Studio Movie Grill {Event}

This past Wednesday night, I was invited to a very cool event,
the opening of Studio Movie Grill in the Epicentre of Uptown Charlotte.

For you non-Charlotteans, some background:
– We call our downtown area, “Uptown” because it sounds classier.
– The Epicentre is a three story structure that take up an entire block in Uptown filled with night clubs, restaurants, and other commercial spaces.

The space that is now Studio Movie Grill used to be called MEZ, which was a nightclub/movie theater.  Brad and I visited it a few times when we lived Uptown (the movie theater, not the night club), but we haven’t visited since we moved to the Dilworth neighborhood.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the grand opening event of Studio Movie Grill.  I knew it would be a big party.  The mayor was even invited. But I was curious about how the theater had changed.  So a new company owned the space?  What’s the difference?

Here’s the difference:

– A much more extensive menu
– Fewer seats in the theater to make it more roomy
– Non-stop waiter service during the movie
– All theaters have been upgraded to digital

When the theater was MEZ, you could order food before the movie and take it in with you.  But in the new theater, you’re literally waited on hand and foot during the movie by a wait staff.  From cocktails to quesadillas, they’ll bring you whatever you want.

The lighting was pretty dim in the restaurant, so I didn’t get any photos of the food, but I did manage to get a couple of photos of my handsome date and I.

Appetizers, wine, and margaritas were passed around generously. If I had to pick Brad’s favorite bite of the night, I’m guessing it was the ribs.

I loved the oysters, which were steamed (I think) and served topped with a mango salsa with a bit of spice.  For the life of me, I can’t find it on their menu, but trust me, it was good.

Brad enjoyed one of their blue margaritas while I managed to spill a soda all over the floor.  I’ve never been known for being graceful.

We ran into a couple of people we know, but mostly hunkered down on a plush red couch and people watched.

But the night wouldn’t have been complete without a movie.  So after Mayor Foxx cut the ribbon for the grand opening, we were ushered inside the theater to catch an early viewing of…

(source)

Oz the Great and Powerful.

Brad and I really wanted to see this movie because we’re both big Wizard of Oz fan so we were so excited to get to see it two whole days before it was actually released in theaters.

Brad: How do you get invited to these things? 
Me: I have absolutely no idea. 

I’m not giving any spoilers, but I will say that Brad loved the movie.  I thought it was visually stunning and I liked the story line a lot.  In case you don’t know, it tells the story of how the wizard ended up in the Land of Oz. I wasn’t quite as entranced in the storyline as I like to be in fantasy films so I although I liked it, I didn’t love it like Brad did. But I highly recommend seeing it if you love all things Oz like I do. The gorgeous cinematography alone is worth the money.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about the movie after you’ve had a chance to see it.  Also, have you been to a Studio Movie Grill? I didn’t realize they had so many locations until a blogger friend in Arizona tweeted me about it.