The Dedham location of King's is housed in a corner of Legacy Place by the movie cinema, in a relatively quiet part of the massive outdoor complex. For some reason, I had thought the place would be bigger than it actually is, picturing a vast, cave-like dining and entertainment center. But the Dedham King's isn't anything like this. Instead, it has a fairly spacious dining area in the front, along with a long bar (with more tables and several TVs) somewhat partitioned off from the dining section. Further ahead is another bar area, along with a number of bowling alleys to the left, and a private area with more alleys to the right. The entire place has a slightly retro feel to it, with cool lighting, round booths, and music that includes songs from the 1960s up to the present. It also seems like the folks behind King's are trying to add an upscale feel to it, with well-dressed people greeting diners and bowlers as they walk through the entrance, and a dress code in place that prohibits baseball caps, work boots, hooded sweatshirts, and more.We arrived during the heart of dinnertime on a Saturday night, but it was no problem getting in--and we checked at the bowling counter to see how busy the bowling area was and they said there were a number of lanes open at that time. So we headed back to the front and were seated in one of the round booths by the bar. We started with a couple of fine beers (Anchor Steam and Blue Moon) and ordered the soft-baked pretzels for an appetizer. The pretzels were tasty, though they had too much salt on them (so much that we had to scrape some of it off) and the cheese that came with it had a slight Velveeta taste to it. We asked for some mustard, which we thought went much better with the pretzels. Our entrees came to us as soon as we were done with the pretzels, and the dishes were both pretty decent overall. The macaroni and cheese came in a cylindrical bowl and had a nice mix of cheeses, but the macaroni itself was slightly overcooked, making it limp and a bit mushy. The breadcrumbs on top helped make up for the lack of texture from the macaroni, and mixed nicely with the cheese. The steak tip salad featured tender meat that had a deliciously zesty marinade, though the salad itself was a bit uninspiring with lettuce dominating the dish. We ordered more cocktails with our entrees, with the pina colada being cooling and flavorful (if a bit light on the alcohol) and the cherry vanilla coke being just about perfect, with a mix of cherry vodka, vanilla rum, Coke, and just a bit of grenadine. Prices were quite reasonable and service was nearly flawless (and friendly). Unfortunately, we had forgotten to check back with the bowling area during our meal, and by the time we headed over there, the lanes were booked solid for up to an hour, so we didn't have a chance to bowl.
If King's were just a restaurant, I'd give it a middling to good review; but as far as dining spots attached to bowling alleys are concerned, the place certainly serves food that is a big step above your typical bowling alley fare. Minor issues with the food aside, I will definitely be heading back to King's for dinner at some point, this time making sure we book an alley in advance.
Address: King's, 600 Legacy Place, Dedham, MA, 02026. The phone number is (781) 329-6000. and the website can be found at: http://www.kingsdedham.com/
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