The Rocket

Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Kristen Baselj Dingbats Restaurant in Butler is decorated with warm and inviting Christmas decorations to help ring in the holiday season. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: MCT Campus Hayden Christensen stars in the thriller "Awake" with actress Jessica Alba. [Click to enlarge]

Kristen Baselj: Hey you! Yeah, you over there in the movie column! I was thinking, we've been next to each other every week since school started, and we never once went out to dinner and a movie. How about we switch it up a bit and make it a date?

Ivan Moore: Since my usual theatergoing crowd is mostly guys, I'll have to give an emphatic "Yes!" I am thinking we should see "Awake." Where should we dine it up?

Baselj: I know a place right by the movie theatre called Dingbats, let's give that a try.

Movie

Imagine you are lying on an operating table waiting for the anesthesia to kick in when you suddenly realize that it's not going to.

Instead you will remain awake, but completely paralyzed with the ability to feel every slice of the scalpel and every bone crack from the chest spreader. This phenomenon, known as anesthesia awareness, is the subject of the new thriller "Awake."

"Awake" tells the tale of 22-year-old corporate hot-shot Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen), who is in need of a heart transplant so he can go on living his nearly-fairy tale life that includes millions of dollars, a great public image and one extremely hot wife, played by the voluptuous Jessica Alba.

Beresfold finally gets his donor heart and rushes to the hospital to undergo surgery. He gets a shot of anesthesia and does the familiar countdown from 10 before being whisked into dreamland. That is until he hears his surgeon/friend Jack (Terrence Howard) and his colleagues talking about the surgery.

Moore: I am just glad to see Anakin Skywalker acting again.

Baselj: I don't know who that is, but Jessica Alba was looking hot. This movie bamboozled me a little at this point, though.

Moore: Don't give it away! Let's just say there were lots of twists and turns.

From that point on, "Awake" supplies devastating chills and heart-pounding thrills. The performances are calm and quiet but decently effective, including a rare showcase of range from the normally bubbly Alba, who actually shows a shred of depth in a character for probably the first time in her career.

Normally wanting the main character to go to sleep would be bad for the film, but it is a strange situation that makes this flick a lot of fun for anyone not getting ready to go in for major surgery.

Baselj: Seriously, if I was going into surgery I would not want to see this, it would freak me out!

Moore: Yeah, I know. You grabbed my arm like eight times.

Baselj: It was a typical girl reaction. At least I didn't hit you or anything. Let's eat!

Restaurant

FOOD & BEVERAGE

We started our meal with an appetizer of Loaded Nachos, topped with salsa, sour cream, beef, cheese, guacamole, jalapeños and green and red peppers. The portion was for sure large enough for four or five people, but other than that, it wasn't anything special.

The Roasted Pear Salad, topped with bacon, bleu cheese, candied walnuts and a Port Wine dressing, left much to be desired. The half-pound Dingburger was rather dry and tasteless.

Dingbats offers a full bar and Pepsi products, which excluded Dr. Pepper, an Ivan Cody Moore favorite!

Moore: Honestly though, who doesn't have Dr. Pepper? It has 23 flavors!

PRICE

Prices matched those of larger chain restaurants like Applebee's or T.G.I. Friday's. However, I felt that it was rather expensive for the quality of entrees served.

Baselj: There were way too many walnuts and way too much bacon on my salad, not a good combination for the taste buds.

Moore: It had 23 bad flavors.

Baselj: The gnocchi was great though, and the extra price for the chicken was totally worth it.

ENVIRONMENT

The lighting and Christmas decorations were warm and inviting. The center of the restaurant, where the bar was situated, had six large-screen TVs that could be seen from most of the dining area.

There weren't many patrons there, so it was very quiet and relaxing.

SERVICE

Ivan drank about six glasses of raspberry iced tea, and our waitress rarely left him with an empty glass for more then a few seconds, so the service was a high point.

Moore: Look I get thirsty, and raspberry iced tea is the only good substitute for Dr. Pepper.

Baselj: My salad came presented well, but I feel as if they were trying too hard to be fancy.

Moore: John Madden and Crème Brulee just don't mix. All of the fancy plates in the world couldn't make Dingbats more than a run-of-the-mill sports bar.

Baselj: Well it has been quite the pleasure being next to you each week.

Moore: The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Baselj. Let's do lunch sometime.

Baselj: Definitely, and maybe I'll see you at the movies.

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