In the beginning there was the word, and the word was chocolate and it was good. Confec. 1.5 oz. 340 cal.

Possibly the premier event in Frederick for the early part of the year - the Holiday Inn next to the FSK Mall will host the annual Frederick Sister Cities Association Chocolate Gala this Monday evening (February 12). The Gala, which runs from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, will include tastings of area chefs' chocolate specialities, champagne and live music.

From 4:00 to 6:00 PM the participating chefs will compete for annually bequeathed titles such as "Best Cake and Torte," before the event is open to the general public. Among the area businesses that will be represented in the competition are The Candy Kitchen, The Perfect Truffle (2005 People's Choice Award Winner), Venuti's, Clustered Spire's Country Club, and two-time winner Patowmack Farm of Lovettsville, VA.

Advance tickets to the event can be purchased for $25.00 at The Candy Kitchen, 52 N Market St in Frederick, (301) 698-0442. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $30.00 per person. Admission incudes a champagne flute. Business dress - jacket, tie, slacks, dresses, no jeans or sneakers.

For more information call (301)898-7647

In the old days if an agent did something that embarrassing he'd have a good sense to defect. Christ, I miss the Cold War...

A brief little update on blood, bullets, and Boston...

For those of you in the know, you have already realized that the title of this post is a line from the most recent Bond flick (and best one in years), Casino Royale which will continue its run at the Holiday Cinemas on Baughman's Lane this weekend. With best picture nominee The Departed opening there tomorrow, the night time showings will give action/gangster fans their fill of blood and bullets.

The Departed hits DVD this Tuesday, but if you want to catch the movie on the big screen for about the cost of renting it, Baughman's is the place to do it - besides, it's Scorsese, so you can count on cinematography that's worth the price of admission.

In the afternoons the theater will be showing lighter family fare Flushed Away and Happily N'Ever After.

All seats are $2.99 except for Bargain Wednesdays when admission is $1.49. Bring cash as they do not accept debit or credit cards (there is a cash machine in the lobby next to the concessions stand).

The theater is clean, well kept with respectably sized screens and is easily accessible from Route 15.

For showtimes, contact the theater at (301) 694-0100.

Talkin' Cabin Fever...and not the film

File this one under, "I put the wife through five months of football, now it's payback time..."

The annual Cabin Fever Festival is due to take place at the Frederick Fairgrounds this Saturday and Sunday. Considering the overwhelming lack of winter weather until the last two weeks, it might not be accurately named for this year, but still provides the area residents a weekend activity. The festival is, according to the Frederick County Tourism Web site, "Listed in the top 100 traditional craft shows in America," by whoever rates those things.

This weekend's event will be held indoors and under heated tents. Admission is $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. Gates open at 10:00 AM both days and close 6:00 PM on Saturday and at 5:00 PM on Sunday. Food will be available at the venue.

On Sunday the Weinberg will host a matinee performance (2:00 PM) of the American Spiritual Ensemble. The performance will include classic spirituals and Broadway numbers. For more information contact (301)228-2828.

A little bit of throwback for the film buff, also at the Weinberg - 1926's Son of the Sheik starring Rudolph Valentino and the classic silent film will be ccompanied by Ray Brubacher on the Wurlitzer. Guys - this could be a good early Valentine's date sort of thing.

In Mount Airy, Elk Run and Linganore Cellars, two of the county's wineries are combining wine and sweets for the pre-Valentine's weekend with "Wine Roses and Chocolate," a chocolate fondue/wine-tasting at Elk Run and "Cakes to Kisses," a tasting pairing red wines with chocolate at Linganore.

Chinese New Year's Celebrations will be held at both the FSK Mall on Saturday from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and in downtown Brunswick from 1:30 to 4:00 PM at the American Legion Building, 18 South Maple Ave. Both will feature demonstrations of Asian dance, martial arts, and more.

On Monday there will be a Chocolate Gala held at the Holiday Inn next to the FSK Mall. More on that to come.

It's All Happening at the Zoo

Great weekend outing, if you can stand the cold - little more than an hour from Frederick, the National Zoo in Washington DC is a great place to spend the day if you have kids, and a winter Saturday is perfect. The large predators that like to sleep during the heat of the day in the summer are much more active, the crowds are smaller, and parking is more plentiful.

Some of the animals that were more visible in this weekend's foray than when I have been there during the warmer months include the lions, tigers, red pandas, and the great pandas (which prefer the colder weather anyway).

If going during the winter, a couple of tips - pay attention to the weather report and dress accordingly, I would recommend layering and erring on the side of dressing too warmly. If you go to the Zoo's Web site to look at a map of the facility, utilize the various animal houses (primate, lizard, elephant, etc.) as strategic places to stop, linger and warm yourself. Be prepared to walk. The zoo covers a pretty fair amount of land on the side of a hill. If you don't mind walking uphill after you're halfway through your visit, parking lot A is at the top - if you want to be going downhill at the tail end of your visit, then hit parking lot D. You can also base your visit on where the animals are by visiting the zoo's site.

Admission: Free
Parking: Free for members, all others $4 for the first hour, $12 for two to three hours, and $16 for more than three hours
Hours: 6AM-6PM (Until March 10)
6AM-8PM (March 11-Nov 3)
Buildings open at 10 and close 4:30 PM (until March 10) and close 6PM after March 10.

Things To Do in Frederick When You're Dead, or at least a little wiped from the weekly grind...

The first weekend of every month typically offers a little bit extra in the way of things to do for those seeking recreation around Frederick County. Both the Brunswick Main Streets Program and Frederick's Downtown Partnership (Frederick's Main Streets Program) offer additional things to do as you window shop in those two communities.

Start on Friday evening in Brunswick for the family friendly "First Friday." Shops will have extended hours and will be offering complimentary food and wine. Special activities include a 5:30 showing of Lady and the Tramp and a 7:00 showing of A Summer Place at the Brunswick Railroad Museum while the Ambulance Company Building at 200 West Potomac Street will be hosting a Valentine's Dance for all ages.

Be sure to stop into The Book Crossing at the intersection of Potomac and Maple Ave. They will be offering a fondue fountain, wine and a craft for children. Also checkout Sundance Art & Frame, EBA Sports Apparel & Equipment, and Brunswick Hardware, all regular participants in the First Friday events.

On Saturday, move on to Frederick for the First Saturday Gallery Walk beginning at 5:00 pm. From the Downtown Partnership's Web site, "On Saturday, February 3rd from 5 - 9 PM, Downtown Frederick will turn fire into ice with the Fire in Ice First Saturday Gallery Walk! Join the First Saturday fun with 23 sparkling ice sculptures placed throughout Downtown, a LIVE ice carving demonstration, FREE hot cocoa, and luminary-lined streets!"

Many of the shops in Frederick will participate in the festivities with offerings of their own, however, make it a point to stop into Amber Coast on East Patrick Street (always good for celebratory-type treats), Shab Row and the relatively new Frederick Cellars on East Street, and kitsch-central, CineGraphics Studios where owner Erik Krasner always has something happening.

As for Sunday, if you haven't figured out that I'll be watching the Super Bowl, then you're not familiar with my other blog, or the work I do for bitterfans.com.

Movie Review; Pan's Labyrinth, the Brother's Grimm revisited

Set during the time of the Spanish Civil War in the 1940's, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a fairytale in the truest sense. Filled with bloody violence, like an unabridged tome of the Brothers Grimm, del Toro's morality tale follows the story of Ofelia, a girl of about ten, in the wilds of 1944 Spain.

American film goers, most familiar with del Toro's American films - Mimic, Blade II, and Hellboy - should not expect the often mediocre horror/action ride of his English language films. Rather, they should expect films more along the lines of the complex horror/drama of 2001's Devil's Backbone, or 1993's Cronos.

Like del Toro's fantasy/horror, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth tells the story of a child eventually orphaned by war, and of innocence in the face of horror. The characters, written in broad brush strokes, gain subtlety from the performances of the actors, particularly apparent in Sergi Lopez's portrayal of Capitan Vidal, the villain of the story.

Lopez's Vidal makes the viewer watch as though a horrible car accident has occurred, and while the onlooker does not wish to continue watching, he or she cannot look away. Sans the performance of Lopez the character would have necessitated a cape, top hat, and mustache to twirl. Lopez, however, brought complication to the portrayal that spoke of a military tyrant that was equal parts petulant child trying to live up to his father military legacy while at the same time resenting him for it.

Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, portrayed her character without falling into the too cute, or too precocious so often found in film children.

del Toro borrows from a variety of places as he tells this story of the proverbial "Alice" falling down the rabbit hole, with visual nods to Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and even Clive Barker.

While an excellent movie, often tense and occasionally disturbing, this is not going to be a film that will appeal to all tastes. For my money, with the attention paid to the cinematography, the performances and the complexity of story line, it was definitely worth the price of admission to see on a large screen.

Academy Award Nominations:
Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Foreign Language Film, Cinematography, Original Score, Make Up

Spanish language with English sub-titles

Now playing at;
Kentlands Stadium 10
Gaithersburg
301-519-6868

Regal Valley Mall
Hagerstown
301-582-1000

Regal Westview
Frederick
301-620-1700

For times, contact your local theater.

Brewer's Alley Revisited

Brewer's Alley
North Market Street
Frederick, MD

Anyone that visited the site over the weekend knows that I lunched at Brewer's Alley on Saturday (see post entitled "I Thought it Was Just a Mirage"). Brewer's Alley has been a favorite destination of mine since I moved to Frederick County almost three years ago.

Recently BA changed up some of their menu choices, keeping certain standby items such as the Smokehouse Macaroni and Cheese (highly recommended) and dropping other items like the Osso-buco (which was one of their few dishes that I have been disappointed with), and, unfortunately the crawfish springroll appetizer. While it's commendable that BA changes their menu in order to keep offerings fresh, change isn't always good. I ordered the BLTC (bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar sandwich, $6.95), which in the past was served on a nice country white bread, but this time came out on two pita rounds. The pita, which was uncomfortably chewy, dominated the sandwich in a way that bread should not.

My wife had the Po'boy of the day (priced daily based on the main ingredient) - oyster this past Saturday and stated that it was "nice quality bread, tasted fresh but they were skimpy on the oysters though. Usually the sandwiches are overstuffed, I could have used double."

As always, their beer was excellent. Currently the seasonal is the Scotch Ale, which is a personal favorite, but it's hard to go wrong with any of the beers here.

Service, as always, was good.

Brewer's Alley is also a reasonably priced respite for the entire family if shopping in downtown Frederick. Three beers ($2.85 a glass), a root beer for my daughter, 2 meals off the regular menu and an order of the Chicken Dinosaurs ($3.95) off the kids menu ran $40.00 which included a healthy tip. In spite of some of the issues, I would definitely return to try some of the other new additions to the menu (am looking forward to the opportunity to try the Crawfish Mac and Cheese).