Dinner and a Movie -- At The Same Time!

A few weekends ago, I enjoyed a really fun and low key date night with my boyfriend (R) at Le Midi Bistro. This little French eatery is located right around the corner from my apartment and it's somewhere I have been dying to try for a very long!
11 E 13th St, NYC

I have been walking past this restaurant for nearly two years, since it was on my way home from class (remember, I used to be a student at NYU!) Every evening, I would walk home and I would always pause for a few minutes outside of Le Midi and peer in. I wasn't reading the menu, well not usually… I was, in fact, watching whatever movie was playing above the bar! Yep! Every night, Le Midi screens old movies above their bar, with subtitles. I enjoyed watching bits of Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn (a fellow Bryn Mawr alum), Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Lawrence Olivier, and many many more iconic actors! 

About a month ago, my boyfriend and I were walking around my neighborhood and we walked past Le Midi. As per usual, I stopped to see what was playing. R studied film in college and he LOVES movies --- not just for aesthetics, but the production, technical stuff. His love of all aspects film is like my love for all aspects food and history. (We compliment each other wonderfully since we are always teaching each other and learning from each other). ANYWAY, when he realized what was going on, he was intrigued and we immediately decided that we HAD to have dinner here one night.

Well, after a busy day of running errands, we decided it was time to have dinner at Le Midi. R was very excited to see what film they were screening and we were both pleasantly surprised to learn that this evening's entertainment would be a silent film! (They normally screen talking films, but turn the volume off and put subtitles on). As we enjoyed our dinner, we got to watch Buster Keaton's The General. Although we were both familiar with the film, neither of us had actually seen it, so we were very excited.
The General being projected above the bar
The dining room
The bar was very busy

For dinner, R ordered steak frites, whilst I decided to get the Coq au Vin. I don't remember the last time I had that dish, so I figured, "well, I'm at a French bistro, let's get something very French!" I'll admit, it wasn't the greatest coq au vin I've had. It was very very very acidic, which was a bit of a bummer. The chicken was very tender and the pearl onions melted in my mouth, which was great, but for me, this wasn't a winning dish. Also, the lardons were just pieces of fat --- there was no meat. R's steak frites looked really delicious and he enjoyed it, so that's good. 
Coq au Vin 
(sorry the picture is so dark!)

Though dinner didn't blow my mind, in reality, we didn't come here for the food. We were here for the novelty of watching a movie, and that part was A LOT of fun! It took the concept of "dinner and a movie" to a whole new level. R and I had a great time chatting and watching Buster Keaton do what he does best. It was also fun listening to R talk about the technical aspects of producing a silent film. I'm always learning!

All in all, I had a great evening at Le Midi and I would go back. I may not order the coq au vin, but I'd be curious to try something else. Also, I'm curious to see what film they play next time I'm there!

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