Midnight in Paris -- 3 stars

We went to see Woody Allen's movie, "Midnight in Paris" at the Evanston Century cinema last night. I don't know about you, but for myself, I've pretty much given up on Woody Allen. But we wanted a date night out, and this seemed like a plausible choice. We're glad we did -- this was an entertaining and engaging movie.

First, a quick note about the Evanston Century. Why can't more movie theaters be like this. Clean, wide open spaces, big theater seating. Food beyond candy. What's not to like?

As for the movie -- again, what's not to like? [SPOILER ALERT -- stop here if you don't want to know why we liked it.]

This is a highly amusing fantasy set in Paris. Gil (Owen Wilson -- who we thought was a bit too faux cute here) and Inez are in Paris on the eve of their marriage along with Inez's stuffy parents and another couple (including the hilariously pedantic and snooty Paul). Gil is a Hollywood writer who wants to write novels instead and move to Paris. He is unhappy with the present and dreams that he could live in Paris during the 1920s.

And so he does. One evening as the clock strikes midnight, an old car pulls up and he is invited inside. So begins his adventure in the 1920s -- each night meeting new characters. With Gil, we find ourselves seeing an imagined F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway and many more (including an especially over the top Salvador Dali!).

But most of all, he meets Adrianne -- a model for and lover of Picasso, and falls in love with her. His growing love for her contrasts with the decline of his relationship with Inez, back in 2010. He is increasingly distracted in the "real" world, and finds himself talking to a young woman who sells antique records.

Oddly enough, however, Adrianne doesn't like 1920s Paris -- she'd rather live in the Belle Epoque of the 1890s, which, to her, is better than her present. Sure enough, as they grow closer, Gil and Adrianne find themselves moving further backward to Maxims, where they meet Degas, Gaugain and Lautrec. Adrianne wants to stay, but when Gaugain says that he wishes he could have lived during the Renaissance, Gil realizes that everyone pines for the past, but that the present is where life truly is.

Gil returns to 2010, dumps Inez and resolves to write a novel. In the final scene, he re-meets the antique record seller on a rainy bridge in modern Paris. They walk into the distance with a great clarinet tune playing in the background.

The movie was inventive and intellectually challenging without being too preachy or self-absorbed. It will stay with us for a while and is certainly worth watching.

Ruxbin Kitchen -- 2 1/2 stars

We went to Ruxbin Kitchen last night. It was our second visit to this small, interesting venue. We went the first time earlier this year with our friend Rodger. Last night, we took another friend Lin. We got a chance to taste the new "summer menu" this time so it was a diverse experience.

Ruxbin is located in a down an out area of town just west of the Chicago river on Ashland street. From the outside it actually looks like the restaurant is part of the local architecture -- the sign looks broken and you're surprised to find that there is even a restaurant to go to.

But the trip is worth it. Inside is a very small venue -- only 32 seats -- and they take no reservations. The kitchen, upstairs, is remarkably tiny. But the food they turn out is interesting.

We started with two salads that were a bit disappointing. Lin's pork belly salad had interesting textures and tastes, but she found that the pork belly itself was a bit too fatty. Katy had an apple and plum salad that was a pretty good arugula salad, but had modestly interesting tastes. The star of the appetizers was Paul's dish -- a cured smoked salmon that was garnished with a wonderful cardomon-honey yogurt and some tasty fruit slices.

The entrees were better. Lin had a pork loin -- she thought it was interesting but not as complex as she would have liked. The garnish of chickpeas and grilled peaches was better than the meat itself. Both Paul and Katy had the mussel bake -- with fine Prince Edward mussels in a coconut style broth that included some tasty tomatoes, corn and sausage.

The highlight of the meal was dessert. Katy and Lin shared a berry and shortbread concoction that they said was "intense" and "not cloying." A perfect end to a good meal.

One note: This is a BYOB bistro. We brought along a Goosecross Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc. It was deep and tannic with a good depth of fruit. We recommend it highly -- so much so that Katy and Paul are members of their wine club.

Qunice in Evanston -- 3 stars

We've been in Evanston for 3 months now, and we had become convinced that there were no truly fine dining experiences in town. Sure, there were some very good ones that we've enjoyed (Koi and Chef's Station come to mind) but nothing upscale with a real sense of food adventure to it. Or so we thought.

Then, we went to Quince the other night. Quince is a small, very quiet little restaurant located in the Homstead Inn. It has maybe a dozen tables at most, with a very relaxed feel to it. We were glad we went.

The food was simply outstanding. Katy started with a spicy lamb ravioli that mixed in a little Serrano ham as well. Paul had a fascinating scallop dish that included yogurt, chorizo, and, of all things, kimchi. You wouldn't have thought either combination worked, but they both did.

For entrees, Katy had a venison that was perfectly cooked and garnished with a tasty eggplant and raisin mixture. Paul had the pork with some coconut sticky rice, papaya and chilies. Yum.

And it got better -- for desert, Katy had the Rhubarb Ravioli (honest -- rhubarb in a ravioli pastry) and Paul had a simple Jelly Roll (simple? Not -- brioche and apricot with coffee ice cream).

But what made the evening most of all was the quiet, competent, thoughtful service. We wanted a glass of prosecco to start. When it turns out that the last bottle had just been bought, we got a nice glass of Gruet Brut from New Mexico (of all places) on the house. We had two nice glasses of red wine as well -- a Portal del Montsant "Brunus" from Spain and an Endiku Cabernet from California.

So ... what's not to like? Very nice food, good portions (large enough to have a good taste but not overwhelming), good service and fine wine. We'll be going back before we leave Evanston.