He Said: Modern Round is a bull’s-eye when it comes to a good time, food

Pure fun. That’s the easiest way to describe Modern Round in Peoria.

I didn’t know what to expect upon arrival to this new entertainment and dining option. I am not a gun aficionado and did not think it would be as exciting as my experience ended up being — and that’s not including some great food.

Walking inside, you are instantly aware of the huge chandelier above the bar along with multiple TV screens all playing different sports. I’d be happy coming here to watch a game and not even get to the shooting part!

However, I pause to call it a sports bar as the ambiance is more New York circa 1930 than a typical upscale sports bar. I couldn’t help myself from constantly looking up and around and just taking it all in.

You are constantly approached by friendly staff eager to help you navigate around or get you to your lounge area for some food and shooting fun. There are many private lounge areas for you to sit and enjoy your food, while in front of you is a huge screen with realistic sound effects awaiting you.

As a newbie, we watched a safety video and then were taught how to use the realistic — but not real — guns. Then you are off to either shoot zombies or, my favorite, run real-life scenarios. These are police and military training scenarios where you have to decide how to react and are scored on if you chose the right reaction or not.

A note to parents: These scenarios are definitely not kid-friendly but so much fun for adults. After some fun — and, at times, stressful — shooting we sat down and enjoyed a sampling of food. I recommend bringing a group of six so you can order a bunch of items to share.

We started off with the really great Ultimate Cheese and Charcuterie Board, Meatballs and Crostini and the Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls.

The board was expansive, with multiple meats and cheeses, nuts, pickles, olives, fig jam and whole-grain mustard. It has a little something for everyone and provided a good base for our culinary adventure.

The spring rolls and meatballs were very well made and extremely tasty, but be prepared for a little heat from both. Not a huge hot and spicy fan myself, I still seemed to keep going back for more, they were that good.

Next up, we sampled a few of the flatbreads: Three Little Pigs and the BBQ Chicken. When I visualize a flatbread, I am thinking square and very thin, crispy crust. These were round and somewhat doughy pizzas.

They were full of flavor. I especially enjoyed the BBQ Chicken, but again be warned the chorizo on the Three Little Pigs is pretty spicy.

There are plenty of sandwiches and burgers, all of which are described in ways that made me want to try them. The Quinoa, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad sounded especially wonderful and, along with the different skewer options, would make a great meal. Just like there are so many games to play, there are so many food options as well.

Lastly, we sampled two desserts I had to mention.

The first was a Croissant Bread Pudding. This moist, slightly sweet, wonderful contraption was gobbled up in minutes. It is croissant bread pudding with bourbon crème sauce and salted caramel. If you have any love for bread pudding at all, this will knock your socks off.

The second and last item on our food trail was the Bacon-Wrapped Oreos. I should just end it there, as the title is descriptive enough.

It comes with a vanilla bean cream cheese dipping sauce but, honestly, it doesn’t need it. It’s perfect just as it is — softened cookie and crispy bacon, the sweet and salt mix perfectly together. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this popping up elsewhere in the Valley or at least in my home kitchen.

For more information on Modern Round, visit WhereShouldWeEat.com.

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