Theme Night!

In an effort to add excitement to August my friends and I had a little theme night. We went and saw the new movie Julie & Julia and then followed it with dinner at the French Culinary Institute.

I had read the book that the movie is based on and really enjoyed it. Once learning the cast of the movie, I knew it would be good. We were not disappointed, it was so cute and Meryl Streep channeled Julia well. Although I found the modern character, Julie, a little more likable in the book because it was entirely her point of view.

Every now and then when I talk about my kitchen successes and disasters, I feel like I'm channeling Julie Powell. :)

And having dinner after the movie was a great idea, because after watching all the meals and the preperation and the people truly enjoying the food, we were hungry for something delicious!

The French Culinary Institute restaurant may be one of my favorite places to eat in NYC. The kitchen is run by students in the professional program, so it is gourmet at a reasonable price. We had the 5 course meal (appetizer, fish plate, meat plate, digestive salad, dessert) and it is $42. Excellent deal considering I had gnocchi with fresh tomatoes and eggplant, halibut with a delicious salad and sauce, steak with a couple of sauces and a side of oxtail ragu, plus a fresh peach tart with creme fresh ice cream. Wow; rich and delicious!

My friend took the non-professional class last fall, so that's how I got turned on to the restaurant. And her instructor, Chef Justin, was in the kitchen that night so he brought out a couple of extra desserts for us to try.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful night of good friends, good French food, and we felt like we made Julia proud.