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AMC Grapevine Mills
3150 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Grapevine. 972-539-5909. Hours vary depending on showtimes. MC, V, DISC accepted.
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I spend lots of time at AMC Grapevine Mills watching movies that don’t play anywhere else in North Texas. Occasionally, I wind up eating there between features, so I noticed immediately when the theater revamped its menu last month. Gone and unmissed were the blah “pizzetta” flatbread entrées, and in their place was a mostly new slate of items that markedly improved on the old selection. The weakest part of the menu is undoubtedly the appetizers. “Snacks & Shares” consists of only three items, including two varieties of sushi rolls and a huge plate of house fries covered in herbs and Parmesan cheese with ranch dressing on the side. Both the fries and my shrimp tempura roll were perfectly acceptable but undistinguished, and you can undoubtedly find a sushi restaurant nearby that will serve a better tempura roll at a comparable price.
The main courses, on the other hand, are winners across the board. The theater still serves a few burgers from its old menu, like the classic cheeseburger and the bacon and ranch burger. However, these share space with newfangled ones like the Royal Burger, a beef patty with Brie cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, and fig jam. The onions gave the meat an explosion of umami flavor, the arugula added a crunchy texture and welcome bitterness, and the jam topped it off with a sweet note. This hamburger is both creative and bursting with flavor, and it’s priced at a rate that matches what you’d get at other burger joints.
The same goes for the theater’s selection of mac ’n’ cheese, which, like the theater’s old pasta dishes, uses sturdier cavatappi instead of elbow macaroni –– harder to overcook, I would imagine. The Luxe Macaroni and Cheese is another dish that’s full of dynamic flavor, with gouda and Monterey Jack cheeses, bacon, mushrooms, and caramelized onions. This is hearty to the point of decadence, but then, who orders mac ’n’ cheese to feel virtuous?
If you’re in the mood for something healthier, the restaurant offers “bowls” — are they afraid to call these salads? I’m not usually drawn to quinoa, but I ordered the grilled chicken quinoa bowl, and I wasn’t sorry for it. Grilled chicken can come out flavorless and dry and as much fun to eat as damp cardboard, but the kitchen’s meat was tender and juicy, cut up into small cubes. The limp asparagus on top was a bit of a downer, having been roasted instead of flame-broiled or blanched, which would have given it a more pleasing appearance and texture. Still, it wasn’t enough to spoil the rest of the entrée, with its feta cheese and lemon vinaigrette topped with crunchy toasted almonds that added a welcome texture and pleasing nutty taste.
The restaurant’s “baskets” are for all the deep-fried stuff. The fried shrimp, fish and chips, and chicken tenders are all pretty standard issue. There’s only one surprise here, and it’s the taco trio, a platter of three soft tacos made with any combination of grilled chicken, fried shrimp, or fried fish. These are served with a plethora of sides — I ate the tacos by themselves and used the pico de gallo and lime-spritzed sour cream on the accompanying tortilla chips. Not overly heavy, the trio would be a fine selection on any taqueria’s menu.
The drink menu is unchanged, so you can get the same radioactively colored cocktails that AMC theaters have always served. Dessert options are sparse (most moviegoers with a sweet tooth will probably hit the candy counter), but even here there’s something good: The doughnuts are actually large holes rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with a salted caramel dipping sauce. The saltiness makes this dessert more complex than something you might find at Krispy Kreme.
As with other restaurants attached to movie theaters, the service tends to be somewhat slow, with management counting on customers being distracted by the movie they’re watching. You can order from your seat at the bar or at the theater’s dine-in screens. Even if your movie is playing at one of the regular theaters, you can still order the food to go and then take your boxed meal inside.
With this new menu, Tarrant County’s biggest multiplex has effectively trumped Movie Tavern and Studio Movie Grill when it comes to food. If the other chains step up their game like they now need to, we’ll all win.
[box_info]AMC Grapevine Mills
Crispy shrimp sushi roll $8
Royal Burger $12
Grilled chicken quinoa bowl $8-12
Taco trio $16
Luxe mac ’n’ cheese $12
Doughnuts $8[/box_info]
