a sports bar. However, it's not your typical grubby little place that slings beer and serves sub-par food.














Sports Fans is, dare I say, a family bar. It has a giant bar in the middle of the restaurant for the dudes who want their beers, but it also has a lot of table seating for groups to come in, enjoy the food, and play some trivia. We decided to "grab some bench" at the bar, directly beneath three HDTVs. Unfortunately the news at noon was on, so we ate while enjoying the latest crime and weather reports.














As you can see, there was another TV directly behind us on the wall. That's because this place is filled to the brim with TVs. A lot of people go to Sports Fans to watch Cubs and Cards games, and I'm sure they will be there for the Final Four this weekend. Of course, a few of the TVs are reserved for trivia. When we visited, one bro "Dann-o" was kicking ass against the creatively named "Robert229".














“Hello again, everybody. It's a bee-yooo-tiful day for burgers.”













Though they are pretty well known for their midwest style pizza, we opted to take other routes through hungrytown. The menu is very large for a bar, with lots of pizza, burger, salad, and sandwich options. Plus homemade soup to boot.

It might be... it could be... it is! A grand salad














I took a swing and connected with the Santa Fe Salad. Greens, roasted peppers, tomatoes, and red onion with fajita style chicken. Also, two slices of garlic bread.

Now batting, Richie Young...
And straight up the middle like a bullet... here's the Crazy Cow burger which also included roasted peppers and onions and mozz cheese.














If you build it, he will eat it





















this zesty burger went down faster than Don Zimmer









He very much enjoyed this homemade coleslaw, moreso than any other slaw he's tried. Ew is all i have to say about coleslaw...just ew. Might as well eat lawn clippings mixed with mayo...



"Is it just me Patrick, or is the grass longer here than it is at Wrigley?"
"Well, we're playing on turf today Ron."



















"The only thing we had in common was that she was from Iowa, and I had once heard of Iowa."







You can put it on the board...yessss, we enjoyed our lunch at Sports Fans. They were very busy, but our servers were polite and prompt. Be sure to check out their amazingly cheap daily lunch specials "Tomorrow. Noon.. Be there, buffalo-butt breath."

Sterling Family Restaurant

A recent trip to Peoria brought us to Louie's Sterling Family Restaurant. Sterling Family Restaurant has mostly home-style foods with a few Greek dishes thrown in for good measure. Opa!














Who is this Louie fella? He is a mustached Greek immigrant who opened the restaurant just over 20 yrs ago in 1989. Apparently this mustached mushroom cloud logo represents him.














The seating in the main room is similar to a dining car, just one long row of booths and a counter.




























We sat at the counter with chunky Danny Glover.














Most of the time when you mention Sterling, people will respond with one of two statements-- "I haven't eaten there in forever" or "President Bush ate there." And indeed he did.














They seem quite proud of that visit, one wall is dedicated to their encounter. I was more excited that Karl Rove ate there. He actually eats food to supplement his blood-sucking.

So what do the Greek Titans eat? Apparently they eat sausage, eggs, hashbrowns and toast.




Before:










After:



















Needless to say, Richie conquered the Mount Olympus of breakfast and shall hereforth be known as Richetheus.

I'm guessing Persephone feasted on such evil foods as the incredible edible egg (substitute)...















A malicious and delicious omelet with spinach and ham. I will refer to it as a nomelet because when it first came out I said, wow that is huge! And then I proceeded to eat it all because it was delicious. nom nom.














The menu included quite a few sweet potato dishes. Not sure why...they aren't really Greek in nature. A food of the gods perhaps. Or maybe there was a surplus this year. Okay they were probably on sale at Kroeger. Anyway, the sweet potato pancake beckoned me like Sirens of the Sea.














I took a big bite and it was like Thanksgiving all over again. Minus the kid falling down the stairs and mom yelling at me for not stirring the gravy. I would recommend serving this with marshmallow fluff.






Gravy robber






So the Sterling Family Restaurant...Zeus smiles upon ye. Good enough for a President, good enough for me. I really enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and fresh hot food. Service was fast as Hermes and, though the waitresses were no Aphrodites, they were very sweet.

Apparently they thought Obama might stop by when he was in town, but he didn't. He probably went somewhere expensive and ran up a HUGE bill. Let's hope he had the cash this time.