The Colony Theater

Before Madstone, before Galaxy, before the idea of multiplex independent film cinema existed–back when the (still-great) art-deco Rialto was the only art house theater in Raleigh, the owner of the very same Rialto opened the Colony twin screen theater in an older real-type ordinary Raleigh suburban shopping center at Six Forks and Millbrook Rd, just outside the beltline (above North Hills, look for the Food Lion on your right).

The Colony is Raleigh’s unsung hero if a place can be a hero. Although from the outside it looks like the sort of theater that would have closed in some other city long ago when the multiplex giants took over, inside the Colony is an oasis. Everything from international and independent, little-known hard to find films, to popular indie sleeper films, shown on two wide screens in large auditoriums, with comfortable theater seating complete with cup holders, and most importantly excellent sound and lighting. In this theater, you will never fume because the film is out of focus, or the lights didn’t go off when the film began, making a glare on the screen so you can’t see the film, because the projectionist cares enough about film and about you, the viewer, to stay in the booth long enough to make sure everything works properly before running off (which I’m sorry to say is not the case elsewhere).

This kind of reliable care and attention over many years has been and continues to be due to the manager, Denver Hill, a former English major, a long-time fan of good cinema. He has been at the Colony for as long as I can remember, starting out as many do there, with a teenage-type job, then growing into a first-class manager who keeps his place running the way it should: brisk, courteous service, without sacrificing its unique comfy, laid back, “let’s just hang out” atmosphere. The Colony has about the most eager to please, friendliest crew I’ve ever seen in a theater, serving up draft and bottled beer, wine, and other beverages along with the usual movie snacks, and always with smiles and a welcoming attitude. There are plush arm chairs, plants, and an enormous sofa that is so welcoming, people often sink down into its softness and read from the great selection of books (yes, there’s a bookcase full of donated books with a sign that invites you to take one if you like, and/or donate one).

The Colony Theater

Other reasons to arrive early and lounge about: you will want to read the long, growing bulletin board that takes up an entire wall with community messages and happenings, and browse through the magazines and flyers on the counter below the bulletin board. Or view the art exhibited on the remaining walls by area artists. Or come early and ask that friendly crew about what is coming next; get questions answered about film, advice on what to see. They actually know lots and love to chat about movies and community events.

Which brings me to the unsung hero part (aside from just being an awesome place to see movies): what sets the Colony apart from other art house theaters is Denver’s and his girlfriend Michelle’s dedication to Raleigh’s nonprofit groups, helping their causes. For example, tomorrow night — grab your pen –

Tuesday May 22 at 7 PM —- MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW

The Colony is showing “Kundun”

– a rarely seen film by the acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, that tells the story of the Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet. The score is by Philip Glass, the Oscar-nominated avant-garde composer. Don’t miss this opportunity to see an excellent Scorsese film you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Feel good knowing your $5 ticket price goes toward helping out the Kadampa Center, a Tibetan Buddhist community in Raleigh that needs funds for a new space.

Denver Hill has been doing this sort of thing for years, quietly, and never for his own glory, just wanting to help, welcoming community nonprofits who need space to view a film, hear speakers, raise funds; bringing together many of Raleigh’s groups around a film that ties into their cause, often packing the house, making the Colony not only a great place to gather and and view a film; but also an important force in the community.

It’s not all serious issue stuff!!

Denver loves to bring in favorite fun films, new 35 mm prints of classics, and runs movie events. Last week, we all enjoyed “Easy Rider”

Other fun films coming up:

June 20	The Dark Crystal
July 18	2001 A Space Odyssey
August 15	Temple of Doom

Only 5 Bucks for these great films! You can call for other feature film showings, and prices, plus any other info: 856-0111.

One final tiny treat: if you are a lifetime lover of movies, look down at the carpet. It’s so cute.

Coming up soon —- Reason #2

Personally, I am not too surprised by this as TTC just hasn’t become the kind of mall I had hoped it would be. When a mall visit is in order after exhausting my favorite local retailers, I am definitely among the droves of Raleigh residents who either hit Crabtree (due to its proximity) or make the trek over to The Streets of Southpoint in Durham. Many will go on about the demographics of the such-and-such mile radius around the North Raleigh mall, but I don’t think that’s it at all. I mean, come on, they pretty much have all those who have moved up to the Wake Forest area as a captive audience. And one drive around that formerly sleepy little town will quickly reveal there is a whole bunch of money to be spent… unless everyone is house-poor or something. Anyway, my opinion is that the TTC folks immediately shot themselves in the foot before even clearing the first tree from the property. The design of the mall is as bland and energy-sucking as I have ever seen. Not only is the whole dang thing beige inside and out, but the 2^nd floor is carpeted which turns the already spooky-empty ambience and deadens it completely.

What’s funny is that every time I’ve been in Saks, you’d think the mall is rather bustling. The place is vibrant and there always seems to be clientele in there. But as soon as you step out of Saks into the mall… poof! It’s all gone. I’ve talked to many a person who freely admits to shopping in Saks but never venturing into the mall itself.

The outside shopping area is nice and I think a few along that corridor are pulling their weight as well. If the developers had taken one hint alone from Southpoint, they would have built this part of the mall first, made it much more interesting than just a simple straight shot, and varied the offerings out there a lot more.

Anyway, this really wasn’t supposed to turn into an evaluation of TTC. That’s a much longer article that needs quite a bit more fleshing out of these opinions with more constructive recommendations. Hrmmmmm, maybe that’ll be coming soon.

So, let me first say that I like the design of Lafayette Village.  The drawings certainly give the impression of a quaintness which has not been achieved by North Hills.  And, it appears the designers have taken a cue from North Hills by putting a majority of the parking underneath the shopping center, out of the view of drivers-by.  Concept alone, I like it.

But, I have a hard time believing that a boutique-focused center will work at that location.  Even the highly-lauded North Hills still has many spaces left empty.  Obviously, Lafayette Village will have much lower lease rates, but the area around that location has not proven to be ridiculously successful for that format.  Scout and Mollys and Cravings have both experienced much more success after moving out of Falls Village and into North Hills.  Just up the road in Falls Pointe Shopping Center, boutiques like Tres Belle seemed to have a nice run, but just couldn’t quite pull it off.  Remove any sort of anchor (like North Hills’ Target and the movie theatre) and I wonder if a boutique-only center can survive in that area.

Hopefully, it will be a successful venture.  There is certainly enough disposable income in that area.  But, what will be interesting to see is if folks in that area will be willing to spend their big money in a center in that location or if they will continue to drive to North Hills, Cameron Village, Saks (not the rest of TTC though!), and Southpoint due to the validation factor…

Hrmmmm, who knows?  I wouldn’t put my own money into Lafayette Village, but then again I am not sure I’d bet against it either.  Either way, go ahead and chalk up another loss for the trees of North Raleigh.  They seem to lose no matter what… 

The developers tell us they are expecting a late 2007 early 2008 completion date.  Now, if recent development in Raleigh is used as a gauge, I’d bet no earlier than late 2008… if then….

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Dear Neighbor,

We have decided to close this wonderful restaurant. For the past 12 years it has been our great pleasure to serve this North Raleigh neighborhood. 

We will continue with our normal hours of service through brunch on Sunday, October 29, 2006, and then we will close.

This certainly isn’t a happy day, nor is it sad. With the shifting sands of supply and demand, healthy restaurant outfits open and close restaurants all of the time. Twelve years is a life span far beyond the norm.

We are not abandoning this neck of the woods. Our restaurant in Cary is going strong. Thank you for dining with us here, and we look forward to seeing you in Cary at 7307 Tryon Road, between US 1/64 and Kildaire Farm.

While I can appreciate the “shifting sands” explanation, it really is a testament to the cliche “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Don’t get me wrong, I never placed Lucky 32 among Raleigh’s finest, but among the regional chains they seemed to have a formula that many loved.

Eh, what do I know?…

Bring your kids and enjoy this fun-filled family event. Enjoy our signature "Frogmore Stew" (Cajun shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes) as well as numerous other food choices. The kids can enjoy the giant slide, the inflatable moonwalk, and train rides!"

Tickets are $40 in advance; $50 per person at the door (family children under 12 are free. Each family friend under 12 will be an additional $10.) Advance ticket purchases are recommended as limited space is available. Call 231-4687 (ext 222) for more ticket info.

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Jibarra (warning: link contains music) is more of a Mexican version of shabashabu than it is “Raleigh’s version of Rosa Mexicano”, but that’s not all bad by any stretch! Much like shabashabu the interior is plainful chic with its deep red, brown, and beige walls that need just another element to give them the warmth we are all expecting in a restaurant in this price range. Also like shabashabu the music could be categorized as atmospheric electronica, reminding us how chic they aspire to be. Jibarra (pronounced hi-BARLRLRLRLRL-uh) is proud of its Tequila lounge where they serve 100% Blue Agave Tequilas. Don’t expect to order a pitcher of margaritas, though. It isn’t “that kind of place”.

The menu is truly exciting. Several excellent entrees and salads warm diners up to a splendid selection in the menu’s entrée section. From salmon to lobster to monkfish, the Pescados y Mariscos section of the menu offers some excellent options. The Carnes Y Aves section looks like role call from Noah’s Ark. Lamb, foie gras, duck, rabbit, squab, goat, chicken, and ribeyes cooked with fascinating sauces make Jibarra’s menu one of the most interesting in Raleigh.

I started with the outstanding Flautas de Barbacoa de Conejo, a seasonal special consisting of “crispy, rolled corn tortillas filled with Mexican barbequed rabbit served with lettuce, Mexican cream, queso fresco, and salsa borracha”. The floutas were fried perfectly; not greasy. However, the rabbit taste much like chicken. (I actually had forgotten about the rabbit until I reviewed the menu later.)

I then moved on to the Crema Negra soup; “Black bean cream soup served with chile morita croutons, parmesan cheese, bacon bits, and chives.” While a bit heavy, this soup had plenty of snappy peppy to make things interesting. The blend of flavors made the soups ingredients virtually unidentifiable. The addition of a giant waffle cheese chip offered a whimsical textural diversion to the very smooth soup.

Perhaps the best items of the night came in small packages. The chef’s complementary appetizer consisted of a steamed clam with avocado cream sauce topped with a delicate application of a sweet, cherry-like granular candy. Outstanding! Even better, however, was a cornmeal tart filled with a tomatillo and green chile mixture. I ordered 45 more of them, but the waitress kindly refused (uh, that part was actually a joke, ha ha).

As my entrée, I picked the grilled chicken breast stuffed with huitlacoche, corn kernels and epazote, seved over mashed potatoes and creamy poblano pepper rajas. I rarely order the baked chicken in restaurants. It’s usually the most boring move one could make, however I was motivated by the inclusion of huitlacoche. When I last visited Rosa Mexicano I got the “cuitlacoche”-stuffed chicken enchiladas with poblano pepper sauce and it was phenominal. Cuitlacoche, they explained, is a delicacy fungus that grows on the blue corn in Mexico. Whether or not cuitlacoche or huitlacoche is right, it nevertheless tastes like a mushroom with a metallic hint, just what you’d expect in a delicacy fungus! I just HAD to get this dish. Who else in the Triangle is serving huitlacoche, right?

My entree was very good, but not outstanding. The stuffing was interesting, but not extraordinarily different than a mushroom/spinach stuffing I’ve had in other places. The chicken was a little overcooked, which didn’t help the subtle flavors of the stuffing escape the chicken one bit.

The presentation of each dish was impressive. Jibarra’s use of asymmetrical china and careful placement of each dish’s delicate pieces creates a piece of art one can savor before picking up a fork. (See their website’s impressive slide show to see what I mean).

One trend I noticed during a second survey of the menu is the use of brightly flavored acids and creams in the appetizers while the meats tend to get treated with dark, heavy mole-type sauces. I’m eager to return to Jibarra, however, and try something from the seafood section.  I imagine that I could pick something randomly and enjoy it.

Jibarra is probably too far outside the beltline to get some of the young, chic clientele that shabashabu gets regularly. However, once people hear about the success the restaurant is having with their ambitious menu, they will drive from fairly far to have a great experience like I had.

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Luckily, according to gracious lead provider Bob, the new place has been completely renovated.  The owners are completely new owners, a husband and wife team, and they have brought a new menu along with them as well.  Speaking of Bob, I like his observations on the new restaurant so much that I’m going to post them here:

The inside of the restaurant has been completely redone.  No longer is it dark and dingy.  The tables and walls have custom woodwork and very clean looking and the menu is authentic Thai.  The menu includes a long list of appetizers along with salads, Soup/Hotpot and entrees of Pork, Veggie, Shrimp, Chicken, Beef and Tofu.  Also has the mix of Curry, Sautéed along with noodles and Fried Rice specialties.  Prices appear very reasonable for the food and atmosphere.

The menu also includes Thai House Specialties which include soft shell crab, Seafood and Shrimp Curry with Pineapple which I had the other night.  It was very good.

Sounds pretty good to me!  My wife and I enjoy Shabashabu Thai for a nice meal out and Sawasdee Thai for a great affordable Thai lunch, but it will be nice to have another good option.

Thanks, Bob!

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While McDonald’s does now own 92% of the Chipotle company, don’t let that turn you off.  As far as I can tell, it is a separately run company, with McDonald’s providing money and business direction without impacting the quality of the food.  Chipotle is even traded separately on the NYSE. 

Thanks for the lead, SandwalkerX!

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