Bowling goes beyond upscale in Edina

Don't call this place a bowling alley. At the very least, call it an upscale bowling alley.

Owner Dale Schwartz would contend that Pinstripes is much more than that. Based on one look at the place on opening night last weekend, he's right. The 32,000-square-foot complex includes 16 bowling lanes, eight indoor bocce ball courts and a swanky Italian-American restaurant.

No shaggy carpet here. No Big Lebowski types clad in polyester league shirts. Here's what I found instead: bowlers resting on plush leather sofas between turns. Servers attending to each lane with trays of cocktails and entrees. Wine bottles cradled in ice buckets. A sax player crooning in the bar.

Nationally, the froufrou bowling trend has been rolling along nicely for a decade. This is Pinstripes' third location (Schwartz built the first two in Chicago suburbs). Edina's Pinstripes is sprawled across two levels, each with big glass windows overlooking Centennial Lakes Park. Upon entering, you're greeted by a large, winding wrought-iron staircase and the bocce courts. The bocce players on Saturday night seemed to be having the most fun -- many crowded the courts with a ball in one hand and a colorful cocktail in the other. Games cost between $8 and $10 an hour a person. The pricing is a far cry from the dungeony Half-Time Rec in St. Paul, where it's free after league play.

Beyond the bowling and bocce, Schwartz seemed most eager to push Pinstripes' restaurant and bar. The look will remind you of other haute suburban endeavors -- as if Crave had decided to attach itself to a bowling alley. The Italian-American menu will be familiar to foodies, but might prove esoteric to bowling-alley rats. Small plates and flatbreads range from $7 to $13. Pastas and entrees are $12 to $23.

Opening in the winter must have seemed like a good idea, except for the fact that Pinstripes' 9,000 square feet of impressive outdoor space just seems like a tease now. The two fire pits and scenic views of the lake and pine trees will be coveted seats when the snow melts.

With shoes, a couple games of bowling on a Saturday night will cost you $18. And that's before drinks. It's not cheap. And obviously, there's something genuine and charming about patronizing the Twin Cities' grungy, old-school bowling alleys.

But as I sat on that slick leather sofa, sipping my glass of chilled sauvignon blanc, waiting my turn to bowl on Saturday night, I contemplated: Even bowlers want to be spoiled, right?

• Tom Horgen

New restaurants

In Season has opened. Catch chef Don Saunders' late-fall menu (braised rabbit ragout over fresh papardelle, butternut squash soup with pumpkinseed oil) through early December, when he makes the seasonal switch to winter. Entrees average $19.

The team behind the Strip Club has taken over the former home of Subo and launched The Inn. Chef Tyge Nelson (formerly of Barrio and La Belle Vie) is serving dinner Monday through Saturday, with dishes such as chicken poached in a bacon broth, house-cured Lake Superior herring and a burger made with grass-fed beef and topped with a foie gras mousse and a fried egg. Sandwiches average $15; entrees hover around $19.

• Rick Nelson

Man in Motion

Slated to sing one of the "Tim" songs at Friday's Replacements tribute show, Justin Pierre will be at First Ave a lot over the next month: His full-time band Motion City Soundtrack is hosting its Popsickle Festival there Dec. 18 with a whopping 10-band lineup, including Minus the Bear and Foxy Shazam. On Dec. 10, Pierre will play the Entry with a new band, Farewell Continental, whose members are working under secret TV identities (his is Jack Ryan). The real mystery: How is it this band doesn't have any music posted online yet, but they do have T-shirts for sale? Three different varieties, no less.

• Chris Riemenschneider

Eyedea's mom speaks out on cause of death

The mother of late Twin Cities hip-hop star Mikey (Eyedea) Larsen issued a statement Friday denying that her son was a habitual drug user and calling his death "an isolated and accidental incident."

Kathy Averill went public after the Ramsey County medical examiner said Thursday that "opiate toxicity" had caused his death. Neither the examiner's report nor Averill's statement named any specific drugs, and Averill declined to comment further. However, she did cite prescription drugs as being part of the lethal mix.

"Mikey was at no time in his life a habitual user or drug addict," she said. "Many factors played a role in the death of my son, one being a toxic level of prescription drugs."

Her statement goes on to say: "While this changes nothing, I want people to have a basis for what happened while maintaining some privacy until I am ready to speak further. I trust that anyone reading this will avoid allowing conversations that would in any way desecrate the higher positivity and legacy that Mikey leaves behind."

Larsen's musical cohorts and admirers continue to honor him with tribute shows even after the sold-out affair that Rhymesayers put on Nov. 9 at First Avenue.

More friends will take part in the "Eye Will" show Saturday at the Turf Club in St. Paul, a fundraiser that will showcase Larsen's visual artwork and feature performances by such frequent collaborators as Carnage, Kristoff Krane, Kill the Vultures and members of Face Candy.

Another St. Paul venue, Station 4, is hosting a tribute Dec. 2 with some of Eyedea's young admirers, including hip-hop trio Sota Boys.

• Chris Riemenschneider

Voltage bands announced

Those fashionistas sure do work farther ahead than music scenesters. Voltage: Fashion Amplified organizers already announced the lineup for their April 15 runway/rock show at First Avenue: Pink Mink, Communist Daughter, Fort Wilson Riot, Me & My Arrow and Phantom Tails will all dress up and perform.

• Chris Riemenschneider

Black Friday in record stores

The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis hopes to jump-start its holiday business with a 20-percent-off sale all day Friday and Saturday. All three Fetus locations statewide will also offer a new personal-shopping service Dec. 1-10. Of course, you can pretty much ask for recommendations at indie stores any other day, too. Rhymesayers Entertainment's Uptown record store Fifth Element is also hosting a Black Friday sale with contests, "special guest" employees and even something called the Slug Shoe Sale, featuring the shoe-buff rapper's slightly used sneakers. We wish we were making that up.

• Chris Riemenschneider

Isn't that romantica

Romantica frontman Ben Kyle has recorded a duets album with Texas alt-country starlet Carrie Rodriguez, with whom Romantica has toured and shares a guitarist/pedal-steel player (Luke Jacobs). Tellingly titled "We Still Love Our Country," the disc covers John Prine (twice), Townes Van Zandt, some of Gram Parsons' staples and more, plus it features a pair of originals. It will land Feb. 1. Romantica's next gig is Dec. 12 at the Cedar, a release party for the vinyl edition of its "America" album, with KaiserCartel as openers.

• Chris Riemenschneider