What can you eat in the Quad Cities?  For starters, I had my first double cut bone-in Iowa pork chop at Bass Street Chop House and I do declare, it was worth the extra 25 min wait!  Truthfully, Bass House is best visited if you are looking to splurge or on an expense account.  Instead, let’s talk about some of the other great, but more affordable eats in the area. After touching down, our first nibble was at Whitey’s Ice Cream. It’s been a Quad Cities tradition since 1933. And with so many locations, you know the locals here are serious about their frosty treats.

Since we were in the Midwest, bbq was on everyone’s food agenda. The bride actually texted me the week of the wedding telling me she drove by Jim’s Rib Haven and the wonderful scent of bbq was in the air!  So true. As you pull up to this Rock Island restaurant, you can even see the smokehouse hard at work!  The day after wedding I plowed right ahead and dragged everyone to The Iowa Machine Shed in Davenport. This restaurant recreates a typical Iowa Farm breakfast and indeed, you should plan on a hard day’s labor in the fields to work off this kind of start to your morning!  The Shed serves up hearty skillet breakfasts and I hear Ryan is still trying to replicate their Signature Sheddar Style Hash Brown Casserole. I suppose this is a bit of gimmick theme for a  restaurant, but for 4 tourists from New England, we enjoyed the whole experience.See what’s in the server’s right hand?  It’s The Shed’s famous cinnamon roll, featuring real butter cream frosting. Your eyes aren’t lying, this sweet roll is as big as the entire plate!   Close-up below:Everyone wants to know if we ordered one of their cinnamon rolls!? Unfortunately, we didn’t.  We could already feel our arteries closing in after eating the cheesy hash browns, the ribs, the chops, and the ice cream.