Dinner & a Movie
If you were carrying piles of cash, where would you go, what would you buy, and — most important — where would you eat? The three main thieves of the new film "Mad Money," played by Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Katie Holmes, prefer brews and barbecue, which is not surprising given that the film takes place in Kansas City. Here in New York, there are plenty of restaurants at which one can spend a bundle of dough. Getting a quality meal at an expensive restaurant, though, is never a guarantee. Dinner & A Movie checks out restaurants where a lot of cash goes a long way in getting a delicious meal.
DINNER
At upper-crust sushi restaurants in the city, such as Gari (370 Columbus Ave., between 77th and 78th streets, 212-362-4816) and Kuruma Zushi (7 E. 47th St., between Fifth and Madison avenues, 212-317-2802), the best way to make sure you're eating the freshest fish is to order your meal omakase-style — meaning that a sushi chef chooses the pieces for you. It is fun to order an omakase-style meal, sitting at the sushi bar so you can chat with the chef. One of the best places to have this kind of interaction is Sushi Yasuda (204 E. 43rd St., between Second and Third avenues), where diners can reserve spots at the sushi bar. There, the Japan-trained chef Naomichi Yasuda, in a soft voice, asks diners what kinds of sushi they like, so that he can customize a menu. After that, it's no holds barred: Mr. Yasuda prefers to serve diners what is the freshest that day, and seasons the sushi himself to keep diners from overwhelming the sushi with soy sauce. On a recent visit to Sushi Yasuda, Mr. Yasuda did not disappoint. When I described my preferences for stronger-flavored fish, I was served fresh oysters, bluefin tuna, and Spanish mackerel that was just slightly warm and devoid of oil. Remember that only the sushi chef is keeping track of what you're eating, and he or she will calculate a total at the end. Expect to pay between $100 and $150 for this kind of chef-determined meal.
Still rolling with the theme of "chef's choice," Fiamma — formerly known as Fiamma Osteria — doesn't offer an entirely à la carte menu: The restaurant only allows customers to order by a set number of courses. Three courses are $89, five courses are $110, seven courses are $125, and a five-course prix-fixe tasting menu is $110 — not including wine, or dishes that come with some extras. So far, though, the new Fiamma, now being headed by chef Fabio Trabocchi, is a popular choice with those who have fat wallets and large appetites. There, a Neapolitan pasta dish is lightened with ginger and brought to the sea with a topping of lobster (for an extra $20), and a roasted pheasant is sauced with its own drippings and topped with guanciale, a type of uncured Italian bacon. The tasting menu includes a creamy burrata cheese on top of beets and radishes, and gli spaghetti, served with spicy olive oil and sea urchins. (206 Spring St., between Sixth Avenue and Sullivan Street, 212-653-0100)
MOVIE
Bridget Cardigan (Ms. Keaton) is a devoted housewife whose life undergoes an overhaul when her husband's corporate job is downsized. Eventually, Bridget is forced to seek employment outside the home and becomes a janitor — at the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City. The smart cookie dreams up a get-rich-quick scheme, and convinces two coworkers, Nina and Jackie (Ms. Latifah and Ms. Holmes, respectively) to start stealing old money that's destined to be shredded in order to make room for newly minted dough. Sniffing out the money trail, though, is Nina's love interest, who happens to be a security guard at the bank. Soon enough, the ladies find themselves not only struggling to steal more money, but to clean up the dirty trail they've left behind.
(Friday, 8 p.m., Regal Cinemas, 850 Broadway at 13th Street, 800-326-3264, $11)
