Double Header: Chef and The Lunchbox

It was a foodie day that almost got off on the wrong foot, which is highly synchronistic with both of these films. In fact, there were several synchronicities running through the day, which I’ll mention after my ratings.

First, we had breakfast at Maxfield’s, a local Greek family-style restaurant in Lombard, IL. I had a Greek salad, which was good and healthy. However, typically in these type of restaurants, you have to tell them NOT to put anchovies on the salad if you don’t want them. (Note to Greek restaurants: train your wait staff to ask about the anchovies. Otherwise we love you.) HERE, however, you have to tell them TO put the anchovies on. As if that’s not already singing the latest restaurant hit, “Corners Where I Cut, Corners Where I Bleed,” I happened to specifically ask them TO put the anchovies on. It has taken me years to get used to fishy and salty at the same time, and I’m trying hard to eat healthy and tame the waist. They forgot the anchovies. Turn up the volume on your tear-jerker much? I had to wait to eat my salad because I still need to eat the anchovies with other strong flavors like cucumber or bell pepper. On top of that, my wife thought her egg breakfast was so blah, she only ate a quarter of it. Beautifully remodeled, Maxfield’s, but I know you’re capable of a better game than that. We’ll give you a little time to step it up before we come back. Rating: 4/10

After saying so long to our Sunday morning brunch buds Jim & Bill, we rode over to Glen Ellyn and killed an hour at Starbucks waiting to see Chef, our first flick of the day. I killed most of it in line to order and then to get our drinks, just because they were insanely busy, but Saren got some reading in.

Downtown Glen Ellyn is as pretty an old downtown as you could ever want to see, and it was sunny and 89 degrees, so it felt like a beautiful Summer day.

The Glen Art Theater is an old Vaudeville theatre chopped up into four movie screens in the oddest way. It is dark, and in one of the current theaters there are a couple of seats for nappers, because you can only see half the screen. In another, there is a long, narrow hall that you must walk through in order to enter that has a floor closely related to that place with the gravity anomaly, leaving you in a constant state of rolling tilt until you arrive. The seats are old enough that there are no cupholders. You avoid sitting near the walls because the cloth covering them is so old, you fear it might disintegrate in a puff of choking dust if you touch it. However, they got a grant to upgrade their equipment to the latest digital tech, they sell their used marquee posters reasonably, they have great popcorn, and they get the best art films around. The place is like a musty old treasure that you love and treat gently, and their ticket prices are very reasonable.

Chef: I loved this flick. It’s about a dad who was an up-and-coming young chef in his early days, but is under serious stress in his relationships, from his son and ex-wife to his boss and the food critic who originally endorsed him. It is also a lesson in why you should understand social media before using it, and why businesses and organizations must. Clearly his kitchen staff love him, but the atmosphere is explosive. However, what I adore about this movie, aside from all the heart, love, beautiful, beautiful scenery, amazing food, joyriding, and awesome food porn, is that not. a. single. incidence. of. gunpowder. was. used. Not a bullet, not a bomb. It was actually a great story. (Another synchronicity for the day) There were a lot of big names in this, and touches of great music. The big names did teamwork well, instead of stumbling over each other. Rating: 10/10

Lunch at Made In Italy Trattoria: We came in right after they opened (4-10pm, they are a dinner restaurant) and the place has the look and feel of a traditional small Italian restaurant done upscale. The manager (owner?) waited on us personally, (which was synchronistic with a scene in the above film but better) and was very attentive and helpful. Small yhings everywhere reminded me of my Italian grandparents’ home, but it would be unfair of me to compare any restaurant food to the golden memory of Noni’s cooking. The salami and prosciutto hanging above gave ne a positive flashback to be sure. The food was delicious and so was the chianti and gelato. It wasn’t a food-truck cubano, but it was damn good food. I had eggplant lasagne and a side of Italian sausage in marinara, Saren had tilapia limone. The prices were Western suburbs dinner prices, so not cheap, but not on the high end of that scale, maybe three-quarters of the way up. Rating: 9/10 and definitely worth going.

The Lunchbox: Number one, I want one of those lunchboxes!! They are cool!

The traffic and the lunchbox system in India are both impressive. The technology and infrastructure not so much, but are interesting to see. In wonderful synchronicity with Chef, this Baliwood flick dealt with aging with grace and dignity vs. not, the value of human relationships and connection in life, fidelity and its lack, and the stresses of career and loneliness. It is beautifully-done, and takes its subjects seriously. Though there are humorous and odd moments, it is not a comedy and most definitely not clumsy. In fact, it is extremely agile. The lack of explosive violence and inclusion of well-told and substantive storyline are also synchronistic with the first film, and the home-cooked Indian food looked really good on the stove. Both films are beautifully shot and visually rich, and this one has the novelty of another culture added. This is a high-quality film as good as anything out of Hollywood in the genre. Go. See. Enjoy. Rating: 10/10

It wound up a gourmet-delicious kind of day.

Dan

Dan Stafford June 2, 2014