Ryan Cormier|Delaware News Journal
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Downtown Wilmington's new duckpin bowling alley with a New Orleans-themed dining menu isready to let the good times roll.
Wilma's, the $2 million projectowned and operated by city developers Buccini/Pollin Group, has a tentative opening date set for 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9.
It will be downtown's first bowling alley in nearly 55 years. And it will be thefirst time the sounds of balls crashing intopins will be heard within thecity limits in four decades, dating back to when Parkway Bowlingclosed on Union Street in the early '80s.
"Young adults are not just looking to go to a bar and go dancing anymore," saidRich Snyder, BPG's director of food and beverage."They want to do group activities and hang out where it's not yelling, but a conversation. This is perfect for that."
Officials recently gave Delaware Online/The News Journal a sneak peek of thenew spot, advertised as "the new stomping ground for Wilmington’s trouble-makers."
Construction crews are still at work, preparingthe former Ernest & Scott Taproom for its pandemic-delayed debut.
The project at 902 N. Market St. transforms the high-ceilingrestaurant into a one-of-a-kind entertainment spot in the historicDelaware Trust Building, which celebratedits 100th anniversary in July.
Four duckpin bowling lanes can be found where Ernest & Scott's massive island bar once held elbows. In the rear of the recreation hall, there will be four classic pinball machinesalong with vintage video games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Pongand Galaga.
One of the main reasons for creating Wilma's is thatdowntown residents, including those who livein BPG's city residentialbuildings, often lament the need for more activities in the area.
Thatpush won't stop with duckpin bowling.
A shuffle club complete with shuffleboard gamesis in the works and will open ground-level atThe Residences at Mid-Town Park, officials teased. It will have a Cuban theme and will be named Shuffle Libre, complete with Cuban drinks and food.
While Wilma's games will get plenty of attention, its kitchen could also strike upits own fanbase.
New Orleans-style cuisine coming to downtown
Chef Jimi Sparks, who has been with BPG for two years helmingthekitchen at the nearby Maker's Alley beer garden, is also in charge of Wilma's.
The former executive chef atUlysses American Gastropub in Brandywine Hundred has been busily researching and developing a lunch and dinner menu for Wilma's, including a trip down to Louisiana.
He and Snyder ate at James Beard Award-nominated restaurants, along with local favorites such asDooky Chase'sRestaurant.
And since Sarah Lamb, BPG's vice president of design and marketing, is a New Orleans native, she enlisted her motherback home to join them in the kitchen as they tried out dishes, cooking side by side.Marie Lamb, a life-long lover of cooking,isa chef-for-hire for private dinners and has her own sweet and savory weekly pie delivery service.
"She had a bunch of ideas and showed us some family traditions," Snyder said. "So the menu isan amalgam of both ideas, new and the old."
Alligator sausage sliders, po' boys,beignets & more
So what should youexpect in the 45-seat dining area when the revolving doors spinopen for the first time?
Sparks, who worked under a French chef his first decade in the business, gave a tour.
Small plates include gumbo ($10), Cajun BBQ shrimp ($16) and smoked alligator sausage sliders on French bread topped with remoulade and cabbage slaw ($12).
Also included is an item that will likely end up on more than a few Instagram pages: a $48 seafood platter with whole jumbo shrimp, crab claw cocktail, oysters on the half shell, smoked tuna dip and crab soufflé.
Po' boys get their own section with three options: friend domestic Gulf shrimp ($14), crispy fried oyster ($14)and crispy fried catfish ($13).
There are also a handful of salads ($8-$13) and a dessert section that includes Bananas Foster, New Orleans bread pudding and beignets, all $8 each.
Among the seafood entrees being served up are crab cakes (market price), catfish with pickled greens ($16) and shrimp & grits ($24). Their French Quarter creole ($18) is filled with smoked chicken, Gulf shrimp, alligator sausage withEspelette peppers, okra and rice in a spicy tomato broth.
The restaurant's new in-house smoker will be put to use for sweet and spicy ribs ($14-$27)with Southern friedchicken thighs ($14) and a 12-ounce Cajun butter steak (market price) rounding out the menu.
A full bar, now located to the right of the entrance, will offer beer, wine, mixed drinks and a specialty cocktail menu.
A commissioned mural by Wilmington artist Lauren E. Petersof Wilma, the hall'sfire-haired mascot of sorts, will hang above the bar.The name Wilma's is a play on the nickname "Wilmo" that some use for Wilmington.
Will bowling be worth the wait?
The timing couldn't be better for balls and pins to appear on Market Street in the5,700-square-foot space.
FLASHBACK: Bowlero Wilmington debuts with 52 black light lanes & high definition video walls
The bowling alley closest to the city limits, First State Lanes in Fox Point, closed its 28-lane alley in June 2019. The family-owned and operated business had been going for 47 years.
The nearest bowling lanes to show your roll these days can be found at Bowlerama, the 52-lane alleyformerly known asAMF Price Lanes in Prices Corner. It underwent renovations and a name change in early 2019.
With only four lanes downtown, bowlers will also be able to reserve an alley through the Wilma's website.
It's not the first bowling alley to call downtown Wilmington home, though. Grady's was at 824 Market St., closing in the early '20s. The 16-lane City Bowling Alleys was built in 1931 at Eighth and Orange streets, later home to a relocated Grady's. It wasCenter City Laneswhen it closedin 1967.
For those who don't mind a drive, the newest bowling alley in the region made a splash opening earlier this month: Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia. The Live Nation-owned spot offers 24 bowling lanes, a full dining menu and a 1,000-person music venue all under one roof next to The Fillmore in Fishtown.
Back home, the former bank where Wilma will rule first opened as a restaurant when the Philadelphia-based Public House chain took over the cavernous room with30-foot ceilings in 2009, replacing the Great Room of TheResidences at Rodney Square. After lasting only two years, Ernest & Scott Taproom took over withits beer theme in January 2012.
When first announced in January 2020, Wilma's had a tentative opening date of fall 2020. The pandemic struck and stalledthe project, which cost about $1.9 million, Snyder said. Now, the smallduckpins and balls and the building are ready to meet.
Since BPG has wanted to open a recreational space in downtown for seven years, officials hope the year-long delay will be worth the wait for those looking to "live, work, play" in the city, as the BPG slogan goes.
They hope that Friday and Saturday nights will draw 20- and 30-somethings, the influencer crowd, with dinners drawing all ages. They envision children's birthday parties and little ones bowling with their families during theday, too.
"We don'twant to alienate anyone," Snyder said. "Hopefully, we're going to be here to stay. We believe we have a formula that's built for the long run."
Wilma's will be open Wednesday through Friday (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.),Saturday(10 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormierdelawareonline) and Twitter (@ryancormier).