The city where I now live is Vacaville, California; which is seated at the edge of the Sacramento Valley in Northern California 55 miles east of San Francisco and 35 miles west of Sacramento via Interstate 80. I have lived here on-and-off for over 35 years, and for the past 25 of those the main movie theater in town has been Brenden Theater.

Out of the seven total Brenden Theaters located out west, B​renden Vacaville 16 is one of three Brenden Theaters in California; the other two being located in Concord and Modesto. The remaining four Brenden Theaters are located in the states of Nevada (2), Colorado and Arizona.

O​ver the years, Brenden Vacaville 16 has been a great place to catch a movie whether it’s an opening night premiere or even one that has been running for weeks. Out of all the amenities that the theater offers, my favorite are the recliner seats within the theaters which gives you the relaxing experience as if you right at home. And with several restaurants within walking vicinity of Brenden Vacaville 16 (including Outback Steakhouse), it’s the perfect spot to have Dinner and a Movie Date Night.

T​his past Friday evening my girlfriend asked if I wanted to go see a movie on Saturday which for me was an easy answer yes. But as the evening went on, I couldn’t help but think that I wanted to switch it up a bit. Now as I previously stated, grabbing a bite to eat at the Outback then going to see a movie at Brenden (or vice versa) is a great safe bet to kill some time here in Vacaville. But the fact that payday had arrived combined with me not being able to get out as often due to a busy schedule gave me the urge to also want to take a small road trip.

A​fter doing a little research Friday night, I found an interesting theater in Placer County’s city of Rocklin, located 22 miles east of Sacramento. If you’re looking for an updated experience in going to the movies then look no further than Studio Movie Grill.

SMG Rocklin by Paul Williams

T​here are a total of 21 SMG restaurants throughout the United States like Bakersfield, California, and Tyler, Texas, but the location in Rocklin has been operating since 2014 and features nine auditoriums as well as a full-service bar and lounge which is ideal for a pre-movie meetup or afterwards nightcap. And what makes SMG different from other movie theaters is they combine first-run movies and event cinema with in-theater dining from an extensive American grill menu and full-service bar. As my girlfriend and I entered the theater, we were immediately impressed with the layout of the full-service bar and lounge area.

SMG Rocklin Lounge Area

O​ur movie started at 4pm and even though Rocklin is about a 55-minute drive from Vacaville we arrived about 45 minutes early to take advantage of the bar. As the two of us sat at the bar watching a baseball game, I ordered the Moscow Mule cocktail while my crime partner got a Tequila Sunrise. I have to say we were both pleased with our drinks. The bartender wasn’t stingy with the vodka at all in my Moscow Mule, while the Tequila Sunrise was like paradise for my girlfriend.

Left, Tequila Sunrise; Right, Moscow Mule

A​fter enjoying our beverages, we headed into the theater to see our movie. And in case you’re wondering, we went to see Scream VI. I won’t give out any spoilers, but I’ll discuss that part shortly. When we entered the theater and went to our seats, we noticed each seat had built-in table tray with two items. The first was a QR code that you scan with your phone to bring up the menu; and the second is a service button where at the push of it trained staff will deliver your order to your seat.

The two of us came to SMG with an appetite, so we started off with the Ballpark Chicken Nachos. My first impression: I don’t think three minutes had gone by since our server entered in our order into his system but to our surprise we received them without any holdup. The nacho cheese and roasted chicken was perfect with the tortilla chips while the pico de gallo and cilantro gave it a festive taste.

Ballpark Chicken Nachos

T​he meal I went with was the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger. It sounds a little simple I agree, but the burger does hold its own in my view. The BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy based which goes well with the hickory-smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. The burger itself was pretty big and I had to eat it over the table tray to make sure nothing dripped onto my shirt; but still one of the best burgers I’ve had in quite some time. The fries accompanied by the burger were golden brown and reminded me of the fries you get at Five Guys but a little thicker. They were amazing!

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger

M​y girlfriend got the Three-Cheese Slider Burgers with fries. The sliders came with melted American, Swiss and Cheddar cheeses along with lettuce, tomatoes and onions on toasted Brioche mini buns. Although she thought there was too much bread with the Brioche buns, she enjoyed the sliders very much.

Three-Cheese Slider Burgers

A​fter getting our fill of food and drink, it was finally movie time! As I stated earlier we were there to see Scream VI. Both of us love horror films and, like some of you reading this, have been fans of the Scream franchise since it started back in 1996. And while the franchise has been a consistent hit throughout the years, I myself was interested to see how the latest installment holds as the backdrop shifts from the small town of Woodsboro to the bright lights of New York City. Oh, and Sidney Prescott (aka Neve Campbell) won’t be appearing.

A​gain I’m not giving any spoilers but I will give my quick take on Scream VI. I think despite the two noticeable differences that I just mentioned, the film holds its own in staying consistent with the franchise. The cast led by Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega and Courtney Cox all gave an amazing performance, and as usual with the Scream franchise you’re left guessing till the end. If you’re a fan of the Scream movies you will enjoy this one.

O​verall this was an experience both me and my girlfriend enjoyed. It was nice to venture out of Vacaville for a few hours and visit SMG Rocklin, a place which adds another element to the movie theater experience such as service at the push of a button from your seat or sipping on a cocktail enjoying yourself in the lounge area. It’s worth checking out if you live within the Sacramento region.

S​MG Rocklin is located at 5140 Commons Drive, Rocklin, California 95677.