Dinner and a Movie
Snails and Sea Fire
Snails and Sea Fire
By Steve Herte
Even though the day at work was not “happy, happy, joy, joy,” (I
now know why some people take off on their birthday) the evening was spectacular.
The movie and the dinner were both aces, the perfect way to celebrate my 63rd
birthday. No, I’m not particularly anti-social, I just love my quiet time and
there are few people since Helene that would like to share it with. I’ll tell
you a story. Helene was always into mystic stuff (Pisces, you know) and she
told me all about the sixth sense and that it was stronger when one was well
rested, tired or inebriated. Well, we were walking along the boardwalk in
Ocean City, Maryland, after breakfast one morning and everyone and his brother
was flying enormous elaborate, colorful kites. I was well rested at the time
(just to keep the record straight) and suggested to Helene, “What if
tomorrow’s headline reads - Couple on Boardwalk Wiped Out by Giant Kite!” Two
seconds later, a huge kite crashed onto the boardwalk about a yard away from
us. “Don’t do that!” warned Helene. I never forgot it.
Sometimes I have a sixth sense about restaurants and after viewing
this one’s website (which was visually stunning in itself) I knew I had found
another place that would make me feel at home. Enjoy!
Turbo (DreamWorks/20th Century Fox, 2013) –
Director: David Soren. Voices: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson,
Michael Peña, Luis
Guzmán, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg,
Maya Rudolph, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurtwood Smith, Ben Schwartz,
& Mike Bell. Color and 3-D, 96 minutes.
It made me laugh, it brought tears to my eyes, and it made me
forget it was an animated film.
As this beautifully-created animated movie from 20th Century
Fox and Dreamworks begins, the audience is soaring high over Indianapolis until
the famous racing stadium appears below. Then we swoop on down to track level
and rocket around the course with the cars. It was some of the best camera work
I’ve seen in a while and told me in no uncertain terms that this is no cartoon:
They want us to believe this.
Under Soren’s direction, Turbo is a tale of a
snail tired of living his life at a literal “snail’s pace.” He dreams of being
fast, idolizes racecar driver Guy Gagné (Hader), and is totally unmotivated by
his daily “job” at “the plant” (literally a small patch of tomato plants in
cages). Theo, soon to be Turbo (Reynolds), has the undignified job of
re-routing rotting tomatoes when he hears the cry “Over-ripe!” More often than
not, however, he’s splattered with tomato juice. His brother Chet (Giamatti)
looks out for him and tries desperately to curb his ambitions, even to the
point of saving him from a lawnmower when Turbo attempts to retrieve an errant
tomato on the lawn.
When Turbo’s reckless antics get both he and his brother fired
from “the plant” he leaves home and while crossing a highway bridge, falls, and
eventually gets sucked into the engine of a high-powered car. The last sign he
sees is “Nitrous Oxide” (laughing gas to us), which somehow gets into his blood
flow and makes his heart pump faster, resulting in super speed, headlight eyes
and other strange side effects. By the time Chet catches up to him they are
both captured by Tito (Peña), who races snails between working with his brother
Angelo (Guzmán) selling tacos at Dos Bros Taco Stand in a down-and-going strip
mall. Tito also has a dream (in fact he’s had several wild ideas in the past)
to drum up business and become famous. He places Turbo and Chet on a small
racetrack with his other snails Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg), Burn (Rudolph),
Skidmark (Schwartz), Whiplash (Jackson) and White Shadow (Bell), and soon
learns that this little snail is lightning fast.
Although Turbo and his snail compatriots cannot speak to humans
they seem to understand what humans are saying to them, and by a flashy
circling of a billboard advertising the Indianapolis 500, Turbo gives Tito the
idea to enter him. Angelo won’t hear of it and will not put up the entry fee.
Neither will Kim Ly (Jeong), the owner of a small grocery in the same mall, nor
Paz (Michelle Rodriguez), a nail salon owner, until the other snails manage to
hijack a tour bus in the parking lot at the mall. The tourists spend money, the
bus driver gets his flats fixed, and all witness a supercharged snail race that
amazes them. The storeowners then pool their money and the entry fee is raised.
The next hurdle is to obtain permission for a snail to race
against fuel-injected racecars. The Indy 500 chief executive officer (Smith)
denies entry even after Turbo demonstrates that he can do the minimum 220 mph.
It’s only when Gagné speaks for Turbo that he’s allowed to race. Turbo soon
finds out that Guy is not the great sportsman he believed he was and his noble
words on camera are just window dressing for an egotistic sore loser.
Turbo is a great example of how far animation has come since the
days of Steamboat Willie. The characters are fully three-dimensional,
they move smoothly, and their voices are perfectly matched to their motions.
Even though the snails have two eye stalks and a mouth, we can still see the
full range of emotions depicted by their attitudes. The 3-D special effects
enhance the story without cheaply throwing things at the audience, and the
musical soundtrack flows with the action, never getting in the way or
dominating. The story is novel and the script is clever and funny. Chet to
Theo, “Why can’t you just enjoy your life?” Theo, “I have a life?” White Shadow
to Turbo, “They call me the White Shadow because I’m fast…like a shadow.”
Turbo, “You know, shadows are not inherently fast.”
I thoroughly enjoyed Turbo and I believe it
helped me negotiate pedestrian traffic effectively enough to get me from 42nd Street
and 8thAvenue to 48th Street and 3rd Avenue
in less than 20 minutes. Rating: 4½ out of 5 Martini Glasses.
The Seafire Grill
158 East 48th Street
(between Lexington and 3rd Avenues), New York
As is the story with so many establishments in New York City, The
Seafire Grill’s entrance is currently partially hidden by construction
scaffolding. But the sleek name in silver lettering on a deep blue background
was visible enough for me to find it.
“Would you like a table in the bar area?” asked the lovely
hostess. Immediately noting the lively conversation going on in the bar I
demurred and chose the dining room instead hoping for quiet. Not too much
difference. At seven o’clock this offshoot of both The Benjamin, and Ben &
Jack’s Steakhouses was jumping with activity. More than half of the 20 tables
were occupied (including a table for eight) with diners having a great time.
The room is oyster-white with matching chairs and banquettes and
large-faceted mirrors set like port holes on the wall, giving the feeling of
being on a luxury cruise ship. I was seated at a corner table at the junction
of the two rooms – perfect. The Headwaiter, Alex, introduced himself and
welcomed me and took my martini order. My server, Timmy, brought the water and
had the breadbasket sent over while I read the menu and wine list. The
Beefeater martini arrived quickly: perfectly chilled and balanced. I decided to
try the rosemary bread with the accompanying spread. Oh, what flavor: So
creamy, smoky, and slightly herbal. This was definitely not butter. I told
Timmy I could take a large container of this home if they sold it separately.
He thought it was a good idea and mentioned that several patrons went wild over
it.
Since I had already decided upon my meal and was selecting a wine,
I ordered the 2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis (Timmy was there intently
watching me). I commented that the only wine missing from the remarkable
affordable list was Frascati and he agreed that it should be included. While he
set off on the search for the wine, I finished my martini, and Alex was back. I
asked for its twin brother and set him off on that task. They almost crashed
when both returned simultaneously. I used the bread to clear my palate while
Timmy poured the wine. The wine was perfect: crisp and chilled nicely. He
placed it in a wine bucket out of sight in the room with a bubble waterfall
between the bar and myself.
Let it be said that every course worked beautifully with the wine.
The Lobster Bisque, with its musky (not overly creamy) taste and good-sized
pieces of lobster meat, provided a decidedly masculine accent to the meal. The
Madagascar Garlic Prawns were served with the heads and legs looking like three
alien beings on my plate, but after quickly decapitating and dismembering them
I found them sweet, almost crunchy, and with just the right amount of garlic to
satisfy my taste. I told Alex I ordered them in honor of him (being named Alex,
who was the lion in the movie Madagascar). He looked dubious but
smiled and thanked me.
Then the Wild Striped Bass arrived: an inch-thick hefty piece of
fish with crispy skin on top resting on the red Spanish Risotto. I had thought
of ordering a side dish but was glad I didn’t. Between the wonderful flaky fish
and the robust flavored risotto there was no need of a side. Besides, I had to
order more rosemary bread to get more of that excellent spread. And…I had room
for dessert.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a pecan pie as delicious as this
one, with just the right amount of whipped cream on top. The double espresso
was a comfortable accompaniment. The Seafire Grill opened sometime early last
November and I see great things in store for it, including future visits. The
staff is well trained, attentive and efficient, the food is excellent and the
atmosphere divine. Helene would have loved this place. The only reason I did
not reveal that it was my birthday is that I heard the staff singing to someone
in the next room. They need a little work there.
No comments:
Post a Comment