08/16/2011 - QC Foodie - The Lodge

One of my daughters had a birthday recently so like fairy godparents, we granted her one of her longtime wishes, to eat brunch again at the Lodge in Bettendorf. We went on a Sunday around 11am. After we were seated went to the buffet room where, like Cinderella probably did at the Ball,* we took a few minutes to absorb the panorama of abundant, delicious-looking food and then hurried and grabbed plates. Of course, we each made our way around the entire room and back to our table to dig in. There is a fruit table and a server table with roast beef and ham where one can also have an omelet made-to-order with typical omelet ingredients. There was a breakfast section with potatoes, bacon, Belgian waffles, danish, eggs, etc. The row of entrees and sides consisted of seafood marinara, rice pilaf, chicken dishes, salmon, etc. Finally, there was a dessert table with cakes, pies, and the Lodge's delightful cinnamon rolls.

The beverages choices for adults that the waitress highlighted were coffee, juice or champagne. Ricardo and I had iced tea. The girls had lemonade and chocolate milk. Juliette said it was great chocolate milk. Some of our favorites included: breakfast potatoes, bacon, seafood marinara, eggs, salmon.

Russ Reyman, whose business card lists, â��Russ Reyman Trio/Quartet 'Vocal and piano styles for any venue' Jazz, Swing, Blues, Latin, Rock, Soulâ�� was playing vocal classics and I was thoroughly enjoying listening. I was playing name that tune with my daughters and my fiance, Ricardo but the girls didn't know any of the songs and he only recognized a few so the game wasn't exactly working out. Stardust, Crazy, and Send in the Clowns were among the tunes I recognized.

On the way out we peeked into the library and I took some pictures. The Bavarian castle-like interior completely fascinates me. I also can't help but think of Scooby Doo when I see the dÃ©cor. It would be a typical episode of Scooby Doo if a suit of armor came alive and chased us with an axe while eyes watched through cut-out eye holes in paintings. We all left completely satiated and emerged from the fairy tale castle into the 100 degree heat.

* Unlike Cinderella, my fiance and I attended the Dwyer and Michael's Costume Ball 2010 at the Lodge so you can play Where's Quad City Foodie? on the main page here http://www.2dorks.com/gallery/2010/1030-halloween-ball/index.shtml

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