East Anaheim includes the section of Anaheim Street between Junipero Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. It's an area in transition-not quite a place for an evening stroll but still full of great little businesses you should get to know.
- Dress: This is an opportunity to pull out the fancy if you want, though it's not necessary. You can also wear the "look good but feel awful" shoes because you'll be sitting most of the night.
- Expense: Dinner for two will cost between $90-$150, depending on entrée and wine selection; standard playhouse tickets are $22 each for a total evening cost for two of $130-$190.
Frenchy's Bistro is exactly that-a charismatic and highly-rated (most notably by Zagat) French restaurant and wine bar serving dinner Tuesdays through Sundays from 5:30-9:30 pm. The menu includes a selection of mouth-watering appetizers, entrées and desserts— bisques, gratins, soufflés— there's no way to go wrong. If you have a taste for French fare, you can attempt to ‘master the art' while re-enacting some of the messier scenes of Julie and Julia, or simply head to Frenchy's and let them do the complicated braising, stuffing, deboning and fluffing. Owners Andre and Valeria Angles also offer an extensive wine list and meal-appropriate pairing suggestions.
For More Information: Frenchy's Bistro 4137 East Anaheim St. LB, CA 90814 (562) 494-8787.
Just up the street from Frenchy's, the Long Beach Playhouse is a true city landmark that puts on sixteen productions every year. Established in 1929, the playhouse is an unusual combination of local playhouse and professional theater. The building and staff exude a home-town feel but the productions are consistently excellent and feature actors at the top of their craft. The playhouse has two stages: the Mainstage is on the first floor and offers horseshoe seating that allows patrons to sit on three sides of the stage; the Studio Stage upstairs provides a more intimate theater environment; both offer the highest quality productions.
Mainstage: Our Town, the Thornton Wilder classic play about life in the fictional early 20th Century town of Grover's Corners, runs through March 6th, 2010; after that it's The Hollow, an Agatha Christie murder mystery, from March 13 - April 24th, 2010.
Studio Stage: Betty's Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang is a dark comedy recommended for mature audiences. Curtis Ellis of MSNBC reviewed the New York production of Durang's play as "not only wickedly funny but a trenchant commentary on the state of American culture and the most original play to hit the New York stage in years." Betty's Summer Vacation runs through March 27, 2010.
For More Information: Long Beach Playhouse 5021 East Anaheim Street (562) 494-1014.
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