When Executive Chef John Bullington became a part of the Alamo Drafthouse family back in 2004, one of the ideas he brought with him was to show all three Lord of the Rings films, all 12 hours of them, Extended Editions and all, and serve a feast fit for a Hobbit with much of the same food the characters are talking about in the films. It was a brilliant idea, one that the Drafthouse has executed literally a dozen times now. Luckily, this past weekend, mere days after stuffing my face with all kinds of Thanksgiving sustenance, I was able to experience this feast and all the incredible accoutrements that came with it.
Seven courses. Three epic movies. One Ring to rule them all. That's how the Alamo Drafthouse was promoting this day. It lived up to every letter in those three sentences, particularly the "seven courses" part of it. It was an experience none of us, not even those who had attended once before, would ever forget.
To start our morning off, Bullington introduced the event to the sold out theater, which included more than a few patrons dressed in their favorite Tolkien garb. He explained how the idea came about, how it was something he had desired to do for a long time. He told us how he couldn't wait for his own son to be old enough to have this experience. Bullington even hinted at the possibilities for future events. With the two-part Hobbit story currently being filmed in New Zealand and more Middle Earth story to tell, this day looks to grow even larger in the years to come.
After his introduction, the first film, Fellowship of the Ring, began, and waves of nostalgia from the first time I had seen the film in the theater came rushing back. It wasn't long before our first course of the day, First Breakfast, was served. Fresh hen's eggs, crispy bacon, grilled mushroom, and rosemary seared orange came out on the first plates accompanied by a Canella blood orange mimosa. It was a meal that hit the Hobbit spot in all of us, but there was so much more to come. Throughout the first film, we were treated to Second Breakfast, strawberries and cream with an Oberhoff mead served alongside. Elevensies came after that, pan seared sausage and tomatoes with cheeses, cabbage, and pickled beets. A Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale was served as well. Needless to say, after one film and three courses, we were all pleasantly filled with epic battles and deliciously made food. Our day had only begun.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/lord-of-the-rings-feast-a-day-of-middle-earth-dining-at-the-movies/
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