Pinning It Down

BY CARLA WALDEMAR

Pinstripes
3849 Gallagher Drive
Centennial Lakes Plaza
Edina
952-835-6440

Some think that the Three Bs cliché refers to music (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms). But anyone who’s visited the new Pinstripes knows better: It’s
bowling, bocce and bistro.

That’s the one-stop entertainment/shopping combo (along with live music Fridays and Saturdays) offered by the new Pinstripes complex in Edina. The mere thought of infiltrating Edina gives you the hives? I know, I know, but wait: Prices are decidedly diner-friendly, with lots of specials; free valet parking, too. And the room couldn’t be more inviting: warm wood floor, wall of natural stone, upholstery in earthy tones of apple green and autumn orange, backed by vast window walls framing snowy pines.

The something-for-everyone menu conveys an Italian accent to pizza, pasta, sandwiches, entrees, and more. And the guilt of “Oh, why not?” indulging is easily atoned for by 16 lanes of bowling and six for bocce ball around the corner.
We started with a trio of winter-ready soups ($5): a pasta fagioli, bland as Campbell’s; a meaty stuffed-pepper number boasting the savory smack of quality Parmesan; and maybe the best homemade tomato in the metro, uber-creamy and bursting with true tomato sweetness, livened with a pinch of basil.

From the pizza listing ($12), we pounced on the prosciutto-fig flatbread, boasting plenty of fresh fruit in tandem with prosciutto that came huskily sliced, not tenderly shaved, thus too thick to avoid rassling every bite. Its layer of cheese, making for great flavor, also produced an overdose of oil atop the full-bodied crust. Great for sharing! So were the tenderloin sliders (three for $13) of rare and juicy beef married with—get this!—mayo scented with foie gras and a hint of truffle oil (proves we’re in Edina), all topped with a haystack of shoestring potatoes, micro-thin and jubilantly crispy.

Pasta ($12-15) comes in portions so big you’re sure there’s an Italian nonna in the kitchen urging “Mangia, mangia!” Loved the sturdy house-made noodles supporting the Fettucine Bolognese dish. They’re interwoven with
lots of lusty (and salty) meat sauce, further enriched with truffle butter and sprinklings of Romano. Even better, the New Orleans Meets Milano number called Italian Jambalaya, showcasing firm-grained rice festooned for Mardi Gras with spicy (very! And very nice!) chicken breast, sausage bits, pesto-painted shrimp, sundried tomatoes and a trio of sweet peppers. Mm-mm! Large plates (and here I was, thinking the former were formidable) range from baby backs, chicken, beef tenderloin and short ribs to our selection—you still with me?—a mild and flaky fillet of halibut. It’s dressed for success in a thin coating of pine nuts, then sent asail on a silky sea of butter sauce; it’s sided with a scoop of lemon-bright risotto flecked with artichokes, plus a mini-mound of spinach cherry tomatoes (entrees $16-23). A lovely, lovely dish.

I regret to have to inform your weight counselor that desserts are pretty wonderful, too, starting with a creamy, full-bodied round of cheesecake, given a quick slide under the broiler to create a caramel glaze. The bread pudding is yummy, too, presented as an upright triangle, and fabricated from former croissants tossed with cloves, cinnamon, apples and pears. A trio of profiteroles (aka cream puffs) proved a little tough to the bite, but the vanilla sauce within and chocolate sauce they preened on were perfection (desserts $7).

It gets even better. Special menus offer lunch and dinner “on the fly”—choices of several scrumptious entrees, served with the kitchen’s divine focaccia and a basil oil dip that comes with the above items, too, for $10 and $12 respectively. Then there’s the $2 burger served Tuesdays in the ball lanes. The Monday night bottomless helpings of the chopped salad and spaghetti and meatballs combo. Or Sunday’s free kids’ food after 5 p.m. The daily drink specials. I dare you to stay home.