The thoughtful American cuisine and amazing desserts are a great way to get ready for the show. The amazing beer list is a great way to unwind afterward.

Sometimes you don't need to accompany your evening at the theater with haute cuisine. Sometimes a simple grilled cheese will do, and Stoney's delivers.

The lounge-y feel of the dining room and a menu that embraces traditional Thai and contemporary Asian dishes lend a sense of elegant cool to your evening.

A $39 prix fixe pre-theater menu features many of celebrity chef Susur Lee's most popular dishes (Singapore slaw, anyone?).

Estadio can get very crowded, and no pre-theater diner wants to worry about a wait. But the Spanish dining scene isn't known to kick off early, so show up at 5 p.m. and you should have no trouble getting a chance to try Haidar Karoum's tortilla Espanol or Adam Bernbach's slushitos.

I look for any excuse to dig into one of Hank's wonderful lobster rolls.