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Reintroduce the dinner-and-a-play outing into your nightlife habits.

Wednesday Jul 21, 2004.     By Christopher Piatt

Dating Feed

Before “Sex and the City” began permeating the psyche of American singles, a typical urban date began with dinner and a play before the shoes came off. At some point, though, the formality of taking in culture and nourishment went the way the of the eight-track player, and dinner and a play became something to do only when your parents came to visit. With formal dating making a comeback, however, you're lucky to be living in a city with great theater and fine eateries. Consider the following diversified pairings for a summer evening with a potential playmate.

Frankie J's Methadome Theatre
Dinner at Frankie J's, too
In a town regarded as the mecca of sketch comedy and improv, Second City and Improv Olympic get the lion's share of the attention and, naturally, the box office. But if you're interested in unearthing some of the scene's freshest and most underexposed talent, check out what the young guerilla troupes are doing at Frankie J's almost any night of the week. The material in this tumbledown venue tends to be fast, unvarnished bursts of comedic energy, the sort of unbridled mania that eventually gets its edges sanded off to appeal to a broader audience.

Though the elegant Magnolia Cafe around the corner is an option for those who count a successful night by the number of venues conquered, there's really no need to go anywhere but Frankie J's. Taste pleasantly outweighs convenience here; the pulled BBQ pork sammie definitely fits the bill, as do the pesto-crusted, Thai'd-up, blackened and ginger salmon options. You shouldn't miss “the best friggin' calamari you ever had,” either.

Latino Theatre Festival at the Goodman Theatre
Dinner at Atwood Cafe
One of those events that theatergoers constantly mean to get to but never seem to catch, the Latino Festival at the Goodman guarantees some of the most dynamic and expert theater pieces of the season. This year's stirringly produced centerpiece, “Electricidad,” is a Latino reinterpretation of the classic Electra story, a tale of family vengeance that makes the Menendez brothers look like the Cleavers. There are also several performance pieces by visiting troupes, to be performed in both English and Spanish, making the event perhaps the most diverse and sophisticated of the summer.

A classic pre-theater dinner can best be found around the corner at the Atwood Cafe, a Theater District staple that offers art deco glamour, painstaking service and a menu that walks the line between creative and classic. Traditional dishes like pot pie and braised ribs in particular get highbrow treatment. Be sure to inquire about Atwood's $38 prix-fixe three-course pre-theater menu. On the ground level of the Hotel Burnham, Atwood makes you feel like a Mr. Firstnighter, regardless of when you see the play.

“Fuddy Meers” at Strawdog Theatre Company
Dinner at Anna Maria Pasteria
This Dr.-Seuss-for-adults tale about an amnesiac who loses her memory once a day might well be the funniest American play written in the last 10 years, making it a real crime that it's so often done badly. Thank goodness, then, that this Strawdog production has received such enthusiastic reviews. Chicago audiences can get a peek at a story that predated “50 First Dates” but carries a much bigger stick. If you're worried your date might raise an eyebrow at off-color humor, the Harry Potter sequel might be a safer bet. But if you've ever wanted to see stroke victims, escaped convicts and foul-mouthed sock puppets exploited to their fullest, smartest potential “Fuddy Meers” should be your priority.

For a pre-show meal, most Strawdog regulars prefer Anna Maria, a delightfully unpretentious trattoria famous for serving up savory Italian cuisine without bells and whistles (the sea scallops with delicate linguine is just one example of such tasty simplicity). Boasting only exposed brick walls and sumptuous meals, this place gets high marks for putting the emphasis back on the food.

”The Pyrates,” Defiant Theatre at Chopin Theatre
Dinner at El Barco
If you've ever wondered what a live sword fight with 30 actors set to rock music might look like, you should probably check out “The Pyrates,” a swashbuckling romp that's currently pilaging the main stage of the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park. Young audiences seek out Defiant Theatre for a reason; this is the kind of sweeping punk rock romance that Chicago theater is famous for.

Around the corner you'll find one of the most festive meals in the neighborhood at El Barco, where fish is the ingredient of choice. The idea of Mexican seafood may sound like a major turn-off, but the first time you taste the crispy tostadas topped with flaked white fish or smell a giant sizzling platter of shrimp fajitas, you'll be an instant convert.

“It Came From The Neo-Futurarium” at The Neo-Futurarium
Dinner at Hopleaf
Keeping good on their promise to present staged readings of “The Worst Films of the 20th Century,” the Neo-Futurists continue their summer tradition by mounting hilarious bargain-basement readings of movie atrocities like “Red Dawn,” “Scream of the Butterfly” and “Demetrius and the Gladiators.” The manic Wednesday night series features longtime veterans of “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” as well as a host of other performers with plenty of off-Loop theater cred.

Around the corner at Hopleaf, in addition to an inexhaustible beer list you'll find an enterprising French/Belgian menu that ups the ante on bar food from chicken fingers and burgers to freshwater smelts and smoked duck sandwiches. Ironic film spoofs and brown Belgian ales make this Andersonville package a prototypical Hipster's Night Out.

“Street Scene” at Artistic Home
Dinner at Cullen's
Earning raves from critics, this tiny production of an enormous play crams almost two dozen gifted actors (not to mention a live dog) onto a storefront stage and lets them do their thing. Rarely produced because of its cast size, this early American kitchen sink drama is from an era when plays and movies were, ever so briefly, about real people in real situations. There's nothing like watching a play about a sweltering New York summer to make you grateful that you're not living in New York this summer.

Before the show, treat yourself to some of the city's heartiest Irish fare at Cullen's, one of the few pubs in town to maintain its old world drinking-song integrity while catering to a Wrigleyville crowd. Nothing accompanies a salty play about life of the bowery that a steaming plate of curried fish-n-chips and stout glass ale. Or three.