It’s always exciting to see new places open in our hood, especially from a major player in the restaurant industry like SIR Corp (Jack Astor’s, Loose Moose etc). It is amazing how quickly this location of Duke’s Refresher was setup (I watched the progress over the past few weeks). Very professional.

I was fortunate to attend tonight’s Friends and Family preview ahead of tomorrow night’s grand opening at 4pm. Here are my impressions…

The space was revamped quite a bit from the previous occupants, Brickwork’s Ciderhouse. An eclectic mix of taxidermy

and vintage electronics like Ghetto Blasters and arcade games (forgot to take a pic)

There is a second level with additional seating

And a lounge area

Interesting boat motors

The view from upstairs

Last but not least, a rooftop patio!

On to the food! I had the wings with Nashville 911 sauce. They were super crispy and well cooked. Heatwise they were closer to the typical Nashville Hot you would find at similar places than to suicide or challenge-level sauces at winghouses like Duff’s or Wingmaster.

I did ask for extra Nashville 911 sauce but next time I will have to bring some from home lol.

Drink-wise I tried Signal Hill Whiskey from Newfoundland for the first time. It tasted more like a Rye than a Bourbon with 40% alcohol.

I also had a taster of Brickworks 1904 as I have been on a cider kick lately. It was smooth though I prefer a stronger/more pronounced flavour.

Ok cool atmosphere and good food, so how was the service? In a word, fantastic! Everyone was super nice and attentive. You could tell they were just as excited to get this new neighbourhood joint up and running. I will definitely be back.

RL