By T. S. Chamberland
Staff writer
I was not about to cook on Mother’s Day. And while my 10-year-old son Riley made breakfast, I knew eating out for lunch was unavoidable. It would also avoid further mess in the kitchen.
Since we were going to see “Star Trek” at the new IMAX theater in Saco, I decided we should try the in-house restaurant, Preview’s Grill and Bar. We arrived more than an hour before showtime and sat at a pub-style table after picking up our movie tickets. With a large bar and several tables, the restaurant is quite spacious and the decor clean and modern. Several TVs are mounted on the walls showing previews of movies, sports and music channels, and framed photos of movie characters fill in the space below them.
Our waitress brought menus and took our orders, bringing out our drinks and then our appetizer, spinach artichoke dip ($7.99). The dip was really good, and Brayden, 13, and I ate nearly half of it before our meals came. Riley wasn’t interested in trying when he heard the word “artichoke.” He really missed out; I thought it was one of the better spinach artichoke dips I’d had in awhile.
Riley had macaroni and cheese, classic kid-style ($5.99), which he enjoyed most of. Brayden decided on a Caesar chicken wrap with fries ($7.99); the wrap was loaded with romaine lettuce, chicken and cheese. He said it was really delicious. I opted for the roast beef panini with roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and a horseradish mayonnaise spread on a ciabatta roll ($8.99). I was pleased that it tasted as good as it had sounded — and that it came with fries. 
The menu has many other options that all looked good, like apple almond stuffed chicken breast ($12.99), five-cheese ravioli ($11.99), pesto chicken panini ($8), Preview’s club ($8.99) and chicken cranberry salad ($8.99). The prices are a bit more than similar places, though if you’re going to see an IMAX — or even a regular, digital  movie — the convenience of having a restaurant within feet of your movie seat is worth a few extra dollars.
The food is delicious and you don’t feel like you’re in a theater complex while you’re dining. As a matter of fact, if you choose to eat before your movie, you might actually skip the concession stand, where you’d spend nearly as much on popcorn and drinks!

Tasty tidbits
What: Preview’s Grill and Bar, 282-6234, cinemagicmovies.com
Where: 779 South Portland Road, Route 1, Saco (opposite Funtown/Splashtown USA)
Why: Conveniently located on Cinemagic premises, so you can grab a bite to eat or a drink before or after a movie.
Atmosphere: Clean, modern appeal with widescreen TVs mounted to the walls showing several stations and movie previews. Choice of seating at a long bar, tables or tall pub-style tables.
When: Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Prices: Moderate to slightly higher-priced. Entrees start at $9.99, sandwiches at $6.99 and appetizers at $5.99.