2 weeks Ago By GANNON HANEVOLD [email protected]
It's November. You know what that means? Training season. That's right, you've got to get your gut ready for the Thanksgiving feast at the end of the month.
Personally, I've been training for a whole year. As of this week, that's how long the "Best thing I ate" column has been around. (Happy birthday!) But with just a few weeks until the days of turkey, potatoes and stuffing, its time to lock in.
This week, I got a head start by trying Junior Sports Bar & Grill in East Moline. The barbecue restaurant has such an eclectic menu that you'll want to try a little of everything. It's perfect for the pre-Thanksgiving buzz.
Like a turkey day supper, it's easy to fill up at Junior's on sides alone. On my visit to Junior's this week, alongside reporter Tom Loewy, we got after the Junior's menu potluck style. That's right.
Instead of the single best thing I ate this week, I've got multiple best things. Happy November! Because we went in on a Monday, I had to order the Junior's Monday special: a , which comes with a side, for just $10. The sandwich itself was fantastic, with a massive pile of pulled pork and a side of pour-as-you-please barbecue sauce.
For my side, I was feeling indecisive. So I went with the and an added side of s. The mac & cheese was creamy, savory and delicious.
It came out so piping hot, that even though I saved it for the end of the meal, it still burned my tongue. The green beans were, somehow, even better. They came in a savory broth with shreds of turkey.
As a standalone side, you can get them for $3.50. I'd recommend getting it with every meal.
Seriously, these green beans might just be the best barbecue side I've eaten in the Quad-Cities. After I conquered (most of) that part of the meal, I moved onto a few shareables. The , which we ordered breading-less with sweet red chili sauce, were tender and tangy.
I'm not a bone-in kind of guy, but these were still good. Next time, I'd like to try the garlic parmesan. We also took a stab at the , which were as good as I expected.
I love ribs but hate the mess that comes with eating them off the bone. So with a sweet side of barbecue sauce, the crispy and filling burnt ends were a perfect way to micro-dose. Now, perhaps, you can see why it was hard to pick a dish.
All that said, my main entree was the pulled pork sandwich basket, which, at $10, was a steal on Monday. Junior's has an impressive amount of specials, actually. On Tuesday, you can get three beef tacos or a Bama Sausage basket for just $7.
Brisket sandwich baskets are $12 on Thursdays and catfish is $11 on Fridays. On Saturday, you can feast with a date because a full rack of ribs, a medium side and two drinks is just $32. Junior's is located at 1408 6th St.
in East Moline. It's a fairly unassuming location, positioned on the western end of the business hub in East Moline, right next to a residential neighborhood. It's clearly a family-owned joint, because when Loewy and I arrived, the restaurant crew was out for a coffee break down the street.
While I was hungry, I won't complain. The little bit of calm before the food-eating storm was worth cherishing. The weather on Monday was nice, too.
That's the other great thing about Junior's: They're open every day. You can stop in from 11 a.m.
to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.
m. to 1 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.
m. on Sunday. While the barbecue is great at Junior's, it is still a sports bar.
And it seems like a great environment to watch some football, now that we're at the halfway point of the season. There are all the usual sports bar elements: a pool table, TVs all across the bar, Sunday specials and several beers on draft. They even have weekend brunches with Bloody Mary specials that look impressive in the photos on their Facebook page.
Because we went in on a Monday lunch shift, service was extremely quick. We were one of the only ones in the bar, after all. If you don't want to stop in to dine, you can order to-go at Junior's, too.
Keep in mind, though, that there is a $0.50 upcharge for to-go orders. Believe me when I say: Everything I ate at Junior's is worth $0.
50 and a whole lot more. Quad-City Times Reporter Gannon Hanevold Quad-City Times Reporter Gannon Hanevold With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
.
