Watch Off the Menu

Off the Menu is a 2018 romantic comedy film directed by Jay Silverman and written by Jennifer Goldson, Jennifer Silverman, and Peter Silverman. The movie stars Dania Ramirez, Santino Fontana, Jen Lilley, Makenzie Moss, Maria Conchita Alonso, Kristen Dalton, Ian Reed Kesler, and Arianna Ortiz. The story revolves around Joel Flanagan (Santino Fontana), a businessman who travels to New Mexico to find the best taco he has ever tasted. While on his quest, he meets Javiera Torres (Dania Ramirez), a talented chef who runs her family's restaurant. Javiera cooks with traditional flavors of Mexican cuisine and frequently combines the more common ingredients with unique and uncommon spices. However, her family's restaurant is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the bank is threatening to foreclose on the property. To save the restaurant, Javiera must win a cooking competition that grants the winner a large cash prize. But she needs a secret ingredient, which is in Joel's possession.

Meanwhile, Joel is searching for his missing grandfather, and when he meets Javiera, he discovers that her culinary skills may be an essential piece of the puzzle in finding his grandfather's whereabouts. Javiera reveals that his grandfather has been living in the small town and working in the restaurant as a dishwasher for years. With the newfound knowledge, Joel agrees to help Javiera and her family by sharing the secret ingredient she needs to win the cooking competition, in exchange for their help finding his grandfather.

Throughout the movie, we see the tension between Joel and Javiera as they work together to come up with the recipe that will make them win the cooking competition, and inevitably fall in love with each other as they spend more time together. However, things don't go as smoothly as they would have liked. There is another big restaurant chain owner, Gloria, who wants to steal the secret ingredient from Javiera, and also win the cooking competition. In addition, Joel's girlfriend, Sophie (Jen Lilley), flies in from New York to surprise him, and throw a wrench in his sudden attraction to Javiera.

Off the Menu is a fun film that has a lot to offer. The movie combines elements of food, romance, and comedy, all of which are executed brilliantly. The actors' performances are excellent, with Dania Ramirez stealing the show with her charming personality and exceptional acting skills. Santino Fontana is delightful as Joel, the goofy yet endearing lead who is on the search for the best taco in New Mexico. Jen Lilley, who plays Sophie, adds spice to the storyline, and her presence brings out the best in Joel and Javiera.

The film also explores themes such as the importance of culture and tradition, family values, and the universal language of food. Javiera's character plays an essential role in highlighting the significance of incorporating cultural values and traditions into cooking. Her family's restaurant is the only place in town that serves traditional Mexican cuisine, and Javiera feels an intense pressure to keep those values alive. The film does an excellent job of emphasizing the importance of such cultural values and how they can be passed down from generation to generation.

Overall, Off the Menu is an exciting film that will whet your appetite for Mexican cuisine while also tickling your romantic side. The combination of an excellent cast, well-written screenplay, and stunning cinematography makes it a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Off the Menu is a 2018 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.8.