Dining Out Review: CinéBistro

RICHMOND, Va. -- CinéBistro, the new movie theater plus restaurant in Stony Point Fashion Park, is built around such an obviously simple idea that I'm surprised Richmond hasn't had something like it sooner — dinner and movie in one "ultra-luxury experience," its website says.

Pick a movie, arrive 30 minutes early, order dinner and drinks, and dine in plush leather seats while watching a first-run flick. Sounds great, right?

Obviously simple ideas don't always translate to successful reality. After several visits, I have decided CinéBistro could be one of my frequent haunts — if it lost the bistro part. The problem is that's the whole shtick.

The movie part of this entertainment duo is great — plenty of leg room and a massively vivid screen — but CinéBistro's food is what you might get in first class on an airplane — artfully presented dishes fervently overseasoned to cover up the fact they were prepared in a matter of minutes with less-than-fresh ingredients. At least the servers are exceedingly polite.

During my first visit, we ordered our "True Grit" tickets online, even getting to choose our seats, and arrived early as suggested. Still, we felt rushed choosing drinks, appetizers and entrees in one fell swoop, so our server could put the order into a hand-held device that alerted the kitchen to deliver our food (all at one time) before the movie started.

A receipt with 17.5 percent gratuity included is printed, and you pay before the food arrives.

This doesn't seem like too daunting a task until you consider a theater full of other patrons are doing the exact same thing at the exact same time with the exact same deadline.

If you're lucky enough to inhale your meal before the end of the previews, your plates will be cleared. Otherwise, you and your dirty dishes will become good friends throughout the rest of the show.

CinéBistro's menu includes Previews — appetizers such as ginger tuna and salmon spring roll ($13) and garlic and chili wings ($10); Features — entrees such as penne fra diavolo ($14) and barbecue pork ribs ($17); and a few sandwiches.

We ordered "popcorn" chicken, rock shrimp and calamari ($10), a chicken BLT sandwich ($12) and crab cakes ($23).

Served in a plastic popcorn container, minuscule fried nuggets of the aforementioned proteins mingled beneath a topping of actual popcorn. Despite dynamically flavored charred tomato and lemon garlic dipping sauce, each piece tasted the same, overwhelmed by the flavor of freezer burn.

Topped with melted Swiss, Smithfield bacon and guacamole spread, the sandwich was serviceable, although the price tag seemed high. Accompanying sweet potato fries reminded me of the elementary school cafeteria.

The crab cakes were horrible. They were broiled to hockey puck texture, leaving the interiors dry and completely bland. Accompanying asparagus was so coated in black pepper it was inedible.

Perhaps the time constraint of ordering before the movie contributed to the problems with the food, so we returned another night to dine in the chic bar/lounge area without seeing a movie.

The food improved slightly, but we felt odd being the only people not waiting for a movie, even though the website encourages patrons to visit just for dinner.

Served with semi-stale soft pretzels, crab dip ($13) was encased in an impenetrable cheese shell and smelled so fishy we stopped eating.

Pan-seared salmon ($19) was overcooked but enlivened by a rich avocado-key lime butter sauce. Accompanying whipped potatoes and bacon-laced collards were good but didn't jibe with the rest of the dish. A sprinkling of baby shrimp was just an insult.

The New York strip ($23) was cooked to the requested medium, but the dish was drowned in a corn-pepper relish and smoked paprika butter. Both accents were intriguing, but the flavor of the meat was undetectable.

Luckily, you don't have to dine to see a movie at CinéBistro. Popcorn ($7.50) is served in a bowl with complimentary refills, ticket prices are the same as at other theaters, and the staff is wonderfully accommodating. Grab dinner elsewhere, and save CinéBistro for cocktails and cushy seats.