Dinner and a Movie: BVI, 'Robots'

March 24, 2005
By Lisa M. Larranaga & Katie Kerr
Staff Writers

Dinner:  Belgian Village Inn, Moline.

Atmosphere:

KATIE:  EW!  That’s all I have to say about our experience at the Belgian Village in.  The atmosphere was disgusting and I was so distracted by how gross the restaurant was I wasn’t able to focus on my dinner!  From the dirty cooler where they kept the drinks to the sticky tablecloths, this place was revolting. The end of the dinner was what put me over the edge…I dropped my pen while I was taking notes and I had to pick the pen up off the ground.  The floor was so dirty rats wouldn’t eat anything dropped under the table.

LISA:  The restaurant was pretty clean, but very well-used.  It wasn’t all that bad, just takes you into a time warp to the 1970’s.  The crowd was mostly older people.  Now that I think about it, Katie and I were probably the only people there under the age of 45.  There were curtains up around the restaurant, and I must admit that their color scheme matched.  They had maroon drapes, maroon booths and even maroon table coverings.  Other than that, the atmosphere was rustic.  I think it may be time for remodeling, but, I guess vintage is in!

Food:

KATIE:  While I was searching for any clean area around our booth, it was time to order.  I decided on their self-proclaimed trademark sandwich, the Belgian Club.  My already disagreeable dining experience was about to take a turn for the worst as soon as the waitress brought the food to the table.  The bread was original but tasted funky; the turkey was slimy, tomatoes and lettuce that were wilted, and even slimier than the turkey.  And the bacon on the sandwich wasn’t cooked all the way.  It came with kettle chips that seemed to be handmade, but I couldn’t really tell because the chips that weren’t burnt were so scarce.  My Pepsi, which came in a can, was cold but not worth the $1.25 per can that it cost.

LISA: My sandwich was colossal.  I don’t even know if that’s the word.  It was beyond huge, at least four sandwiches in one.  I ordered the Vanderueben, which happens to be their specialty. After I stared at it in disbelief for five minutes, I had to cut it into four sections before I had a piece small enough to hold in my hands – and people wonder why we have an obesity problem in the U.S.!  

I could only finish one and a half of the four sections– so it’s definitely a meal to split with someone.  Because of its size, it was served as just a sandwich, no sides. Since I’m one for appearance, it would’ve been nice if they could’ve added something pretty on my plate for decoration.  Instead, it was just a big mass of bread sulking in the plate (It was so big, it hung off the side of the plate, too!). 

The Rueben itself was decent.  I ordered it without sauerkraut because in my opinion, no one in their right mind eats that smelly stuff.  The sandwich was unique in that it was served with ham on it, too.  It was a nice touch, except I think there was more ham than corn beef.  It would’ve been better the other way around.

Other than Rueben’s, there’s just about anything you can imagine on their menu.  Soups, all kinds of sandwiches, burgers, salads, bratwursts – and the list goes on and on.

Pricing and People:

KATIE:  Pricing wasn’t that bad, if you actually enjoyed your meal…you couldn’t pay me to go back there!  The waitress was very occupied with her friend that was visiting and didn’t have time to stop at our table.  She was friendly, but only after she found out that we were reviewing their restaurant.

LISA: Pricing was very reasonable.  My Rueben was $6.80.  But, it was really only $3.40 because I could only eat half of it and the other half was saved for my lunch the next day.  The service wasn’t all that great.  They weren’t friendly, nor were they mean.  The servers were just kind of there; doing their job. Our waitress didn’t check back on us too often.  Maybe once the whole sitting, and that’s when I had to flag her down to ask for napkins.

Complaints:

KATIE:  I think it’s pretty safe to say that anything you could think of, I’d complain about.  This place was dirty, had bad food, unfriendly staff, and just an all around horrible appearance.  I could go on and on, but I still have to complain about the movie we saw!

LISA: I really didn’t like that they gave you pop from cans and not a fountain.  I’ve seen it done before, but I’m not a big fan.  It’s just not the same! 

LISA’S RATING: 1 fork

KATIE’S RATING:  NO FORKS!!!

 Movie:  Robots

LISA:   I must admit, I did fall asleep about 20 minutes into the movie, but it really wasn't bad.  I just happened to be sleep deprived and was placed in a dark, comfortable area. 

After I awoke from my slumber, I caught right up to pace with the movie.  It was so cute!  Like similar movies, such as “Finding Nemo”, it contained some adult humor and content to please an older audience.  Of course, it was mostly focused towards a younger age group and it had a wonderful message to never give up on your dreams.

Robin Williams lends his voice to just about make the movie with his humor and mixed up body parts (towards the end of the movie he has a man body from the waist up and a woman's body from the waist down).  With the sensible Rodney Copperbottom, as the main character, the movie has a perfect combination of humor and values. 

Although the characters were robots they were pretty lifelike. They struck an emotional pang with me, as I slightly teared up during one of the more serious parts. The music was great during the movie.  A combination of classic rock and rap, the music made the movie lively and fun.

A great movie to take a younger brother or sister too or anyone who enjoys a good heartfelt laugh and a happy ending!        

KATIE:  Just like on my crappy sandwich from dinner, this movie was pure imitation cheese.  Lisa was able to fall asleep while my shivering body kept me from falling asleep during this boring film.  This animated movie is a story is about a poor robot who wants to help people and becomes the hero but only after he meets some crazy characters and goes through some tough times.  I know what you’re thinking, well of course she didn’t like it, and it’s a kid’s movie.  Not true.  I love “Shrek” and “Shrek Two”, I also think “Finding Nemo” is a must see.  However, “Robots” can’t touch either of them.  It had one or two jokes pertaining to adult humor, and the story was just so dull.  Robin Williams, who voices on of the robots, did his normal routine, which just added to the annoying film.  Even though there were some top actors who were apart of this film, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Ewan McGregor, and Drew Carey just to name a few, the movie was horrible and I wouldn’t waste any money on it.

LISA’S RATING:  4 out of 5 bags of popcorn

KATIE’S RATING: ½ out of 5 bags of popcorn

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