Dinner, Drinks, and a Movie, All in One Spot

For many adults, the concept of dinner and a movie has been a mainstay in date or group activity ideas for decades. But we usually take that phrase to mean dinner at a restaurant, then a movie at the theater. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, located in Littleton, Colo., melds the dining and cinema experience together very well due to an emphasis on a high quality presentation. They also serve an amazing selection of craft beer, highlighting an array of local breweries.

The Alamo Drafthouse was founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas by Tim and Karrie League, according to its website. These two were inspired by the idea of enjoying movies with good food and beer. Since its opening, Alamo Drafthouse has opened other franchises in Texas and several other states. The Colorado location opened in early 2013 in the Aspen Grove shopping center, and has been very well received. Last night, my wife Kris and I saw our second movie there and had a great time. As I mentioned, craft beer is a central focus for the beverage service, but there's also a full selection of wine and spirits available. The tap list includes about 30 craft beers, most of which rotate to include seasonals. The food is also very good, with a large menu that includes salads, snacks, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more. If you want to get a drink or a bite before or after the movie, there's also a cozy and inviting bar inside the theater.

Great drinks and food are an excellent starting point. What makes this concept work so well, however, is the theater's service and disruption policy. Each theater has stadium seating, with wide aisles and appropriately-sized tables for every two seats. The servers have room to maneuver when delivering food or taking orders, so the viewing experience is hardly interrupted. The theater also has a strict policy against talking or cell phose usage during movies, with the consequence being automatic dismissal from the theater upon the second violation.

If you can handle this policy and enjoy the experience along with your fellow movie-goers, Alamo Drafthouse is definitely a place to visit for dinner and a movie. So what movie did we see on Saturday night? Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It's a great movie that I highly recommend, even if you haven't read the books. To give you an idea of how good the tap list is, I enjoyed an Elevation Brewing Third Base Belgian Style Trippel and a Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout. A baked pretzel and a mushroom and caramelized onion pizza made a great meal to share. This is my kind of dinner and a movie!