Date Night: Dinner and Movie Recommendations for Foodies

It is rare when a movie or a photograph can excite all of the senses. It's even harder when you're trying to bring food to life. A sumptuousness that exists in real life often fails to translate to film. Those movies that manage to do so along with an engaging plot offer themselves up for the perfect date night. The Hundred-Foot Journey, opening tomorrow in theaters, is just such a movie. (I had the opportunity to attend a screening while at BlogHer14 last month and am excited to be heading back to the theater with my husband in tow for date night.)
 

 

What are your favorite foodie films?
 

Movies where food is the star of the show are the perfect compromise between action shoot 'em ups and romantic comedies, the classic battle of the sexes. The Hundred-Foot Journey not only presents food that you can almost reach out and pull from the screen onto your own plate, it delivers a loveable underdog you'll root for throughout, and refrains from having the the main characters fall into bed with each other--one sacrificing their dreams for the other.

 

Foodie Movies to Watch Before The Hundred-Foot Journey

Here are two movies you can watch at home to get you in the mood for The Hundred-Foot Journey.

• If you like powerful female chefs and French cuisine, watch Haute Cuisine (available for streaming on Netflix), a French film based on the true story of the French President's personal chef, and imagine Helen Mirin's unflinching quest for perfection on every plate.
• If you like rooting for the family-owned underdog pursuing their dream of opening their own restaurant, make up a bowl of your favorite pasta and dig into Big Night (available for streaming on Netflix)--one of my top five films for foodies.

You'll want to watch these movies before you head out to the theater. Why? Because once you see the cinematography of The Hundred-Foot Journey you'll never view food captured on film the same again. Pay special attention to the scenes featuring molecular gastronomy shot with low-key lighting.
 

 

Top Five Films for Dates with Foodies

If heading out to a movie theater is not your thing, you prefer a quiet night in with Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, or iTunes, here are my top five films for foodies (from oldest to most recent):

1. Babette's Feast (unavailable for streaming on Netflix)
2. Big Night (available for streaming on Netflix)
3. Like Water for Chocolate (available for streaming on Netflix)
4. Chocolat (unavailable for streaming on Netflix; unlimited streaming with Amazon Instant Video)
5. The Hundred-Foot Journey (in theaters now)

Each of these movies recognizes that the consumption of food is a sensual journey. And what better than a seduction subtext for a date with your loved one?
 

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Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.