My last post was about SoCo, but I forgot to talk about another cool area we visited last week called The Domain. We visited that area to go see the newest Harry Potter movie. We knew that it was supposed to be a really nice posh area with some shops, restaurants, and movie theater, but we were amazed by what we found. It reminded me of an outdoor Frontenac combined with the Boulevard in Brentwood. There were tons of high shops, department stores, restaurants, a hotel, and the movie theater. We parked at one end and surprise, the movie theater was at the exact opposite end. We thought it might be a good idea to get some exercise so we decided to make the hike to the theater. To be fair, I needed to stop by Dillard's to return some swimsuits too, so I thought this would be a great idea. After walking for what seemed like FOR-EVER in the Texas heat, we got to Macy's and Dillard's and the theater were nowhere near insight- so I went in and asked. "Oh, that's in Phase 2." How much more of this could there be? We got to Dillard's, made the returns, and then finally we were to the movie theater.

My wonderful husband waited patiently for me to return from St. Louis before seeing the new Harry Potter movie. He told me he made reservations at a fancy theater. That was no exaggeration. The IPic Theater definitely catered for the ultimate movie going experience. When he made the reservations, he was given 2 assigned seats ahead of time. We had some wait time so we spent some time in the bar cooling off and getting some drinks. As we walked in the theater, I knew it would be awesome. The whole theater was full of recliners in pairs. Our assigned seats were next to each other but did not share a table. Strange planning, but it worked fine. The recliners were a comfy suede material and came with blankets. Our waitress came by to explain more of the added perks to the theater. We got complimentary popcorn as the previews started. The theater also served a full array of drinks, typical movie snacks, and a full menu of foods. I went with the chicken fajita quesadillas and lots of Diet Coke. He got the buffalo chicken eggrolls and a beer. We split some Skittles, which arrive to us in a pretty glass. The food, popcorn and drinks were great and tasted super after the trek across Texas. :) However, the Skittles were a bit stale. As the trailers went on, the waitresses closed up the tabs and made sure that drinks were full. The recliner seating was great, I was able to get comfy fast. With the air blasting, I was able to use my soft blanket and the waitress showed me the cool compartment to hide my purse and shoes. It was a great movie-no spoilers here. The whole movie going experience was great and definitely worth the price we paid.

The walk back to the car was long, but it was cooler so we survived. I definitely can't wait to go back and actually shop sometime.

Unrelated to the Domain, we tried a new restaurant tonight. We went to Baby A's, which looked like a Mexican restaurant coated in Pepto. It was pink. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Casa Gallardo. We were seated and ordered water while we looked at our many margarita choices. We tried the chips and salsa and it was great. The chips were salty (perfect for any member of my family) and the salsa was spicy with a hint of smokiness-good thing the water was on its way. After discussing with our waitress, we opted for a strawberry margarita (me) and a lime margarita for my husband. We opted not on the famous purple margarita, which included tequila, Everclear, triple sec, and blue curacao. However, our margs were strong-we could barely taste the flavors of lime and strawberry. We stuck with just one as we had to go home and pack still. :) We ordered the Baby Changa for him and the Enchiladas Suizas for me. His food was delicious and came with rice and refried beans. Inside his changa was carne guisada (beef) and rice and it was covered with a guacamole/queso/green sauce. Mine was okay. I liked the rice and beans, but the enchilada was just ok. It was chicken and chilies on the inside covered with green sauce, monterrey jack cheese, and sour cream.

Well, this weekend we have to take a break from tasting. We are headed back to St. Louis for wedding #2 of the summer/fall. It should be a great time and we can escape a weekend of Texas heat for the cool weather in Missouri.

The New Austonian