I eat to live. No, I live to eat. And I would probably spend all of my time at the movie theater if I wasn’t jet-setting around the world to bring my loyal fans the best and brightest finds from far-flung locales.
Still, I do fit in some good silver screen time.
If I have at least two hours between meetings, I’ll often pop into a nearby cinema and catch a flick, from the artsy and highbrow (Almodóvar! The Hurt Locker! Anything with Tilda Swinton!) to the trashy (The Crazies!) and the kid-friendly (Up!). On a recent sojourn to my hometown of Tampa, Fla., I had a revelatory moment that brought together my two most favorite pastimes, the aforementioned eating and movie watching.
If you find yourself in Tampa, visit the brand-new Tampa Museum of Art and dine at the fabled, albeit bordello-like Bern’s Steak House and then get yourself over to the fabulous CinéBistro in the center of Old Hyde Park Village, a delicious al fresco shopping center (Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, the stylish and very chic Restaurant BT). OK, so full disclosure: My parents live a block from this shopping showplace, but that’s neither here or there. The CinéBistro is delicious.
Enough gushing, you say: Just what is this CinéBistro? It’s dinner and a movie, folks. Step inside, and you are transported to a very sleek, cosmopolitan bar where you can meet up with friends for a cool martini or a few nibbles. When you are ready for dinner, head for the theater and the spacious seats and peruse the menu: I ordered the Caesar salad with grilled salmon and a cool Sauvignon Blanc finished off with a decadent bowl of popcorn served in a china bowl. A china bowl? Yes, indeed. And the salad was perfectly fresh and paired with crispy Parmesan chips and a simple grilled fillet.
Sadly, The Wolfman tanked, but I blissed out over a second glass of wine and another bowl of popcorn.
P.S. The CinéBistro experience isn’t bargain basement in terms of price, but you get what you pay for and I like luxe not louche. A terrific concept, I am smitten.