The Imitation Game and Sol Food

This is always the best time of year to see movies as studios release all their good films in time for awards season. Tonight Lynne, Gabby and I headed up to the Regency Cinema to see The Imitation Game. The film is based loosely on the life of British mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he and a select group of cryptographers tried to crack Germany's Enigma code as part of a top secret mission during World War II. Cumberbatch is fantastic in his portrayal of the prickly Turing, and Keira Knightly was equally good as the lone female in the team, Joan Clarke. After the war Turing, a homosexual, was convicted of gross indecency and underwent chemical castration, which may have led to his suicide. It was a sad ending for a man who really was a pioneer of computer science and the use of machines for artificial intelligence.

After the movie we headed to the Puerto Rican restaurant Sol Food on Lincoln Avenue in San Rafael for a late dinner. Always a very popular place, and one I've been wanting to try out for quite a while, it was good to be able to get in without having to stand in line and get a table. I ordered the bistec encebollado combination meal, which included salad, rice, black beans and plantains. The food was good but really enhanced by their secret weapon- the pique or homemade vinegar hot sauce that added a lot of flavor to the dish. Besides the meal it was good to chat and catch up with Gabby and Lynne as we all went to school together (and I haven't seen Gabby in years). If I was living in town I would definitely enjoy the little weekly movie club they have going.