Fliks & brews: Who can refuse?

Now that’s what I call an optimal outing at the movies.

Old Town, the vibrant downtown district in Fort Collins, has done it again. If the multitudes of bars and restaurants aren’t enough to suck you in, the Fort now has a quirky little art-house theater that doubles as a bar & cafe. Best of all, you can take your grub and brews into the cozy lil’ theater with you.

A small group of us met up at the The Lyric Cinema on Friday night. It was a first for any of us at the Lyric, but we all agreed we’d be back. We sampled veggie munchies and sipped Fat Tires in the cafe, then took the food and brews into the theater. The theater is kind of scrunchy and doesn’t rise up in stadium seating, but it suffices. I liked the quirky touch of couches in the front row. We sat in the second row and sipped and munched away while watching “Namesake,” a movie that for good reason generated a buzz at the Telluride Film Festival.

“The Namesake” tells the story of family ties and the journeys, typically a blend of surprise, pain and whimsy, we all take in forming our identity. It’s a beautiful little film about love, loss, perseverance and belonging. A better stew of emotions and characters you won’t find in most films, especially the cascade of one-dimensional action blockbusters headed to theaters this summer.

So, cheers to the Lyric. If you want a satisfying departure from the usual evening at the cineplex, it’s worth the drive to Fort Collins. The Lyric Cinema Cafe is at 300 E. Mountain Ave., just a couple blocks east of Old Town.