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Lucky Strike, Neon-Upscale Bowling Alleys with Real Food - MCI Center and Montgomery Mall


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Go take a walk through Lucky Strike, preferably on a rainy weeknight around 8 PM. They're not crowded and it's about the damndest thing I've ever seen. Don't bother spending much time; just go and watch people bowl for about ten minutes, shaking your head in disbelief at the changes that have overcome this area. This is going to be a total zoo, and the time to observe this curiosity is in the next couple of weeks, before the holidays - they have radar measuring the speed of your bowling ball, along with a cornucopia of hallucinogenic visual effects. X-treme development, unquestionably the downfall of mankind, and at once fascinating and tragic. I'll sixty-nine with a pterodactyl before eating here, so someone else can be the test rat.

Cheers,

Rocks

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Go take a walk through Lucky Strike, preferably on a rainy weeknight around 8 PM.  They're not crowded and it's about the damndest thing I've ever seen.  Don't bother spending much time; just go and watch people bowl for about ten minutes, shaking your head in disbelief at the changes that have overcome this area.  This is going to be a total zoo, and the time to observe this curiosity is in the next couple of weeks, before the holidays - they have radar measuring the speed of your bowling ball, along with a cornucopia of hallucinogenic visual effects.  X-treme development, unquestionably the downfall of mankind, and at once fascinating and tragic.  I'll sixty-nine with a pterodactyl before eating here, so someone else can be the test rat.

Cheers,

Rocks

To best cope with the experience, do you recommend drinking heavily before, during or after?

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To best cope with the experience, do you recommend drinking heavily before, during or after?

I would recommend all three. This place really is cool! This is not your grandfather's bowling alley. Our drinks were good (and not too pricey either); I can't wait to go back and try the food. We were a bit hung over to eat.
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Washington Post Article about Lucky Strike.

Friday and Saturday nights after 9 are the most popular and expensive times to bowl: You can call ahead and reserve a lane for $75 an hour for your group, or you can show up, put your name on the list, and pay $7.95 per person, per game, plus $3.95 for shoes. The wait can be three or four hours.
Wait....what? Play that back! :)
$75 an hour
That's what I thought you said... :o

Call me Old Mister Not A Member Of Their Target Audience, but the article makes it sound like a terrible scene. Come on, a thirteen-point dress code? Ahi tuna burger?? Seventy-Five (75) US Dollars for an hour (Granted, with an optimally-sized and speedy group, you can come out ahead vs. per-person, but come on....for $75 an hour they'd better kiss me on the way out and promise to call if my convention comes back to town next year, but never really call.)

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for $75 an hour they'd better kiss me on the way out and promise to call if my convention comes back to town next year, but never really call.)

I read that over lunch and almost spit jerk pork all over myself.

For $75 an hour they better do more than kiss me on the way out...

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That's hilarious. A dress code for bowling?

Anyone remember Tuffy Leeman's Duckpin Lanes, in Wheaton? That crowd could probably beat the living crap out of the hipsters and yupsters at Lucky Strike.

Edit to add: is there still a bowling alley at U of MD?

Edited by Heather
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Two friends wanted to bowl on a rainy Saturday night. I was game. Lucky Strike has surprisingly few lanes (14, I think) and it's as loud as hell. The bar and lounge area are huge, and full of people watching sports on the many TVs and scoping out members of the opposite sex. Some are even waiting to bowl--there's a pager system.

It ended up taking about two hours to get a lane during which time we snacked, drank and gabbed. Our bartender was very friendly and accommodating. This is not the spot to go for a quiet catch-up with friends over a good glass of wine; grab a beer or a silly-trendy martini and prepare to shout over the music and laugh over your building tinnitus.

Still, I have found my new guilty pleasure and it is Lucky Strike's chicken bites. Available in about five varieties, we chose spicy buffalo with blue cheese. Very delicious as small, fried chicken chunks go. Clearly not from Sysco. The chicken was moist, tender and as spicy as advertised. Two of us shared one portion and still left a bite or two uneaten. Our other friend absolutely devoured her plum tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza.

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Still, I have found my new guilty pleasure and it is Lucky Strike's chicken bites... Clearly not from Sysco.

I wouldn't bet the ranch (dressing) on this. I recently had a tasty piece of pie at a well-regarded restaurant, and it was from, not Sysco, but ... Costco.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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I wouldn't bet the ranch (dressing) on this. I recently had a tasty piece of pie at a well-regarded restaurant, and it was from, not Sysco, but ... Costco.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Off-topic, but yeah, I heard that Sysco has a whole big range of high-end, better items and some lower-end ones. I can't remember where I heard that, but maybe some industry person can back me up on that one?

Back on-topic - I had some really nasty dried-out coconut chicken skewers with some dipping sauce that reminded me of something gross. I can't recall what it is at the moment, but it wasn't good. I actually made some of my coworkers stop eating them with my comment. Then there was the fresh mozzarella and tomato on bread which had gone soggy since coming from the kitchen to our lanes.

I'd stick to the alcohol.

ETA: from what I can tell on this Sysco page, I think I'm correct.

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I was in Westfield Montgomery on Feb 20, and noticed that a Lucky Strike seemed very close to opening.

Incidentally, the food court there may be the best (or best-looking) food court in the DC area right now.

Mar 2, 2017 - "Lucky Strike Bethesda To Open March 4" by Jamie Wilkins on patch.com

So, it's reasonable to assume that this second DC location is now open (but make sure to call first).

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