Quantcast
   
Tuesday - March 19, 2024
Quad Cities USA - Guide to Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa and Rock Island & Moline Illinois
 

Big Swing Goes Big To Rock Downtown Rock Island TODAY!

March 15th, 2019
Big Swing Goes Big To Rock Downtown Rock Island TODAY!

The Big Swing is stepping to the tee in downtown Rock Island, opening its doors at noon today at the location of the old Blue Cat Brew Pub, 113 18th St., with a limited menu for Friday and Saturday before closing Sunday and Monday and re-opening with its full menu Tuesday, March 19. QuadCities.com was invited for a sneak preview of the venue to check out the menu and decor prior to the opening, and while it was still a work in progress when we saw it, its look was very much in line with the Blue Cat, albeit with a different color scheme and some refurbished seats, tables and hardware. The walls... Read More

Exclusive Look at the Big Swing Menu!

March 14th, 2019
Exclusive Look at the Big Swing Menu!

We at QuadCities.com are as excited as you are for the big grand opening of the Big Swing. The new restaurant and brew pub, located in the old Blue Cat Brew Pub in downtown Rock Island, opens Friday at noon. However, QuadCities.com was given an exclusive sneak preview of the hot spot. We were stoked to see the new menu and we’re here to share it with you. Check out your site for fun, free, local entertainment later tonight for more pictures of the interior and more news on the Big Swing grand opening. And don’t forget to like and check out our Facebook page for an exclusive video preview of... Read More

Big Swing Swings Into Downtown Rock Island Next Friday!

March 8th, 2019
Big Swing Swings Into Downtown Rock Island Next Friday!

The scotch egg is staying. So is the meatloaf. So is the catfish, and many other menu items, almost all of the décor and a good portion of the staff, when The Big Swing opens next Friday in the former Blue Cat Brew Pub. The spot will have a limited menu opening Friday and Saturday, March 15-16, then will be closed Sunday and Monday, before having its full opening and menu March 19. “We’re excited and we’re looking forward to opening and welcoming the community,” said John Timmer, a co-owner of the Swing, as well as Milan’s Backyard Bowl and Abides Bar and Grill, with Shane Scott and... Read More

Big Swing Swinging Into Rock Island In March

February 21st, 2019
Big Swing Swinging Into Rock Island In March

The Big Swing Brewing Company, located in the spot of the former Blue Cat Brew Pub at 113 8th St., Rock Island, will be opening in March prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, sources say. The new owners of The Big Swing are local real estate developers John Timmer, Shane Scott and Jon McAtee. The trio are the creative and financial force behind the new Backyard Bowl and Abides Bar, in the old Milan Lanes building, 2020 1st St. W, Milan. Some members of the Blue Cat staff will be moving to the Big Swing, so Cat fans can expect to see some familiar faces. It’s still up in the air as... Read More

Farewell, Blue Cat, You Were Beloved

September 7th, 2018
Farewell, Blue Cat, You Were Beloved

Farewell, old friend. Through murky magnificent memories of countless theater after-parties, lonely nights of last calls, the rushes of love and infatuation, passionate kisses and warm hands held, a very public breakup at the bar, a very public makeup off in a corner booth upstairs, huge smiles and laughs, big embraces from friends, solitary lunches with a notebook and a pen, business meetings and birthday celebrations, late nights and early mornings, and even a baby shower, the Blue Cat has been the setting for a large portion of my adult life, as well as the lives of many others. When the Cat... Read More

Don’t Scotch The Scotch Egg! Blue Cat Fans Offer Pitches For Big Swing Menu

August 31st, 2018
Don’t Scotch The Scotch Egg! Blue Cat Fans Offer Pitches For Big Swing Menu

Will the Scotch Egg be scotched? Will the soups survive? And will Arkham Stout be in, or out? Blue Cat Brew Pub will close its doors tonight, after 24 years in business, and soon, a new brew pub, Big Swing, will take its place after a few weeks of renovations. It’s still up in the air as to what Blue Cat menu items will be kept around beyond its demise. Brew master Dan Cleaveland will remain on staff for at least a year with the new venue, bringing his 60-plus beer recipes with him, so the chances of the BC brews still popping up in the new spot are high. But what about the food? As reported... Read More

Have Good Memories Of Blue Cat? Want Your Favorite Menu Items To Stick Around?

August 30th, 2018
Have Good Memories Of Blue Cat? Want Your Favorite Menu Items To Stick Around?

Since opening in 1994, Blue Cat Brew Pub has been one of the favorite hangouts, restaurants and brew pubs for thousands of Quad-Citians, and been the spot for many great memories. As we near the Blue Cat’s closing date of Aug. 31, we’re asking you to share your favorite Blue Cat memories and menu items with us! Please feel free to email your favorite memories to Sean@QuadCities.com. This will be for an upcoming story about the Blue Cat, its customers and people’s favorite memories of the local hot spot. Also, please email your favorite Blue Cat menu items and beers to us as well at Sean@QuadCities.com.... Read More

Blue Cat’s New Owners Identified, New Direction Becoming Clearer

August 24th, 2018
Blue Cat’s New Owners Identified, New Direction Becoming Clearer

EXCLUSIVE – The new owners of Rock Island’s Blue Cat Brew Pub, soon to be the Big Swing Brew Pub, are local real estate developers John Timmer, Shane Scott and Jon McAtee, according to a number of sources who asked not to be identified, and verified through city documents and applications. The sale to the trio was also confirmed Friday by Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms, during recording of an episode of the podcast QCUNCUT. The trio are the creative and financial force behind the new Backyard Bowl and Abides Bar, in the old Milan Lanes building, 2020 1st St. W, Milan, which is having its opening... Read More

New Backyard Bowl Hits A Strike For Great Food, Fun, Lebowski References

August 23rd, 2018
New Backyard Bowl Hits A Strike For Great Food, Fun, Lebowski References

The new Backyard Bowl and Abides Bar is a fantastic addition to the local entertainment landscape, particularly as a draw in an area barren of other options – Milan and southwest Rock Island. The complex, at 2020 1st St. W, Milan, in the old Milan Lanes building, is a wonderful mix of high-tech bowling alley, sports bar, video game arcade and surprisingly delicious and eclectic gastro pub. Regardless of all the entertainment options, the food alone is enough of a draw, as the menu is full of tasty surprises, from flatbread pizzas featuring figs, pears and prosciutto to bourbon bacon burgers and... Read More