Popcorn Noir Restaurant & Bar, Easthampton

From owning previous restaurants in Central America and Southeast Asia to appearing on the Food Network's Chopped, award-winning chef Kristen Davis is no stranger to staying busy. At Popcorn Noir Restaurant & Bar, she draws on her seemingly endless reservoir of energy to craft completely new menus of her New American cuisine every season. Her cinema-themed menu includes "trailers"—appetizers like local Vermont tofu with sweet chili – and "feature presentations"—mains like P.E.I. mussels by the pound with a choice of sauce.

The menu's movie references don't come out of nowhere—Popcorn Noir hosts a film series for its members, as well as occasional screenings for the public. Besides cinematic entertainment, Popcorn Noir's weekly events include trivia dinners, open mic nights, and mixology classes where bartenders teach three cocktail preparations. Outside of the classroom, the mixology team showcases its skills by crafting cocktails mostly made with house-infused liquors, such as gimlets with house-infused cucumber vodka.