Maple cookie tops a sickenly sweet movie

By all rights, I should be posting this under Food & Dining. It is, after all, a picture of a dessert that my wife and I shared at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe after our Valentine’s Day lunch. Though crowded, the cafe did open up long enough for another duo to get in a quick bite — grill-cheese sandwich and tomato soup for Mary Pat, apple chicken and goat cheese salad for me. And, of course, a maple-bar cookie.

But … really. What’s important is that after lunch we went to see a stereotypical Valentine’s Day movie, “The Vow.” This is something we don’t usually do. In fact, we’re more likely to see something such as “Reservoir Dogs.” But we were feeling, uh, stereotypical, so we went to see Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams in a story about love, amnesia and taut abs. I found myself wanting Harvey Keitel to step into the scene.

I have to admit, though, that I have a man crush on Tatum. McAdams I was less impressed wtih, mostly because in her amnesiac state — caused by a sudden car accident and a loosened seat belt — she resembled the character she played in “Midnight in Paris.” But Tatum, though he may never develop into a bona-fide actor, is an appealing screen presence who can dance , can fight and can play comedy . He can even, on occasion, emote.

And besides, you gotta love a guy who gets to punch Scott Speedman , even if only in a movie.