Yesterday we attended Henry's sixth birthday and what he wanted was a bowling party! And because it's traditional to get what you want on your birthday ... we all (the family) duly trooped to Pinz Lanes in Studio City. We fortified ourselves for this exciting physical sport with lunch at Jerry's Deli which is so connected that you walk through a door from the alleys to the restaurant.
We (8) were joined by three more, so we had two alleys - #11 and #12. Stretching off into the vast reaches of the place, I'd have to estimate that there are 40 or 50 alleys available. There were a lot of kids present and I began to really feel for the alleys themselves. Witness: a boy, maybe four, carried the ball up to the line, dropped it (CRASH) and attempted to kick it down the alley!
Since the smallest ball weighed 10 lbs. just getting it to the line was an achievement on his part. Whatever happened to "duck balls" which were much smaller? The kids did get help in the form of "gutters" or railings which rise up out of the gutter and keep the ball in the proper alley. The parent called for them after her kid heaved the ball into the alley and it ricocheted off the gutter and into the alley on the left!
Others (kids and adults) seemed to believe that the farther you could heave the ball down the alley, the better off you would be. BAM! CRASH! Do not try to spend a restful hour in a bowling alley. Trust me on this.
The last time we bowled was some 30 years ago while courting. With no muscle memory to guide us, we had quite a time. I got off to a bad start because I put my thumb in the big hole - which you're supposed to do, but I stuck my second and third fingers in the other two holes. It's supposed to be your middle two fingers? Finally got that straightened out and finished the 10 frames with a score of 57. Richie came in at 38 (but had much better form) and the rest of us scored similarly. We could have used those gutter rails...
It was amazingly good, family fun. Despite the fact that a sophisticate like myself has traditionally sneered at: bowling, bowling shoes, accordions and yodeling, the commoners seem to be onto something with this bowling thing. Richie is panting to go again.
And then we went back to their house and had cupcakes from Yummy Cupcakes, 2918 W. Magnolia, Burbank. They had a wild mix of adult (alcohol involved) and childrens' sweet treats. I googled their menu this morning and found two rather off-beat styles.
The Arnold Palmer - black tea and lemonade flavored cupcake, frosted with black tea and lemonade butter cream.
The Bloody Mary - tomato-spice cupcake with vodka, horseradish and hints of celery cream cheese frost garnished with celery salt and an olive.
Not your usual cupcakes by any means.
I ordered a lemon flavor, please, when they went to bring them back to the house, but since there are 13 or 14 varieties of lemon, I couldn't find it. I can tell you it was delicious.
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