On the Wonders of Cinebarre

In Mountlake Terrace -- just north of downtown Seattle -- there exists a wonderful movie theatre called the Cinebarre. It shares its parking lot with a defunct CompUSA, a Urology clinic, and a Mexican restaurant, and yet? This place. Is magic.

I hear you wondering. What makes this place so special? I will tell you.

Cinebarre is only for ages 21 and over. They serve food, wine, and beer, directly to your seat. (And you can even order pitchers of beer! Good beer, too. Like Stella Artois, and local favorites like Roger's Pilsner, Manny's, Mac & Jack's) But how does this work?

Beautifully!

They've removed every other row of seats and installed counters. This provides ample eating surface and sufficient space for a server to come and go. If you want to order food, you fill out a form and place it upright on the counter. Servers come to you, take your order and bring food before and during the film.

The food quality is just fine, not high end or anything. I usually order a Blue Velvet Burger, which includes bleu cheese and buffalo hot sauce. Comes with fries. Its tastiness depends on how long it's been under the heat lamp, but I'm generally happy with the quality. There are no salad options or lighter fare, except for popcorn.

They also serve small pizzas and sandwiches. I wouldn't recommend ordering a margarita or a daiquiri there though. I understand they can't serve hard liquor so they sub in wine instead.

The overhead lights dim but don't extinguish, so you can see what you're eating and ordering. None of it is too distracting though. About thirty minutes before the end of the movie they drop off the bill and you give them money.

I love this place.

Tuesdays it costs five dollars for all showings (3D a little more) so last night I went to the 7:15pm showing of "Black Swan." It was my first discount day and it was very crowded. I arrived an hour before the movie started, found parking, and picked a decent seat. My food arrived before the movie and it was tasty.

Without giving out spoilers, I enjoyed the movie. I recognize it's not for everyone. Two of Aronofsky's other films, Requiem for a Dream and Pi, left me cold, but I thoroughly enjoyed Black Swan.

The themes of perfectionism, identity, and sexuality rang true for me. And that whole, flirting with the bonds of reality thing, I thought was well handled.

Cinebarre is located at 6009 244th St. SW; Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043. They also have locations in Denver, CO; Salem, OR; Asheville, NC; and Charleston, SC.