Date Night
Have you ever noticed that the ubiquitious "dinner and a movie" date is almost impossible to accomplish? Inevitably, the movie you want to see is not playing at the theatre near the restaurant you want to eat at. The showtimes are too early or too late. The food takes too long and you rush your meal only to arrive just in time for the ticket salesperson to hang the "sold out" sign for your chosen Oscar-buzzworthy film. So the romantic dinner and a movie turns out to be indigestion and the latest Jennifer Love Hewitt slasher flick. Here's hoping that you and your date can laugh about it later.
So when my fiance and I realized that we hadn't seen a movie in the theatre in almost a year, we set out to achieve the impossible (and yes, we still go on dates!). It actually worked, thanks to the charming Ritz Theater and the little BYOB that could: Chloe. This teensy-tiny place in the heart of Old City made perfect sense. Since it seats less than my parents' dining room, you have to get there early to avoid a wait. So a 7:45 pm show at the Walnut Street Ritz was the perfect excuse to make like a grandparent and arrive at the restaurant before the credits run on Oprah.
Chloe has little in the way of decor, but something about the dim tea lights and the rain that lightly hit the bay window on this cool fall evening gave it a warm, cozy, "just-the-two-of-us" feel. The honey goat cheese ravioli was a high-class version of comfort food, absolutely ideal for when the cold weather rolls in. The tiramisu almost made us late for the movie (or maybe it was the wine?) but was worth having to pick up the pace on the short walk to the theater.
Success was ours in the quest to strike the delicate balance of timing that is the dinner and a movie date. We even had time for an after-movie cocktail at a new downtown hotspot. But that's another post.
Chloe, 232 Arch St. 215.629.2337, www.chloebyob.com
Ritz Theaters, 214 Walnut St., 400 Ranstead St., & 125 S. 2nd St.
2 comments:
Too true. It is a delicate balance, but there is a ghettofied way to do it. The bridge offers a dinner and a movie plan and I feel like it's only $20 bucks. I think you can take the dinner into the theater.
I don't do blogs because they are mostly nonsense. I came across this one looking for dating in Philly, and I must say, I have enjoyed reading what you have posted on here because it is informative and actually enjoyable. It's like taking a reading tour aound Philly without the ads and infomercials and leaves you wanting to explore this great city even more. Thanks.pt 06/09/08
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