Saturday was our fifth wedding anniversary so The Missus and I hit the town to celebrate. We started things off with a bang, catching Wall-E at The Grand. It was an enjoyable movie, but it didn't knock my socks off. For me it was a 3-star (out of 4) flick. Some of the animation techniques, on the other hand, were mind-blowing. As for The Grand, I can't say I'm crazy about the employees wearing tuxedos. It has the distinct odor of trying too hard. I'm all for well-dressed employees, but the illusion of professionalism and poise is shattered when you overhear two employees talking about their carnal conquests with members of the opposite sex. If a theater really wants to impress me, it should offer high-quality concessions in sensible portions at a reasonable price.
After the movie we walked down to The Oven. Now, I love The Oven. It is probably the most important restaurant in my transition away from the limited diet of my youth to the expanded, diversified diet I enjoy today. For that reason it will always hold a special place in my heart. But boy, the last three times I've been there -- over a span of several months -- service has been very disappointing. The food is always excellent (with one exception; see below), but service is mediocre at best. The adjectives "inattentive" and "uninspired" come to mind. Last night, I think our server was just plain overworked. He had a few tables on one side of the restaurant, plus a couple tables outside. He couldn't ever stop moving for fear of getting behind, so of course he couldn't focus too much on us. Oh, and that one exception to the excellent food? It has to be the salad. I've seen livelier salads at McDonald's. My lamb madras, on the other hand, was very tasty, and The Missus had nothing but praise for her Indian crab cakes.
Next we just had to stop by Ivanna Cone. We knew we were in for a wait since the Jehovah's Witnesses were in town, and sure enough, we stood in line for 25 minutes. But it was worth it. Ivanna Cone is always worth it.
Once we had our ice cream we walked north to check out some of the Haymarket's newest restaurants. First we investigated the menu at Magnolia's. Mmm. I'm a little freaked out by the fact that they don't have prices on their outside menu, but at a place like that, I figure you probably already know you're coming out with a lighter wallet. I haven't heard a lot of talk about Magnolia's, but what I have heard has been very positive.
Suite 1 Pub & Pizza is just a few steps away, so we checked out its menu next. Again, what little buzz I've heard about Suite 1 has been very positive. We hope to get there soon.
Last, we walked all the way up to Bread & Cup. It's a little larger than I expected, and what a beautiful setting. I can't wait to give it a try.
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The wife and I went to Suite 1 last Tuesday for my b-day dinner. The pizza was excellent! However, I really hope they can make it. That location’s cursed as far as I’m concerned, and it was very apparent Tuesday evening. We got there around 6:30 and left about 45 minutes to an hour later. It was us, our waiter, and whom I assume was the chef/owner, the whole time.
June 25th. It was excellent all the way around, I’ve never been let down eating there.
My wife always gets the veggie kati kebab and I had saag paneer. I could go for some paneer kulcha right now.
Agree on the comments about the
Grand…..I stopped buying popcorn
when it went to $5.25 for a medium…
I know that’s where they need to
make money, and I’m not necessarily
arguing that’s too expensive—I just
wonder if the price will ever come
back down….
Magnolia has a fabulous menu—lots of vegetarian options, and they’re all really yummy. And not that expensive at all.
Finally tried Magnolia a couple weeks ago and it was truly fantastic. Most entress are under $15, if I recall correctly.
Marcus Theatres eliminated the snacker (read: reasonable) size popcorn and raised the prices. I think it’s $4 for a small popcorn now, which is ridiculous. I bought concessions about half of the time from Douglas, but will buy much less from Marcus.
Marcus’s costs have gone up 35% in the last year (they inherited it from Douglas-all the vendors raised their prices) and that does not occur in a vacuum. Douglas stated that prices would go up for concessions as well, in the LJS, before they sold to Marcus, so I don’t know why this is a surprise to folks. Popcorn costs money, and the growers will happily pass the cost on. Transportation costs money, corn syrup (candy/pop) costs money.
They WILL be getting a different formula for their butter soon, as one of the personnel is allergic to the stuff most theaters use. She won’t be running concessions anymore, so it will no longer be an issue. *shrug*
you’ve never been to bread∪?!! what?!! i can’t believe these words you have spoken!! GET THERE!!!
i love that place. especially on an early morning. great muffins and coffee! and their cinnamon rolls… OH.MY.GOODNESS!
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