Tobacco Facts.

As a big sports fan, I’ve been to more than my fair share of sports bars. And in general, I’ve found very little differentiation among most of them — plenty of beers, burgers and wings on the menu with flat screens and neon beer signs adorning the walls. Greensboro’s newest sports bar, Refs, has all those things, too, along with much more.

In a out-of-the-way spot behind the Village Tavern, the two-story brick-and-stone restaurant certainly doesn’t look like your average bar and grill. Inside, hostesses in crisp white shirts and black pants greet diners in the massive main dining room. Exposed brick walls and dark wooden tables with plush, black leather chairs give the place an upscale feel.

Everywhere you look, flat-screen televisions play sports or sports news. Upstairs, video games, such as Pacman, offer additional amusements, and two outdoor balconies outfitted with several tables provide al fresco dining opportunities.

We decided to sit in the bar area, a separate room off the main dining section. As we sat at one of the bar tables, a server in a form-fitting striped referee’s shirt came to take our order. Scanning the drink list, I noticed Refs serves local brews from Natty Greene’s and Red Oak on draft, along with a selection domestics and imports in bottles.

Local products show up on the food menu, as well. Many of the sandwiches —- such as the teriyaki chicken and the Buffalo chicken sandwiches — are made with local ingredients. And chicken dishes, such as rotisserie chicken salad and the grilled chicken salads, use free-range chicken.

Refs’ burgers, all made with a half-pound of Angus chuck, come several ways. The signature burger is a classic sandwich with lettuce and tomato, the Black & Bleu comes blackened and topped with crumbles of bleu cheese, and another comes with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese. Salads are topped with chicken (grilled or rotisserie) or steak.

I decided to go with the Suzy ‘cue chicken sandwich —- marinated grilled chicken breast with Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, cheddar, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Rodney got the fresh mahi sandwich, which came topped with a tropical salsa, lettuce, tomato and house-made tartar sauce. Both sandwiches come with Refs’ homemade potato chips.

Refs also serves entrees such as filet mignon, St. Louis-cut pork spareribs and bourbon-pineapple grilled salmon.

Though the restaurant was fairly busy, our food arrived quickly. I went for the chips first, anxious to see how they measured up. Most of the time, I don’t really care for restaurant chips — they’re often either too crisp or undercooked and soggy with grease. These were just right, though. They were crispy but not hard and still had just enough pliability to make it easy to fold and dip them into ranch dressing.

As I moved on to my sandwich, I was a bit intimidated by the size. Crammed between two buns was one of the largest chicken breasts I’ve ever seen, topped with five slices of bacon and two thick slices of tomato. I cut it in half and took a bite. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, without the toughness you sometimes find in grilled chicken sandwiches. The thick-cut applewood smoked bacon had a hint of sweetness, and the barbecue sauce added a tang that complemented the sandwich’s flavor, rather than overpowering it.

Rodney’s mahi was fresh, with no hint of a fishy taste. The tropical salsa’s sweet and citrusy taste, derived from the juicy chunks of pineapple and mango along with creamy avocado, gave the sandwich a Caribbean flavor.

As we finished our meal, I noticed one thing that Refs lacked in comparison to other sports bars: smoke. Refs doesn’t allow smoking inside, so the bar’s air was fresh and clean. For me, that missing element was the restaurant’s biggest asset.

By Jennifer Bringle, Gotriad

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