7514 Bales St.
Liberty Township, OH 45069
513.463.0470
website
There are a dozen Cinebistro locations all over the country, most to be found in new high-end developments. Bringing a new and creative take to the traditional movie night, Cinebistro offers something all-too-handy: the chance to eat right in your seat as you watch the movie — a very convenient choice! With a general menu of a lot of different kinds of foods, this place offers the seafood, sandwiches and other dishes you would expect at many an Americana-style grill around town anyway. While you might pay a bit more for the experience, I would also said you might find it an attractive novelty.
The way it works — you’ll be allowed into the theater a bit before the film showing, and a server will offer you the chance to order your food beforehand. It will be delivered shortly thereafter all at once, and then you’ll have the chance to order anything more, or drinks until the previews are over, and have all of it through ought the movie itself. The menu is what you’d find in your average grill:
- House Ground Bistro Burger: A ground beef patty cooked to order and topped with Cheddar, housemade special sauce and all the typical veggies. Very tasty, but greasy and a bit heavy. Good with fries.
- Seared Asian Salmon: A simplified version of the restaurant’s salmon dishes, the fish is seared medium-well and served atop a bed of fried rice and a sweet yum yum sauce and an unagi tare glaze.
- Caesar Salad: Not bad! Lots of pepper, Parmesan cheese and a lovely citrus dressing. Not overwhelming though.
- Kale Salad: Kale is only a small part of this salad which is heavy with almonds, dried cherries, shallots and radishes and topped with a pecorino vinaigrette. Heavy flavors for your typical salad.
- Fresh Berries: In practice this dish is a cross between a parfait and a creme brulee. It’s fresh berries topped with brûléed butterscotch and bourbon custard. Not too sweet which is great.
- Caramelized Banana Cheesecake: A thicker kind of cheesecake iteration accented with a pretzel crust, dulce de leche and cinnamon cream. Wonderful!
The experience is pretty hands-off and that’s wonderful. The concept makes the whole practice of seeing a movie so convenient. Keep in mind, though, that you pay for that upside. The dishes are high-normal as far as pricing and a big part of that is the convenience. But overall, it’s a novelty worth a try.
Recommendations
- If you’re up to grab a drink, be sure to know ahead of time. The last service ends when the previews do.
- The option is, as you can imagine, pricier. There is an automatic 18 percent gratuity on all orders and prices on food items are a bit on the high end of normal. Expect a full meal for two to be about $50 in addition to your ticket.
- Tuesday night, though, is pretty highly recommended. A three-course meal for $20.
Another Food Critic 