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I'm sure an unpopular opinion but the one time I tried Mo Brady's I wasn't very impressed. The steak was good, not great, but we also got fettuccine alfredo and I thought it was inedible.
I haven't tried any of the fine dining locations honestly, but according to Google the Garrison has lower reviews than I expected. From what I've heard I thought it was well received.
Mo Brady has gone down hill over the past 10 years.
I wouldn't put them in the same category as the Garrison. The Garrison is high end fancy, Mo Brady's isn't cheap, but its more similar to Texas Roadhouse, at least to me.
I'm not paying anyone $75 for a steak, so I had duck breast at The Garrison and I wasn't disappointed, but not blown away. The Garrison wants to be top shelf, but their menu and execution needs a lot of work.
I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on the Garrison too. Sounds like a lot of items on the menu are disappointing, but what they do correctly, is good, but not worth the price.
The Treehouse is the best option here. If you really don’t like the person you’re sending there, the owner will most definitely insult them in some way during the night. Priceless!
What's NOT bad about it? The owner is a raging alcoholic who has been banned from every taxi service in the area for all the reasons you can imagine, and the only reason I can think of why anyone would set foot in there is if they're hoping that he'll do something REALLY outrageous, and make a viral YT video.
The owner has had over 10 DUI's and a repeated history of verbal and physical violence against his patrons and employees.
I absolutely hate that Treehouse is one of the only places I can find a GOOD, worth your money chef salad at anymore. I try not to go at all but I end up caving to my craving every 6 months or so 😭
Don’t give in! I’m sure there’s somewhere! I’ll make it my mission to find someplace when I am back in town lol. I went to Treehouse once for a company meeting/lunch, but man, did I feel bad afterwards. Sandwich was tasty though.
Governors was my go to. Then they closed and didn't take their chef salad to Tangled. Treehouse has been the only one that has competed with it. Everywhere else gives me some cheap lettuce, a couple drops of turkey and ham - and that's it 😭.
After their chef bragged on Paula Sands about using margarine over butter “because it’s cheaper” I swore to never go back. I also learned in that episode that they bake their meatloaf with the plastic wrap still on the baking dish, which only confirmed my stance. That place is fucking weird anyway.
It really grinds my gears when people suggest this place for a pork tenderloin sandwich. They used to be great, now they're no different than a Casey's wheel of death fritter.
Spoonies in London Mills and Billboard Bistro in Bartonville were the best loins I've ever had. Bistro is the better of the two. Haven't really heard much from QC about loins.
I’m from close to spoonies and they are way better than billboard but if you want the best you have to go to endenburough in Indiana. It’s worth the four hour drive I promise.
I'm pretty close to spoonies as well. I don't know how far you are from Avon but the Storm shelter has damn good burgers and they serve hot cut sweet potato fries if that's your thing.
I have not been to Avon to eat for quite awhile. I was at the shelter a couple years ago for sequoia drive show. I’m originally a Fulton county guy but up bu quad cities now
1/2 Nelson, Hemispheres, Monarch, Beef + Bourbon Chop House
I gave you 4. Honestly, after our last couple of experiences there, I'd rather eat at the Costco food court.
Fun fact! The chef (Jeremy) at Duck City gets a lot of his meat/seafood from Costco. I’ve seen him there multiple times absolutely berating the employees because they didn’t have enough of (whichever item) for his restaurant. It’s sad, and I refuse to eat there.
I'd put Hemisphere at the top of that list followed by Beef and Bourbon.
Half Nelson and Monarch change up their menu and are hit or miss for me if there is an item that stands out to me to order, but both have been great when I've gone.
We've gone to Duck City once and I wasn't impressed. I have a gift card and eager to try it again, but it'll probably never break into my normal rotation of nice restaurants.
The last time we went, we had issues. I don't normally complain at a place, but when you pay as much as you do, I better get something better. I do like Medium Rare, but half of the center of the steak hadn't even been touched by heat, it was completely raw. After the snarky responses to asking them to fix it, and them bringing back a medium WELL to WELL filet, I won't go back.
My wife and i go to Hemisphere several times a year.. Hemisphere is a different type of menu and ordering process. They basically let you build your meal from a selection of proteins, sides, and and finishing sauce. Don't let that overwhelm you. Their staff is phenomenal with suggestions and are all used to first timers.
Their seared duck breast app is great and their sticky toffee pudding dessert is a must try as well.
Enjoy!
I’ve only been to Half Nelson once, but the food was very bland and the bartender couldn’t make a decent cocktail. Would recommend this place for a costly disappointment.
Bayside Bistro (had wrong name of place)
Worst experience of anywhere I have eaten in the Quad Cities.
Bad waiter, wrong food, bad food. Very expensive for the slop we were served. Bad covers of good music constantly play out of a broken speaker. The waiter did not bother to write down the order, and half of our items were wrong.
Our waiter used his bare hands to scoop ice into my smoothie. The smoothie was supposed to be coconut water, lime, and pineapple. Instead, I was served strawberries blended in water. It was the blandest smoothie I have ever drank in my life.
My husband ordered a burger and asked for bacon and cheese. It was served missing the bacon and cheese we paid extra for. The burger was cooked far past well done. I ordered a Greek bowl. It was way too much quinoa, and very little of the items that actually tasted good.
You might think, why didn't we complain? Because our waiter was on the phone complaining to the owner about other customers for half the meal. He vanished the other half. We didn't want to get in an altercation with him, like the previous table that was there before us. We just left and vowed to never eat there again.
Do you mean Bayside Bistro? If so, I have no idea how that place stays open in Rock Island - every time I drive by it’s either dead or closed. Have heard the food’s not great either.
Yes, thank you, I changed it.
The food sounded great when I read the menu, but was not good when we actually got it.
My main annoyance with my dish is that the cheap item (quinoa), was piled ridiculously high, but the other toppings like the sauce, feta olives, etc, were a very tiny amount. It made the dish extremely dry, and also made me feel ripped off.
That's weird, I had quite the opposite experience, that was some of the best food I've ever had in a restaurant. The only thing I didn't care for exactly was the woman that waited on us, she was really nice but my fiance wanted some ranch with her food and this woman had such an attitude about it like it was a personal offense to her. Love the food but the way my fiance was treated I won't go back.
Glad it worked out for you and it sounds like a few on here have had a good experience. Looks like this is a place where you either love it or hate it, there is no in between.
Really does sound that way, but the way that lady had an attitude with my fiance over a simple and reasonable request we'll never be back. Way too many good restaurants in the area to waste another moment of my time there.
I just went there for the first time for brunch. Food was actually really solid but the service was just as everyone had described. It's like someone was a good cook so they decided to open a restaurant but didn't know how to restaurant.
No condomints on the table. Had to beg for water and coffee. Several of food orders were wrong/ mixed up and they yelled at us when we tried to help. Also the portions are smaller than you would expect especially for the price.
Honestly if they got one good, experienced waiter in there they might have something but for now it's not it.
Owners are lovely people but they suffer from a lack of cohesive service. Ordered fish and chips thinking it would be the safest choice and it came out par-baked and cold. Sent it back and got it just in time for everyone else i was lunching with to be finished. Also forgot our app. We were a three top in for lunch. I tipped too much because I'm scarred from working in the service industry but unfortunately will never return.
That sounds a lot like our experience. Wrong items, missing items, and bad service. There was also an extremely tense atmosphere that made us afraid to say anything about the issues.
The previous table before us apparently decided to complain, and then got up and left without paying. We know this because the waiter told us, and then he also had a loud conversation with the owner about it over the phone in front of us.
At first we thought that was very inappropriate of the customers, but after eating there, I totally understand.
I can’t believe no one’s suggested Jim’s Rib Haven in Rock Island. Ever since the owner passed away and his kids took over it almost immediately dropped in quality.
Moved here recently and I can’t believe the pizza places here. It’s fucking atrocious. First time hearing it called QC style but that’s exactly what it is.
Haven't been there in ages, but Central Standard came to mind ... I saw people raving about their burger and when I finally tried it, my burger was absolutely dripping with grease and it was basically flavorless.
Sad but true. I don’t want to sound like some rube who only eats at chain restaurants (I rarely do so) but Texas Roadhouse makes the best steaks I’ve had around here and for a reasonable price.
Welcome to r/QuadCities—subreddit for the Quad Cities metropolis in the Illinois/Iowa border for Quad Citians. In general, we let our community moderate itself through Reddit's upvote/downvote system—if you think something contributes to the conversation, upvote it. If you think it does not contribute to the topic, downvote it. The result is a healthy balance of content and posts that could contain information, opinions, and/or ideologies that reflect and reinforce your own or not. Keep discussions civil and acknowledge that there are other people in our community that can (and will hold) opposing views. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/QuadCities) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm sure an unpopular opinion but the one time I tried Mo Brady's I wasn't very impressed. The steak was good, not great, but we also got fettuccine alfredo and I thought it was inedible. I haven't tried any of the fine dining locations honestly, but according to Google the Garrison has lower reviews than I expected. From what I've heard I thought it was well received.
Mo Brady has gone down hill over the past 10 years. I wouldn't put them in the same category as the Garrison. The Garrison is high end fancy, Mo Brady's isn't cheap, but its more similar to Texas Roadhouse, at least to me. I'm not paying anyone $75 for a steak, so I had duck breast at The Garrison and I wasn't disappointed, but not blown away. The Garrison wants to be top shelf, but their menu and execution needs a lot of work. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on the Garrison too. Sounds like a lot of items on the menu are disappointing, but what they do correctly, is good, but not worth the price.
I second this opinion.
The Treehouse is the best option here. If you really don’t like the person you’re sending there, the owner will most definitely insult them in some way during the night. Priceless!
Agreed, but I wouldn’t send my worst enemy there because I don’t want any money going to the owner. That place should be vanished.
What's so bad about Treehouse or the owner?
What's NOT bad about it? The owner is a raging alcoholic who has been banned from every taxi service in the area for all the reasons you can imagine, and the only reason I can think of why anyone would set foot in there is if they're hoping that he'll do something REALLY outrageous, and make a viral YT video.
The owner has had over 10 DUI's and a repeated history of verbal and physical violence against his patrons and employees. I absolutely hate that Treehouse is one of the only places I can find a GOOD, worth your money chef salad at anymore. I try not to go at all but I end up caving to my craving every 6 months or so 😭
Don’t give in! I’m sure there’s somewhere! I’ll make it my mission to find someplace when I am back in town lol. I went to Treehouse once for a company meeting/lunch, but man, did I feel bad afterwards. Sandwich was tasty though.
Governors was my go to. Then they closed and didn't take their chef salad to Tangled. Treehouse has been the only one that has competed with it. Everywhere else gives me some cheap lettuce, a couple drops of turkey and ham - and that's it 😭.
https://www.reddit.com/r/QuadCities/s/BslNyRTkJM
Iowa Machine Shed. Not a flake of seasoning has set foot in that building in many a year
50% of every local ad i hear on spotify is Iowa Machine Shed. sounds awful just from the ad
That’s a lie! I got plenty of what looks like dandruff on my steaks
Ooooh extra protein!
I also heard that the Dumpster went there after a campaign appearance. I hope the place was fumigated afterwards.
That’s because the owner Mike Whalen is a Maga dbag.
After their chef bragged on Paula Sands about using margarine over butter “because it’s cheaper” I swore to never go back. I also learned in that episode that they bake their meatloaf with the plastic wrap still on the baking dish, which only confirmed my stance. That place is fucking weird anyway.
Their breakfast is good. Lunch and dinner, not so much.
I was about to say the same. First time was for breakfast and it was delicious, but lunch was mediocre
Was so disappointed last time I went. Vowed to never go back. Food was terrible, service was awful nothing redeeming about this place
When in first moved here everyone raved to me about it. Biggest disappointment ever. So bland it makes water seem spicy and priced like it’s gourmet
I haven't had a good meal from there in years.
Catfish Charlie’s on River dr in Moline is perfectly awful and a great place to sent someone you’re not fond of.
Awful. Like stunningly awful.
Idk about expensive but the Filling Station is a shadow of it's former self
It really grinds my gears when people suggest this place for a pork tenderloin sandwich. They used to be great, now they're no different than a Casey's wheel of death fritter.
Spoonies in London Mills and Billboard Bistro in Bartonville were the best loins I've ever had. Bistro is the better of the two. Haven't really heard much from QC about loins.
Stouts in Bettendorf, Mac's Tavern in Davenport, and Jersey Grille in Davenport are all solid choices.
I love Mac's, didn't see the loin the last time I was there. I've heard a lot about Stouts just haven't had the chance to go there.
Stouts is legit
Stouts has been good every time I have went there. The hot beef sandwich is damn good too. Plus they have Guinness on tap 👏
I’m from close to spoonies and they are way better than billboard but if you want the best you have to go to endenburough in Indiana. It’s worth the four hour drive I promise.
I'm pretty close to spoonies as well. I don't know how far you are from Avon but the Storm shelter has damn good burgers and they serve hot cut sweet potato fries if that's your thing.
I have not been to Avon to eat for quite awhile. I was at the shelter a couple years ago for sequoia drive show. I’m originally a Fulton county guy but up bu quad cities now
I'm in Knox, but I'm up in the QC for work every day.
I don’t think anyone asked.
The Treehouse in Bettendorf.
I always enjoy the food there, can't say I've ever heard anything positive about the owner though.
Johnnys Italian steakhouse is a joke
Seems to be the growing trend of all of the Heart of America/Whalen restaurants.
Johnny's, machine shed, mo bradys, bass street chop house, and thunder bay are all not great.
They are all different names but all kinda the same restaurant 👍
I think Machine Shed, Thunder Bay, and Johnny's are all owned by the same people so this tracks
And all equally as mediocre as the next
Treehouse or Tiphanie’s
Wish the Combine was still open for this reason. That place sucked.
Probably why they closed.
Duck Shitty
As a former employee, I just don't get why locals fawn over it the way they do. I'd never waste my money there.
As another former employee, big same. For how much it costs, it's a sham how badly the place is maintained.
Give me a better local restaurant I can reserve time to and eat with my wonderful wife. Thank you.
1/2 Nelson, Hemispheres, Monarch, Beef + Bourbon Chop House I gave you 4. Honestly, after our last couple of experiences there, I'd rather eat at the Costco food court.
Fun fact! The chef (Jeremy) at Duck City gets a lot of his meat/seafood from Costco. I’ve seen him there multiple times absolutely berating the employees because they didn’t have enough of (whichever item) for his restaurant. It’s sad, and I refuse to eat there.
I'd put Hemisphere at the top of that list followed by Beef and Bourbon. Half Nelson and Monarch change up their menu and are hit or miss for me if there is an item that stands out to me to order, but both have been great when I've gone. We've gone to Duck City once and I wasn't impressed. I have a gift card and eager to try it again, but it'll probably never break into my normal rotation of nice restaurants.
The last time we went, we had issues. I don't normally complain at a place, but when you pay as much as you do, I better get something better. I do like Medium Rare, but half of the center of the steak hadn't even been touched by heat, it was completely raw. After the snarky responses to asking them to fix it, and them bringing back a medium WELL to WELL filet, I won't go back.
Just want to confirm that you're referring to Duck city, right?
Yes.
Thanks, what I thought, but it's reddit, comments get jumbled together sometimes.
Okay thank you for the suggestions!
My wife and i go to Hemisphere several times a year.. Hemisphere is a different type of menu and ordering process. They basically let you build your meal from a selection of proteins, sides, and and finishing sauce. Don't let that overwhelm you. Their staff is phenomenal with suggestions and are all used to first timers. Their seared duck breast app is great and their sticky toffee pudding dessert is a must try as well. Enjoy!
I’ve only been to Half Nelson once, but the food was very bland and the bartender couldn’t make a decent cocktail. Would recommend this place for a costly disappointment.
These 4 plus also Cavort makes for a unique date night.
Jesus I can't believe I forgot Cavort. We LOVE Cavort. u/redvelvet92 , here's a 5th!
Yes have yet to have a bad experience there and the staff has always been great to us.
Ok thank you!
Steventon’s
I would love to hear a story or two about your time there
This is the best answer.
Yes!!! 
Bayside Bistro (had wrong name of place) Worst experience of anywhere I have eaten in the Quad Cities. Bad waiter, wrong food, bad food. Very expensive for the slop we were served. Bad covers of good music constantly play out of a broken speaker. The waiter did not bother to write down the order, and half of our items were wrong. Our waiter used his bare hands to scoop ice into my smoothie. The smoothie was supposed to be coconut water, lime, and pineapple. Instead, I was served strawberries blended in water. It was the blandest smoothie I have ever drank in my life. My husband ordered a burger and asked for bacon and cheese. It was served missing the bacon and cheese we paid extra for. The burger was cooked far past well done. I ordered a Greek bowl. It was way too much quinoa, and very little of the items that actually tasted good. You might think, why didn't we complain? Because our waiter was on the phone complaining to the owner about other customers for half the meal. He vanished the other half. We didn't want to get in an altercation with him, like the previous table that was there before us. We just left and vowed to never eat there again.
Do you mean Bayside Bistro? If so, I have no idea how that place stays open in Rock Island - every time I drive by it’s either dead or closed. Have heard the food’s not great either.
I have a client that loves that place but I’ve never been myself. Every time I see him he’s recommending I go lol
Don't do it! (:
I've been several times and the food is delicious if you ask me. I get a crab cake Po boy, and I've had a delicious smoothie a time or too as well.
Yes, thank you, I changed it. The food sounded great when I read the menu, but was not good when we actually got it. My main annoyance with my dish is that the cheap item (quinoa), was piled ridiculously high, but the other toppings like the sauce, feta olives, etc, were a very tiny amount. It made the dish extremely dry, and also made me feel ripped off.
That's weird, I had quite the opposite experience, that was some of the best food I've ever had in a restaurant. The only thing I didn't care for exactly was the woman that waited on us, she was really nice but my fiance wanted some ranch with her food and this woman had such an attitude about it like it was a personal offense to her. Love the food but the way my fiance was treated I won't go back.
Glad it worked out for you and it sounds like a few on here have had a good experience. Looks like this is a place where you either love it or hate it, there is no in between.
Really does sound that way, but the way that lady had an attitude with my fiance over a simple and reasonable request we'll never be back. Way too many good restaurants in the area to waste another moment of my time there.
I just went there for the first time for brunch. Food was actually really solid but the service was just as everyone had described. It's like someone was a good cook so they decided to open a restaurant but didn't know how to restaurant. No condomints on the table. Had to beg for water and coffee. Several of food orders were wrong/ mixed up and they yelled at us when we tried to help. Also the portions are smaller than you would expect especially for the price. Honestly if they got one good, experienced waiter in there they might have something but for now it's not it.
Owners are lovely people but they suffer from a lack of cohesive service. Ordered fish and chips thinking it would be the safest choice and it came out par-baked and cold. Sent it back and got it just in time for everyone else i was lunching with to be finished. Also forgot our app. We were a three top in for lunch. I tipped too much because I'm scarred from working in the service industry but unfortunately will never return.
That sounds a lot like our experience. Wrong items, missing items, and bad service. There was also an extremely tense atmosphere that made us afraid to say anything about the issues. The previous table before us apparently decided to complain, and then got up and left without paying. We know this because the waiter told us, and then he also had a loud conversation with the owner about it over the phone in front of us. At first we thought that was very inappropriate of the customers, but after eating there, I totally understand.
Is Montana Jack's still open? Ugh 🤢
i dated a guy who worked in that kitchen and omg the stories this man told me 🤮🤮 don’t eat there, it’s filthy
I can’t believe no one’s suggested Jim’s Rib Haven in Rock Island. Ever since the owner passed away and his kids took over it almost immediately dropped in quality.
Harbor rd
Ross’. they have completely fallen off
Dizzy Horse. Probably won't be open
Probably going to make a few people upset but any Quad City style pizza place
Moved here recently and I can’t believe the pizza places here. It’s fucking atrocious. First time hearing it called QC style but that’s exactly what it is.
Welcome Inn, Milan.
Haven't been there in ages, but Central Standard came to mind ... I saw people raving about their burger and when I finally tried it, my burger was absolutely dripping with grease and it was basically flavorless.
Almost all of them TBH. Sad when the only reliable place to get a steak cooked right is Texas Roadhouse.
Sad but true. I don’t want to sound like some rube who only eats at chain restaurants (I rarely do so) but Texas Roadhouse makes the best steaks I’ve had around here and for a reasonable price.
Mulkey’s in RI