When it comes to ‘leisure activities’, do you ever get a ‘hankering’ for something a little different? Don’t get me wrong, I love the typical “dinner and a movie” and would be quite content to spend an evening every week with my interesting male companion , provided I had one, doing just that. But sometimes it’s fun to try something a tad different. Such was my experience last night at the “dinner theater” at The Alcove in Mount Vernon.
In the spirit of ‘full disclosure’, I must admit that when my sister first asked me to go with her family I was not overly enthusiastic about the ‘theater’ aspect. Frankly, I envisioned something very small, where the actors were practically in your laps and very ‘hokey’ and amateurish. Thankfully, I could not have been more wrong.
Now if you have ever eaten at The alcove, you know their reputation as a fine dining destination is well earned. Last night was no exception. As part of our dinner theater “package”, we could choose one of three entrees’: vegetarian, chicken or prime rib. Many years ago I did a 3 year stint as a vegetarian — 1 of those as a vegan, no less. Yeah ….. got that out of my system. Been there, done that, as they say. I love beef and, had it been any other cut than prime rib, I would have definitely chosen that. But, alas, I do not care for it… I’ve tried to like it but to me it has very little flavor. So, guess what … I had the chicken. I rarely choose chicken when I go out, unless, of course, I’m at KFC. I find it to be rather ‘blah’ and boring. I’m a ‘dyed in the wool’ seafood/fish lover and that’s usually my number one choice. So, my expectations were akin to watching a professional limbo dancer. Once again, I was very happy to be wrong. The roasted leg quarter was nicely seasoned and very moist. The accompanying mashed potatoes and asparagus were also quite tasty, albeit in rather lilliputian amounts. In my humble opinion, seeing as how we are not in France, I find 3 little stalks of asparagus to be more of a tease than a serving. Now that I have vegetables on my mind, I almost forgot to mention that the entree’ was preceded by a tasty little salad dressed with a light sweet and sour type of vinaigrette. Warm and delicious little rolls were served then as well.
After the 70 or so of us in the nicely appointed upstairs “theater room” were finished with our entrees’, the dishes were cleared by the very friendly and attentive wait staff and the show began. I won’t go into much detail here, so as not to spoil it for those of you who might want to enjoy it for yourselves, but, the show was about bridesmaids and featured 4 female actors. The writing was quite good and the humorous lines were delivered with perfect timing which kept the audience in ‘stitches’. The costume changes were fairly frequent which also added to the overall appeal and kept us interested. At intermission, we were served our delicious dessert of pecan fudge ice cream balls. Three at our table are lactose challenged and were served a blueberry pomegranate sorbet instead and heartily raved about it the rest of the evening.
During the second half of the play, I had a funny little experience. In the darkened room, I happened to notice a rather familiar-looking head of thick white hair on a man at the next big table beside us. Now, not unlike many women in my particular age range, I have had a life-long crush on the oh-so-sexy Sam Elliott of “Lifeguard” fame. As I nonchalantly kept glancing over, all I could see was his profile but the more I looked the more convinced I was that somehow that steamy Hollywood heartthrob with the deliciously deep voice had ended up at the next table in little old Mount Vernon, Ohio! Alas, as I’m sure you guessed, when the lights came on and “Sam” stood up and turned, the thought bubble above my head, had there been one, would have said, “Uh…..guess not”. Funny how a profile in a dark room can conjure up all manner of fantastical ideas.
So, the next time you’re looking for something fun and different to do, head on down to The Alcove in beautiful Mount Vernon for an evening of delicious food, unique entertainment and perhaps a celebrity sighting or two.
Life Through My Eyes 