Girls’ Night Out: Envy, Tonic Ultralounge & James Bond

I have been wanting to check out the Tonic Ultralounge in downtown Springfield for a few months now. I jumped at the chance, when a friend suggested the somewhat upscale bar for a girls’ night out. We are not fuddy-duddies by any means, but we are not big party-goers either. Thus, we opted to meet for a 6:00 dinner, with a movie at the new Hollywood Theaters to follow. My friend had been to Tonic just a few nights earlier, and had high remarks about the food and service.

We both arrived at Tonic promptly at 6 o’clock on Friday night. However, I had actually arrived in the downtown area about a half an hour early. My friend had also suggested that I check out a new clothing store on Walnut Street, called Envy. She definitely knows my taste. The clothes looked trendy & fabulous! Thankfully, the prices are much more reasonable than some of the other trendy apparel stores in the downtown area. They are not Wal-Mart prices, but you won’t necessarily have to shell out $200 for a pair of jeans either. I bought a new, but vintage-looking red coat and scarf. I also found a very nice, large handbag that matched perfectly. I only paid about $80 for all three combined. Those were regular prices, not sale prices. I decided to wear the new coat and handbag on my girls’ night out.

I walked from Envy to the Tonic Ultralounge. The downtown area was surprisingly dark and desolate for a weekend. I had to remind myself that it was the day after Thanksgiving, and it was a little early in the evening. People were probably busy doing family stuff, or shopping and dining in the south area of town, near the mall. Also, most of the college students had gone home for the holiday.

When we arrived at Tonic, there was only one other customer. Another friend met us shortly after we arrived, but no one else came in the entire time we were there. I was told that it is usually swamped on weekends, with a wait of at least an hour to eat. This particular night, we had the place to ourselves, and it was somewhat hard to imagine the place being packed.

The menu doesn’t have an abundance of items, but I found a few that sounded quite good. They have your basic bar-food appetizers, hamburgers and sandwiches. What looked really good to me, were the main entrees, even though there were only a handful. This is where the problem started. I first ordered the seabass. A few minutes after taking our order, the waiter returned and announced that they were out of seabass. I then opted for the filet mignon, only to find out a few minutes later, that there were out of that too. In fact, they were out of all of the entrees. Apparently, they had been slammed the night before, but were unprepared for the crowd because it was Thanksgiving. I was told that they had all of the appetizers and hamburgers. However, I wasn’t in the mood for typical bar food. If I wanted a hamburger, I would have just gone to Burger King! I didn’t want to come across as a picky wench, and I didn’t want to embarrass by friends. Therefore, the three of us decided to order 2 appetizers and share them.

The nachos were very generous in size, but it was obvious that none of the ingredients were very fresh. In addition, the toppings were sparse. The guacamole and taco meat looked like they had been sitting around for a couple of days. All in all, this appetizer was quite unimpressive.

The sampler platter was just a tad better. It came with four types of appetizers: egg rolls, scallops, shrimp, and some kind of herb cream cheese wontons. They were (once again) out of the scallops, so we agreed to substitute more of the wontons. The platter was $15, which I thought was much too expensive for what we received. We received only four of each item. The shrimp were kind of small to warrant only getting 4 pieces. The only thing that I really liked were the egg rolls. They were actually quite good.

We were still a little hungry, so we decided to indulge in dessert. We were (once again) told that they were out of ALL of the desserts, except the chocolate fondue. Fortunately, that was the dessert we had been wanting. Again, it was just okay. There was nothing overly special about the chocolate. We received four items for dipping: apple pieces, pineapple, cinnamon-dusted sopapillas, and strawberries. The strawberries were surprisingly fresh, considering that nothing else seemed to be. The pineapples pieces were tough and chewy, and the apples were tough and dry. They were also kind of brown. The sopapillas were pretty good though.

Despite the snafu with the food (or lack of), I thought the service was actually great. The waiter was friendly and very apologetic about our experience. Additionally, he kept our beverages refilled at all times. Of course, we were about the only ones there, so I’m sure that made the task much easier.

My first experience at Tonic Ultralounge was not all I hoped for, but I WILL be going back. My friends swear by the place, so I am confident that this was just a really “off” night. After all, it was Thanksgiving weekend, and they had been unexpectedly slammed on the holiday itself. I look forward to trying it again – hopefully I will have the sea bass or the filet next time!

Since I wrote so much about Tonic, I will be brief with my review of the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. All I can really say, is that I loved it! I was disappointed when Pierce Brosnan was left out in the cold, and not rehired to play 007. As a result, I boycotted Casino Royale. I decided to give Daniel Craig a chance, when I heard from several friends say that he was much better than Brosnan. I have to say, it is true. While, I am a Pierce Brosnan fan, he was much too soft for the role of James Bond. Daniel Craig brings back that much needed edge, while still showing Bond’s compassionate side. If I must say, I think I have developed a little crush on Mr. Craig. I also loved the opening credits and the accompanying song, Another Way to Die. Jack White, of The White Stripes, teamed up with R&B songstress, Alicia Keys for the piece. I never would have envisioned the two of them performing a song together. Then again, I never would have paired Jack White with Loretta Lynn either. They were fabulous together! Here is a link to a Youtube video of the opening sequence of Quantum of Solace. Check it out for yourself!

The new Hollywood Theaters at College Station are quite nice as well. The seats are the most comfortable in town, and the lobby is very appealing. The prices are high – $9 for adults. However, I think they are about the same at the Campbell 16. People have been complaining about the high prices of movie tickets ever since I was a kid. This is nothing new, and I wasn’t surprised by the $9 price tag.

The girls’ night out was a nice little getaway that I needed, after spending Thanksgiving with family. It turned out to be a fun, fabulous night even when you factor in the experience at Tonic. Keep in mind that I will be returning to Tonic Ultralounge again, so watch for an updated review. I just have to give them a second chance!

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: Could Internet Movies be the Wave of the Future?

Over the last few days, I have heard talk about a new film. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is not your typical big-screen, feature film. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day, this movie was made strictly for the internet. The movie is presented by Mutant Enemy Productions, and directed by Joss Whedon.

The movie was released in three acts, making it a “serial movie.” I was able to watch all three acts today on the Dr. Horrible website, free of charge. Unfortunately, I learned that they will only be available on their website until midnight, July 20, Eastern time. That means tonight, folks. However, the good news is that they can be purchased and downloaded from itunes after July 20th. They are sold as 3 separate acts for $1.99 each, making them similar to buying individual tv show episodes.

What I loved about Dr. Horrible, is that this movie breaks the traditional super-villain / super-hero mold. Dr. Horrible, as played by Harris, comes across as passionate and sincere, though misguided. On the other hand, the super-hero, Captain Hammer, is portrayed as shallow, insincere, and without a heart. I also enjoyed the cheesiness of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. I miss the cheesy super-heroes of the ’70s and ’80s. I grew up on Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl, Christopher Reeve as Superman, The Last American Hero, and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It seems to me that the superhero movies today are rather dark and gloomy. While not all of them are this way, I just can’t get into the dramatic, dark superhero films. Super-heroes are meant to be fun!

Dr Horrible has proven to be an internet blockbuster. It has quickly become a fast-spreading viral video across the web. I have to wonder it this medium just might be the wave of the future. Let’s face it, ticket prices have risen considerably, as have prices on other items. Ticket sales have gone down, while prices of other necessities, such as food and gas, continue to skyrocket. Though I do not bill myself as an economic analyst, I see this as a sign that ticket sales will continue to go down.

Another factor is the high costs to filmmaker’s themselves. Surely it would cost less to make an internet movie. In addition, the internet and new social media offer the opportunity for viral marketing, much of it free or low-cost.

I am looking forward to see if other internet movies make such a dramatic splash across the world wide web. I am also curious to see just how this could eventually impact the movie industry.

In the meantime, check out Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. You just might be thoroughly entertained!

Visit the Dr. Horrible website.

An Unreal Recipe for Western Spaghetti

This is a fun and clever short film. It is brought to you by the folks at PES Films. Man, do I wish I could cook like that!

If you visit their website, you will discover even more funky, short videos.

Justin Timberlake + Medical School = StudyBack

What do you get when a group of medical students remix Justin Timberlake’s Sexyback?

Why, you get StudyBack, of course!

Grand Central Freeze

Someone came up with a really neat idea for a youtube video. It is a clever, but harmless, practical joke involving around 200 people.