Circle Tap – Davenport, IA

After the canoe trip, a bunch of us wanted to go out and get some grub. I really wanted Harris Pizza (it’s the best), but the plans got re-routed to Circle Tap. Apparently, Circle Tap is known for its ribs, so I was game, for sure.

It’s kind of an odd place. It’s got a central bar area, and then there a couple of off-shoot rooms for people to congregate. Plus, there’s an outside patio for people who like to sit in thousand-degree weather in August. Fortunately, there was some sort of party outside, so we had to sit inside. Ha ha ha.

We grabbed a couple menus and decided what we wanted. Here’s more oddness – you walk over to the kitchen, poke your head through the door, and tell some random lady back there what you’d like. I couldn’t decide between various pork products, so I compromised by getting a half slab of ribs and also one of their supposedly gi-normous breaded tenderloins (the menu says they triple dog dare you to finish it – sounded like a challenge to me).

I grabbed a couple of drinks from the bar on the way back to our small room (which is also weird getting your drinks someplace else, but whatever – it works for them). They do actually bring your food into you, which is nice. So when my food showed up, I jumped up and grabbed my tray. They actually just throw the ribs on the cafeteria tray (no plate) and ten slather it with BBQ sauce. Sounds fine to me, but I know germ freaks would have major issues with it.

First off, the tenderloin was not nearly as big as other places in the Quad Cities, so I was a little disappointed by the size (how many times have I heard that?) However, it was a pretty good tenderloin as fried tenderloins go. It didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t the standard patty that you get at a bowling alley. It was a legitimate cut of meat, breaded and deep-fried, the way nature intended. I’d get it again without questions.

The ribs were another story though. These things were seriously good. The sauce was really good – not spicy, but it did have some tasty flavors going on. Not too vinegar-y or liquid smoky. Just quality thick BBQ sauce. The ribs themselves fell off the bones when I picked them up to eat them, so they were really really tender. Basically, the next time I go to Circle Tap, I’m going to get the exact same thing, since I won’t be able to decide on that either. And the answer to your question is: Yes, I did finish both things. I’m not a fry guy, so I only had a couple of those, but I did eat everything else.

I feel a little bad for my friend Callous-un. She’s a vegetarian and was stuck with fries (off of my tray) and the deep fried green beans which she politely asked me to score for her. The green beans were good, but they were almost too battered. They were like onion rings, except beans instead of onions. They were still pretty good though and definitely worth a mention, even though it was a vegetarian’s last resort.

We finished up our meal here and walked across the street to Whitey’s Ice Cream – the best ice cream in the whole world. Id’ give you a write-up, but I eat the thing too fast and forget to take photos. Just take my word for it. If you’re in the Quad Cities or Iowa City, IA, do yourself a favor and stop at Whitey’s. You won’t be sorry.

My friend OrrmanRyan was wearing this fruitcake shirt and would walk up to randoms (in this case, Cthulu Ferguson) and we'd take their picture with the fruitcake pointing at a fruitcake. Probably funnier if you were there...


Top 5 things about Circle Tap
1. BBQ Ribs
2. Breaded Tenderloin
3. They have Dew
4. Deep Fried Green Beans
5. My food is served ready to shovel in my maw without the distraction of plates or utensils

Bottom 5 things
1. Gerd loved bar food, especially really good bar food. We heard about this place and never crossed it off our list. Bummer
2. It’s kind of a confusing and weird layout
3. You have to go back to the kitchen to order
4. I’m still hungry for Harris Pizza...
5. It can be difficult to hear conversations with the hilarious mix of juke box tunes people were playing

www.myspace.com/circletap