My spotlight today is for my good friend Stephen. For three hours on a Sunday afternoon 2 years ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Stevies Eatz to chew the fat. (Pun intended). Tonight I will spend a few more hours hanging out with Stephen Dearborn, BBQ’er, Chef and most of all good friend. Stephen Dearborn, was one of those up and coming Ghost Chef’s, that took his game professional, if you will. His dream 2 years ago was a lofty one, attainable, but lofty. The tools he used to get to his level now a lot of love, dedication and imagination. The first question... Read More

The Ghost Pepper Burger. I was really really hoping this one was going to do it. Let’s dig in… Over the years Burger King has pushed the envelope, trying to ignite a new customer base with different takes on their Whoppers. The SteakHouse (Personal Favorite), The Black Bun( Only in Japan), The Angry Whopper, The Western BBQ, and of course the Impossible. This year for the Halloween season we were haunted with the Ghost Whopper.The limited-time burger features a classic flame-grilled beef patty topped with spicy queso, bacon, jalapeños, and ghost pepper cheese on a seasonally... Read More

Whereas Christmas is like the silver Cadillac of holidays, Halloween is like a jacked up Camaro with flames on the side. You can have some fun with it, you can get a little wild, you can take some chances, and that’s why it’s a good time. In the food and drink biz, Halloween always offers the opportunity to come up with creative and delicious new menu specials, and this season, Blue Cat Brew Pub, 113 18th St., Rock Island, has jumped headfirst into that haunted forest of foodstuffs with a cauldron full of specials you’ll truly … grave. (Sorry, Crypt Keeper, you’ve... Read More

Casting is critical when a show has a weak script, and that’s the case in Circa ’21’s latest show, “Clue,” which is thoroughly entertaining due to its cast elevating material that could’ve clunked in other hands. Basing an entire musical on a board game was a risky proposition from the start (pun intended), and the writers had to have a clue (ditto) that it was going to be difficult to stretch out the plotline of a narrative gaming experience into a complete two-act show without going a lot deeper on the plot. Unfortunately, the script for “Clue”... Read More

The first iteration of Igor graced the silver screens in 1933. Today Igor has been in some variation of different personas in many different classic horror movies as a bumbling and loyal assistant to mad scientist and evil monsters. However, Igor’s Bistro in Rock Island (next to Saukie Golf Course) offers up something much different than a campy horror movie. You could say its less B-Movie and more Blockbuster hit. Although I wasn’t invited into the kitchen I’m sure that they aren’t cooking up meals in a bubbling cauldron, and Chef Rick, isn’t a mad scientist,... Read More

It’s 13th Century Mongolia, you climb up on your horse to ride all day. Conquering villages, winking at village hotties, and building up a hunger only one thing could satiate. The good ole classic Hamburger. Well, I’m sorry 13th Century Mongolian Rider, although you’ve slipped some all beef patties between your horse and saddle to make it tender as a mothers love. This burger has to have “Buns Hun”… Fast forward 500 years. 1891 Oscar and Fanny Wilby of Bowden, Oklahoma are kicking off a 4th of July BBQ to celebrate “Merica”. The beer is room... Read More

There are few things fresher in life than LOCK 14 Dam Good Salsa. For example. 1). Stepping out of the shower on a hot day, wrapping a towel around your waist, and then using the A/C vent in the bathroom to air dry your undercarriage. 2). The way the pores on your nose feel for 1 min and 48 seconds after ripping a Biore charcoal nose strip off your face, that you saw in your wife’s make up drawer, while air drying your undercarriage off over a A/C vent in the bathroom. 3). Stepping into the kitchen, to a fresh batch of Lock and Dam Good Salsa on the counter that’s been prepared... Read More

Circa ‘21’s latest show, “Disaster!,” is far from a disaster, as its name would imply. It’s controlled chaos, a rampaging beast of strangeness and random oddity packed with laughs and inspired goofiness. “Disaster!” is a truly unusual show in that it parodies a film subgenre from almost 50 years ago. Back in the ‘70s, there were an array of “disaster films,” big-budget blockbusters featuring ensemble casts, usually of b-list and c-list stars, who all ended up in some awful situation – a plane going down, a ship sinking, a building being exploded by a terrorist, horrible... Read More

Well, from the looks of things, between the stifling humidity, the oppressive sun between monsoons, and the constant harassment of gnats as persistent and unwelcome as guys hitting on newly single women on social media, summer seems to have finally kayaked into the Quad-Cities. And with that new season comes a desperate need for a beverage, known to those over 21 (and ONLY those over 21, of course) as “a beer,” to satisfy the full summer cravings of escape, levity and the blessed sainthood of responsible inebriation.Local brew pubs have, generously, proven up to this crucial task on the annual.... Read More

Is Pixar the greatest animation studio in the history of film? Possibly. It can certainly compete with Disney, its quasi-parent, along with the mighty Studio Ghibli of Japan. For my money, Pixar slightly edges out Studio Ghibli and comes out on top due to two factors — the quality of animation and innovative storytelling. From 1995 to 2010, nearly every Pixar release could be considered a classic. I’ll grant you that Monsters, Inc. is well-meaning fluff, and I recognize that Cars is less geared toward families and more aimed at young children. But Wall-E, Up, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille... Read More