A new premium movie-going and dining experience will have its official public premiere on Wednesday, September 30 when The LOT debuts in downtown La Jolla. This is the first flagship for the luxury cinema concept; their second movie and food complex, located in Liberty Station, will draw its curtains back by early 2016, with the company planning to eventually expand statewide.
La Jolla resident Adolfo Fastlicht, The LOT's owner and CEO, has a background in high end cinemas; he developed the luxury Cinemex chain for Mexico and was one of the key players behind the U.S.-based Cinépolis. Speaking about this new venture, created in partnership with multiple investors and managing director Carlos Wellman, Fastlicht told Eater that this cinema-restaurant hybrid intends to distinguish itself by delivering a first class experience whether you're seated in their theater or their dining room.
The LOT includes a full-fledged restaurant with 110 seats that span a stylish dining room and a large, shaded outdoor patio; there's also bar/lounge with a well-stocked wine cellar, 16 craft beer taps and a speciality cocktail list. Aiming to be an appealing, stand-alone dining option for the neighborhood, the restaurant tapped executive chef Matt Sramek (AVANT, Amaya) to create a seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired menu that ranges from grilled octopus and smoked beef carpaccio to ricotta gnocchi and crispy branzino. The Lot will also offer breakfast, lunch, a kid's menu and includes a cafe area, open at 6:30 a.m. daily, that serves craft coffee drinks and house-baked sweets from pastry and dessert specialist Alejandra Pitashny.
First-run blockbusters and art house films will be screened in seven auditoriums, ranging in capacity from 60 to 80 plush leather seats, that can be pre-reserved for $22 to $24 per ticket; movies will start running around 10 a.m., with the last showing around 11 p.m. There's a traditional concessions stand, but at every seat, a call button will summon a staff member who will take orders from their in-theater dining menu, which runs from cocktails, wine and beer to bites ranging from flatbreads to lobster rolls, burgers, salads and snacks.
