Rock Island Trail Forum

We received VERY RUDE service from the Agusta Brewing Co.

My husband and I took a day trip bike ride with our two young children (3 and 1/2 yrs and 9 mons) on a Tuesday. We were starving after our long ride and most restraunts in town were closed except Ashley Rose's. After hearing that their food was "average" and overpriced, we went to Agusta Brewing Co. to eat. The place was open, however very few people were there -- the bartender and a few patrons. We walked up with our two kids and stood there for several minutes without even being acknowledged, even when it was very obvious we had been seen. The bartender looked straight at us and didn't offer us a table, drink, or anything! She din't even say hello! Frustrated, we decided to leave and ride back to St. Charles. It's a good thing we brought snacks for the kids. I don't know if our treatment was because we had small kids or not, but I would not recommend this place - especially if you have kids or it is during the middle of the week.

We received VERY RUDE service from the Agusta Brewing Co.

My husband and I took a day trip bike ride with our two young children (3 and 1/2 yrs and 9 mons) on a Tuesday. We were starving after our long ride and most restraunts in town were closed except Ashley Rose's. After hearing that their food was "average" and overpriced, we went to Agusta Brewing Co. to eat. The place was open, however very few people were there -- the bartender and a few patrons. We walked up with our two kids and stood there for several minutes without even being acknowledged, even when it was very obvious we had been seen. The bartender looked straight at us and didn't offer us a table, drink, or anything! She din't even say hello! Frustrated, we decided to leave and ride back to St. Charles. It's a good thing we brought snacks for the kids. I don't know if our treatment was because we had small kids or not, but I would not recommend this place - especially if you have kids or it is during the middle of the week.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. This is our favorite place in Augusta. If fact, we have an annual get together there with friends from Northern Illinois that drive down to our home in Central Illinois and then we travel together the 2 hours to Augusta. Great beer and food! I suspect there was a misunderstanding from both sides. You place your order at the cash register, pick your own table and the food is delivered. Please give it another try!

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. This is our favorite place in Augusta. If fact, we have an annual get together there with friends from Northern Illinois that drive down to our home in Central Illinois and then we travel together the 2 hours to Augusta. Great beer and food! I suspect there was a misunderstanding from both sides. You place your order at the cash register, pick your own table and the food is delivered. Please give it another try!

I agree with Leah of Festus, MO. On Colombus Day, 2006 my wife and I spent the morning on the Katy trail and then a visit to Balducci's Winery. We each had one glass of wine and then decided to head to Augusta because I really wanted to have some lunch and had heard they had good food at the Augusta Brewery. Leah was right about the service at the Augusta Brewery! We walked up and stood at the bar for at least 10 minutes while the girl that turned out to be the bartender walked past us several times back and forth to the "kitchen" without acknowledging our existence. Then a young man in a half-stooper (drunk), in his mid-twenties, (we are in our 40's) walked up to the bar and the same girl immediately waited on him. Next, another couple (mid-twenties) walked up to the bar and she proceeded to give them beer samples while ignoring our existence. Meanwhile, the first young man banged his head on the bar like a person banging his head against the wall and said "oh wow, that hurt". At that point we left. Just like Leah wasn't sure if it was her young kids we were noy sure if it was our age. Augusta Brewery - you deserve to go out of business!!



BTW, Balducci's had an awesome view and a pleasant "bartender" with great service. I only wished I had known that Balducci's served pizza because they do also serve beer from O'fallon Brewery.

I agree with Leah of Festus, MO. On Colombus Day, 2006 my wife and I spent the morning on the Katy trail and then a visit to Balducci's Winery. We each had one glass of wine and then decided to head to Augusta because I really wanted to have some lunch and had heard they had good food at the Augusta Brewery. Leah was right about the service at the Augusta Brewery! We walked up and stood at the bar for at least 10 minutes while the girl that turned out to be the bartender walked past us several times back and forth to the "kitchen" without acknowledging our existence. Then a young man in a half-stooper (drunk), in his mid-twenties, (we are in our 40's) walked up to the bar and the same girl immediately waited on him. Next, another couple (mid-twenties) walked up to the bar and she proceeded to give them beer samples while ignoring our existence. Meanwhile, the first young man banged his head on the bar like a person banging his head against the wall and said "oh wow, that hurt". At that point we left. Just like Leah wasn't sure if it was her young kids we were noy sure if it was our age. Augusta Brewery - you deserve to go out of business!!



BTW, Balducci's had an awesome view and a pleasant "bartender" with great service. I only wished I had known that Balducci's served pizza because they do also serve beer from O'fallon Brewery.

I regularly ride here for lunch, and have always been happy with the service and food. Good casual dining overlooking the Katy Trail.



Important note: You /must/ go to the bar to order (and pay). They give you an artificial fruit to take to your table, so the server can find you.

I regularly ride here for lunch, and have always been happy with the service and food. Good casual dining overlooking the Katy Trail.



Important note: You /must/ go to the bar to order (and pay). They give you an artificial fruit to take to your table, so the server can find you.

My wife and I ate lunch at the Augusta Brewing company on Thurday of last week and had a very pleasant experience. The food was excellent. The service was'nt what you would expect in a sit down type of place, but we placed our order at the bar and our food was brought to the table in a short time. It was a nice place to sit and relax after the ride from St Charles. I will definitely stop there again on my next ride.

My wife and I ate lunch at the Augusta Brewing company on Thurday of last week and had a very pleasant experience. The food was excellent. The service was'nt what you would expect in a sit down type of place, but we placed our order at the bar and our food was brought to the table in a short time. It was a nice place to sit and relax after the ride from St Charles. I will definitely stop there again on my next ride.

We rode to Augusta from St. Charles and had dinner at Augusta Brewing Co. We were the only customers. The service was excellent, the beer cold, the food definitely a cut above ordinary pub food. The menu was much more limited than the menu on the internet but I am assuming that the focus is on the weekend. Also, it is possible I overlooked some of the choices in my haste to get food and anything cold as fast as possible. They close at 7:00 on weekdays and our server's comments led us to believe that they might close early in bad weather if nobody is there, so if you are counting on eating there call ahead. She said if they know you are coming they will stay open for you. Summary...we loved it.

We rode to Augusta from St. Charles and had dinner at Augusta Brewing Co. We were the only customers. The service was excellent, the beer cold, the food definitely a cut above ordinary pub food. The menu was much more limited than the menu on the internet but I am assuming that the focus is on the weekend. Also, it is possible I overlooked some of the choices in my haste to get food and anything cold as fast as possible. They close at 7:00 on weekdays and our server's comments led us to believe that they might close early in bad weather if nobody is there, so if you are counting on eating there call ahead. She said if they know you are coming they will stay open for you. Summary...we loved it.

Ate there last year with no troubles. We actually had a great time! The waitress/bartender was very friendly and had a beer with us. The briset was very tasty as well as the hot pretzle. The beer is excellent.

Ate there last year with no troubles. We actually had a great time! The waitress/bartender was very friendly and had a beer with us. The briset was very tasty as well as the hot pretzle. The beer is excellent.

My husband and I love Augusta. Although, we do only go there for dinner. Their dinner food is amazing (although a little pricey). We have had lunch there but was not too impressed. I highly highly recommend going there for dinner, you will be pleased! I am sorry you had a bad experience, but you should give it another try.

My husband and I love Augusta. Although, we do only go there for dinner. Their dinner food is amazing (although a little pricey). We have had lunch there but was not too impressed. I highly highly recommend going there for dinner, you will be pleased! I am sorry you had a bad experience, but you should give it another try.

Fun place. Good food, good beer and fine service.

Fun place. Good food, good beer and fine service.

My wife and I stopped by Saturday afternoon. I wouldn't call the place real busy, but it wasn't real slow either. They were also preparing for a wedding reception (?) or some other event. Got immediate service as we walked up to the bar very sweaty from the trail. Only ordered a couple rounds of sport drinks (wine and 1856 IPA) and enjoyed them. Well, I enjoyed the 1856 IPA! I've been there 4 or 5 times at Augusta, and several trips to Square One in St. Louis. I think they brew all the beer at Square One, I could be wrong. Not really related to all this, I will give a big thumbs up to the Dutzow Deli and some place I can't remember the name of in Defiance I ate breakfast at (on the North side of 94) they had some interesting creatures hanging around!

My wife and I stopped by Saturday afternoon. I wouldn't call the place real busy, but it wasn't real slow either. They were also preparing for a wedding reception (?) or some other event. Got immediate service as we walked up to the bar very sweaty from the trail. Only ordered a couple rounds of sport drinks (wine and 1856 IPA) and enjoyed them. Well, I enjoyed the 1856 IPA! I've been there 4 or 5 times at Augusta, and several trips to Square One in St. Louis. I think they brew all the beer at Square One, I could be wrong. Not really related to all this, I will give a big thumbs up to the Dutzow Deli and some place I can't remember the name of in Defiance I ate breakfast at (on the North side of 94) they had some interesting creatures hanging around!

My wife and I stayed in Augusta over this past weekend...I hit the trail for a 68.8 mile clip (Augusta-McKittrick and back). We ate at the Augusta Brewing Co...Food was great, service was great...No problems. None of the help at the Brewing Co. had that demeanor while we were there, I'm happy to say.



FWIW, the HS Clay House B&B is an excellent place to stay while in Augusta...Excellent food, wine, and a very comfortable atmosphere. I will definately be coming back to Augusta!

My wife and I stayed in Augusta over this past weekend...I hit the trail for a 68.8 mile clip (Augusta-McKittrick and back). We ate at the Augusta Brewing Co...Food was great, service was great...No problems. None of the help at the Brewing Co. had that demeanor while we were there, I'm happy to say.



FWIW, the HS Clay House B&B is an excellent place to stay while in Augusta...Excellent food, wine, and a very comfortable atmosphere. I will definately be coming back to Augusta!

I love the Brewery! The beer is amazing and the service is awsome. I will be back soon.

I love the Brewery! The beer is amazing and the service is awsome. I will be back soon.

Augusta Brewery and Square One Brewery are both owned by the same owner. They are nice people and if they knew you were having a bad experience, they would certainly respond to it. With two establishments they now spend most of their time at Square One. I would suggest calling Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square and ask to talk to Steve. He is the owner of both breweries and would be interested in hearing your comments.



I have been to both places frequently and find them both great spots.



Scott

Augusta Brewery and Square One Brewery are both owned by the same owner. They are nice people and if they knew you were having a bad experience, they would certainly respond to it. With two establishments they now spend most of their time at Square One. I would suggest calling Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square and ask to talk to Steve. He is the owner of both breweries and would be interested in hearing your comments.



I have been to both places frequently and find them both great spots.



Scott

We went last weekend to Augusta with another couple, had a great time at Wineries, shops. My husband prefers beer so we went to the Brewery. NO service...just stared at us a few times, after 20 minutes we left. I think they could have said something, we didn't know you had to go to the bar. They weren't very busy, tables were dirty. I agree with the other couple, not user friendly. Bummer!

We went last weekend to Augusta with another couple, had a great time at Wineries, shops. My husband prefers beer so we went to the Brewery. NO service...just stared at us a few times, after 20 minutes we left. I think they could have said something, we didn't know you had to go to the bar. They weren't very busy, tables were dirty. I agree with the other couple, not user friendly. Bummer!

We've been to the Augusta Brewery twice so far and definitely plan to go back. I want to ride from St. Charles to there for lunch and then head back one day either this fall or next spring. The food was much better than we expected at such a place and the beer was great. I don't know what happened with the people who had bad service. I suspect thos people who had problems brought some of the attitude problem with them or the servers were simply having a bad day. Oh, I think they were preparing for some event one time we went. Still fine service and good food and beer.

We've been to the Augusta Brewery twice so far and definitely plan to go back. I want to ride from St. Charles to there for lunch and then head back one day either this fall or next spring. The food was much better than we expected at such a place and the beer was great. I don't know what happened with the people who had bad service. I suspect thos people who had problems brought some of the attitude problem with them or the servers were simply having a bad day. Oh, I think they were preparing for some event one time we went. Still fine service and good food and beer.

I'm planning a trip to Treloar about 30 miles one way. i'll be staying there for a night and returning to my starting point the next day. Do you recommend starting at defiance and riding west or starting at Portland and riding east. i'm looking for scenery and fall colors...

Its pretty hard to go wrong in either direction. I would vote for Portland, but the Defiance end is nice, too. The scenery should be great either way.

Its pretty hard to go wrong in either direction. I would vote for Portland, but the Defiance end is nice, too. The scenery should be great either way.

I recommend the Portland route. Recently I rode from St. Charles to Marthasville [roundtrip] and found the Defiance to Marthasville stretch to be dull and uninteresting. I did meet a very nice individual at the Marthasville post, who recommended that I start in Marthasville and go west [maybe to McKittrick], as this part of the trail has wonderful scenery [it’s along the river]. I’ll be doing this over this coming weekend.

My wife and I are planning a 4 day vacation to the Boonville area this weekend for our anniversary. I have a couple questions. First we have rode bike with thin tires, can we use them one the trail? Secondly if not, will bike shops be open to rent from? I called one the other day and they told me they were due to close down for the season this week.



And finally, as it is my anniversary I would like any suggestions as to a place for a romantic lunch stop along the way, and the most scenic direction to go leaving Boonville.



Thanks for your comments and any advice you have to give.

Most of the trail is fairly compacted gravel this time of the year by heavy use during the summer months. When you say thin tires do you mean narrow width? I have ridden a bike with 27x1.25" tires before without any problems except for wet trail conditions or areas with freshly laid gravel.



You might give the Booneville to Rocheport ride a try in the morning and stop at the Les Bourgeois Winery & Bistro for lunch. You can't see the restaurant from the trail but if you go to the plan a ride section of this site you can get detailed information on it. There are two ways to get to it - one is to leave the trail, go through Rocheport turn right onto highway BB, go uphill and watch for the sign on the right. The other is to go past the Rocheport trailhead and watch for the bike racks on the left side of the trail (it's before you go under I70). You can lock your bikes up there and walk up the hill to the restaurant. This is probably the best way to get there.



After lunch, you can continue riding east for the views of the river and then turn around and head back to Boonville.



For riding variety, I always enjoy the stretch between Boonville and Pilot Grove - not as flat as going east of Boonville but it has nice country scenery.

First choice definitely Les Bourgeois, Abigail's in Rocheport would also be a nice choice.

Les Bourgeois is good...the view probably better than the food, IMO....but if in the Boonville area for 4 days I'd have to work in Cafe Napoli, Glenn's, and the Hotel Frederick in Boonville.

Lots of good advice here already. I would add that the ride west from Boonville towards Pilot Grove is alot of uphill grade. Not steep - but a grade non the less. Of course - the return trip to Boonville is great - especially if you have a little breeze out of the south.



Also - the pie at Doty's in Hartsburg is always good, but there just something about the pumpkin pie at this time of year that makes it taste especially good to me.



Happy anniversary. Enjoy the weekend.

I agree with Trek. For a romantic evening, I would stay at the Frederick and eat at Glenn's. The bartender, Koz, will take care of you and the wine list is extensive.

Happy Anni!

You must go to Les Bourgeois. The Rocheport to Columbia ride is great. Go Hogs!

I commonly ride the Katy and other lime stone type of trails with my street bike. 700x35 tires with little dirt nobbies.

We used 700 x 25 tires. My wife's were Gatorskins. I used normal tires with a Kevlar lining and slime tubes. Absolutely no problems during our 140 miles.

Hotel Frederick was neat and they have a storage room for bikes. Cafe Napoli was a good bet too.

This will be our first time on the trail, as far as that goes it will be our first trail except local roads. We have a limited amount of time and feel that we should plan for 25-30 miles per day. WE are looking at the week before thanksgiving staying one or 2 nights. Any recommendations on trips let us know.

Thanks in advance

I would start at Rocheport and head east for 25 miles to Hartsburg. Stay at the Globe Hotel and eat at Doty's (make sure you have a reservation at the Gobe and that Doty's is open the day you plan to be there). I would ride the 25 miles back to Rocheport the next day and have a cheeseburger and a shake at the Trailside Cafe or climb the hill to the winery and enjoy.

I agree this is a great plan, but if things aren't open in Hartsburg, which is a possibility, Boonville and Columbia are both alternatives. We recently stayed at the newly restored Hotel Frederick, which was gorgeous, and had a wonderful dinner at Glenn's. I think the spur into Columbia is at least as pleasant as the state trail. At the moment, Columbia is short on lodging that is convenient to the trail. Two B & Bs that aren't too far away are University Place and Taylor House.

The spur between "The District" in Columbia to the Katy is a wonderful ride...very pretty. It makes for a nice ride to Rocheport and back. I'm envious of you all, wishing that St. Joseph could use a tad bit of forward thinking to blaze a trail or two.



I would normally have thought that you could have just driven home for the night ET. lol An added benefit of staying at the Hotel Frederick and eating at Glenn's is 40% off your next hotel stay. (Restrictions apply.....but what a deal!)

Last Friday (Oct 12th) my husband and I rented bikes at Katy Bike Rental in Defiance (very friendly folks there, btw) and for the most part had a great experience riding east toward Weldon Spring for a bit, then back and on west to Augusta for some lunch and a couple of wine stops. The weather was perfect, the scenery gorgeous... but I have to mention one very nerve-wracking event to see if anyone else has experienced this.

A little after 12:30pm as we were nearing Augusta (heading west from Matson) we heard what sounded like gunshots in the distance. Didn't think too much of it, but about 1/4 mile from Augusta we again heard 4 or 5 shots - much closer - and heard the last one literally cross the path not far in front of us and brush the trees to our left, enough to cause us both to slam on our brakes. I think we were in shock not believing this just happened or could actually have hit us or anyone on the trail. We didn't hear the shots again and aren't sure if this was someone target shooting, hunting, or what. We informed someone at Augusta Brewing (first place we came to) but weren't offered much help as to what could be done.

We don't know how common recreational gun use is in these rural areas, but the fact that someone was shooting near enough and recklessly enough to have a stray bullet cross the trail is extremely concerning. We hope this was an isolated incident, and it won't keep us from riding there if we make it out again - but just a word of caution if you hear shooting nearby to be alert.

Any similar experiences or something more we might have done about reporting it?

We have entered into Deer season and, since the whole length of the trail pretty much runs through private land, hearing gunshots is common. If someone indeed shot across the trail they were being extreemly careless to say the least. To put it in perspective though, you are tons more likely to get creamed at a road crossing then you are to be shot by a hunter.

It is deer hunting season.....with a bow. Rifle season is about a month away. You should not have experienced stray fire from deer hunters this time of year.

I didn't mean to imply that they were actualy hunting....I was using the term "deer season" in the generic sense. Most of the deer humters in my neck of the woods start sighting in their rifles around this time of year since most of them have kids that will be hunting the youth season next weekend.

We rode the Katy Trail from Sedalia to Kirkwood Amtrak during October 10 through October 15. The trail had several notices about hunting posted along the route. The hunting seasons mentioned were clearly before and after our dates on the trail, the same dates those "stray bullets" occurred. We never heard any shots, but there was one of the typical trail "town" signs that had been shot to hell, making it nearly unreadable. I think it might have been Portland's, but I could be proven wrong.

I noted that the last time I rode through Portland, the sign looked like it had modeled for machine gun Kelly. I also noted a rather hostile attitude at the local watering hole on more than one occasion.



I added Portland to McBaine as towns I just ride past. Too many friendly places to visit instead. However, Portland has a very nice view of the river.

Signs with holes from shotgun blasts or rifle holes seem to be common in most rural areas. People get board, I guess, and seek out targets. A matter of perspective perhaps, beings I'm predominately a small town type, but I'd fear bullets far more while visiting the metropolis than I would in rural midwest. People are not an often hunted target out in middle of nowhere as they seem to be in the city. Kansas City has a crime/murder rate that far surpasses any stray bullet incident rate in rural Missouri.

I last rode the trail on the 4th of july weekend(by the way, a terrible time to do it, not the heat, but lots of things were closed)and noticed the signs in portland. that many bullet holes means that it happens a lot, or for a long time. I could just see the mayor and the sherriff sitting on a porch and blasting away.



hunters happen, accidents happen, but in my experience misses and lucky breaks happen a lot more. If you treat it right, you have a great story now and the odds are that it will never happen again. if it does, then you can start getting paranoid.

I agree with Nanj from KC about the disagreeable attitude in Portland. I stuck my head in the door at the Riverfront B&G to ask (quickly) if they were open for lunch. One of the guys at the table growled at me to shut the door so that the A/C wouldn't get out. I understand his concern but he could have achieved the desired result in a nicer way. The lady who took our order was very nice. Guess we just ran into a table of grouchy locals. They were also surly with a couple of young boys.

Eeveryone else was friendly along the trail, so why cast a sour spell over the trip with these sourpusses (despite good catfish).

It is now very easy to reach the nice little town of Hermann from the Katy trail, thanks to a new bridge that opened in August 07. This bridge features a bike lane that is safely removed from traffic. There are several B&Bs, restaurants, a brew pub, an an Amtrak station for those looking to exit from here.

Like many, I wondered how safe it would be to leave my vehicle unattended for several days as I rode on the Katy Trail. I left my vehicle in Windsor for several days and had no problems. The trail head parking area is clearly visible from a residential area and a gas station and store, making it feel less remote and therefore a safer place to park. Many other towns/trail head parking areas seemed very remote and made me feel uneasy about long term parking. For those begining their journey on the western part of the trail, I recommend Windsor. It is a safe and friendly town with a reasonably visible parking area.

We spent 2 nights at Lindenhof B&B and found everything superb. Debbie and Bill were great hosts, friendly, helpful and going out of their way to help us enjoy Augusta. Breakfasts both days were outstanding. Now we need to find another reason to be in the area. We enjoyed the hot tub and the outside fireplace.

THis place is fantastic! The owners are very nice and helpful. We felt like we were visiting family! The home is comfortable and not too fussy. The hot tub was comfortable (it was actually cool on a 102 degree day!) The food is amazing. Highly recommended! This was the nicest place we stayed on the trail. It was also the most expensive, but a great place to spend our last night on the trail.

My wife and I stayed here one night in mid-October. It was the last in a series of stops in Rocheport, Jefferson City, McKittrick, and Augusta. As a "living" space, it was the best. A really inviting interior. We asked hostess, Debbie, about the building, and it was amazing how they had the foresight to see the potential growth from what started out as a rather small, simple building to what is now very attractive, useful, and spacious. The outside work only serves to compliment what has been done inside. Plus, the dining area, seems to make Debbie's wonderful breakfasts that much more delicious. True, it was easily the priciest lodging of the trip, but we credit that to Augusta being a prime getaway location for St. Louis, driving up the price for all lodging in town. Too bad Augusta doesn't have more to offer in evening dining spots of equal quality.