Mad Money Stowed in Casinos
By Steve Herte
What
a wonderful country we live in. The more I see of it the more I love
it.
This
week the travel whirlwind did not include time to go to an actual
theater and the public transportation simply did not exist as it does
in New York. This week’s movie is one I saw on DVD. And rather than
a single restaurant I decided to give a travelogue of my personal
experiences with dining included. When we left Milford for Vermont we
wisely planned for a tour stop on the way and found Hilldene Mansion,
which belonged to Abraham Lincoln's last surviving son. It was
beautiful even though they did not allow photography inside. It
provided the perfect rest stop in a four-hour ride. As for the rest
of the tour, read on and enjoy!
Mad
Money (Overture Films, 2008) - Director:
Callie Khouri. Writers: Glenn Gers (s/p), John Mister (earlier s/p),
Neil McKay & Terry Winsor (s/p “Hot Money”). Cast: Diane
Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, Adam Rothenberg,
Peyton ‘Alex’ Smith, Charlie Caldwell, Richard F. Law, Meagen
Fay, & Christopher McDonald. Color, 104 minutes.
“Crime
is contagious. You can catch it from someone else.” Bridget
Cardigan (Keaton) announces at the beginning of this clever comedy
about “wanting” and “needing.” Husband Don Cardigan (Danson)
has been “downsized” (out of work) for over a year with no
prospects and his wife wants to maintain their upper middle class
lifestyle. So she goes to work, landing the undignified job of
custodian in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. During her
training she can’t help but notice and be dazzled by the stacks of
“over-used” money being hauled around by co-worker Jackie Truman
(Holmes) and shredded by Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah).
She
hatches a scheme to “appropriate” this seemingly wasted money by
convincing Nina and Jackie that it’s the way to get what they’ve
always needed and deserved – Nina has two sons who could do well in
college if it’s affordable, and Jackie and her husband Bob
(Rothenberg) live in a ratty trailer that could definitely use an
upgrade. In the course of her duties, she notices the master lock on
the large rolling Plexiglass carts is similar to one she can buy in a
store, so she buys one and smuggles it into work in a large belt
buckle with the key. Later, in a coordinated series of hand-offs and
stashes, the three women manage to steal an enormous amount of cash
by concealing it under their clothes as they leave the bank.
Don
is horrified when he walks in on the girls while they’re tossing
money around like confetti and has to be talked into the scheme. All
is going well until one of the security guards (who has eyes for
Nina) figures out what they’re doing and it looks like the jig is
up. Not for Bridget. She has Nina talk the guard into joining their
little “organized crime ring” for a cut of the money. Nina warns
her compatriots over and over again not to spend the money and Don
cautions not to invest it in increments of over $10,000 or it will
raise tax flags. Unfortunately, Bob does exactly that and the Feds
are after them, first showing up as an uninvited guest at one of
Don's and Bridget’s garden parties, followed by a bank examiner.
One
by one the “ring” is arrested, save for Bridget, who uses what
cash she can grab from her house to get a lawyer (her former best
friend’s husband) to act as counselor for the group.
Mad
Money is a delightful test of the various actors’ skills.
Keaton in particular is wonderful as she morphs from congenial
hostess to beleaguered employee, to scheming criminal, to raving
madwoman. Latifah is adorable switching back and forth from alluring
to domineering. Holmes is the perfect backwoods ninny with a hidden
intelligent side. Danson is well, Danson, and he does it perfectly.
The
movie, obviously a fantasy/comedy, has moments of tension and comic
relief. The fantasy part is trying to believe the IRS would ever work
hand-in-hand with the FBI (toward the end). The DVD has a special
commentary from Director Callie Khouri, a special Behind-the-Scenes
feature called “Makin’ Money” and a theatrical trailer and is
available through Amazon.com. Though an adult film, it can be viewed
by children old enough to understand the humor. Small children will
get bored in the first 15 minutes. I enjoyed it.
Rating:
4 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Charlie
B’s Pub
The
Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa
1746
Mountain Road, Stowe,
Vermont
The
Stoweflake wasn’t our first choice for our stay in the Green
Mountains but it proved to be charming. The rooms were good-sized and
quiet and the employees friendly, especially the concierge, Sue. She
gave us recommendations for dining and touring that we had not
learned from our research. Charlie B’s Pub featured several of the
beers from the local Vermont breweries including Magic Hat and
Alchemist. However, I was there for the Maple-tini – a deceivingly
sweet concoction of vodka, cream and maple syrup that tasted like
more – but beware.
The
most interesting appetizer on the menu is the Vermont Style Poutine.
I looked up the word “Poutine” and learned that it is a Canadian
creation – French fries topped with cheese curds (in this case,
Maplebrook Farms’) and house-made chicken gravy. I’m sure they
included some maple syrup in the recipe as well because it was
sinfully delicious, gooey and cheesy. My main course was an 8-ounce
Filet Mignon topped with Bordelaise sauce and sided with rice and a
salad. Though not the best filet I’ve ever had, it was done well
and the rice was a mix of white and wild rice. The salad lacked
enough dressing but Bre (pronounced Brie) the waitress was happy to
procure more. We were too tired from the drive up and we eschewed
dessert and went back to our rooms to relax.
The
next morning, we checked out and had breakfast at the Green Mountain
Coffee Café and Visitor Center, 1 Rotarian Place in Waterbury,
Vermont. After a large mocha and a raspberry stollen, I was ready for the self-guided tour –
which was surprisingly informative.
From there we visited the
headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (1281 Waterbury-Stowe
Road) for a factory tour and tasting. The tour was fascinating and
funny (lots of cow jokes and puns) and the Milk and Cookies flavor
tasting was rich, creamy and chocolaty. Later I bought a large cup of
the new flavor, “Scotchy, Scotch Scotch” – an intense
butterscotch creation – to eat while touring the grounds,
especially the Retired Flavor Graveyard, a clever fenced in group of
headstones mourning the passing of flavors such as Turtle Soup and
Wavy Gravy.
Then
it was on to Bragg’s Farm Sugarhouse for a brief tour of the family
owned and operated maple syrup business. Again, I learned things I
never knew like how intermittent the running of the sap was depending
on the temperature. There was also a tasting of four flavors of maple
syrup (believe it or not, they were different and distinct). Next we
visited Grandview Winery in East Calais Vermont. The wines here are
made from berries and fruits rather than grapes and some were
surprisingly not sweet. We tried the Seyval (the only grape wine),
Cranberry, Strawberry-Rhubarb, Raspberry-Apple, and Blackberry wines.
All were unique in character and flavor but none could be classified
as a dinner wine.
Is
anyone getting hungry yet? Our next stop was the Cabot Creamery (2878
Main Street in Cabot, Vermont) where again we had a guided tour of
the cheese-making factory ending in a tasting of at least 25 yummy
cheeses. I didn’t need lunch that day.
Trapp
Family Lodge
700
Trapp Hull Road, Stowe, Vermont
This
charming Alpine-style lodge, located at what seemed to be the top of
a mountain, is obviously Austrian-Swiss inspired. The architecture
and cobblestone driveway transports one to a set from The
Sound of Music. The hotel staff is courteous and friendly and the
rooms are beautiful and have individual balconies. The views are
spectacular and the grounds beautifully flowered. The only
disappointment came at dinner.
The
cocktail was a perfect martini. The White Asparagus and Maine Crab
Soup with poached egg was not as creamy or asparagus-y as expected,
but was loose and fishy smelling. The Sweet Pea and Ricotta Agnolotti
(they misspelled it “Angolotti”) was not homemade, but tasted
like it was pre-frozen. The Pea Tendrils garnish was chewy to
inedible, but the spring onion cream sauce was tasty. After a long
while, we couldn’t help but notice that half the staff was catering
to a large table of people celebrating a child’s birthday. We began
to wonder where our main courses where.
Finally
our waiter arrived. My Smoked Spring Lamb Ribs with Charred Green
Garlic, Roasted Marbled Potatoes and Rhubarb Slaw looked like
Hiroshima after they dropped the bomb. It was a tasteless scorched
teepee of bones and chewy, inedible meat. I sent it back with the
description “Horrible!” Surprisingly, the replacement dish, the
Corned Quebec Duck Breast with Maple-Lime Gastrique, Fava Beans,
Fingerling Potatoes and Spring Onions arrived in five minutes. Hmmm.
I noticed that the large table was cleared. The duck was cooked
properly and even though I don’t like fingerling potatoes, these
were good. It was the only dish that did not require salt. On the
good side, the wines were lovely. And then there was the stodgy,
uninspired and totally inauthentic Black Forest cake (free because of
the entrée disaster). Good, but not right. But wait, there’s more.
The “Pineapple Sorbet” did not qualify as anything remotely
resembling a sorbet. It was more accurately described as pulverized
unripe pineapple pulp frozen to icy consistency.
The
next morning we checked out and had breakfast at K.C.’s Bagel Café
at 17 Stowe Street in Waterbury, Vermont. What a great place! They
had breakfast sandwiches, deli sandwiches, several flavors of cream
cheese and 18 different “New York Style” bagels and several
coffees. This may sound strange (but take it from whom it comes) but
it was delicious. I had a toasted Jalapeno bagel with peanut butter
with a large Green Mountain Blueberry coffee. Wonderful! And just
what I needed for the long drive to our next destination. Note: if
you go to K.C.’s bring cash. They don’t take credit cards.
Todd
English’s Tuscany Restaurant
Mohegan
Sun
1
Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, Connecticut
Fortunately,
the road trip from Vermont to Connecticut was pretty uneventful, and
we arrived at our next hotel at Mohegan Sun. I never cease to marvel
at the lengths the artisan went to decorate this fabulous resort. The
beautiful beadwork in the lobby still dazzles me every time I visit.
The rooms are spacious and lovely but this time we didn’t have
rooms high enough for the sweeping views (we were only on the sixth
floor). We enjoyed the casinos while the time passed before our
dinner. Tuscany is located at the base of an artificial mountain
waterfall near the spectacular glass waterspout just down the
escalator from the hotel lobby. I have enjoyed my dinner there before
and was looking forward to this one.
Large
Medieval-style chandeliers and moody sconces light the dark recesses
of the restaurant. Again, I was served a perfect martini in a chilled
glass. As the pasta dishes were not interesting, I chose two
appetizers. One was the special Stuffed Fried Squash Flowers (stuffed
with cheese) in a rich, thick tomato sauce. I remember first having
this dish in Pisa and loving it ever since. This time was no
exception. Second was the Mason Jar Meatball – a spicy veal
meatball actually filling a small pint Mason jar with porcini
mushrooms, roasted peppers and parmesan cream. I’ll have to tell
the chef at Umberto’s about this one. Totally decadent!
The
main course was veal Osso Bucco with Forest Mushroom Risotto. Our
waitress asked if I needed a small fork for the marrow and indicated
that the bone was sliced in half from top to bottom. I agreed and she
told me to just turn it over when I wanted it. It was heavenly, meat
falling off the bone tender, risotto just the right consistency and
nothing requiring any further seasoning. Is that enough for you? Not
for me. The special bread pudding dessert with pecans and a scoop of
vanilla gelato finished my meal perfectly (even if I couldn’t
finish it). Tuscany more than made up for dining at Trapp Family
Lodge.
All
in all it was a lovely trip. Rain came and went but did not diminish
the experience. Of course winning $200 on a penny slot machine didn’t
hurt either.
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