429045 Tue Aug 07 20:14:51 -0700 2007 1 8 Midwest 0 2823917 Recently, the Cinemark 12 over on Mill Run closed down and went into extensive remodeling. To a lot of people's surprise, it opened back up about a month ago as a Movie Tavern. This is chain that has a few operations in Texas, and now this sole franchise up in Ohio, apparently because we really do have just about one of everything if you look hard enough. Serving a surprisingly decent menu of middle American fare, pizzas, and a full bar, you can either choose to dine in a regular dining / bar area where most theaters have the snack bar and / or arcade, or to take a menu into the theater with you and let them serve you there. (Ticket prices, I might add, are surprisingly decent for the area. $5 (tax incl.) for a matinée showing, and regular show times are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, kids, or students w/ ID. I'm pretty sure that's better than any of the other 1st run theaters in the Hilliard/Dublin/UA/Cols. area) The dining room looked nice, clean, and fairly pleasant, but we were up against the start of our movie, so the group I took with me to try the place decided to grab menus and see what happened when we walked into our theater. Seating is much different than your normal cineplex. Instead of the usual banked rows bolted to the floor, each widely spaced row of seating features very comfortable leather office chairs on casters to allow you to get around your table easily, and the rows in the back 2/3 of the theater feature a bar/counter for each seat, with a tiny masked lamp to illuminate the dining area (and to help you read the menu if you came in after the lights went down). A red call button atop the bar signals a server if you need anything. The front 1/3 of the house gets small tables shared between every 2 seats, spaced out to allow the servers some space to work, but it looked a bit too close to the screen if you ask me. Alcohol selections were fairly average - some assorted mixed drinks, the sort of wine list that wouldn't look out of place at most chain "Americana" restaurants, decent beer list. Non-alcoholic beverages are a bit higher than most places ($3.50 for most everything except coffee), but coffee, tea, and fountain drinks were all bottomless refills, and I admit that's a better deal than you're going to find at any other theater. The traditional bucket of popcorn is available as an appetizer, and for that matter comes with free refills as well, but I ended up trying their fried pickle chips and found them quite tasty. Drinks were out before the trailers finished, and appetizers or salads were being delivered within about 15-20 minutes of the movie opening. Main courses took about another 10-15 minutes, I think, but I honestly wasn't totally paying attention since I was mostly focused on the movie. I certainly didn't feel like they took too long, which is a point in their favor. Between our group we tried 1 of their pizzas, french dip, a chicken quesadilla, chicken strips, and baked ravioli. Everything tasted surprisingly good for the price, especially when you consider it's in the middle of a movie theater, and I was very impressed at how the servers handled food delivery, refills, desserts, and checks without interrupting or distracting from being able to watch the movie. The hand tossed pizza seemed a little soft for what was supposed to be a thin/crispy crust, but certainly edible enough. Portions are a little on the small side, but that also makes sure that you don't have to feel rushed to try and finish a plate before the movie ends. Average check for appetizer, drink, food, and a dessert came out to about $25 + tip, and while I don't know if I'd immediately go there over other dinner options in the area (especially if I wanted to just eat at the bar / dining area without seeing a movie, which the staff said would have been just fine if I'd wanted to), it was a pretty neat gimmick and I could see myself doing a late movie, dessert, and a cuppa coffee pretty easily. They do offer a kids menu and some family selections, but I honestly am not sure I recommend taking children for this - I could see kids having a lot of difficulty eating in the dark without risking a mess, particularly if they're at the ages where you might need to cut up portions for them during the meal. Tue Aug 07 20:14:51 -0700 2007 100973 BZArcher 1 2825070 I went there a couple weeks ago and liked it, too. Definitely not gourmet, but surprisingly good for a movie theater. I thought the pitcher of beer was a good price and my BBQ chicken pizza was really good. It's a fun addition to Columbus and I'm sure I'll be back, too. I just have to master eating pizza in the dark! Wed Aug 08 08:54:20 -0700 2007 2823917 12663 Lauren in OH