Datebook Diner: Deep-sea bowling, dining at Uncle Buck's

Altoona Mayor Tim Burge enjoys a little deep sea bowling at Uncle Buck's Fish Bowl and Grill. Bass Pro Shops are putting the finishing touches on their new 145,000 square-foot outdoors store set to open at the end of the month in Altoona . (Credit: Mary Chind/The Des Moines Register)

Preliminary visit; not yet rated.

Uncle Buck's, which opened as part of the Bass Pro Shops megastore, is the latest corporate-run restaurant in the area to come up with a gimmicky way to stage conventional American food.

The look: Deep-sea bowling seems to be the theme here; giant fish facsimiles dangle from the ceiling, with a sunken boat hull suspended over the bar, complete with barnacles and coral. The bar circles a glowing aquarium with live fish, while dreamy marine-blue lighting glimmers across the two bowling alleys.

The adjacent dining areas offer cushioned booths and wicker chairs reminiscent of beach-hut venues. TVs, while abundant, are positioned high enough to watch if you want to or avoid if you don't.

Menu: Except for the popcorn shrimp on the kids' menu, this nautically focused restaurant serves no fish. Rather, appetizers, burgers, panini, sliders, pizzas, flatbread, soups and salads jam the menu. While most items fall into the category of typical casual American fare (nachos, chicken wings, Caesar salad, bacon-topped burger, French dip-style sandwich, etc.), a few novelty items, such as venison-stuffed mushrooms and breaded alligator, tread off the beaten path.

Watch out! The enticing cocktail menu does not list all prices; our Pro Patron Margarita, hand-shaken and filled with a premium liquors, was admirable, yet not quite worth $8.95. A new-to-us find was Sailor Jerry's rum, a spicy and none-too-sweet take on this spirit.

First bites: The Venison Stuffers - mushroom caps filled with ground venison, then topped with Alfredo sauce and cheese - tasted rich and gamy in all the right ways. A good Buffalo burger could have spent a little less time on the grill.

The mega-size Kingpin, a French dip-style sandwich, arrived abundantly portioned, but with dry, lukewarm beef. Sides, including a zip-less Caesar salad and a boilerplate coleslaw, were just perfunctory.

Service: Our gregarious waiter was happy to kneel down at our table and regale us with stories of how he seized upon his favorite menu items. Yet when the food runner brought our food, he was nowhere in sight; we had to request silverware and wait inordinately long to get it.

Bottom line: A strike, a spare and a gutter ball or two.

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