by Brendan Hellweg ’14

What I like most about Popcorn Noir’s Lobby is that it’s patently unusual. It’s an offshoot of Popcorn Noir, a nonconventional movie theater that offers movies nightly for a small membership fee; they earn their profit almost entirely from concessions and drinks. The company has “very different and a very challenging business structure,” says head chef Brendan Walker. In early September, theater owners Kristen Davis and Tom Doherty opened a restaurant adjacent to Popcorn Noir, in part to secure a full liquor license for the theater. They hired Colleen Powers-Andrews, who owned the Wandering Peacock artisan store that preceded the Lobby, as manager.

At the Lobby, their goal is to stay “edgy and contemporary, but not pretentious,” according to Powers-Andrews. The small restaurant is stylish yet funky, and looks elegant without being too manicured. The furniture is made up of black, faux-leather thrones and trendy clear plastic seats, giving a sort of new age-y look to the restaurant. The décor is full of contradictions, pieces of the futuristic furniture stand next to an antique-looking candelabrum, window seats decked with pillows that seem like they could to medieval French royalty, and a tiger-fur rug.

Their Sunday brunch menu is absolutely worth a shot, and would make for a good date plan. The patio out back, enclosed by a white picket fence with a view of the pond, is idyllic and intimate. A brunch date might be best, since the dinner crowd can be noisy at times.

On the menu, their frittata ($12) is moist and flavorful without any of the rubberiness that sometimes curses that dish if the eggs aren’t up to par or are improperly cooked. Artichoke hearts and arugula balance out the savoriness and give a crisp bite that makes the dish stand out. Their smoked salmon ciabbata ($12), filled with the classic capers, cream cheese, greens, and onion, was very tasty. Even with all these standard ingredients, it stood out to me among all the lox and bagels I’ve had.

What makes the dishes especially good is the chef’s desire to get the freshest ingredients possible. Head chef Brendan Walker says that they “try to look for things that are in season and use them as much as we can.” This philosophy is very clear in their Mediterranean salad ($12), where the lettuce and roasted peppers are full of flavor and taste like they were harvested that afternoon.

Walker describes his menu as “New American Cuisine,” a style of cooking focused on modern takes on classic recipes. The mac-n-cheese dish ($15), for example, builds off of the traditional American meal but adds spinach, candied walnuts, blue cheese béchamel, and pumpkin. Says Walker, “We’re always learning and thinking, teaching each other, and constantly encouraging ourselves to be creative.”

Walker has worked in many restaurants since he was young enough to wash dishes, most recently at Crema, a “high end bakery and café” in Boston. He cites Gastro-Pub, a style of taking “standard pub-fare to a new level,” among his culinary influences.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Lobby. The staff was friendly and professional, although on my first time there, I felt that the check was a bit slow to arrive. The food impressed me, especially for the affordable price range. The most expensive lunch is $9, and dinner entrée prices hover at around $14. I enjoyed the atmosphere, especially outside on the small patio. It had a very elegant look to it, but the brick wall beside it with “Russel’s Drug Store” painted on decades ago gave it a curious contradiction I really appreciated.

This is a classy, comfortable place I’d recommend to anyone looking for a nice place to go with parents, a good date spot, or just a place to treat oneself to a tasty meal. The Lobby is elegant without being stuffy; according to head chef Walker, “when we have a busy night here, you look around the room and there’s… older guys, younger kids, punk kids, lawyers, just everybody in the same place because they all have a common interest.” Namely, good food, good company, and maybe the occasional movie. That’s a good combination to me.

Bon appétit!