Play with your food at Dave and Buster's

Dave and Busters features games, racing simulators and other means of entertainment (Credit: Gary Moore)

With a half-empty beer mug in one hand and a wad of paper tickets in the other, a college dude raised both arms above his head and let out a multi-syllabic shout of triumph.

Nearby, a crowd gathered behind two basketball sharpshooters, continuously sinking shots, and just across the room, a teenage boy with a plastic machine gun tore down a battalion of guerrilla fighters.

Welcome to the adult arcade of Dave and Buster's.

The restaurant, bar and play place opened in Indianapolis two weeks ago and has been steadily packing in families and young adults. On the Friday night opening week, there was a 90-minute wait to be seated for dinner -- at 10 p.m.

Though the Web site touts "We don't mean to brag, but our menu is awesome," Dave and Buster's isn't fooling anyone. Good food at moderate prices, sure. But few true originals on the dinner menu -- featuring burgers, pasta, steaks and entree salads -- stand out.

The chicken pesto pasta ($11.99), with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms atop fluffy cavatappi pasta, was a favorite; the slightly-tangy pesto mixed well with the thick basil Alfredo sauce. The Southwestern Salad ($7.99) was similarly solid, with chipotle-honey glazed chicken and a mix of cheese and tortilla strips.

Still, aside from dessert -- gooey and delicious donut holes with warm chocolate sauce ($6.39) -- none of the food was bold or memorable. But it certainly wasn't bad.

The restaurant's smartest ploy, then, are its Eat & Play Combos, which offer entrees and arcade credits. Burgers and sandwiches (including the intimidating Double Stacked Chicken Parm Sandwich) with a $10 game card make up the $15.99 combo, on up to $19.99 for the steak and fish selections.

As a $10 game card will easily last an hour in the arcade. Plus, with enough tickets from skeeball, you too could be yelling across the room, "I finally have enough for the candy whistle!"