Pinstripes in Oak Brook

A new establishment in Oak Brook that not only has a nice restaurant, but also bocce ball and bowling. It looks like they do some pretty neat weddings here too.

To be fair, we've been here twice now. The first time, was during their soft opening, It was very busy and hectic, but all of the food was free. The service was great, but one of the three entrees was severely flawed.

On our first visit, we started with the appetizer mozzarella balls. The plate was generous and also came with onion straws. The mozzarella balls were a little on the salty side, but I liked it. Plus the sauce was just icing on the cake. I thought that by itself they were awesome but when I tasted the marinara sauce, I melted, just like the cheese in my mouth.

My meal was great. I had the Maple Glazed Salmon which was sooo sweet. I loved it. The avocado, cucumber, and tomato just added to it.

My father had the veggie burger. He thought it was a tasty burger, but at $11 without any side dishes, was extremely pricey. The avocado hummus was a nice surprise, as that night, we weren't presented with a menu, just with a random card that determined what we ate.

My mom got a card for chicken with goat cheese. Our server said we could switch them for another meal of our choice. First I have to say this was not the fault of our server, but my mom asked him to give his honest opinion of his favorite dish from their regular menu. He said he would recommend the Spinach Tagliatelle Bolognese. So my mom asked if she could try that. Our server said he would ask the kitchen if they could do it. This dish was not being offered as part of their trial run. When the meal came it looked okay but right away my mom could tell it wasn't what she thought it would be. The spinach noodles were so undercooked that they were stuck together like a spinach blob with what she said tasted like cheeseburger "Hamburger Helper". She politely asked to speak to the manager. She let them know what she thought of the meal, they right away asked if she would like something else to try. She declined but they gave her a complimentary glass of wine. Then we ordered dessert.  It was amazing.  See the pictures below!

We decided to try it one more time. Our 2nd visit was during normal business hours on a Monday night. It was not as busy this time, and again, we were seated immediately. We noticed that the sculpture in the middle of the dining room now has a bowling ball and a bocce ball added to it (see the picture below).  This time they met our expectations.  I had the Chicken Marsala which was very good, considering the price tag of $17, my father was noticeably shaken by the prices, but he agreed that I could have anything I wanted as long as we skipped appetizers.  My dad had the pizza which was cooked in a wood burning brick oven, it was very good, and at $13 it was a more affordable option, also vegetarian.  My mom had the baked meat lasagna, which was a large enough portion to serve as lunch the next day, but a bit pricey at $18.

Overall, the food and service was top notch, and the atmosphere was like no other restaurant I have ever been to.  When you combine bowling, bocce ball and fine dining, you get "Pinstripes!"

Four out of four forks!
* My dad made me mention that it was a bit pricey.