Beer Bistro
So, the birthday week celebrations for 2007 have begun! Woohoo! … Saturday night we headed down to Beer Bistro for a Winterlicious dinner. We had not been to Beer Bistro since its days as Zoom. Despite the change in ownership good things continue to happen here. First, BEER! Mmmmm and I do love beer. Beers by the draught-full and every type under the sun. It was nice to have a dinner that matched courses with beer rather than wine. Good fun that. G and I shared:

Appetizer:

• Wild Mushroom Soup, shallots, London porter & truffle cream; and,
• House Beer Cured & Smoked Salmon, white beer cream cheese and toast
  

Main:

• Braised Veal Cheeks with Belgian ale, carrot and turnip purée; and,
• Grilled Flat Iron Steak, caramelized beer onions, redskin smashed potatoes & tarragon butter
  

Dessert:

• Apple Cranberry Crumble with cherry beer, an almond crust & honey whipped cream; and,
• Belgian Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Früli beer & fresh fruit

It was all very good and we’d certainly go back. We sat right by the open kitchen; me facing the kitchen, G facing the restaurant and I was eyed the entire time by one of the sous chefs. What’s with that! G thought it was my imagination but I think it was more my funky, highlighted haircut courtesy Leo Estay Saturday afternoon.

Stick It
This Disney film effort from 2006 does get (a little) better as the movie progresses. It stars Jeff Bridges (yes, he’s still around acting) as Burt Vickerman, a has-been gymnastics coach burdened with taking on a fomer National star (now juvinille delinquent) Haley Graham (played by a buff Missy Peregrym). It’s sort of a Karaeke Kid moved to the vault, beam and floor routine world but about not nearly as good. My rating 4 out of 10.

Babel
So G and I finally saw Babel today down at Market Square. I thought it had good editing. That about sums up my thoughts on this film. After watching all 2.5 hours of it I thought: yeh, so what?! Alejandro González Iñárritu has now made three films which are all exactly the same (this film, 21 Grams and Amores perros). And this somehow warrants an Academy Award nod?! Hmmmmmmm me thinks not. As you probably know, this film traces three stories that eventually interconnect (the Tokyo story line is tenuous at best).  Brad Pitt struggles (as always) trying to act while Cate (I’ve-been-in-every-movie-made-in-2006) Blanchett does her best mostly lying in a bedoiun hut with a bullet in her shoulder.  The Tokyo and Mexico storylines are the best and we do have to give nods to both Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi for fine performances. The editing is outstanding and absolutely worthy of an Oscar nod. In particular three cuts stand out: the cut from Chieko’s hairy vagina to the goats; the cut from Santiago decapitating a chicken to Cate’s blood and the cut from Cate’s screaming as she’s stitched up to Chieko’s silent deaf-mute world were brilliant. My rating 5 out of 10.

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