iPic Theaters "kick it up a notch" for moviegoers

IPic Movie Theaters kick it up a notch

by Dwight Casimere

Photos courtesy iPic Entertainment

1. Premium and Premium Plus Upgrade seating

2. Dirty Salty Savory cocktail at the Salt Sports Bar and Lounge

3. iPic Theater logo

BOLINGBROOK—The experience of going out to the movies just got kicked up a notch with the opening of iPic Theaters in The Promenade in Bolingbrook, on Boughton Road, west of I-355.

iPic has a second Chicago-area location in South Barrington. There are a total of eight iPic Theaters around the country.

“What we’re all about is selection and choice,” said Mark Mulcahy, Vice President of Marketing for iPic Entertainment. “We’ve taken the movie-going experience and opened it up to make it a “one stop shopping” kind of experience with Chef prepared gourmet food, a sports bar and lounge and two levels of luxury seating that is unlike anything you’d find in any other movie theatre.” Besides the premium movie theatres, there’s Salt’s Sports Bar & Lounge, where guests can shoot a game of pool and enjoy a meal or a drink either before or after the movie. “There’s no admission charge, so folks can just come here and enjoy the sports bar, play a game of pool and have a drink and leave if they want to. They don’t have to see a movie or they can combine the activities and make it a complete evening.”

iPic Theaters show all of the latest first-run movies, including 3D films like Transformers-Dark of the Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2. Tickets are surprisingly reasonable, starting with value-priced seating at $12, to Premium Plus Upgrade of $19. “Folks can save a few bucks by becoming a member, and membership is free, making the top priced Premium Plus seating only $17.50.”

iPic provides their guests with two levels of luxury seating. All seats are reserved. Premium seating provides extra comfortable large leather chairs, with swivel trays so that guests can enjoy Chef prepared grab & go food and drink options, such as Filet Mignon and Mahi Mahi Sliders and signature cocktails like the Lemon Drop and 312 Cherry Brew and Windy City Punch.

Premium Plus Upgrade provides guests with plush, fully reclining chairs. “There’s even a blanket and pillow upon request. We leave no stone unturned when it comes for comfort!” Complimentary valet parking is available and, the most enticing perk of all, there’s free popcorn!

Well-dressed and courteous wait staff attend to your every need, serving guests their food and drinks during the first twenty minutes of the movie and making sure that they’re comfortable. Mulcahy emphasized. There’s a complete menu of easy-to-eat items. One of the favorites is the Caesar Salad, prepared in a variation of its original form, with Romaine lettuce spears and house made Parmesan Crostini Flatbread sticking straight up our of a bowl of our house made Caesar dressing. “You just pick of the spears by hand, dip them into the dressing and eat it right out of the bowl. It’s perfect for eating while in the movie theatre.

“All of our food and drink items are prepared fresh here on the premises,” Mulcahy continued. “ Executive Chef Reggie Moncur is the maestro of our Bolingbrook location. He turns out fresh, imaginative dishes made from locally coursed ingredients. We have a standard menu, but fresh seasonal items are added almost every day. Our drinks are also made with fresh, locally produced ingredients that are created by our mixologist, Adam Seger of Chicago. He’s a Certified Mixologist whose worked all over the world and hands crafts all of his cocktails from fresh, local ingredients. Our Local Lemon Drop comes from a North Shore distiller . Our Windy City Punch and Chicago Cherry Brew are all made with locally sourced ingredients and our 3-1-2 beers comes from a local Chicago brewer.

“Our beer list has more than 20 bottled beers and 18 beers on tap as well. We’ve also got a premium wine list that has a wide selection of terrific American and imported wines. Its quite impressive!” This reviewer was surprised to see the coveted Bennett Family “The Reserve” Cabernet from Napa Valley on the wine list. The wine, with its vibrant Black cherries and cassis flavors and supple tannins and oak spice, derived from the use of 50% new French and European and American oak barrels, is highly sought after. Because of the demand, it is in limited supply. Bennett Family only appears on the most discriminating wine lists and on the shelves of the best wine shops.

Some of the most popular menu items are the Filet Mignon and Mahi Mahi Slider and the ever-popular Flatbreads. “All of our flatbread dough is made in house. Among the most popular are the BBQ Chicken Flatbread and the Chicken Artichoke Flatbread which is extremely popular.”

Mouth-watering desserts are a must-have. The Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream Sandwich and the Key Lime cheesecake were large enough to share, but this greedy writer chose to tackle them both with abandon.

After the movie, it was time to settle into the Salt Sports Bar for one of Adam Seger’s signature cocktails. “The lounge gets its name from the eight different salts that we use to rim our cocktail glasses. We use Himalayan Pink salt, Black Volcanic Salt, and French Grey Salt, among others,” Mulcahy added. Some of National cocktails include Illegalito, Mojitonico, El Corazon Margarita, Red Carpet Fizz and Dirty Salty Savory.

Besides free popcorn and complimentary valet parking, available to all guests, members get a number of perks. “It costs nothing to be a member. Not only do you get a substantial discount on Premium Plus Upgrade, you get a free ticket on your birthday and members also take advantage of an all-day happy hour.

“We’re all about selection and providing our guests with choices as to how their night out is going to unfold. With our choice of first-run movies, our Premium and Premium Plus Upgrade and the entertainment choices provided by our Salt Sports Bar & Lounge, we think we can provide a really great night out.”