A Little Bit Chick-Flickish And Yet...

My wife Christine and I went to see the movie "Julie and Julia" on Friday evening. Well, it was actually late afternoon. You gotta love matinee pricing! How can you beat a $4.00 ticket price with a BOGO coupon! Anyway, it was part of a much-needed date night for the two of us. We also had a fabulous dinner at Seven on Prospect. More on that in a minute.

The movie itself was very enjoyable. Especially if you are a foodie such as myself who applauds individual achievement and personal drive. Meryl Streep delivers a beautiful rendition of Julia Child and Stanley Tucci provides a heartwarming performance as her husband Paul. I could have actually done without the younger couple and their rather sophomoric relationship. The lack of character development for Eric was disappointing as well. I also have a hard time believing that Julie is really the emotional train wreck that this movie makes her out to be. That being said, onto the subjects which I thought deserved more reel time: Julia Child's ambition and food!

Streep had me convinced from the beginning that she truly understood the passion that Child had for cooking. There can be no question that once her calling was discovered, Child was ruthless in her pursuit of it (the "onion" scene actually made me laugh out loud). The true beauty of this purely self-centered mission was that it did not matter to her what country she was in, did not matter to her that she was a woman in a man's world, did not matter to her what others thought of her ambition. This was her quest and windmills be damned!

Although I am not thoroughly convinced of her talent as a writer, I do think we owe Julie Powell a debt of gratitude. Gratitude for re-introducing us to a larger than life character who attempted to teach Americans how to cook. I mean really cook. Not, microwave, boil, and re-heat. Cooking is one of the simplest pleasures in life and when you add good wine and good company, that pleasure can increase exponentially.

On the subject of cooking, I am compelled to share some of the details of our dinner at Seven on Prospect. The food was "on point"(sorry Guy) as usual. The highlight of the meal for me was the bacon-wrapped grilled escolar with a light mustard sauce. Christine seemed to enjoy her pork steak (although a bit overcooked) but commented frequently on the yum factor of the sweet potatoes with andouille sausage. Couple both of these dishes with a bottle of ripasso style Veneto red (corvina, rondinella, and molinara) and you have the gastronomic event of the season. If you have not yet had the pleasure of dining at Seven on Prospect, do yourself a favor, make a reservation.

Well, I really need to delve into the topics of healthcare, cash for clunkers, minimum wage, and other government nonsense. However, the weather is way too nice for me to just sit here and continue pontificating. Out of the armchair for now.