Florida Date Night

Whenever we vacation in Florida we have a date night.  My parents are early dinner-eaters and then they chill out in the evenings, so we take an opportunity to see the exciting night life of the area (read:  sushi for dinner and usually a movie or putt-putt).  We like to try local places that we couldn't eat anywhere else to make every date night original.

This year we vacationed very soon after the release of my most anticipated film of the summer, The Help.  I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since the cruise last year when I read the book.  I'm not sure a movie had been announced at that point, but based on the content of the book and its popularity, I as 90% sure some Hollywood producer would board The Help train and make some money.  Whaddyaknow, that's exactly what happened.

Dave agreed to go see the movie with me for date night, after I had talked about the story incessantly while reading the book and waiting for the movie.  I kept teasing him about the 'terrible awful' but wouldn't tell him what it was...this might have been a main reason for him seeing the movie.  So after our St. Augustine day, we went on our movie date!

We got there early, so early that the credits were still rolling from the last showing.  There were only a few people still in the theater, making their way out, and I stopped one pair of ladies to see what they thought of it.  I believe they were mother and daughter - the daughter (who hadn't read the book) LOVED the movie, and the mother (who had read the book) said it was better than the book!  Those are pretty good reviews - only 2 people of many, but I was even more excited to spend the next 146 minutes watching Hilly and Minnie and Aibileen.

The verdict:  I LOVED IT!  The casting was perfect, the story was almost identical to the book other than a few minor details that didn't change the flow of the story, and the way they executed the terrible awful was great!  The relationship between Skeeter and her boyfriend Stuart was a little rushed, the secrets between Celia and Johnny about Minny were simplified, but the point is the relationships between the women, good or bad, and that part was executed flawlessly.

After I finished bawling watching Aibileen walk all the way down the street towards the bus in the final shot, we made our way to the car, trying to decide where to go for dinner.  We had thrown around some options based on places we saw on the way to the theater, but we ended up using the AroundMe app to find the perfect place!

Near the theater is the Flagler County Airport.  On the grounds of said airport is a restaurant called High Jackers.

I'll pause for a moment for that to sink in.







Ready to move on?  Ok.

It was a very casual, everyone knows your name setting - sit where you want and we'll get to you eventually.  Usually that means the food is really good - because surely people wouldn't put up with bad service if the food was bad, right?  We'll see.

While we waited for someone to take our drink order we perused the menu, which had airport/flight-related title headings like Main Flight Dinners and First Class fancy dishes, Crop Duster salads, etc...

Since we had popcorn and candy at the movie we weren't hungry for entrees, er, main flight dinners, so we ordered chicken nachos and spinach artichoke dip to share.  While we waited for our food we listened to the LOUD BLUGRASS BAND PLAYING 10 FEET AWAY.  It was hard to have a conversation with the BASS AND BANJO IN OUR EARS.  Thankfully they took a short break so we were able to have a 5-7 minute conversation about the movie before they STARTED PLAYING AGAIN.  I took a video, and I wish I could share it so you could hear how LOUD THEY WERE PLAYING but unfortunately I deleted it.  Consider your eardrums lucky.  Good music, just TOO LOUD.

Food was good, huge portions, great prices, but the irony won my heart.  Whoever decided to plop a restaurant next to an airport and call it High Jackers can serve me burnt soybeans and I'd show up just to say I did.