About Double Deuce Saloon

The Double Deuce Saloon near Queen and Beaconsfield opened in August with plenty of early hype. Ambitiously located on the strip between the Gladstone and the Drake, co-owner Dave Mitton, also behind Czehoski and Harbord Room, and partners Jeff Salvian and chef Cory Vitiello (Harbord Room, the Drake) have come together to create a relaxed and casual drinking establishment with that designer dive bar feel.

This bar, it must be said, is not named for the 1989 movie Roadhouse, in which Patrick Swayze plays a world-renowned bouncer who uses his mastery of both martial arts and philosophy to clean up a local bar called the Double Deuce. It was named by the winner of a Facebook contest, who walked away with a $1000 bar tab as a prize and beat out runners-up "Concession" and "Service Station."

It's just as well, because West Queen West's Double Deuce is pretty much as unlike the Double Deuce in Roadhouse as it is possible to be. It does not have a pool table or a thieving staff of corrupted thugs. It doesn't have Jeff Healey, playing country music in a cage. It does not boast rowdy patrons in cowboy hats, carrying shivs and looking to brawl/striptease.

What it does have is the perfect location, offering a quiet alternative to booming venues like the Drake or the Gladstone, or smaller scenester spots like the Beaconsfield or the Beaver. It also has 12 fancy beers on tap and a tasty, moderately-priced menu of sandwiches, chili and appetizer platters. There's a small patio out back that hasn't quite lived up to its potential yet but still offers outdoor space for hot nights.

Designer Bradley Denton made the Double Deuce look dive-bar-chic with pieces like an enormous burnt-out neon sign across one wall that reads "Cocktail BAR", and a mounted boar's head. The rough reclaimed wood that lines the walls gives the space warmth and depth.

There's no live music - yet - but there is a small stage and plans for entertainment in the works. In the meantime, the iPod's spinning an eclectic mix of indie, '80s and classic pop hits.

There's also no bouncer. But here on West Queen West, things aren't likely to get more heated than a debate about discography, and everyone's already a philosophy major anyway.

Writing by Jessica McGann