Il Canale in Georgetown

I have a lovely group of friends who share my passions for food, books and yoga.  Over the years we've gathered for late night Harry Potter book releases and movies. We're not the "dress up in character" types like the girl we saw in mismatched socks, knit hat and bedsheet ala Dobby, but enjoy seeing the films together and discussing how closely the films align with the books. 

I've learned over the years to lower my expectations for the films. The Chris Colombus-helmed versions were too fluffy and kiddie-esque. The version by Alfonso Cuaron was sufficiently dark but still not perfect. David Yates directed the last two films, did an admirable job, but definitely not perfect and don't get me started on the 3D. The films never achieved the magic of the novels, but were entertaining nonetheless. Post-film we headed to Il Canale on 31st in Georgetown to find an al fresco table and some food.

 Bruschetta

 Linguine con vongole

 Mediterranean salad with dolma and a sampler of three antipasti, eggplant, artichoke and bell pepper.

 Salad with olives, grilled zucchini, carrot and fresh mozzarella.

Sofia pizza with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes.

The pizza oven is busy, charring the dough and spewing ash out of the chimney.  While the rooftop tables were a nice vista, the ash floating down and coating us an added atmospheric element we didn't enjoy as much.  The pizza options come white or red (with sauce), The pizza was chewy, with a good flavor, but wish it was a bit thinner.

Consensus was the film ended appropriately, but there were glaring alterations from the books.  While I understand the profit motive for splitting the last book into two films, it felt a bit disjointed to me. Perhaps the deaths of beloved characters in the films would have been more shocking to anyone who had not read the books. I felt the impact of the loss of key characters was a bit muted. The redeeming aspect was Snape's memories in the pensieve. The books inspired a generation of children to read, for which I applaud, but the films were good but not great.