Big Bowling Alley and Restaurant Comes to Westfield Topanga in 2022

With the pandemic seemingly in the past at this point in Los Angeles (though officials caution a surge with the delta variant), large-scale dining and entertainment spaces are coming back. Pinstripes, a big Chicago-based venue with Italian-American-inspired fare, bowling lanes, and bocce ball, is coming to Westfield Topanga mall sometime in 2022. The chain, which has most locations in the Midwest is making this the first one to open in Southern California. Pinstripes in Westfield Topanga is part of a massive expansion for the property that hopes to become a sort of suburban entertainment district with a food hall, lounges, cocktail bars, and AMC theater.

In other news:

• Longtime Chinese food writer David Chan has a reaction on why the critics of LA’s Chinatown food revival get it wrong, discussing the long history of the area, starting from when it was created to replace the Old Chinatown that was torn down to make way for Union Station in the 1930s. Basically, Chan says Chinatown has been in decline for 30 years due to changing demographics, and that the efforts of the new restaurateurs are helping to keep the area going in spite of the larger forces that led to San Gabriel Valley becoming the de facto community hub for Chinese immigrants. “At least we have a Chinatown which is still relevant to myself and many other Chinese Americans,” writes Chan.
• Father’s Office in Santa Monica reopened this week after more than a year of closure.
• Another addition to Santa Monica’s Montana Avenue: Sam’s Bagels from Main Street is coming over to the tony area, according to Toddrickallen.
• The former Moon Room/Griffin in Atwater Village is becoming a new place called the High-Low from the Surly Goat/Verdugo Bar team, according to What Now LA.
• Yess Aquatic has a nice Chicken Kiev fish sandwich special today you should know about: