Movie & Late Snacks @ Cinebarre, Biltmore Square Mall, Asheville

The fourth-worst thing about moving from Fletcher to Biltmore Lake? The now-impossible-to-rationalize length of the drive to get to the region's only really first-rate movie theater, EPIC Theaters in Hendersonville.

Maybe Cinebarre will change all that.

Rachel and I both avidly consume entertainment news -- she of the People/US Weekly/GoFugYourself.com flavor, me of the semi-fanboy/geek variety found on AintItCoolNews.com. Longtime AICN readers know the name of the fabled Alamo Drafthouse, an apparently wonderful and seemingly legendary venue in which one can consume fine cinema, good beer (and, presumably, other beverages) and excellent food in approximately equal amounts. I've always wanted to go there.

Now, I feel like I have.

The former CEO of the Drafthouse, Terrell Braly, has transformed the former United Artists Biltmore Square "theater" (let's face it: the place was kind of a dump) into the most exciting -- okay, the only exciting -- feature of the can't-believe-it's-still-hanging-on, barely-fogs-the-mirror Biltmore Square Mall (exit I-26 at mile marker 33).

Can't comment extensively on the offerings, but I can tell you that, last night, Rachel and I caught the late show of Knocked Up and sampled some of the consumables.

What was good

• The popcorn ($4) came in a large metal bowl holding more than enough to share, tasted fresh-popped and managed to be both buttery and salty without edging over the line on either one
• The mozzarella sticks ($6) arrived hot and crispy, accompanied by a spicy marinara sauce, and numbered six
• The chocolate shake ($5) fairly oozed chocolate richness, and was thick without inducing hypoxia when drunk through a straw
• The staff was friendly and engaged (if still working on efficiency -- see below)
  

What was un-good

• The popcorn and pitcher of soda arrived fast... but it was 30 minutes and a reminder to the waitress before the rest of our order arrived
• The pitcher of soda ($5) would have been a decent deal, if not for the fact that it was more than half-full of ice

Total bill: about $43 including gratuity on the food (and the movie tickets at $9 a pop)

Bottom line: They're in soft-launch mode right now, so I have hope the service kinks will work themselves out. Overall, a highly satisfying end to a very good day -- I'm looking forward to sampling the pizza and burgers on our next trip.