Cauldron

Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: A & E

Media Credit: Andrew Lubrano Movie munchies transcend the typical peanuts and popcorn fare at Alamo Drafthouse, where menu offerings include burgers and beer.

Movies are overpriced as it is, but the part that always annoys me is the food. (Honestly, it's popped and it's corn. Why does it cost $6?)

The idea of spending my movie theater buck on real food was fairly attractive, and the Alamo Drafthouse, which serves pizza, burgers and beer, made it possible.

Unfortunately, the location is out of the way for the inside-the-loop crowd. So the real question is: "Is it worth the trouble to see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse?" Unless you live in West Oaks, the answer is probably no.

I must say, upon arriving, I was very impressed. The Alamo Drafthouse, located outside of the West Oaks Mall, is a cross between a restaurant and a movie theater.

There is a big neon sign outside the mall, marking the theater entrance. There is another neon sign above the ticket booth, which further adds to the old-fashioned movie experience. The bright and flashy bar is the most impressive thing in the theater. It gives you the impression that you are in for more than a movie, and you are.

Each row of seats in the theater is behind a kind-of countertop. When you sit down, you can flip through the menu and write down what you want. I had their signature margarita and a cheeseburger with fries. Being able to have a good margarita during a movie was a novel experience for me, and the fries were fantastic.

The menu, which includes movie-inspired food titles is (surprisingly) quite reasonably priced.

However, the hamburger was mediocre to be honest, and they forgot to put cheese on it, which was disappointing. One major disadvantage to eating during a movie is that it is impossible to send your food back without getting up and walking out of the theater.

I would say that the one tragic flaw of the Alamo Drafthouse, and the reason why I will most likely never go back, is its location.

The only thing worse than spending an hour and a half on Interstate 10 to see a movie, is to spend another hour and a half in traffic after having seen a bad one. I would have walked out, but at the Alamo Drafthouse, the waiters wait until the end to bring the check.

So if you do happen to stop by the Alamo Drafthouse, make sure the movie you see is worth sitting through.

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