We met up with our friends Scott and Marcia Schroeder one night last weekend and decided to go out to get something to eat. We wanted to go to a place that we hadn't been to either before or for quite a while. Cindy came up with a good suggestion - Blue Cat Brew Pub in downtown Rock Island, IL (see map).
The Blue Cat has been in business since 1993 when the sister and brother duo of Martha and Dan Cleaveland started the place in the middle of The District - Rock Island's entertainment district. Martha ran the kitchen while Dan brewed the beer.
In 2001, Dan Cleaveland gave way to brewmaster Bernie Moore. Cleaveland is still in charge of the brewing process, giving his final say on the flavors Moore comes up with, but Moore is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the brewing plant.
Known for their eclectic food menu, the Blue Cat quickly got a reputation as having great food with very worthwhile and drinkable beer. I can safely say that I've never had a bad meal at the Blue Cat, although I've had some interesting ones.
Their beer selection is impressive with a variety of year-round and seasonal ales. And their Off the Rail Pale Ale is one of the better brew pub pale ales that I've had.
It was a very cold and raw night when we got into the Blue Cat around 8 p.m. The crowd was very sparse so we were seated right away. (In contrast, we've been in there on weekend nights where we had to wait upwards of 30 to 40 minutes to get a table.)
Scotty and I immediately ordered an Off the Rail while the women ordered hot tea. I didn't care that it was cold out. I wanted a good beer.
As I said, their food selection is a step above the usual sandwich/burger fare that you find at most brew pubs. But their sandwiches and burgers are pretty darn good. And they have a good selection of seafood dishes including a great portabella mushroom stuffed with white fish, with spinach, tomatoes and mixed cheeses and served over a bed of pasta with sauteed shrimp. It is out of this world.
But since it was a cold night, I was look for something warm and rib-sticking. Marcia went with the Brew Pub cheese burger and Cindy ordered the special that evening - salmon topped with mozzarella and a tomato sauce with a side of pasta. I'm not partial to seafood with a tomato sauce, but Cindy thought she'd give it a try.
I was torn between three things - the barbecue beef brisket, the meat loaf with seared spinach, and the pot roast platter with melted cheddar cheese and grilled onions piled on top. Scott ended up getting the beef brisket and I decided to get the pot roast. It was comfort food at its very best.
And as always, my food was very good. Nothing fancy when it comes to pot roast with melted cheddar cheese and grilled onions on top of real mashed potatoes. Marcia liked her burger and Scott devoured his beef brisket. Cindy said the salmon with the mozzarella with the tomato sauce was "interesting". She told me later she didn't know if she'd get it again, but wanted to give it a try.
The Blue Cat is one of the more popular places to go for business people for lunch where they serve a number of the same items on the dinner menu. And the Blue Cat has dinner specials each night that they change on a weekly basis.
All in all, the Blue Cat isn't pretentious, the beer is good, the food is above average for a brew pub. It's one of our favorite places to eat, but we obviously don't eat there enough.
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