<p>Halibut fish and chips at Recreation Lanes Restaurant & Lounge.</p>

I have long thought that for a relatively small coastal region we are culinarily blessed with both a large number of excellent restaurants and a wide diversity in styles and flavors. While as a diner this is fantastic, as a restaurant critic this makes my job difficult. How does one compare a gourmet seafood restaurant to a pizza parlor or an Italian bistro to a burger joint? I believe that doing so would be impossible; each restaurant must instead be considered and judged on its own merit and in and of itself. So when I dine out, I ask myself What does this restaurant have to offer? and Is it offering it in the best way possible?

I approached Recreation Lanes Restaurant & Lounge in Gearhart with that in mind: For a restaurant that accompanies a bowling alley, what are they offering, and are they offering it in the best way they can? The answer to that question is that they are offering standard bowling food, and the offering is very average.

We arrived at Recreation Lanes late on Monday afternoon and more or less had the place to ourselves. We were warmly greeted by our friendly server, and our orders were taken and delivered quickly. The restaurant and lounge are clean, but without frills; the bowling alley is the real star of the show.

As an appetizer, we chose potato skins with melted cheddar cheese and bacon, served with sour cream on the side. I thought the skins to be a little flimsy; when making these at home, I like to leave a fair amount of potato inside the skins, giving them more substance. The potatoes were a bit greasy from all the cheese, and the bacon was a little overcooked and tough and served in large squares, rather than crumbled into bits. The overall flavor was average, not noteworthy.

Next up was a green side salad with ranch dressing. The salad featured large chunks of iceberg lettuce and toppings that seemed like they might also double as toppings for the pizza the restaurant serves large slices of tomato, black olives, and shredded cheese. The salad was clearly handcrafted, though, and the ranch dressing was flavorful.

As a first entrée, I chose beer-battered halibut fish and chips with garlic toast. For the price tag of $17.95, I was expecting more in terms of quantity and quality. The three pieces of fish were rather small, and I wanted a heartier batter; this was a bit thin and without the mellow zing that beer usually lends to a batter. Curious also was the tartar sauce mayonnaise is the base for tartar sauce, usually making it fairly creamy and thick, but this was thin and oddly transparent. The French fries were quite tasty, though, with a good amount of crunch, and I appreciated the fry sauce that accompanied them (mayonnaise, ketchup and vinegar). The garlic toast seemed to be nothing more than regular slices of sandwich bread flavored with garlic butter, and it was only toasted on one side. Overall, I was expecting a bit more for what I consider a higher price point.

A club house sandwich served with tator tots fared better. The slices of turkey were thick and juicy, and the portion of bacon was also very generous. It was more than a substantial-sized meal, and the tator tots were also perfectly crisp, making the $7.75 price tag much more reasonable than the fish and chips.

Our service throughout the meal was exceptional. Our server was extraordinarily accommodating and friendly and brought us extra portions of condiments prior to the meal without being asked. We also happened to be dining during the lounges daily happy hour (3:30 to 6 p.m.), and we were unexpectedly given happy hour prices on the appetizer, even though we werent sitting in the lounge, which was a nice surprise.

At the end of the day, Im a bit split on my overall critique of the restaurant (and please know how difficult it has been for me to refrain from using more bowling jokes up to this point). As a customer, this restaurant might not be at the top of my list, were I only interested in the food alone. If the main reason I came was to bowl, though, I wouldnt hesitate to order a dish or two, knowing that what I would receive is rather average, fried diner food.

In my opinion, Recreation Lanes is a bowling alley with a restaurant, and not a restaurant with a bowling alley, and I think thats an important distinction.