Last week, J and I ventured into Fort Lee, NJ – right across the GWB for any NYC folks – to check out the new iPic Theaters at Hudson Lights. Having recently discovered reserved reclining plush seats for $15 while in California, I was skeptical that the NJ version of a luxury movie experience would top what Silicon Valley had to offer. Well NJ surprised the heck out of me because this theater is a one stop movie date that combines incredibly comfortable seating with fine dining and exquisite drinks.
Let me back up. Perhaps you’ve been to the movies this summer. Maybe you went on a date. Maybe you went to dinner beforehand? Or got drinks after? What if you could do ALL those things – in the same place?! That’s the vision of the iPic brand, which has 13 theaters across the United States – with plans to open up in NYC later this year.
Plush Reserved Seating
Let’s talk about the seats – the innovative plush, full-leg reclining seats with pillows, blankets, and personal call buttons to summon expertly trained “ninja” servers who stealthily attend to your every need. The Premium Plus Seating Pods come in convenient two and threes, so you can share food (and whisper about the movie) with your crew or your boo. The only downside to the Pods – and this is me being booed up – is that there is an armrest that prevents you from fully snuggling up against your date. But who needs snuggling when you can lay nearly flat? If you don’t want to go all out bougie, or you’re coming with a larger group, you can sit in Premium seats that are closer to the screen. These don’t come with access to the ninjas, but you can purchase food from the Express menu and bring it into the theater.
Exquisite Food + Drank
iPic has a “farm to glass” mixology and beverage stance, and all the (eh hem, numerous) drinks I tasted were delicious – the white sangria, the strawberry hard lemonade, and the house white wine, called Cipi (iPic backwards!). We also got to sample a couple of the menu offerings – a warm biscuit with maple butter, pulled pork sandwich, buttermilk fried chicken, and the chicken caesar salad boat (we took a vegetarian break lol). Everything was delicious but my favorite was the biscuit – it reminded me of these biscuits I had while on vacation in Puerto Rico with some of my friends. So buttery and delicious! All the food is meant to be eaten “in the dark” so expect finger foods with a ton of flavor.
Having fully eaten and drank, we got on to watching Suicide Squad. I won’t give any spoilers but Will Smith was the same character in all his movies and Viola Davis was just as badass as she is in HTGAWM. Otherwise, the movie was just alright.
I can’t wait to go back to iPic for my birthday, and for the launch of the NYC theater opening soon in Fulton Market. Visit iPic.com to see if there is a location in your area!
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