The Duce is without question one of the coolest adaptive reuse spaces I've ever seen. Located just south of the Downtown Phoenix high rises on the northeast corner of Central & Lincoln, The Duce has breathed new life into a warehouse building that likely would've otherwise stared down the barrel of a wrecking ball. Built in 1928, the old Anchor Manufacturing building was bought in 2007 by Chicago transplants Steve & Andi Rosenstein who then poured years of rehab work into the structure while adding tons of nostalgic touches. There are so many personalities in this one spot that it really does need to be seen to be believed. I've known about The Duce for years, but wasn't sure what to make of it prior to coming here. Reviews I'd read about the food in particular were mixed, so I wasn't sure what I'd be getting into. Finally, I made my way here for an early Tuesday dinner.
Parking at The Duce, as others have accurately noted, is a challenge. The main parking lot is super tiny with room for no more than a dozen cars (& even then its a tight squeeze). There's supposedly an overflow lot on Central & Grant (about two blocks south), but I didn't confirm that. I did notice they started complementary valet parking at 5pm so if you're coming anytime after 5 it appears they've got you covered. Enter through the building's east side onto the main outdoor patio where you're greeted by a bar on the right & an airstream trailer on your left. Order your food at the counter in front of the trailer & then proceed to wander. Once inside the warehouse, there's so much to explore you'll forget how long it took to get your food. Among the things to see & do inside: Another bar, a dessert bar, corn hole toss, ping pong, hula hoops, vintage clothing & accessories, a boxing ring, foosball, shuffleboard, & tons of seating (including bleacher seats). For those of you who've been to Sam Fox's The Yard, think of The Duce as The Yard on steroids (& at least 3 times bigger). This venue has big events written all over it. If I were having a big reception or get together, The Duce would be an ideal space with lots of food & drinks to choose from & tons of activities.
The menu at The Duce is all over the map, but I had seen from Guy Fieri's visit here how so much of what they make here is put in jars. So okay, let's have something out of a jar. How about their Buttermilk Mashed In A Jar? And yes that would be mashed potatoes with copious amounts of butter, & I got them loaded with creme fraiche, bacon & cheese. I also decided to go with their Slider Sampler plate. A meatball slider, a brisket slider, & a chicken sausage slider to be exact. While I waited for my dinner I walked over to their dessert bar & ordered one of their pies in a jar. In this case, an Apple Caramel pie in a jar with whipped cream seemed appropriate. Total cost for all the food including tax came to $24.
First, the Buttermilk Mashed. Superb dish served piping hot from the trailer with nice chunks of bacon & lots of cheese. I wasn't kidding when I said there was a lot of butter in these, but I'm not complaining. Great starter. Next up, the sliders. The chicken sausage is simmered in PBR (just the way I used to do sausages in college, actually) & topped with peppers & onions. Not bad, though from my experience a brat is the way to go when cooking in PBR. The meatball slider is a mix of veal, pork, & beef & coated in tomato sauce & what I believe was shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese. No qualms about this one. Super juicy & the meatball was plenty large. Lastly, the brisket slider. The gal at the front hyped this one up quite a bit for me. Though if you've been to Little Miss BBQ as many times as I have, that's a pretty tough standard to top. The Duce's brisket is quite good & the slider portion was hearty, but c'mon we both know nothing beats Little Miss brisket. All in all an okay slider trio. Lastly, the Apple Caramel Pie. I have to take some of the blame on this because I should've insisted on having this heated up. Because getting through the crust of the pie was brutally tough. The crust was thick & pretty rock hard. If I had nuked it for a minute, this pie would've been perfect. That said, once I did penetrate the crust there was plenty of delicious caramel mixed in with those apple slices. So lesson learned: If you get the pie, ask them to heat it up just a bit.
In terms of a venue, The Duce is 5 stars all the way. Super eclectic, super unique, super fun spot that would appeal to pretty much any age group. Heck I'm thinking I should take one of their swing dance classes on Tuesdays. As far as the food, I'll give it 3 stars as it was a little hit or miss. The menu is as creative as the space itself, though with somewhat more mixed results. As a whole, a venue that everyone should come see at least once. Its a marvel of creativity, innovation, & nostalgia. And big enough to invite your whole neighborhood over read more