Food Fest is back Father’s Day weekend (June 16th to 18th) at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds! The Fairgrounds will come alive for a weekend of fun planned with nightly music, Stock Car races on Friday and our Tractor Pull on Saturday. All this and more! Full event schedule/food line-up will be finalized and announced soon. Learn more: FAIR FOOD FEST  Read More

Next to the Mighty Mississippi River sits a hidden gem. Our own little Jewel of the Nile if you will. Taste of Ethiopia will bring you a new way of experiencing the Quad Cities, in a more flavorful way. Today’s review is somewhat sponsored and two parts. I sat down with Consumed Foodie , too experience this restaurant. While it maybe a new experience to us, I have a feeling we’ve been missing out. Families and couples flow through during our lunch break and order large dinner plates and laugh and carry on as if they were right at home. The patio which offers an amazing view of the river... Read More

Can you believe this crap? Snow, record cold, and it’s barely October? Man, I need a vacation, already. Unfortunately, I also need money for that vacation, and so that trip to warmer climes will have to wait. However, there is a way we can get some warmth on these frigid days. (No, I’m not coming over to spoon you.) (Well, ok, I’ll consider it. Message me.) Aside from that though, you can get a hot potato! No, not the kind of Idaho spud type, but the type that will warm you in a different way. A more alcohol-based way. You see, folks, Bent River has this little drink they call the Hot Potato.... Read More

Looking for a catch of the week that doesn’t involve noodling the flooded Mississippi River? If you’re  jonesing for Japanese you won’t have to fish far for satisfying sushi and sashimi any longer. Osaka restaurants in Moline, Davenport and Muscatine offer fresh dishes from the land of the rising sun roll, and they’re a Godzilla-sized hit. While other local outlets have offered sushi as part of their broader menus, Osaka is unique in its sole dedication to Japanese cuisine, as well as its environment and presentation. Walk inside and you’re immersed in an expansive, warm crimson replete... Read More

You ever wonder what happened to Strawberry Shortcake? You know, Strawberry Shortcake, the cartoon ginger who has had her artificially-scented life documented by various cartoons/animated reality TV shows over the past couple of decades before they got sent to the reeking dumpster of cancellation? Her friends were Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffin, Orange Blossom and Raspberry Torte, and they all had their own sickly sweet and sour personalities, but Strawberry Shortcake was the leader. Strawberry Shortcake debuted in 1980 as a child in the cartoons, so she’d be in her forties now. And like many... Read More

It’s rare in life you find anything perfect, but you’ll come pretty damn close at Redband Coffee. I’ve been to Redband now probably 40 or 50 times over the years and I’ve yet to have anything but a superb experience, with the food, the service, the vibe, the whole schmeer. It’s exquisite. Redband serves up a limited menu but what they do, they do to perfection. The egg sandwiches, which you can get with sausage or chorizo, are maybe the best breakfast sandwiches you will ever have. I’ve been all over the country, and the only spot that rivals Redband is Snooze in Boulder (which, if... Read More

Just off the foreboding paths of Harrison Street, in the wild jungles of a college-student populated strip, and in the midst of Duck Creek, marked only by a scruffy, makeshift signpost, lies a slice of the Caribbean right here in the Quad-Cities – Zeke’s Island Café. The tropical-themed restaurants have grown like tropical forestry since opening up five years ago in their original Kimberly Road location (now closed), before spreading to the two new locales like palm trees in the rainy season. “It’s pretty cool, I look at how things have grown and I’m like, ‘wow,’” said chef Jason... 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

Just off the foreboding paths of Harrison Street, in the wild jungles of a college-student populated strip, and in the midst of Duck Creek, marked only by a scruffy, makeshift signpost, lies a slice of the Caribbean right here in the Quad-Cities – Zeke’s Island Café. The tropical-themed restaurants have grown like tropical forestry since opening up five years ago in their original Kimberly Road location (now closed), before spreading to the two new locales like palm trees in the rainy season. “It’s pretty cool, I look at how things have grown and I’m like, ‘wow,’” said chef Jason... Read More

There’s a robust family atmosphere that fills Sal Vitale’s and Sons, with the same richness and flavor of their delicious Italian food. The authentic Sicilian restaurant at 1010 Park Ave has been a family tradition since opening in 1984, said owner Salvatore Vitale, and given how the amiable Salvatore beams with jocularity and pride when speaking about it, it’s easy to see how it’s become so popular. “It’s all about the quality, and the situation is, absolutely nobody has the products and the ingredients we have,” Vitale said, proudly. “Everyone has quality ingredients, but we’ve... Read More