I got a great deal today. I saw an ad in the Chino Champion that offered a discount on the premier play of Neil Simon's, Barefoot in the Park at the Chino Community Theatre (a discount on the play if you first had dinner at Owen's Bistro on "D" Street). I decided to take my wife out.
The whole evening was a great hit. Owen's Bistro is a special treat. We were politely greeted and seated by the owner, Denise Kelly, who introduced us to our waiter. There is something special about a restaurant that has friendly, caring proprietors like this. I love going to places where they take the time to get to know you a little and obviously care about you and care about what you think of their restaurant. We couldn't have asked for more professional and personalized treatment.
Owen's Bistro, at 5210 "D' Street is a quaint, clean, modern restaurant, built in a historically restored building in downtown Chino. Although it was a bit too cold to eat outside last night, they have a great courtyard area that would make for enjoyable summer dining. During dinner, a skilled guitarist played at just the right level to create that nice evening ambiance. We made friends with the couple next to us who were celebrating their 38th anniversary and who ended up joining us for the play later (Congratulations & Happy Anniversary Ken & Pat!).
The menu was simple and elegant and included a full wine list. Owen's serves steaks, seafood, and several gourmet dishes and at prices that I thought were very reasonable, ranging from $15.00 to $38.00 for their gourmet en trees. I had a very tasty pan-roasted chicken breast with gnocchi and saute 'd vegetables and my wife enjoyed a delicious buttersquash ravioli dish with organic spinach. You can tell that Denise's husband, James Kelly, who is the chef at the restaurant, carefully prepares the menu and changes it frequently so I doubt you would ever grow tired of visiting this place. Our new friends who sat next to us also savored their meals and they had completely different orders than us so I don't imagine you could go wrong here.
After dinner, we walked about a block down to the Chino Community Theatre at 13123 7th Street. As stated on their web site (www.chinocommunitytheatre.org), "Chino Community Theatre is a non-profit organization formed to broaden cultural opportunities within and for the community with an emphasis on the theatrical setting, and to offer the community an opportunity to experience quality theatre productions". I loved this place and I hope that people in Chino Hills and Chino continue to support it. The theatre holds about 100 people so you're never very far from the action. The tickets were only $15.00 (and we even got a small discount because of yesterday's special from Owen's Bistro). During a short intermission, we were treated to complimentary coffee and some snacks at reasonable prices in the lobby.
I've heard of Barefoot in the Park before but this would be the first time I actually saw the play. It started a little slow but within 10 minutes I became very interested in the story and involved with the characters. The actors were very engaging and professional. It's hard to pick favorites, they were all good at their craft. Christa Hamilton played Corrie Bratter, the naive and optimistic new bride. She's very pretty and a pleasure to watch. Her straight-laced attorney husband, Paul Bratter was played by Joe Baumbach, who knew very well how to deliver a punch line. He was funny and perfect for the part. Corrie's mother, Ethel, and her boyfriend-to-be, neighbor, Mr. Velasco, were played by Mary Kennelly and Kevin Bray respectively. They both provided great comedy and plenty of laughs. I especially enjoyed Mr. Bray's animated style. And even the support actors, Bradford Reed and Phil Parker who played the telephone and delivery guys added great fun to the play. The character and personality of the 7th Street Theatre was awesome and I sure appreciated not having to drive into Los Angeles or Orange County to enjoy it. I should mention that you could certainly spend more than we did at Owen's but we stuck with the basics and still enjoyed the food immensely. This was a great night out for less than $100 and I'd encourage anyone to take advantage of these local treasures.
and is not a part of nor affiliated with the City of Chino Hills.