08/08/2011 - QC Foodie - 11th Street Precinct

My fiancÃ©, Ricardo, and I decided to venture across the river to be tourists in the Village of East Davenport. I wanted to sit on the patio at 11^th Street Precinct as I remembered doing for a lunch with friends a couple of years ago, but it was now a beer garden and was a bit too warm for comfort so we sat inside. Ricardo ordered a Pizza Margarita with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic infused olive oil and mozzarella.

I ordered a Maytag Blue Cheese pizza with fresh tomatoes, green olives, basil, and blue cheese. Blue cheese and olives is a combination I am powerless over.

There are seven high-definition flat screen TVs, and Holy Cow! three of them had the Cubs game on. The place was really busy for a Wednesday evening, always a good sign. There was a stage where the live entertainment takes place every Friday and Saturday, so we'll definitely have to give that a go sometime. We wondered about the trap door center stage.

The website says they've been in business for over 30 years and recently completed a major renovation. The pizzas arrived and were quite picturesque and appetizing. Ricardo and I exchanged a piece and each pizza was equally delicious. I was afraid the blue cheese might be overwhelming, but that wasn't the case at all, I was perfectly delicious. We enjoyed the visit to the upbeat, busy pub full of happy customers (there was a lively reunion of some sort at a table nearby) and we had and outstanding server.

After dinner, we acted like tourists, even though we've both been to the Village dozens of times each and I took photos. Wikipedia says, The Village of East Davenport (known locally as The Village) is a neighborhood that dates back to the 1850s and was originally known as "Stubb's Eddy". The Village was established in 1851 to service the logging industry, and was annexed by the city in 1857.[1] It experienced three stages of growth: the period following the American Civil War, when many residential buildings were built; from 1890 to 1915, when construction of large mansions on the bluffs (allowing views of the Mississippi River) began; and the turn of the twentieth century, at the far east end of the neighborhood and the city. The houses in The Village were built along the curves of the topography, not in the grid fashion that was used in the rest of the city.[1]

Today, The Village consists of residential and commercial buildings (mostly small specialty shops). It is bounded to the west by Judson Street, to the north by Kirkwood Boulevard, to the east by Jersey Ridge Road, and to the south by River Drive. Set in a bowl-like valley, commercial buildings are in the southern part of the neighborhood, while residential buildings are in the northern part on the hillside.

Lindsay Park is located in the southeast corner and was used as parade grounds for soldiers from Camp McClellan during the Civil War.[1] Today, the park contains play equipment and baseball diamonds and provides a view of the river. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhoods_of_Davenport,_Iowa

I used to take my daughters to Meme's Candy shop occasionally, where Yelo Robin, a small, funky art store worth a visit, is now located. I love the quaint historic feel of the small village and know for certain I will be back in September for Riverssance Festival of Fine Arts to get my fill of beautiful art in Lindsay Park, if not before.