eat + drink

"Sometimes it can get a little uncomfortable," said Kokoska, "but Jeff's funny and usually can disarm the situation. No one has ever thrown down here."

There's also some fervent back-and-forth, and no small amount of frivolity, at the group's website, www.booksandbars.com. Kamin said the e-mail list has grown from 130 to 300 people in the past 20 months, and the forum's threads tend toward smart, smart-alecky or both. The day after last week's BLB event, there was an exuberant exchange over what the heck "Magic Pudding" in "Framed" was all about, a topic that had been left largely unresolved the night before.

But resolution and clear answers are not the raison d'être for the Books & Bars confabs. The goal, all hands agreed, is to leave the theater with a bit more brainpower and perhaps a buzz.