Nurturing my inner... low budget theater goer

Don't laugh.  But I have a favorite theater I go to.  The Fairfax Cinema Arts Theatre.  (They try to evoke a certain sense of mystery by spelling theater "re", but really, there is no need.)

"Theatre" exterior

Does that facade evoke class or what?  The cookie cutter strip mall.  But it's MY low class, why are they still missing floor tiles, in dire need of remodeling theatre at the strip mall.  And I'm darn proud of it.

My friend Lauren, thank goodness for me, has a special fondness for this little theater as well.  That's because it tends to carry "films," really, as opposed to what we think of as movies.  Not that some block buster hits don't make it to their banged up, tattered screens, but mostly it showcases those foreign and independent (read as subtitled and no budget) lesser known works of art that got some strange award from a festival you've never heard of in east Budapest.

Let me just say, I'd be letting you down if I didn't tell you that the opening film strip that tells theater etiquette has got to be from about 1978 and my favorite part is the laser sound effects that are all but out of "Xanadu."  One more thing and I promise to stop the pain, but we even went there one time by accident for a local film maker's premiere, complete with one celebrity (the 12 year old girl from the movie), history and introduction by the very filmmakers themselves in person and free mini desserts on tiny napkins.  We mingled, we laughed like we belonged, it was just like Hollywood - if their premieres were held back in time circa 1980 in a rundown, outdated mall under constant construction in south side Detroit.

But the real draw - tradition.  We stop at the same little Thai place every time we go.  (We were wracking our brains earlier for the name and could not think of it to save our lives until we saw the sign: Thailand.  Um, really.  Yeah, see pic above.  It's truly best neither of us is in a medical profession.)

Lauren, who never takes a bad picture

Uh, so we noticed the glass actually says "Star of Siam."  Yeah, that's not the name of the restaurant.  That's how kitchy it is!  But with a bowl of soup the size of your bathtub for under $7.00, it's a sweet piece of reliability and no nonsense.  (Even if the consistency it brings happens to be tacky and unmatchy beyond comprehension.)

You know what they say, "When in Thailand...." This was my attempt at trying something new:

Sticky rice with custard

I'd like to explain what I decided to try for dessert, but it may be challenging.  I don't usually prefer my food to be, well, grey.  Or resembling anything you use to caulk holes in your house.  However, I am adventurous and figured, how bad could this combo be?  It wasn't bad at all once you got past the fact that it looked like baby food (possibly in various stages of both going into and coming out of said baby).  The sticky rice was formed into a cake and the sweet custard was spooned on top like a milky gravy.  It was warm.  The taupe colored stuff on the right was a kind of chilled coconut mouse.  Not too sweet, but flavorful.  All dusted with toasted sesame seeds and placed on a lavender flower-shaped plate.  Very middle school cafeteria chic!  (Fun is really all in your personal outlook.)

Once again, the clever Thailand (darn tricky name!) cuisine and "you can put your own butter from the machine on your popcorn" theatre didn't disappoint us.  These aren't places to go for flashy, high tech entertainment and five star cuisine.  But in the super affluent area I live in, I like that!  Here's to the little man whose keepin' it real.

I am certain there are many local favorite places that have a soft spot in your heart, where the food is a few notches above edible and you've gone to forever, that you're just too embarrassed to tell anyone about.  (Because once they know this about you, they can never unknow it.)  Eh, be brave!  Make it a point to keep going there year after year despite the snobs.  And don't forget to take special people with you who can love your secret spots as much as you do.