Falterings

Every time I see a movie or eat at a restaurant I immediately think, "oooo, I can't wait to write this up!" Little do I remember the fact tht the evening goes on and that snuggling up with a warm kitty or loving boyfriend is far more nourishing than trying to make my computer love me back. This past weekend was an adjective  that has not been invented yet which far outshines "amazing". What made it so awesome, you ask? Well, here comes a marathon:

Shutter Island

Ok, I must admit, I'm pretty much a sucker for any picture featuring Leo DiCaprio using a thick Baaaahhhstan accent. That aside this film was a fantastic guessing game full of breath-taking visuals and glimpses into a mind torn apart. Spoiler Alert: I was warned there was a twist before attending the film and that ruined a lot of it for me. I spent half the film attempting to figure out what the twist would be. At one point I was convinced the island was a boat. None of my guesses came even close to what was in store. I agree with many critics that the ending did feel like too much, too soon, and too quickly, but the visual prowess or Scorsese and DiCaprio made up for any foul taste the ending attempted to give.

Alice in Wonderland

As a child my family took many trips to the picturesque and dream-like Oxford, England. Oxford is where Lewis Carroll was inspired and wrote Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I grew up with Alice and her wonderland is supposed to be Oxford: quirky and whimsical supreme intelligence and green green green. That is the Wonderland I live in and Tim Burton's dystopia broke my heart. Spoiler Alert: this is a sequel to a movie that has never been made. They, disgustingly, throw us REAL Alice fans (not as in we are better fans, but that we are fans of the real Alice) little bones here and there little references that are supposed to make us sit up and go "yaaaaayyy Lewis Carroll... reference!" This is not Lewis Carroll, not even close, and I couldn't be more heartbroken.


La Costa

 
Andy and I have deemed this restaurant our #1 fancy date night option. If you're going uber-fancy, however, the Crown and Goose still tops the list. La Costa is just a little cheaper but the quality is undeniable. Andy had a cocoa rubbed ribeye over yukon mashers with roasted carrots and a parsnip puree while I chose the pan seared chicken breast with a cheddar dijon yukon potato gratin, broccolini, and a mango port reduction. Let's start with the steak: it is like eating beautifully embroidered silk. The cocoa kisses your palate gently as the steak literally melts in your mouth and the two flavors blend into this incredible, indescribably purity. Even the gristle is mouth-watering. My chicken was nothing to sneeze at, though! I could bathe and eat my way out of the port mango reduction. The seasoning on the chicken was just a tad too coarse for me, but the cut and cooking was perfect. Seriously, save your pennies and check this place out!