A little luxe, a little retro, one side of Lucky Strike is

A little luxe, a little retro, one side of Lucky Strike is a huge room full of driver-simulation games and the like—basically a casino for kids; the other, all low lights and lower couches, is a bar, lounge, and 16 lanes ($30 an hour early evening, $40 later on, $50 Fridays and Saturdays). The menu is standard (small plates $8–$10; tacos, salads, pizzas, and burgers $10–$12), but the quality is a cut above: Belgian frites in a paper cone, crispy outside and lushly fluffy inside, with a choice of five sauces, are $5.75 and quite worth it. They’re going for upscale, and this is more a place for a special-event splurge than for your once-a-week bowling outing—its website, for example, does specify a dress code (“No gang colors”). If the atmosphere can seem a little bro-ey, I celebrated my last birthday there, and had a fantastic time with my five weird friends.