The Painted Duck Awards

The Painted Duck Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Justin Amick and William Stallworth extended their games-cum-cuisine concept from The Painted Pin. This establishment goes beyond the first one in its emphasis on duckpin bowling, which uses smaller pins and balls (a bit larger than softballs) and has a different set of rules. Other games include Snookball, a hybrid of soccer and pool. We like the seating that fosters groups, although there also are booths that would appeal to couples.

Likes: The atmosphere; the French onion dip; and the brews.
Dislikes: The parking is too far from the entrance in bad weather.

Food & Drinks: Signature cocktails include bourbon-laced Kentucky Nitro, which plays nice with a lot of the food; craft beers and some respectable wines are available as well. Try the remake of the familiar French onion dip, this one made with charred fresh onions. Potatoes cooked in duck "phat" are tasty, but we'd get plain mayo next time over the too-lemony “Bearnaise mayo.” Do not miss the duck nuggets, cooked duck meat shaped in rounds, panko crumbed and fried, to be dunked into a spicy ranch dressing dip, singularly good with Kentucky Nitro. The "Au Poivre" burger seems to have too much embellishment, with arugula and peppercorn sauce, but it all works. The charming take on S'Mores with Nutella would taste better if the marshmallows were a bit more caramelized. The clientele is 21 and up except from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, when families may flock. Strict dress code. Wheelchair access needs to be arranged ahead of arrival.