Amazing! A real Quad City chow find!

I spent the last few days eating the worst drek available. Mostly because my friends in the Quad Cities are extremely happy that a new Culver's has opened and that's pretty much the exent of their adventurism when it comes to food. However, an off-handed comment about a gas station that serves falafel led me on a quest.

In Bettendorf Iowa you can fill your car up with gas and get a schwarma at the same place. This is definitely my new favorite place in the Quad Cities. Before that it was, um, um, um. Steak & Shake? The Phoenician Cafe has been open around two years and serves standard Middle-Eastern take-out food. The owner is a young Lebonese guy who is EXTREMELY into what he does. He will talk forever about how be prepares every dish and how he makes everything fresh. He even makes his own pitas. The only thing he doesn't make fresh is a gyro, which he said he serves only because most people in the QC are pretty close minded when it comes to trying new food (which is an understatement) and I got the feeling he may sell quite a lot of gyros compared to everything else (much to his chagrin).

The food. You can get chicken or beef schwarma, kefta kabab, falafel sandwich and a few other things in the humuus/Jerusalem salad area. Having driven there straight from Culvers I wasn't exactly hungry but I did manage to down a falafel sandwhich and it was fantastic. Based on how he prepares the schwarma it sounds like that would be really good as well. Prices are cheap, $4-5 for just about everything.

It's on 14th and Grant St in Bettendorf. 1430 Grant if I'm not mistaken. Extremely easy to get to as it's just off I-74. Oen until 9PM but I'm not sure when it opens. I'm sure what the seating plan is. There is nothing inside, but there is a tent outside with a hooka and a few tables. I'm not sure what happens in the colder months.

CMC wrote:It's on 14th and Grant St in Bettendorf. 1430 Grant if I'm not mistaken. Extremely easy to get to as it's just off I-74. Oen until 9PM but I'm not sure when it opens. I'm sure what the seating plan is. There is nothing inside, but there is a tent outside with a hooka and a few tables. I'm not sure what happens in the colder months.

Thanks, meeting here in November with a hookah buddy from college.

HI,

The rare time I am in that area, I get a Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich. It is certainly not schwarma, but I can get schwarma in Chicago. I cannot get a loose meat sandwich experience in Chicago. It's a very regional speciality which is worth trying at least once.

Maid-Rite
779 Middle Road
Bettendorf, IA 52722
563-355-5118

As Cathy knows quite well, I love Maid Rite, but if I could only take one meal in the Quad Cities, it would be at the original Lagomarcino's. I'd order a ham salad sandwich on the housemade light rye, a cup of tomato soup, and a single scoop sundae with the housemade (and world famous) hot fudge. On my way out of the door--should there be any left--I'd grab a bag of "coal." ["Coal" is a hard licorice candy that they carry, but that is no longer made. The last time that I was in, they informed me that what they have is all that exists. Anywhere.]

At any rate, that sandwich is on my very, very short list of favourite food items in the whole world. Heck, I just recommended a meal that I, personally, would consider for my "last meal on earth."

Erik M.

Lagomarcino's
1422 5th Ave
Moline, IL
309.764.1814