Foreign Cinema & Lazlo

This Mediterranean inspired spot on Mission Street boasts a chic open air dining area, a kind of semi-covered courtyard, where films – mostly foreign as the name attests are projected onto the side of the neighbouring building. Tableside speakers supply the audio and heaters keep the chill at bay. The cinema side of things is something of a b-reel to the main feature: the food. John Clark and Gayle Pirie’s inventive menu includes lots of lovely grilled things, including a halibut dish which comes with chanterelles and roasted figs and a rib-eye served with Tuscan beans. There’s an oyster bar to meet all your fresh shellfish needs and as often as possible ingredients are seasonal, sustainably farmed, and organic. If you’re stopping by for brunch on the weekend you’ll want to try their Bloody Caesar, a fishy twist on a cocktail classic. The adjoining bar, Laszlo, has a darker, hipper vibe, and cocktails include the Wise Sage Swizzle, a mix of sage spirit, fresh lime, pineapple, and velvet falernum, and the Throw Me The Whip, a smooth mix of bourbon, luxardo amaretto, orange, lemon and brandied cherries. We like the idea of the Body Heat, a mix of jalapen?o infused vodka, fresh lime and Cointreau, that sounds as sexy as Kathleen Turner was in the movie.