Gold Class is ALL Class!

March 27, 2010:

Gold Class Theater in Redmond

She Said:

It was a Saturday night. Brett and i were in pain from our shenanigans out on the town the previous night and decided to keep our evening simple: Dinner and a Movie.

We received a gift certificate to the Australia-born Gold Class Cinemas from a dear Aussie friend of ours who stayed with us over the summer, and had yet to use it. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"What is the Gold Class Theaters, Mandy?"

I'm glad you asked.

I will try my best to explain the luxury theaters' awesomeness and still do it justice...but before you read any further into this post... know that the Gold Class Theaters isn't one of the most cost-conscious theaters like those Brett and I listed in our Cheap Date Idea last week... You aren't going to leave this place spending less than $100 unless you have some secret trick* I don't know about...

But trust us - IT'S ALL WORTH IT.

This was the most comfortable, exclusive, swanky movie experience I've ever had. And yes, you pay a pretty penny for it, but it's totally worth it. And there's no other experience like it.

Let me start at the beginning.

Brett and I ventured out after purchasing our movie tickets (Shutter Island, 9.45pm showing) on the GCT Website. We made the trek over to the Eastside with little or no grumbling, knowing that we were in for a big treat (we don't cross the pond all to often!).

Since we arrived at Redmond Town Center (where the theater is located) a bit early, we decided to walk around the shops, and stop in at Spazzo for some flatbread and wine prior to the movie. [This was stupid. We had at our disposal all the food and drink we needed at the Theater, so just save your money! I was starving and grumpy, though, so i needed something in my belly, and when I get grumpy, Brett tends to humor my wishes or I eat him up.]

At about 9pm, we headed over the theater, and were seated in its spacious lobby. The place was immaculate. It looked like a hotel lobby -- plush seats and warm fireside lounges; a bar to the left boasting magnificent floral arrangements, and folks dressed to the nines -- for a MOVIE! We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto...

We weren't seated in the bar, but in the lounge at a quaint little table.

We promptly ordered two beers and an Charcuterie Platter as an appetizer (meats and cheese platter that was a bit disappointing, for $12), as we looked over the menu. Our waitress promptly filled us in on how it all works -- we order food and drinks in the lobby, and then she brings our order to us in the theater once we're settled and seated. We requested to have our appetizer in the lobby to start, as we still had about a half our before the movie started.

Once we did finally head into the theater, we were BLOWN AWAY.

Giant overstuffed recliner chairs lined the room, in rows of 4. Each theater only holds about 30 people, so it's very intimate, very roomy, and VERY comfortable.

Brett and I have never felt so spoiled!

We promptly took our shoes off, sat back, and relaxed. Sipping beer and smiling at each other. A woman came up and offered us a blanket and a pillow -- I'm not one to refuse such offerings, and i welcomed them to my recliner with open arms.

Just as i was getting cozied up and the previews rolled onto the screen, our meals were delivered. What service! Brett ordered the steak sandwich ($19) and I got the portabella mushroom sliders ($11) -- both came with home-made potato slices, and both were excellent! Brett wasn't overly-impressed with his Strip Steak sandwich (a sandwich for $19, i think he expected someone to actually come out and feed it to him!) but I thought my mushies were excellent.

The movie came on and we were immediately mesmerized (for those of you who haven't seen Shutter Island yet, do so immediately!), almost to the point that we forgot we had food and beer right next to us! And if we ran out, we simply pressed the Concierge button on the table and a waitress would be with us lickety split, to bring us another round.

You'd probably think that waitresses coming in and out during an intense movie like Shutter Island would be a distraction, even annoying -- but surprisingly, we rarely noticed! The staff there is so discreet, and you are just so darned comfortable and happy, there's really nothing that can annoy you!

Brett hoped the movie was 4 hours long, but unfortunately it ended at just over 2 hours. As the lights turned on, we reluctantly slipped our shoes on and peeled ourselves out of the orange recliners, chatting about the twists and turns of the movie, and what film we hoped to see next at the Gold Class Theaters. Because we'll definitely be back.

It truly was a Date Night for the history books!

* = there IS a secret trick! Turns out, if you sign up for a membership, tickets are only $22, not $32! Yay! (Thanks Sarah Cason!)

RATINGS:

Gold Class Cinemas
www.goldclasscinemas.com
16451 Northeast 74th Street
Redmond, WA 98052-7801
(425) 636-5601

Romance: 4: snuggling in recliners next to your sweetie, drink in hand, while watching a new release? Does it GET more romantic?

Cool Ambiance/Interior: 4: The lobby felt a bit hotel-ly, but was swank and cool. VERY Redmond, as Brett would say.

All Around Service: 5: Doesnt' get better than the service at Gold Class Theaters.

Cost: $$$$ = $22+ -- yeah, it's not cheap...

Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations, Susan, and thanks for entering our contest! Below is Susan's fabulous She Said account of Kirkland's famous Juanita Cafe! Enjoy!
** Runner-up was Ed O., and you can read his post here!

She Said:

My husband, Todd and I don't have much in common. He's an engineer that loves math and science. I mean, the man brought Advanced Trig books on our honeymoon. He built a robot... For fun.

I love decorating. And reality shows in poor taste. So what's the glue that keeps us together? Our love of food. And we're not talking hamburger helper and stove top. (Although Todd loves both and I've been known to crave a can of SpaghettiOs.) We're talking sweetbreads and foie gras. Which until recently, we didn't have a clue about. I think we both were under the impression that Sweetbreads were a delicious french bakery good. We soon found out that Sweetbreads were neither sweet nor bread....

So for our two year anniversary we celebrated not only our love for each other, but our love for all things culinary, by going to Cafe Juanita in Kirkland. We certainly were not disappointed.

Cafe Juanita has a lot of things going for it. Their exterior is not one of them. However, they have done what they can with the 1970's rambler. The inside is much more charming and it's whats on the inside that counts, right?

We began with two starters. Don't judge. We were celebrating, remember?

And nothing says celebratory like Seared Foie Gras with Nectarine, Huckleberries, Candied Ginger and Cocoa nibs AND Veal Sweetbreads with Fried Capers and Parsley, in a Ligurian Olive Oil.

I'm pretty sure I had an out of body experience with the former. The Foie was seared perfectly and the sweetness of the nectarines was perfection. Seriously. I wanted to bathe in it. Gross? Kinda . But only if you think about it. Which I don't. I just eat it! :)

The sweetbreads were equally good but it was the fried capers that had me. I was seriously considering about replacing my theatre popcorn with fried capers during my next visit to the movies. I'm sure that will catch on.

On to the main dishes. Without fail, I always want what Todd orders. I always end up eating most of what's on HIS plate. Not so this time. And I wasn't about to share. I ordered the rabbit--a dish they are well known for. To be specific--Rabbit Braised in Arneis with Ligurian Chickpea Crepe, Pancetta and Porcini. Ummmm, delightful to say the least. In fact, in the deserted island game that Todd and I like to play, (okay, the game I like to play) if I had to chose one dish to eat on a deserted island...for the rest of my life...this would be it.


[images via Cafe Juanita's website]

The pancetta, the Porcini--it was all a giant YES. Todd ordered the Sweet Grass Farms Wagyu Beef Bolognese with Tagliatelle and while it too was quite good, it paled in comparison. I love it when I pick the winning dish of the night. When he begs me for scraps. :) And although we had planned on getting dessert--we skipped it as we were so full we were about to pop. And with the hefty price tag that was attached to the entire evening, we felt like we got our money's worth.

And there you have it. A memorable meal with a memorable man. :)

Todd and Susan met under the most romantic of circumstances--at a bar.

The kind of bar where the floor is perpetually sticky and it's in your best interest to hover over the toilet seat.

None the less, it was love at first sight. Or perhaps after the first shot.

Anyway, they have been enjoying marital bliss for 2 years now in Bothell.

(They are slowly learning to claim their new city with pride. And resist calling it the Brothel.)

They live with their two cats, Copper and Lilly and have recently added Dr. Newton, a three pound chihuahua, into the family dynamic.

Seattle Date Night: Date Night at the Gun Range!

Due to our hectic schedules this summer, i wanted to be sure we provided you readers with plenty of content, even when we aren't able to blog as frequently as possible. SO, I'll be posting some back-logs of dates we've done in the past. We've had some great ones, and i feel that, just because we did them PB (pre-blog) doesn't mean that we shouldn't share them with you! So, enjoy!

March 24th, 2009
Ladies Night at the Gun Range!

She Said:

To celebrate Brett's 2-year anniversary in America, we decided to incorporate a bit of stereotypical Americana into this Date Night.

Brett took me to none other than Wade's Eastside Guns in Bellevue for a little target practice. YES, he took me to shoot guns. Cause, well, in America, that's what we do!



This place is NO JOKE. Now, for those of you who know me, you know how anti-guns i am. Brett is the same, for the most part. But, it's always fun to try something you wouldn't normally do for a Date Night... and this certainly fell into the category. So, excited and incredibly nervous, we headed inside.

It happened to be a Tuesday, which meant "Ladies' Night" at the gun range!


What is Ladies' Night, exactly?!
I hear you ask, obvious fear in your voice...

Ladies Night: Every Tuesday 10am-10pm
Ladies: 1/2 price lane fee and free gun rentals!!!

I KNOW!
So, we head in and check out the menu. Brett had been there before, so he knew what to do. I just followed his lead.

Inside the lobby, it was very crowded. Ladies' Night is clearly a very popular event. So, we put our names on the list, and waited (about 20 minutes). Time flew, as there are many fun things to do while waiting in the lobby. You can check out the gun shop/store for all your shooting/gun needs... you can peruse the guns that you have at your disposal, and decide which you will shoot when it's your turn... you can read all the anti-Obama posters on the wall and have a laugh... you can use this time to sign you, your wife, and your kids (kids are FREE!) up for the NRA... or, you can simply people watch. This is what we chose to do.

Once we got our lane, we chose our gun, our target, put on our ear muffs, and finally headed in.



It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Loud bangs going off all around me, people just shooting away, like it was no big thing... I hadn't been around so many guns since my days as a personal trainer!

But i went alright...


[ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!]


Of course, Brett was a natural!





You will have to experience it for yourself. I'll just leave it at that.


[awwwwwwwwwwwwwww, so romantic!]

Here is the rental information for you, so you can make an informed decision once you arrive!

MENU
GUN RENTALS
One Gun: $8
All Guns Same Caliber: $10
All Guns (excluding carbines and S&W X-frame): $14
S & W 500 Mag or S & W 460: $30 each (includes 5 rounds of ammo)
AR-15 or UZI 9mm: $15 (one or both)

LANE USE FEES
First person: $15.00
Each additional person: $10.00 (up to 3 max)

TARGETS
Small 4 / $1.00
Medium $0.50 - 0.75 each
Large $1.00 each
(no facial targets please)
(ammo is extra, and it's the most expensive, so be forewarned.)


The entire two hours of shooting ended up costing us about $60! Can't beat that. We even got to try THREE different guns (because the first two were too scary for me!)!

We were so exhausted after all that shooting, we decided to head over to Shari's for some all-American diner cooking!




We went to the Kirkland location, which was the first restaurant Brett visited after moving to America. It was just as he remembered it. The menu is chock-full of terrible for you foods. Our orders were no exception. He ordered the T-Bone Steak with Mashed Potatoes, me a chopped Cobb salad.





We sat back and laughed about how terrible i was with a gun (obviously i need more practice!) and how amazed he is that we, as Americans, have the freedom to just walk in to a shop and rent these weapons. Pretty crazy if you think about it.

All in all, was a GREAT way to spend a 2-Years-In-America Anniversary! DAMN it's good to be in the Land of the Free!