daisy mint & gold class cinemas

First of all, if you are close to Pasadena, RUN (don't walk) to Daisy Mint.  (It's on Colorado close to Michael's.) Our friend Rich and my brother-in-law Stephen got us going on it.  It is our new favorite restaurant.  

OH MY GOODNESS, you have to get their green chicken curry.  It cannot be described with mere, mortal words.  Everyone I know who has eaten it just falls right over, it's so good.  Bob and I have both been craving it lately.  A lot. So we went last night.

I didn't get any photos because I was too busy eating enthusiastically.  But I'll take some next time. Maybe tomorrow. :D

We also got an order of Chicken Pad Thai, which used to always be my favorite Thai food until I tried the green chicken curry.  Or it might be "green curry with chicken," but it's one of those two things.  

Just remember the words green + curry + chicken.

You'll need to order extra rice, to sop up EVERY BIT OF the sauce.

And it's cheap!  Really cheap. They should raise their prices.

Then we went to the movies. Bob got a gift certificate to Gold Class Cinemas for his birthday in February, and we hadn't used it yet.  

Wowzers, that is one plush cinema

There are only four rows of seats.  We were in the front row, but it wasn't too close to the screen. It was perfect.  You don't even feel like anyone else is in there with you.  You sit in gigantic recliners that have a little table between them.

Here I am looking at the menu.

Can you see my feet? Up in the air? They're on the recliner's footstool part.  Hold on a second. Here.

They even give you a blanket if you want one.  I didn't ask, because I was afraid I'd fall asleep and miss the movie.

On the little table there is a button to page the butler waiter.  It's green before you hit it.

And then it's red after you hit it.

Of course, we had just filled up on Daisy Mint before the movie, so we just got some coffee and split an order of beignets.

We saw Salt.  I am not really an Angelina Jolie fan.  I guess you could call me a "well-wisher", in that I do not wish her any particular harm.  And I like it that she adopted all those kids.  But I don't really care what is going on with the Mr. and Mrs. Brad Pitts (that is to say, I don't follow the tabloids about them), and I don't rush to see her films.  

But I thoroughly enjoyed Salt. (Although it's very violent, I should mention, and therefore may not suit you.)  She did a good job.  And I just love spy stuff.

Boy, does Hollywood ever miss the Cold War.   So does the BBC.  We've been watching MI-5 (seasons 6 through 8) (also very violent) and those writers just ache for the cold, moody, whispery, intriguing world of Russia v. U.S.

So Salt is right smack in that genre, but I'm telling you, nobody does it better than John LeCarre.  And he doesn't resort to violence.  There is just lots of talking and thinking.  Lots of thinking.

But the thing is, these new spy screenwriters all want to be LeCarre so bad they can't stand it.  So if you haven't read Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy yet like I have told you to a million times, quit ignoring me and read it and skip all the knock-offs.  

He practically invented Moscow Rules, and everyone has been chasing him ever since.

Here is Salt in action:

I couldn't take anymore photos during the movie because Bob was threatening to confiscate my phone if I did it again. :D

But here are the lights in the lounge area of the cinema where you wait before being seated.  It's kind of like an amusement park, where there are different stages of waiting.

So yay for date night!