Two Reviews in One

Since I'm gonna give myself an ulcer if I don't think of lighter things for at least a little while today, I have switched the tv from talk to basic cable shows and I shall now share with you stories from Friday. It was a long fun night, which started at about 3:30 since EA and I both managed to leave work early. We felt good about it, cuz we were playing hooky to do a good thing, going to CVS to buy a bunch of "care package" items and then donating them at the First District police station for the Katrina evacuees who will be coming in to live at the Armory next week. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we both felt buoyed by the fact that we were able to do something *real* to help.

With that boost, we set off to start our Friday night fun. Which began with $2.73 Yuenglings at RFD! Good times. I met EA's Boy, who shall be known as Reporter Boy, and I really liked him! Good work, EA! Reporter Boy had to write a story Friday about all of FEMA's failings in the Hurricane Katrina response. I was amazed he wasn't still typing, but he said it would be the first in a series....

We slowly met up with the rest of the gang for the evening, and Reporter Boy was summarily dismissed from Girls' Night, and went to check out the new Thai Chili at Gallery Place. I give it a thumbs up!

• You can't beat the convenience of its location, cuz it's literally right under the escalators to the Gallery Place movie theater. And (if you remember to tell them) you get a 10% discount with your movie ticket. They seem to have some deal setup with Sushi Go Round, next door, so that you can order off the sushi menu as well as their full menu of Thai food.
• I had the tom yum chicken soup, which was just the right kind of spicy and really tasted like it had good, fresh ingredients. Full-size mushrooms and yummy tomatoes. Then I had the green curry chicken, which is my default dish at any Thai place. Also delicious, and I'm encouraged enough to try something different the next time I go. MCB had an all-sushi dinner, AS had chicken satay (mmm, toast!) and pad thai, MG (welcome back from Pakistan and Vietnam!) had red tofu curry and some cucumber rolls, and EA had a seafood dish. Everyone was really happy with their food, and AS and MG had these fantastic-looking, GIANT margaritas that got big thumbs up.
• I was really impressed with the friendly service, both from the host who asked me about what movie we were going to see and expressed his own interest in seeing The Transporter 2, to the server who joined in on my explanation of mitochondrial DNA as evidence of evolution.
• The only thing that seemed like it still needs work is the decor -- the furniture and overall design of the place is what I'd call modern Asian funky, but the walls are covered with giant plasma screen tvs. I'm not sure what it was showing, but we saw concert footage of both Barry Manilow and Whitney Houston. Didn't really seem to fit the personality of the place.

After a quick trip to Haagen Dazs to cool the spicy Thai fire in our mouths (mmmm, my first dulce de leche did not disappoint!), we headed upstairs to see The Constant Gardener. This has been getting really good reviews and it definitely earned them. The subject matter is difficult -- unethical pharmaceutical practices and epidemics of AIDS and TB in impoverished Africa -- but it's treated very respectfully, as is an early rant about the Iraq war that coincides with the main characters' first meeting. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are both great, handling difficult characters who aren't always likeable, and the intrigue of both the core mystery -- what happened to Tessa? -- and the larger picture story of the conditions and medical crisis in Afrida are both compelling and provocative. The cinematography is also gorgeous, as the beauty of the African landscape is juxtaposed against the terribly poor living conditions in the "slums" outside of Nairobi. It's definitely a movie that you walk out of wanting to make a donation, or write to your Congressman, or volunteer - I'm glad that there seem to be more of these thought-provoking, and maybe action-provoking, movies coming out these days. While this story is more of a fiction than Hotel Rwanda, I'd say it's probably not too far from the truth. It's good for us to be reminded.