Getting dinner and a movie in downtown Berkeley has just gotten a little more interesting.
Babette, the café on the second floor of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), has teamed up with the theater to offer recurring “Film to Table” prix fixe dinners. Each meal offers a “thoughtfully curated dining experience,” according to a press release, tied to the themes explored in that day’s film being screened.
The first Film to Table dinner took last fall, but the events are now picking up speed. A March 11 dinner was served in conjunction with the John Murray Anderson film “King of Jazz,” and this Friday, Babette will prepare a modern twist on a traditional four-course Sabbath meal to follow a screening of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.”
The $65 dollar meal will begin at 6:15 p.m., following a 4 p.m. screening of the film. On the menu will be borscht with crème fraîche and dill; cabbage leaves stuffed with Georgian walnut sauce; chicken cooked with citrus and olives, served with cauliflower-leek kugel; and orange marmalade-chocolate rugelach and yogurt pudding. Each guest will also receive a complementary glass of wine.
“The Great Dictator” takes on the rise of European fascism in the 1930s as only a Chaplin film can, with darkly comedic slapstick humor. It will also be shown on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and March 30 at 7 p.m.
Babette originally opened in the former location of the museum at 2626 Bancroft Way in early 2012, garnering rave reviews for its casual breakfast and lunch fare. It moved into the new art museum when BAMPFA made its journey to Center street last January, and has since added beer and wine to its food lineup. Babette stays open until the early evening for drinks and snacks.
So far, two more Film to Table events are planned for this spring: one paired with the documentary “Gerhard Richter Painting” on April 1 and another served after the screening of Fellini’s “Amarcord.” More will surely come.
All tickets are available here.
