While a jumbo tub of hot buttered popcorn is one of our favorite snacks, we think a good movie deserves a little better company than junk food. Try out our movie and meal pairings for yourself -- or feel free to suggest one of your own favorites in the comments.
The Movie: Lincoln The Meal: Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe
See Also: - 9 Favorite Spots for Fried Chicken in Metro Phoenix - Do Dine-In Movie Theaters Ruin the Movie Going Experience?
When I hear Daniel Day-Lewis will be starring in anything, I know that I will immediately have to see it. The man is gold. However, it's been a little rough to justify loving him after his more sinister character portrayals like Daniel Plainview of There Will Be Blood and Bill the Butcher of Gangs of New York.
This time Day-Lewis isn't drinking anyone's milkshake or threatening folks with cleavers for political gains. I can finally rest easy adoring him as I do as a soft-spoken, folksy story-tellin' Abraham Lincoln.
Rather than adding to the exhaustive list of Civil War battle flicks, Steven Spielberg's take on Lincoln centers around the president's efforts in getting the 13th Amendment passed. Spoiler alert: He totally wins that one.
The film chronicles what one would assume to be a boring C-SPAN re-inactment of 1865 House sessions. Instead, I was delighted to find a more parliamentary take on things, complete with sick disses and silly wigs. Tommy Lee Jones' Representative Thaddeus Stevens was particularly adept in both fields.
The sweet victory of finally abolishing slavery after an hour or two of political shenanigans and bribery from a rag tag group of seedy pre-lobbymen led by James Spader is quickly soured as the almost too cute Lincoln is reminded he'd better be off to the theatre-- a bummer almost too upsetting to be real. Spoiler alert again: Even Daniel Day-Lewis' sweet, morally upright and kind of sexy Lincoln can't survive a night at Ford's.
I was sure this movie would make me sad, and it delivered. That's why I planned ahead to go to get some comfort food afterwards.
Mrs. White's Golden Rule Café
After reliving the too realistic tragedy of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, I knew Mrs. White could soothe my soul with heaps of mac and cheese and fried chicken.
For three Lincolns you can also grab a plate of slow-braised oxtails with your choice of two yummy sides. Although the oxtails were slightly lacking in the seasoning department, it was nothing a slathering of hot sauce couldn't fix and the meat just melted off the bone, onto my fork and into my mouth.
Pretty much nothing can make me feel sad when I have a big pile of creamy mac and cheese in front of me. I loved my cornbread and black-eyed peas, but unfortunately the macaroni salad tasted store bought to me. The real winner in my book is the breading on Mrs. White's fried chicken.
The salty and slightly spicy mix is so addictingly crunchy that it can hold up to being smothered in gravy, but if I could make any new menu item for this Phoenix classic, I would go all Skinwich on that breading recipe in the most shameless way possible. I don't normally side with the Colonel or hoaxsters, but I could eat that breading all day and I don't need the chicken to justify it.
Clearly in the battle of chicken preparation, the South wins over the North.
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