If you haven't made a deal, you haven't had a meal - so goes the conventional wisdom among Hollywood players.
More appetizing is the conventional wisdom among movie geeks: That you can't properly digest a movie unless you chase it with dinner, drinks or dessert. And, of course, debate.
Now that the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema is importing any number of savory items, imagine the potential cinematic/culinary possibilities. You know, see the foreign film, eat the cuisine?
Herewith some hints for drop-in dining experiences.
Say you're going to Jim Jarmusch's taxicab comedy Night on Earth - set in L.A., New York, Paris, Rome and Helsinki - on Thursday.
Afterward, if the Rome segment whetted your appetite, you can stroll across the street to the newly opened Pasta Blitz (212 Walnut St.) for medium-priced Italian entrees. On the other hand, if this pancultural movie put you in the mood for international home cooking, walk north to Serrano (20 S. Second St.) for a reasonably priced menu boasting food of many nations; we particularly like the satay appetizers and the convivial bar.
Or why not catch the Japanese comedy Traffic Jam at United Artists Sam's Place next Friday night and follow it with post-movie sushi one block away at Hikaru West (108 S. 18th St.)? The hand-rolled sushi - particularly the California roll and spicy tuna roll - is terrific. Medium-priced.
A good bet on May 9 is the Russian shtetl film Get Thee Out! at the Gershman YM & YWHA at Broad and Pine Streets. While there's no Russian restaurant nearby, there's Jewish cooking aplenty. Just up Broad Street is the Broadway Deli in the Bellevue (1400 Walnut St.); we love the matzoh ball soup. Two blocks away is the Israeli restaurant Maccabeam (128 S. 12th St.), where the salads and kebabs are delicious and inexpensive.
Because it's not always possible to match the film's country of origin to a convenient restaurant offering that nation's cuisine, do what the Inquirer movie critics do. Which is to frequent the inexpensive restaurants, coffee shops and watering holes closest to the basic four movie-theater groups.
These are:
* Chestnut Street East, in the Society Hill/Old City area around the Afro- American Historical and Cultural Museum, AMC Olde City, Ritz at the Bourse and the Ritz Five.
* RiverView, in the strip malls next to and north of the UA RiverView.
* Chestnut Street West, near AMC Palace, UA Sam's Place and Roxy Theatres.
* West Philadelphia, within walking distance of International House.
