“Who’s business plan was this?” I wondered after downing a pint of Guinness Stout and a festive Dogfish Punkin Ale. Half of me really was in awe about the idea of eating and drinking while you watched a movie, but the other half of me was rather incredulous about how this could possibly ever be a good idea.

My friends and I had stopped at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester on the way home from a weekend in DC. It’s a chain, but this is the only one outside of Texas. Steve, the bartender, suggested that the brilliant minds at corporate threw a dart at a map and that’s why we were sitting in the movie theater lobby at barely two in the afternoon on a rainy Monday well into our second beer.

The draft house works by seating patrons about a half hour before the movie starts. This gives you enough time to look over the menu which includes everything from burgers and salads to popcorn and Twizzlers. You write your order on a piece of paper, fold it lengthwise and stand it on end in the little ledge, making a “flag” for your server. You can also “flag” people for being loud and annoying, babies for crying, and if after three beers you’re pretty damn funny like we thought we were, you can flag your friend for wearing a bad combination of stripes. Like I said before, who thought this would ever be a good idea?

Still laughing about the stripe incident, we wrote down our order of burgers and another round of beers (“extra large”) which sent our server off giggling, too. The food was nothing special but fun to eat in that setting. We chose to jump on the bandwagon and see “New Moon”, so while we were pleased that our food and beverage combo made the film better than expected, it also prompted my friend (the one with the bad stripes) to lean over and say she was going to take a little nap. Part way through we decided Milk Duds were necessary, so we made yet another flag asking for “Milk Duds with a candle. It’s her birthday” assuming that, from our previous behavior, our server would know we were joking. Instead she came back with a free slice of cheesecake and birthday wishes for my friend who was totally mortified. We passed it and back and forth while Bella saved Edward from the Voltari. About 30 minutes before the end of the movie, they make last call and bring the tab, so that by the time the movie ends you are free to go. While it certainly has its potential “hazards” (think frat boys, high school girl feuds, and tipsy 38-year-olds), it is a really fun way to see a movie with friends, or kids, or on a date. With tons a great movies coming out in the next two months and lots of good shopping in that area, Winchester just might be the perfect daytrip for the holidays.

Kirsten Parmer was the food writer for eightyone magazine from 2006 until its closing in 2009. She loves nothing more than having a reason to eat out with friends.

Don’t expect to walk in and see a huge physical change from the previous Downtown 56 tenants. They did get rid of the awful hotel check-in desk in the main dining room and tucked some cozy seating behind a wall of wine. The bar has recycled some of the artwork and added recessed lighting, but feels pretty much the same. On the opening night of Downtown 56, I actually had to uncork our bottle of wine for the server. You won’t find anything like that here. The wait staff is well prepared and not new to food service.

But the shining star here is Chef Ryan Zale’s food. Zale honed his skills at the highly-acclaimed Inn at Little Washington and the Joshua Wilton House and what he is cooking at the Chop House is good. Really, really good. Our group sampled several appetizers including a delicate steak carpaccio, beautifully seared dry Maine scallops, spiced calamari with coconut-tomato sambal, and creamy arancini (fried risotto balls) with cilantro aioli—all under $10. The mixed drinks are excellent with creative libations such as a port and blackberry fresca, and a lemon basil Collins. The beer and wine lists are equally good. If you’re going for drinks and appetizers, a limited list is available until 7 pm that includes a glass of beer or wine and one appetizer for $6.

There are two menus, one for the bar and one for the main dining room. Many of the small plates and salads overlap. In the bar you’ll find burgers and sandwiches—most of which can be converted to slider size—and duck fat fries, which if you haven’t ever tried you need to. In the main dining room, you choose your meat (various cuts of steak, pork, lamb, duck, chicken, and fish), its rub and preparation, a sauce that’s served on the side and ranges from sweet mango hoisin bbq to savory veal demi glace to spicy grapefruit red curry, and two sides. I’m not 100% convinced that all of the rubs and sauces work together, but each good in their own right. Do not pass on the local chevre mac and cheese gratin; it’s out of this world. The most expensive cut is the filet mignon at $27, so the price point is quite reasonable.

For dessert we passed around the goat cheese cheesecake, a fruit crisp, candied bacon ice cream (yes bacon, and the jury’s still out on that one), and crème brulee that rivals that of the Wilton House’s, likely because it was Bert Moore’s recipe all along.

I actually hated the idea of going in and reviewing a restaurant on opening night, but it far exceeded my expectations, made me want to come back, and elevated my hope that downtown dining will stretch it’s physical boundaries just a little bit further than Court Square. Go. You won’t be disappointed.

Kirsten Parmer was the food writer for eightyone magazine from 2006 until its closing in 2009. She loves nothing more than having a reason to eat out with friends.

The chatter on Twitter has been mostly positive, and a local blogger wrote a glowing review two weeks ago. If you’ve been, share your thoughts below.

Innovation 1 is the touch-screen interface that allow you to not only select what movies or games to rent, but also to search by director or actor or genre or release date or any number of characteristics (and the search is available in several languages too, including Spanish). Some movies in the catalog even have short trailers so you can gauge your interest before making a final decision. Innovation 2 is what goes on inside the kiosk, where a computerized arm finds your selection (from the thousands of titles in the library) and sends it through the slot to your waiting hands. Innovation 3 is the store’s website, where you can search for in-stock movies from home and reserve them for two hours until you can get to the store (if you’ve already set up an account). And innovation 4 is that this is all available 24 hours a day. Your orange membership card can get you in the front door even when employees aren’t there.

Driver found out about the kiosks during a convention in Las Vegas, and decided to bring them to the Shenandoah Valley. They’re the first on the East Coast, using a technology originally developed in Italy.

This combination of IMDB-like search, Amazon-like warehouse technology, the ability to choose your rental before you leave your house, 24-hour convenience, and of course a little bit of the “wow” factor are sure to give other video stores a run for their money. Driver said he hopes to appeal to local college students as well as those who want a combination of Netflix convenience and Blockbuster immediate gratification. “I think this really screams young and hip,” he says.

Yes, it’s a video and game rental place, but it’s not like the other stores Driver owns, even though it too has a shelf-browsing section and the ability to rent from a checkout counter during business hours. To trumpet the difference, he gave this location a slightly different name (Backstage Movies-n-Games) and it has its own mascot (Oscar the owl).

Membership is free, and new accounts get a five dollar credit on their cards. All rentals are for seven days, with games costing $6.88, new releases costing $3.98, library titles going for $2.48, and specials that are available for $1 (all prices already include tax). The store has its official grand opening on Friday, August 1, but has been open since late last week for early adopters.

I’m not sure what the menu was like for the other schools, but the elementary school had Herb Roasted Chicken with a Homemade Roll, Garden Salad, and Fresh Strawberries. When I saw them this afternoon, his shirt was covered in a red substance. I asked him how he liked the local lunch and he said it was good, especially the strawberries. I’d would like to know what the cost of this meal was compared to a normal school lunch. I’d love it if more of the lunches could include local items when possible. I know menu planning is a big task for schools, but I think this would be great, at least towards the end of the year when local produce begins to be more readily available.