Tuesday, November 5, 2013

When You're Hungry for a Great Documentary....


...you should order a showing of "Spinning Plates," a wonderful new documentary by filmmaker Joseph Levy.  It is truly everything a great documentary should be.  Educational.  Gripping.  Emotional.  And, in a rarity today, politically unopinionated.  Bravo.

In this film which you must seek out in your favorite video portal, Levy tells the story of three distinctly different restaurants in America.  Two of them are family-owned and operated.  The third is allegedly one of the best restaurants in the world, Alinea.  The latter is based in Chicago and just received the coveted Michelin three star rating.  I looked at their menu on line and the prices there for entrees are in triple digits.  It's one of those ultra chi-chi places that you call for reservations months in advance.  The head chef there is a guy named Grant Achatz and he's a whole movie in himself.

But, luckily, Levy's cinematic tales weaves between all three restaurants.  Breitbach's Country Dining is some outskirt named Balltown, Iowa.  There are supposedly no more than 70 people there.  Yet, on the big holidays of Easter and Mother's Day, Breitbach's feeds over 1500 hungry diners.  They must be doing something right.  Indeed, Breitbach's has been around in this town since 1852.  It's such a friendly family operation that several of the townspeople have security codes and keys.  They open up the restaurant every morning and get the coffee going.  While offering tons of great comfort food, Breitbach's doubles as a big community center.  

You meet the entire Breitbach family which is not hard since they all work there in some capacity.  That's been the case since the place opened a century and a half ago.   It''s plenty of hard work but this intrepid group of people know no other life.  Nor do they want to.  Their love of work and each other fills the screen.  And their renowned fried chicken was calling to me.

Then, in Tucson, Arizona, we find a new start-up eatery.  La Cocina De Gabby.  It's a small Mexican restaurant by Francisco Martinez for his wife Gabby, who learned to cook from her mother. Now the whole family spends their days in the kitchen, preparing meals for customers while Francisco and Gabby’s daughter Ashley plays among the pots and pans.

For these people, food is the very essence of life, and the main meal of the day is their offering of nourishment and delight to the old and the new generations. The recipes have been handed down from generation to generation. Gabby loves her mother’s food, and she prepares it with pride, under her mother’s watchful eyes. “The true seasoning is in a person’s hands,” she says in Spanish, kneading dough. For Francisco, the delicious smells of the food reminds him of his childhood. Food is family.
 
Grant Achatz of Alinea is one of those wunderkind cooks who learned to boil an egg before he could probably walk. With world-class training from the best culinary institutes, Grant is an artist at his trade.  He creates dishes like they are Marc Chagall paintings.  Food, not paint, is on his canvas.  And his patrons wait for months to sample his art.

The three restaurants are as different as they are similar.  Because all of them features people who truly love to cook and please their customers.  It's a common denominator whether it's meat loaf, tamales, or the most exquisite dish made with caviar.  While "Spinning Plates" is about food, it's more importantly about people working hard to fulfill their creative destiny every single day.

You see the humans in each of their kitchens.  And the personal dramas overtake you.   The thirty-ish Achatz is dealt an ironic sucker punch when he is diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects, of all body parts, his tongue.  Meanwhile, Breitbach's burns to the ground one Christmas Eve.  The entire town helps them to rebuild at no cost, only to see the new building also burn down 10 months later.  And, in Arizona, the young Mexican family tries desperately to keep their dream going and lose their home in the process.  

So, it's more than just food at the heart of this superlative film.  I've always admired those families that come together and open a food establishment.  You really, really have to love what you do to keep up this exhaustive grind.  Peeling potatoes day after day.  Chopping tomatoes morning to night.  Those are the type of people who are tireless and their main reward is when they see you smile while taking a bite of their blueberry pie.

One of the executive producers is "Everybody Loves Raymond" creator Phil Rosenthal and that's no surprise to me.  He's become a bit of a Hollywood foodie and owns several restaurants in California.  He owned "Jar" for a bit and that's one of my favorite dining experiences out here.  

And, indeed, I myself would love to head to Balltown and sample Breitbach's.  If I'm ever in Chicago, I'd take out a loan and try out the now-cancer-free Grant's Alinea.  And, as the epilogue of "Spinning Plates" tells us of their ultimate closing, here's hoping there's a new restaurant out there with Gabby's name on it.  These people care too much to not being doing what they want to do in life.

"Spinning Plates," like the restaurants spotlighted, is a viewing experience not to be missed.  You live these peoples' lives, laughing and crying along with them.  And, if you're smart, you'll top off this film outing by heading to your very favorite eatery for a post-movie meal.  Realizing all along that there's somebody behind that counter and in that kitchen who cares that you want to have a really great dinner.

LEN'S RATING:  My second such acknowledgement---Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Chicken stir fry.

    


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