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in the news 
By Mark Sinclair Upscale alleys are tweaking the blue-collar game of Bowling
‘N Sync’s bowling benefit a really big shoe
Stars flicker while bowling for charity
You didn't have to look far this weekend to find a celebrity in Chicago -- the town was virtually swarming with 'em!
BILLIARDS & BOWLING 10pin-New to the Mariana City complex is this upscale bowling lounge where one draw is cool bowling shoes--a first. The 20'000-sq.-ft. space envelopes 24 state-of-the-art lanes topped with a 128-foot, high-definition video wall and an extensive martini list and small plates of American cuisine in an intimate lounge. It's an ideal spot for private parties. All guests must be 21 and over after 8pm. www.10pinchicago.com. Open Su-Th 11-1 am; F 11-2am; Sa 11-3am. 330 N. State St. (312)644-0300
BOWLING: BOUTIQUE BOWLING ALLEYS LURE PATRONS WITH UPSCALE TOUCHES
From brightly hued bowling balls to champagne
cocktails and scores displayed on plasma TVs, hip
new bowling alleys have popped up around the
nation in recent years, providing patrons with
remarkably upscale spots to roll a few frames.
Drink cool retro-sips this season
Whether you're in need of a summer cool-off or just want to wrap your hands around a cocktail that looks cool, these spots offer retro classics, off-the-beaten-path concoctions and one-of-a-kind refreshers.
Bowling alleys don't come much snazzier than this one, tucked inside the Marina City/House of Blues compound. Sure, it's a little weird to bowl in splendor, but we had a blast knocking down pins in the middle of a workday ($4.95 per person per game, $3.95 for shoes) and feeding dollars into the video jukebox (five plays for $2). Selections play out on the alley's eight huge screens, which span all 24 lanes. Food is more varied and far better than typical bar fare, with servings portioned for sharing. We had no complaints with the wedge salad ($4.50), iceberg slices dressed with chunky blue cheese and tomato bits. Pepperoni pizza ($9) is dolled up with red pepper slivers. Mini cheeseburgers ($7) were more bun than burger. Freshly baked cookies ooze chocolate ($4) and are served with milk shots. Service is friendly and prompt. We weren't hurrying, but we ate and bowled two games in 75 minutes. For midday or after-work fun, head here.
Sidedish Even those who lack the particular combination of suave sportsmanship and borderline perfectionism it takes to be a proper bowler can knock a few down – or at least back – at 10pin, the new “bowling lounge” that’s set up shop on the doorstep of the House of Blues Hotel. With an extensive small plates menu served in the lounge and alley-side, and a martini list worth blowing your sobriety-fueled precision to enjoy, 10pin combines a few simple concepts – booze, food and bowling – for a strike of a nightlife strategy. While bowling’s never really gone out of style as a semi-ironic pastime of choice for young ladies and gents, with the exception of the local Lucky Strike chain, it’s usually an activity whose allure runs along the same lines as that of the dive-bar circuit: There’s $2 PBRs and there’s no need to dress up, but you can’t wait to shower when you’re done (especially after tucking into a particularly fungus-friendly pair of rental shoes). 10pin changes all that. The only bowling alley in downtown caters to the fresh-scrubbed professional; drinks aren’t cheap but they’re delightfully creative; and the shiny new bowling shoes – already a hygienic improvement over most alleys’ 20-year-old veterans – even come in a “cool” variety for a dollar more a pop. Plus, there’s a high-def video wall running the length of the 24 lanes, featuring top-40 videos from hip-hop to alt-rock. But what really sets 10pin apart from its scruffier contemporaries is the food and drink menu. Plates are small and designed for sharing most are stylish tweaks on American classics. Two standouts are the trio of mini burgers, topped with caramelized onions and one each with American, Swiss and bleu cheese, served with batter-dipped shoestring fries; and the mac and cheese: richer, creamier and more decadent cavatappi than you’ve ever known, drenched in Wisconsin smoked cheddar so thick it has a Midwestern accent, topped with toasted breadcrumbs. While there’s a beer list for diehard traditionalists, 10pin’s signature martinis – like the creamsicle, the root beer float and the chocolate chip martini – are so tasty they’ll even take the edge off losing.
10-Pin: Dinner at the Lanes Once again, Food Critic James Ward treats us to different kind of dining experience. It's dinner at the lanes - a bowling alley that serves up strikes and spares with first-rate family fun and food. Located in Marina City, just across from the House of Blues, the hip new 10-Pin is not your father's bowling alley. They call it a "bowling lounge" - a combo of the retro sport and a hot-pop trend - that re-defines the mix of bowling, drinking and eating in the fast lane! 10-Pin features 20,000 sq. ft. of high energy with 24 state-of-the-art lanes, topped by the world's largest video wall. This place is for families and kids before 8 p.m.; and after, for young urban professionals and older urban amateurs who celebrate getting-out-of-the-gutter, once in a while! You can eat and drink between frames at the lanes or in a classy, sort-of-quiet lounge or just enjoy the people-watching. Or socialize and schmooze over a glass of chardonnay, toast and down tequila neat, sip frothy drinks in all colors, even slurp so-called martinis with goofy names like the creamsicle, lemon drop or the snicker doodle. Yikes! What's to eat' About 30 generous small plates for sharing or big buffets that include such treats as artisan cheese, buttermilk fried chicken, beef tenderloin skewers, and popcorn shrimp. Also, there are a variety of party platters with fun food like mini burgers, mini wedges of iceberg, and of course, maxi pizzas including the popular barbecued chicken pizza! Other hot sellers: an old fashioned shrimp cocktail, lump crab cakes with red pepper aioli as well as upscale Americana - zingy wings in plum BBQ sauce with peanut slaw and healthy tasty-grilled veggies! My favorite 10-Pin chow-down begins with a real martini - shaken not stirred - then mac 'n cheese, with seductive smoked cheddar. Next, that clever trio of American, Swiss and bleu cheeseburgers and for dessert, fresh, hot chocolate chippers with a shot of cold milk! Hey, hey! And hey, after feeding yourself, you can feed the video juke box and treat bowlers to "Walking on the Moon" over and over and over - until they tie you to a gutter ball! The Harry Caray Restaurant Group does the food at 10-Pin and the generous small plates average 9 bucks apiece. So I give 10-Pin a Bread rating of 7 for food; and an 8 for Circuses! And obviously, it's a great place for a party, especially with the holidays ahead. And ciao-chow for now!
Get a Life There was a time when everyone wanted the cool shoes. You can try to deny it, but I know that you too once wanted a pair of L.A. Lights with purple and pink stars or Reebok Pumps that you could play with until the high-tech pumping “mechanism” broke. My little brother’s desire for the hip kicks was so fierce that—back in the day when our feet were the same size—he actually bought a pair of old, beat-up Doc Marten sandals off of me (and we’re not talking the masculine-looking variety either). I’d like to say that we eventually grow out of this, but I think Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolos prove that this may not be the case. Feel free to put yourself up to the ultimate test, though, as I did at 10pin Bowling Lounge at the House of Blues Hotel. When you are faced with the nerve-racking decision of whether to pay the $3.95 for the run-of-the-mill bowling shoes or the additional dollar to rent the stylin’ ’20s wingtips for boys or swing-style for girls, you’ll see what you are really made of. How did I do' I failed miserably, of course. I wanted, I needed, I had to have the chic ones, even if it was for only a few hours. This bowling alley’s coolness reaches far beyond its footwear. If you are up for a joint with greasy burgers and greasier clientele, you are going to have to find another locale, because the atmosphere at 10pin is much more lounge than league play. During my visit, I had a smashing waiter who was eager to serve up root beer float martinis and Bud Lights served in bottles shaped like, yes, bowling pins. Also, the menu is chock-full of glamorized classics, such as wings in a plum barbeque sauce and homemade mac ’n’ cheese laden with smoked cheddar and breadcrumbs. The pizza proved particularly tasty, especially the supreme. Although supreme pizza usually brings to mind an array of meats and veggies, this one was topped with rock shrimp, yellow and red tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and leeks with a pesto sauce. Between the fashionable food and the wall lined with 16-foot screens that play sporting events and music videos, you’ll feel like you had a classy night out, a feeling you don’t tend to get at the typical smoke-filled bowling alley. I was hoping that some of 10pin’s hipness would rub off onto my bowling game, but I think it is physically impossible to look cool while bowling. Maybe I say this because I look absolutely ridiculous and am whole-heartedly praying for bumpers the entire time, but my friend vance (who is unnaturally good at bowling) didn’t look so cool either. We gave him such a hard time about needing to buy his own ball (so he could really get serious about the sport) that I think he actually tried to bring his game down with a few extra bowling pin Buds. I, for one, think he should embrace his bowling prowess. I mean, if the shoe fits…
The Best of Chicago 2004 As chief concierge at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel since 1982, former bellman Jon Winke, 49, has helped guests solve any of their innumerable dilemmas--be it locating a Batman costume or curing the rainy day blues. BEST RAINY-DAY ACTIVITY: A posh new bowling alley adjacent to the House of Blues Hotel, 10pin boasts 24 lanes, stylish rental shoes, and elegant bar, and high-definition TVs. "This is the most upscale bowling alley I've ever been to."
This lounge seeking to bowl over patrons Now that I'm married, pretty much everything I do hinges on what my wife likes to do (boy, did I find that out pretty quickly). And in this, the early stages of our marriage, she thinks we should do more things with other married couples. I pointed this out to my photographer, Erik, who also happens to be a newlywed. "There's always bowling," he said. "Isn't that the kind of thing married people do'" This sounded like a good idea. Erik and I happen to love bowling, moreso than our wives. "Bowling'" was the reaction I got when I suggested it to mine (I'm sure Erik got the same reaction). Nonetheless, they agreed to tag along last Friday when our latest assignment led us to 10pin, the River North bowling "lounge" next to the House of Blues Hotel. The revamped Marina City Lanes promised "bowling with a twist," which seemed perfect--the guys wanted to bowl and we figured the twist would keep the women entertained. Apparently we came to the right place. "If you're looking for something fun to do, we're your place," said 10pin manager Aaron Fink, as the foursome rented bowling shoes. "We're going for the lounge aspect, then the food, then the bowling." It's a concept that has recently taken off in Los Angeles, where hipster celebrities can be found lining up on weekends to hang out at the Lucky Strike. There, the bowling is incidental; these people want to sip martinis, eat good food, listen to funky music and maybe shake their behinds a little. If they're in the mood to bowl, they can do that too. 10pin (which is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, to 3 a.m. on Saturday) fancies itself like Lucky Strike--an upscale lounge with bowling. And we knew right away this wasn't a typical alley. After ascending the stairs to the front desk, we noticed all the funky bowling shoes in the glass case: black-and-white wingtips for the guys and trendy Dexters for the women. As Prince belted out "Musicology" from the top-notch nightclub stereo system, his image graced eight massive video screens (more on those later). Before we even made it to our lane, we passed a circular bar area, where three women, each dressed casually hip in varying styles of those Britney Spears-type jeans, sat on a velour high-back couch sipping martinis. Bowling alley' No cheesy monogrammed shirts on the men and women. No scuffed-up, smelly shoes here, either. "You almost feel like you're underdressed," said Steve Griger, 30, hanging out with a group of friends who were there strictly for the bowling. No, this isn't your father's bowling alley. The clientele at 10pin is a little more fashion-conscious (check out the choices of bowling shoes, $3.95 for regular, $4.95 for the cool ones), an urban professional crowd--not necessarily into bowling but into having a sophisticated alternative to the sometimes tiring weekend bar-hopping scene. Yes, bowling has gone sophisticated, at least at the downtown area's only alley (open play rates are $4.95 per game before 5 p.m., $6.95 after). If it wasn't for the occasional sound of rolling balls and clattering pins, you might forget where you are. The sound system alone is more suited for a night of dancing than a night of pin-knocking. And above the 24 lanes rests a 128-foot wall of eight high-definition video screens that show non-stop music videos (or Cubs or Sox games, depending on the time of day). "I think it will attract a lot of young business men and business women," said 29-year-old Kyle Hunsucker. "Or the kind of people who are attracted to a hip scene." Or, as we found out, the kind of people attracted to good food (10pin is owned by the Harry Caray Restaurant Group). Comfort food is the theme, with executive chef Paul Katz giving the term a whole new meaning. You may never be able to eat typical bowling alley cuisine again. Let's see: We tried the cornmeal-battered popcorn shrimp ($9), and the mini-cheeseburgers ($7)--you try picking up a spare with greasy fingers. We sampled the cheese and crackers ($8) and the tomato pizza ($8). The hit of the night (according to both our wives) was the $5 bowl of Wisconsin-smoked cheddar macaroni and cheese (Erik's wife, a self-described "macaroni and cheese connoisseur," gave it a thumbs up). A very close second was the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and a shot of cold milk ($4 and, yes, they are right out of the oven). Our little bowling experiment was a hit. And if anyone cares, I bowled a 156.
Good eats to spare What do you think of when you think about food at bowling alleys' Petrified hot dogs, glistening and foul, endlessly revolving around a heat lamp on a metal rack. Microwave pizza. Beer nuts. And that's about it. Thus the other night I almost didn't stop by...the bowling alley at Marina Towers...but I was walking past and figured, "What the heck.'' Glad I did. Talk about a surprise. First, 10pin is swank and fun. And the food: fabulous. They had these cilantro lime marinated beef skewers to die for. I even -- and brace yourself here -- engaged in bowling, the sport of plebs. It provided something to do between sips and was not an unpleasant way to pass an evening.
A league of their own With the recent opening of ultra-hip bowling alley 10pin in the House of Blues Hotel and the success of "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen," a documentary about professional bowlers, it's clear: Bowling is cool again. Have a ball at our picks for the best alleys in Chicago. 10pin Bowling
Lounge
By Jim Kirk Harry Caray's new venture: Is the hipster set ready to put on the bowling shirts' We'll know soon. 10pin, the new hip upscale lounge that also happens to be a bowling alley, doesn't officially open until the second week of June. but the new facility, located in Marina City, is already being talked about as being one of the big hit openings of the year. Sports & Entertainment Holdings is overseeing the bowling operations, which features 24 lanes topped with a 128-foot video wall. Even the bowling shoes are going upscale. Harry Caray's Restaurant Group will run the lounge and restaurant, which will include a menu of american cuisine. With the 20,000-square-foot lounge, the 30,000-square-foot Harry Caray's restaurant around the corner and the food operations in the Amalfi Hotel that Harry Caray's handles, the restaurant group now operates 150,000 square feet of restaurant space in a one-block area around the bowling alley. |
By Susanna Homan
By Bill Zwecker 
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By Terri Mooney 
Chicago Scene
by Anne Moore
by
Jennifer Wehunt
By Erica
Cerulo
Chicago Magazine
By Erin Ensign
10pin bowling lounge 330 north state
street chicago, illinois
60610 312.644.0300
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