Dinner & a Movie

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The New York Sun

For many youngsters, “The Red Balloon” (1956), a short film by Albert Lamorisse, serves as an introduction to French moviemaking. The whimsical, almost silent film follows a little boy as he chases a shiny ballon rouge across a Paris neighborhood. Seeing the curiosity on the face of a little boy as he follows the runaway balloon reminds us of the powerful imaginations we all had as children. Film Forum screens this classic movie through Thanksgiving weekend. (Nicolas Rapold’s review of the film is on page 19.) In honor of the occasion — and with a nod to the city in which the film is set — Dinner and a Movie highlights two restaurants serving crêpes, the unofficial street food of Paris.

DINNER

On a dark autumn or winter evening, the Crooked Tree is a restaurant that’s hard to pass by. A stalwart of St. Marks Place, it has a large variety of sweet and savory crêpes on its menu. Choices include those made with San Daniele prosciutto and mozzarella; ham and Jarlsberg cheese; spinach and goat cheese, and tuna and tomato. Sweet crêpes include the usual suspects, such as Nutella, and sugar and butter — in addition to more unusual flavors, such as Grand Marnier and, our favorite, Nutella and raspberry jam. The Crooked Tree also has a full sandwich and salad menu that includes a tuna melt on focaccia. But neighborhood folks are usually seen sipping a bowl of latte during the day, or a glass of wine at night as they take refuge from the wind tunnels of the East Village. (110 St. Marks Place, between First Avenue and Avenue A, 212-533-3299)

Trois Crepes Patisserie is perhaps best known for its catering business, providing French cakes, cocktails, and savories for parties and galas. Earlier this year, the Upper East Side caterer opened a small boutique, bakery, and café, serving light and delicate sweet crêpes, such as those flavored with Provençal fruit preserves, and those filled with chocolate and orange spread. The bakery also serves madeleines, macarons, canneles, and other French desserts. Trois Crepes is situated next to the Lycée Français preparatory school, whose teachers, students, and parents are likely to know from French treats. (501 E. 75th St. at York Avenue, 888-327-3737)

MOVIE

“The Red Balloon” was, in many ways, a family project: The only two stars of the film were a shiny red balloon and 6-year-old Pascal Lamorisse, the son of the film’s director. The premise of the film is simple: Little Pascal follows the balloon through Paris’s animated Belleville enclave. He roams and pokes at his helium-filled friend. But the simplicity of the film is what earned “The Red Balloon” its many accolades: The film won an Academy Award for best original screenplay, and the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme D’Or for court métrage (short films) upon its release. Film Forum screens “The Red Balloon” along with another Lamorisse film, “White Mane,” about a Provençal boy who attempts to tame the leader of a pack of wild horses. (Friday, 6 p.m. and 7:40 p.m., Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street, 212-727-8112, $10.50 general, $5.50 seniors and children)


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