Our most recent Roving Refinery was held on March 20, 2014 at Peacock Billiards, an upscale billiard and games room with adjoining bistro. The billiard and games room boasts 28 billiard tables, three ping-pong tables (one inside and two outside), and two foosball tables. Amongst the billiard tables are two 6’x12′ snooker tables and one 5’x10′ pocketless carom table. Except for having two examples of a table with hand-carved dolphin legs, all of the tables are different. A beautiful table made of Oak, in Mission style, was one of many that caught my attention.
Early on in the eventing, our host David Peacock kept the six DRA attendees enthralled with vignettes of art history, and the history of his own remarkable collection of art, which is on display throughout the entire establishment. All the while, we munched on delicious finger food, compliments of our gracious host. Most memorable were Pickle Chips, and Pineapple Chicken Pizza. As if that wasn’t enough, David surprised us all by announcing that he was providing a $200 table time credit to the DRA for members to draw on (the DRA board will later advise how this credit will be apportioned to members). We collected $30 cash for Our Place Society at this event.
Later, we toured the adjoining James Joyce Bistro, which is a veritable shrine to the famous Irish novelist and poet. Just have a look at the work that has gone into the bistro. During the winter of 2006-07, artist Robert Amos, with the help of his wife Sarah, created 15 table tops, 5 wall panels and the 14 foot long counter for the bar. The circular tables incorporate text from Finnegans Wake, while the rectangular wall panels and bar top represent extensive quotations from Ulysses. As we were to discover that evening, there is a story behind literally everything in this wholly unique entertainment venue.
Located slightly out of the normal line-of-sight as you stroll past the corner of Douglas and View Streets, if you’ve never been to Peacock Billiards, you owe it to yourself to drop in. While to date, alcohol has only been permitted in the adjoining James Joyce Bistro, David expects that patrons will soon be able to have a beer with their game!