(Alamo Drafthouse at least has dim amber lights under the tables that allow diners to see the menu or glance at their food.) For more ambitious fare, it’s better to arrive early and dine in the central, open dining area called The Tuck Room. Dining on beautifully plated dishes, though, like the spicy tuna on crispy rice, means the extra effort and garnishes cannot be properly appreciated.
#IPIC THEATER PRICE MOVIE#
It’s one thing to nosh on popcorn, pizzas and hot wings in a dark movie theater. The only thing that seems to have been overlooked is that there’s no good place to put a purse or briefcase, except on the floor under the table where it can block or get caught under the recliners when they’re raised or lowered. Each is accessorized with a small pillow and soft blanket. The seats have electronic push-button controls and there’s a flip-down cup holder installed in the semicircular cubby next to each chair. A sound-dampening “pod” surrounds the back and sides of the chairs, which allows for semi-private conversation and helps hide the light from a reviewer’s iPhone as she desperately waits for a brightly lit scene to take a sad, grainy photo of her food.
The orange, leather-upholstered reclining seats are nestled in pairs and separated by a small table that rotates to allow guests to get in and out of their seats easily. (That comes to a grand total of $28 for a movie ticket - but it is very swanky.) Servers take care of the VIP guests, and there’s a call button in case something else is needed during the film. The big draw at iPic, though, is the VIP seating, which costs an extra $12. A ticket costs $16 and there is no food or beverage service, although moviegoers are welcome to grab food and drinks from the pub-like dining area called The Tuck Room and bring it in with them. The “cheap seats” are upholstered in cream leather and have a built-in cup holder.
Part of the price, though, is for the fun and luxury of sitting in a plushy chair and having good food brought to you while you’re watching a movie. It’s not unlikely at all that two diners who order four dishes and two alcoholic beverages will rack up a tab of $100 after taxes and tip. iPic serves good, interesting food that’s admittedly ambitious for a movie theater, but it’s not always comparable to eating at some of Houston’s finer restaurants. There’s a big difference between eating a meal prepared by an award-winning chef and eating a meal designed by one. Unfortunately, what didn’t come with the dish was chopsticks or any other utensils, so there wasn’t a good way to actually apply the wasabi. A pile of pickled ginger, a lump of wasabi and a dish of soy sauce come alongside. Underneath on the plate are thick swirls of sweet unagi sauce. The tuna topping is beautifully garnished with masago (smelt roe) and sprigs of daikon sprouts. Take, for example, chef Jet Tila’s spicy tuna on crispy rice, in which coarsely chopped, sushi-grade tuna is seasoned with spicy mayonnaise and laid on top of deep-fried, golden-brown rectangles of crispy sushi rice seasoned with a bit of rice vinegar. Now, iPic Theaters’ first Houston location, in the blingy River Oaks District shopping center, is trying to take that experience up a notch (with prices raised accordingly), serving a menu designed by James Beard award-winning chef Sherry Yard and other famous chefs. It’s now closed, but there are locations in Katy on Mason Road and in Houston on Vintage Park, and there will soon be another, in Sugar Land.
#IPIC THEATER PRICE FULL#
When Alamo Drafthouse opened its initial theater in May 2003 near West Oaks Mall, it was the first venue where Houstonians could enjoy a full meal served right to their seats while they were watching a movie.
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