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Gone are the days when popcorn and Milk Duds were the height of movie-cinema snack-bar cuisine. Now you can plop into a seat at say, AMC West Olive 16, and an usher will deliver truffle fries, a wedge salad, blackened salmon, and a pizzetta (which is like a pizza, but sexier) right to your immobile butt. You can check out the latest shoot-‘em-up at the Edge 5 Movie Bistro in Belleville, relishing every explosion with a bite of your beef-chicken-and-salmon slider trio.
And after some tweaks to the menu at Landmark Theatres’ Plaza Frontenac Cinema, you can have a great movie-snacking experience there, too – even though they don’t have a proper kitchen.
At this six-screen art-house cine´, a tabletop oven is used to warm all hot foods, from pizza to T-Ravs, and the fact that they were prepared offsite matters not – if you know what to order.
Our own Dogtown Pizza (above) with that thin, chewy St. Louis-style crust and goopy Provel (plus a sprinkle of mozzarella) is a great choice. The pizza serves two.
Steak-and-cilantro empanadas (below left) are hearty, satisfying fried pockets that come with your choice of dipping sauces (marinara, Ranch, etc.).
But the winner at this snack bar is the basket of fried macaroni bites (above roght) made with no less than eight cheeses, starring smoked Gouda; they’re delightfully creamy. Mmm…
The star of the desserts section would be the massive, flaky apple turnovers (below left). They’re warm, buttery and instigate a nice sugar rush. When the show ends, you might want to politely ask an usher to grab the Dustbuster. This one makes a lot of seat crumbs.
Other items on the Frontenac Cinema menu include toasted ravioli, mozzarella sticks, and eggrolls; crisped sweet potato tots (above right), served with maple syrup dipping sauce, may get you sticky inside the theater. St. Louis’ own Gelato Di Riso, Gus’ Pretzels, and What-a-Ya Nuts?! are part of the locavore fun, too.
Beverage choices include Italian sodas, coffee drinks, craft beers, wines, and cocktails. The boozy coffee drinks are great for those who, like us, enjoy going up and down at the same time.
All these menu innovations are becoming the rule rather than the exception at the cinema.
“We have to compete with people choosing to stay in their living rooms to watch Netflix,” Frontenac Cinema theatre manager Julie Havlin explained. “It makes sense to have expanded beer, wine, liquor and food menus. We have to stand out.”
But for those stubbornly dedicated to the old school, Frontenac offers a trusted favorite, with a twist: their Junior Mints are chilled in a cooler, just the way certain veteran cineastes like it.
Landmark Theatres’ Plaza Frontenac Cinema
210 Plaza Frontenac
314-994-3733
