Best Entertainment Complexes of Orange County

The Block is a hugely successful, fairly recently opened entertainment complex in the heart of Orange County. You'll find movies, arcade games, bowling, a skate park, numerous restaurants and snack outlets, and quite a few stores (featuring goods for the whole family, but with a heavy emphasis on casual wear for youth.) First, I'll tell you about a typical day there for me. I usually go to The Block with my stepdaughter. We catch a movie at the AMC 30 Theaters, which feature 30 state-of-the-art auditoriums with all-stadium seating and the latest sound equipment. Next, we grab fruit smoothie drinks at the Jamba Juice while sitting and gabbing. Then we nose around a few stores. We particularly like Hilo Hattie's Hawaiian Store because of the REALLY unusual merchandise they have there.

Now, someone else could have a totally DIFFERENT experience at The Block. A dating couple might choose to start with dinner at the Market Broiler Restaurant, where they could order fresh seafood broiled over mesquite while enjoying the balmy evening air from their patio table. Then they could bowl for awhile at the Lucky Strike Lanes and finish off the evening with an old-fashioned chocolate malt at the '50s-styled Johnny Rocket's Diner. A group of teen boys could practice on the half-pipes at Van's Skate Park, then grab some steak sandwiches at Charlie's Steakery before buying some trendy, casual back-to-school clothes at No Fear, American Eagle Outlet, and Anchor Blue. A female executive and her friend could get a massage at the Burke Williams Day Spa, shop for "power" clothing at Ann Taylor, then finish with an exotic, upscale dinner at Koji Sushi. There are plenty of options here!

And I haven't even mentioned Dave & Buster's yet, with a dining-and-arcade-games venue (my daughter calls it "Chuck E. Cheese for adults!"), or the other fine restaurants, such as Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Alcatraz Brewing Co, Rubio's Baja Grill, El Torito, TGI Friday's, and Cafe Tu Tu Tango (with its exotic menu and live artists at work!). There are also other stores, such as the "Off 5th Avenue" Saks 5th Avenue outlet, Borders Books & Cafe, Bath & Body Works, or Old Navy, to name a few. Nor have I mentioned the huge variety of snacks you can grab--places for ice cream, cookies, boba drinks, donuts, gelato, coffee, candy, pretzels, burgers, and sausages.

In other words, there are lots of "building blocks" from which you can plan a fun day or evening here. If you're not entertained, then you certainly can't blame The Block!

The Downtown Disney District, which is part of the Disneyland Resort, is a nationally known shopping, dining, and entertainment complex with a heavy emphasis on DINING. There are a number of good restaurants at the complex. On the "upper end," there's Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen restaurant, where you can dine on Creole and Cajun dishes in an upscale atmosphere. Ralph Brennan's family has been in the restaurant business for many years and owns several top-notch restaurants in New Orleans (if they haven't been washed away by the hurricane, sad to say). So the food you'll eat here is authentic--and so is the atmosphere, as the restaurant is in a French Quarter-style building, complete with a delightful courtyard.

Another upscale restaurant is Catal, which serves Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant setting. Downtown Disney also offers family dining, such as the beautiful Rainforest Cafe, which is a favorite with kids because of its "jungle" atmosphere and animatronic animals. You'll dine in a "Mayan temple" and eat among colorful aquariums and occasional thunderstorms. Families also enjoy the ESPN Zone, which features casual dining amongst a zillion TVs and has a sports-themed arcade in which you can play after dinner. Other restaurants at Downtown Disney are Tortilla Jo's (Mexican), La Brea Bakery (sandwiches and pastries), and Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria (Italian). One famous restaurant provides both dining AND entertainment (in the form of frequent musical concerts). That's the House of Blues. The cooking is Cajun and Creole, served in a more casual atmosphere than at Brennan's. The concerts are varied in style--rock, alternative, jazz, gospel, and even, occasionally, blues.

Also for your entertainment, Downtown Disney has the AMC 12 theaters. These theaters feature all-stadium-style seating and state-of-the-art-sound. After taking in a show, you can grab a snack--ice cream, pretzels, candy, or fruit smoothies--at various food outlets. Next, you can browse through some of the stores, such as the large World of Disney store (featuring Disney-themed clothing, toys, and collectibles, of course). Another children's favorite is the large Lego store, which offers play tables full of Legos for the kids' enjoyment, as well as numerous Lego products for sale. I've done a more thorough review of the attractions at Downtown Disney under the "Anaheim" heading if you're interested to learn more about the fun you can have here.

Metro Pointe is a fairly small entertainment complex but one of my favorites. Why so? For one thing, parking is so easy here! There are two parking structures--one for Metro Pointe itself and one that Metro Point shares with a high-rise office building that's on the property. On evenings and weekends, when Metro Pointe is the busiest, no one is at work in the office building, so all those parking spots are available for visitors! Another reason I like this location is that it abuts Interstate 405 and has its own freeway exit. Another reason is that it's across the street from the nation's top-grossing mall, South Coast Plaza. After a movie, one can get some serious shopping done at the 100+ stores there.

Metro Pointe's main attraction--and the ONLY entertainment--is the Edwards Stadium 12 Theaters. It's small (when compared to some theaters with 30 screens!) but good. The theaters feature all stadium-style seating and state-of-the-art sound. Situated around the theaters are a number of restaurants and snack shops. I like sipping cold fruit-smoothie drinks at Jamba Juice or grabbing a quick sandwich at Subway. Gourmet-style ice cream is available at the Cold Stone Creamery. Fancier restaurants include Sam Woo's BBQ and Seafood Bistro, featuring the cuisine of Hong Kong. The Arriba Baja Grill showcases the fresh taste of Baja California cooking. Finbar's Italian Kitchen serves pizza, seafood, and salads. You'll also find Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurant, featuring American cuisine and a microbrewery.

Shopping near the theaters includes a two-story Barnes and Noble bookstore with an in-store cafe. There's also a Nordstrom's Rack (department store outlet) and a Mikasa home store. That's it for the entertainment complex, but there's a separate shopping area of Metro Pointe adjacent to the entertainment complex. After the movie, you can stroll over to that side to visit Best Buy (electronics); Tilly's, Old Navy, or Marshall's (clothing); Linen's and Things (home store); and others.

An awesome, only-in-California entertainment district in Orange County is Main Street in Huntington Beach. Yes, there's a theater here--the Pierside 6--and the views from the box office as you buy your movie tickets is stunning! Yet catching a show is far from the only thing to do here. Day or night, you and your date (or family) can take a stroll along the pier (which extends over the water as if it's just a continuation of Main Street.) You can sometimes watch live sporting events. There are surfing tournaments, including some "biggies" like the U.S. Open of Surfing, and the OP Pro. Skateboard and BMX competitions set-up half-pipes in the parking lot at times, including the "Core Tour," which is a biggie in THAT sport. For viewing more traditional sports, there are several sports bars on Main Street, including Poseidon Billiards and Sports Bar, which features (expensive!) large, flat-screen TVs and a billiards room.

At night, you can even find dancing on Main Street! There's dancing both at Hurricane's Bar & Grill (which also features a patio with great views) and at Perq's Nightclub. Main Street is a foodie's dream. Just in the 5 blocks of Main Street which extend inland from the ocean, you'll find 40+ restaurants---most of which are NOT affiliated with a chain! So, you can have some truly one-of-a-kind dining experiences here. The array of cuisines is wide, too. You'll find Asian and Pacific Rim, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, sushi, Hawaiian, Mexican, Baja Mexican, Peruvian, Irish, Italian, a microbrewery, vegetarian... and still, there are many restaurants that serve just "good ol' American" that unadventuresome eaters (like me!) can enjoy.

Personally, I've tried and can recommend Avila's Mexican Restaurant, BJ's Pizza, International House of Pancakes, Jamba Juice, and Ruby's Diner (which is at the end of the pier). Surprisingly, there's little fast food here. There's a Subway and a hot dog place. Snack outlets (which are also outnumbered by "true" restaurants) include places for coffee, pretzels, candy, and ice cream. The dining atmosphere is casual--well, this IS a beach town!--so don't wear a suit! The fanciest restaurant is Duke's Huntington Beach (which features Hawaiian and Pacific Rim food), and even there, "dress casual" is all that's needed. 90% of restaurants have patios. Actually, that's because California's anti-smoking laws prohibit smoking INSIDE the restaurant buildings, but the ubiquitous patios also make it nice for diners who just want to enjoy an outdoor dining experience. (On chilly winter evenings, when temperatures can drop--GASP!--down into the 50s, the patios have heaters they can turn on).

Parking can SEEM like a problem, but it really isn't. When you first cruise down Main Street, all you'll see is the curbside metered parking that's featured along any Main Street in the USA. (This area was once--years ago--Huntington Beach's main shopping area!) But if you turn down almost any side street, you'll find parking lots. After dining, try browsing through the area's unique stores, many featuring beach wear and beach souvenirs.

Though it's not even 10 years old, the Irvine Spectrum is the granddaddy of OC's modern entertainment complexes. Its entertainment centerpiece, the Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 Theaters, doesn't even feature all-stadium seating! (The Spectrum opened in 1996, when stadium seating was just being introduced, and so only SOME of its theaters have it.) It's still a great theater--just be sure to get a showing in a stadium theater if that's important to you. (It sure is to me!)

In addition to movies, the Spectrum features other entertainment venues, some of which are unique. The Crazy Horse Nightclub, for example, is an old Orange County country-western club that moved into larger quarters at the Spectrum when it opened. It features live music and concerts by visiting Country stars. The Improv Comedy Club, of course, stages comedy performances, both of up-and-coming comedians as well as the more-famous. Dave and Buster's---the adult's video game playground---has a location at the Spectrum. Then, there's the giant ferris wheel (The Great Wheel) and a kiddie train. There are about a dozen sit-down restaurants and also fast-food restaurants and snack outlets.

Unfortunately for the adventuresome eaters in your party, these are all branches of chain restaurants. (The unadventuresome will like the dependability of what they'll find!) For Mandarin cuisine, there's P.F. Chang's China Bistro (which is a favorite restaurant of one of my sons.) For Japanese, there's Maki Maki. Traditional Mexican--Javier's (ha-vee-AIRS) cantina and grill. Baja Mexican--Rubio's and Wahoo's Fish Tacos (both very popular with Southern Californians.) Then, there's a whole slew of restaurants in the American/Pasta/Pizza group--The Cheesecake Factory (which offers entrees as well as desserts, contrary to its name), Fox Sports Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, Red Robin, Champp's Americana and Johnny Rocket's Diner (a 50's style place spotlighting burgers, fries and shakes.)

When the Spectrum opened, it focused solely on entertainment. Parking was plentiful and close, despite the crowds. Well, with success came greed, I guess, because the owners have been building additions ever since. The parking situation has become a hassle, and so many stores have been added that it's soon going to lose its cute-date-spot feel. (There are two major department stores here, plus a crowd-attracting Target coming in 2006.) Still, in another way, it's become more convenient for all-around shopping. There are many teen-oriented clothing stores, too--such as Quiksilver, vans, No Fear, Tilly's Skechers, and others. A two-story Barnes and Noble is here, and the store-of-weird-inventions, Brookstone, has an store, too. If you're in the area, it's worth your time for a look around.