Joshua Sills/Arizona Summer Wildcat Owner and chef Mitch Levy fires things up at CuvŽe World Bistro with Sous-Chefs Dan Bradley and Mike Stefanowicz. CuvŽe opened June 6.

The Dinner
Cuvee World Bistro
3352 E. Speedway Blvd.
Mitch Levy, Owner, Head Chef (520) 977-2295

Contant: Walking into this dimly-lit, California wine country style restaurant, it was hard to believe that it once was the home to the old martini bar hot spot, Presidio Grill. The simple elegance of tufted leather booths and candlelight tables made us eager to sample the elegant variety of gourmet dishes Cuvee has to offer. What a change of pace for two college students!

Smith: No, I'm accustomed to fine dining. Just kidding. I frequent places like Chili's. This was like a gift from above for me.

Contant: Kevin and I were greeted warmly and seated quickly. But then came the waiter.

Haley Contant

Smith: Yeah, my one grievance was the waiter. I sometimes felt like he was breathing down my neck. Maybe I'm just not used to this kind of pampering.

Contant: No. He was too attentive. The best part was when he asked how our meal was and Kevin hadn't even lifted his fork.

Smith: And that brings us to the food. We went with the Chihuahua quesadilla to start. It came lightly flaked, filled with a tasty cheddar cheese and sour cream. Included was an outstanding avocado and red pepper dip that ended up making the dish.

Contant: My romaine salad with homemade bleu cheese dressing and honey-roasted walnuts was quite delectable and the portion was quite satisfying. No skimping on flavor here. I then dined on a delicious potato crusted salmon that listed at $14. It was lightly crusted with thin pieces of potato and sat in a pool of a mango puree, which complemented the fish well. It was an entrŽe that I would expect to eat on a tropical island while sipping a fruity cocktail. I almost forgot that I was at a restaurant on East Speedway Boulevard in Tucson.

Kevin Smith

Smith: I went with the steak as my entrŽe and must say that the suggested wine blended with the potatoes and meat so well it was astounding. And my butterscotch pudding rocked. It was very rich and smooth. I'll definitely come back for another fix.

Contant: The berry dessert I had was delicious ÷ it came in a sweet tostada shell with vanilla bean ice cream and a bit of chocolate syrup decoratively spread around. I was in heaven. So Kevin, should we recommend this place to other college students?

Smith: If they're buying.

Contant: Come prepared to put down some hard cash, especially if you are going to have each course with wine. If you are looking for a European oasis in the heart of Tucson, then we have found it tucked away in a strip mall. Check it out on payday!

The Movie
The Hulk
Universal
(Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly)

Smith: So, the summer is in full swing and the blockbusters are here. Sorry to disappoint you kiddies, but The Hulk is a weakling. Bruce Banner's (The Hulk) dad injected himself with green goo when he was a young and swinging scientist in an army base somewhere doing experiments for unknown reasons for unknown people. So the dad gets his wife pregnant and passes the green goo gene on to his son (who also grows up to be a scientist), who gets a nuclear shock later in life and turns all Hulky.

Contant: But he doesn't turn into The Hulk unless you get him really mad! If you are a member of PETA or are against animal testing then I warn you: This movie is full of injected monkeys, rats and flesh hungry poodles and bulldogs on steroids. Not for the faint of heart.

Smith: So, while this Hulk is busy getting all WWF on things, he's also trying to balance a strained relationship with his scientist co-worker Betty (Jennifer Connelly). Connelly's talents are wasted here as she is given as much substance to work with as a hollow Easter Bunny.

Contant: Hey, at least her hair and makeup always looked good even when she was being attacked by those steroid-high poodles and bulldogs. I have to say that I really couldn't hang on to any plot with the movie. I know it was made from a comic book, but Spider-Man puts The Hulk to shame.

Smith: This is true. Spider-Man was a fairly simple plot and idea. They didn't try to develop the plot so much in that one. They kept it nice and Spidey-simple. Although director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) does a good job making the movie and cinematography look like a real life comic book, they try to do way too much with the plot to the point of outlandish, cartoon-like overkill.

Contant: I don't recommend sitting through The Hulk unless your boyfriend drags you to it. The whole time I tapped my foot, checked my watch and kept wishing I was watching the new Legally Blonde flick. Oh, and on the topic of Reese Witherspoon flicks, the hottie from Sweet Home Alabama, the hunky blond one, well he is the evil scientist who wants to destroy The Hulk. He was the best part of the movie · I spent more time getting lost in his ocean blue eyes than watching the green monster jumping around the desert.

Smith: Yeah well, explosions, Connelly and tanks getting tossed like doughnuts are cool too. I know this movie is based on a comic book and comic books are not Shakespeare, but even a simple comic's plot would get lost in all the CGI effects, jump cuts and needless sub plots. Well, here's a good example of the intelligence here: The first time Connelly sees The Hulk, she immediately recognizes him as her ex-boyfriend even though she never knew that he was actually a giant green mutant and even though he didn't say a word. Guess they just had that kind of relationship then ·

Contant: REJECTED

Smith: I can't totally disown this movie because it kept me entertained, but it also made my head hurt. So, go see it if you want to, but don't keep your expectations as big as Hulk's biceps. APPROVED.