flip |
| Home |
| Movies |
| Music |
| Longlist |
| Contact Us |
Advertisement
 |
|
|||||||
|
Top 20 Restaurant of the Week: Ten Pin Sports Pub and Eatery
Though the restaurant might be small in size - just 13 tables - what it lacks in space it makes up for in hospitality, quality and fun. The restaurant is attached to the 10-lane bowling alley and arcade, but don't let the location fool you into thinking they serve anything but fantastic food in a family-friendly atmosphere. While some bowling alleys might have the typical snack menu, the options at Ten Pin extend well beyond appetizers. Travelstead says the salads on the menu are popular, chiefly because they aren't your average lettuce-and-dressing combinations. The Ten Pin Favorite includes mixed greens, grilled chicken, parmesan cheese, dried cranberries, artichokes, pecans, mandarin oranges, croutons and sweet vinaigrette house dressing. The black and bleu salad serves up mixed greens, grilled roast beef, pecans, bleu cheese, tomatoes and red onions, an option that is sure to satisfy your hunger as well as introduce a welcome change to the taste buds. Ten Pin has several dinner options, including a marinated, hand-cut steak grilled to your liking in two different sizes: the 'queen' which is 12 ounces, and the 'king' which is 16 ounces. For just $2 more, you can add sautéed portabella mushrooms to your steak, which comes with a side salad and choice of vegetables or potato. Also on the dinner menu is a fish dinner, pork chop dinner and fried shrimp dinner, all which come complete with plentiful portions of the entrée, a side salad and choice of sides. Travelstead says the 'superburgers' on the menu are probably the most ordered item, mainly because of their size and juiciness. Add to that the homemade potato chips that are sliced and fried fresh in the Ten Pin kitchen, and patrons have a filling and fresh meal for about $5. In addition to these menu options, Ten Pin also has daily all-you-can-eat lunch specials. Monday through Friday, Ten Pin offers dishes such as chicken and rice, ham and beans, and chicken and dumplings for the all-you-can-eat special, which costs just $5. For $5.50, customers can opt for the "pick two" special, which features a bowl of soup, a half salad or half sandwich. Customers can pick two of the above, and the choice of soup and specialty salad vary by day. One of the more distinctive and welcoming aspects Ten Pin has to offer is the safe, family-friendly atmosphere. Munchkin Mondays is a promotion Travelstead has instituted to bring families out for a night at the entertainment center. Kids eat free (one child per adult) on Mondays, and Travelstead says she has seen great response from families. "A lot of people come because it's smaller and they feel safe. Parents can be in the dining room and the kids can be bowling or in the arcade." She says having so many entertaining options for kids makes it easy for the adults to relax and enjoy themselves as well. And now that the weather is nice, Ten Pin's beer garden is open, complete with a large pavilion, picnic tables and a sand volleyball court. Travelstead has booked several bands to play in the beer garden, including the Brat Pack, who will perform Friday at 9 p.m. And though Ten Pin may sound like a mere bowling alley, the restaurant and beer garden prove it is so much more. As owner Travelstead says, "We don't have fine china, but we're a place for people to come and sit back and relax." Ten Pin Sports Pub and Eatery What: Steak, burgers, sandwiches, salads and pizza. Bowling alley, arcade, beer garden with sand volleyball court. Available for parties and rentals. When: Open daily at 11 a.m. Where: 1608 S. Washington Street, Du Quoin, IL How to get there: Take U.S. 51 north from Carbondale. Ten Pin is on the right, just before the state fairgrounds.
| |||||||
|
|
All pages & images, Copyright © 2008 The Southern Illinoisan, a Lee Enterprises subsidiary