Tustinental

You can get a taste of East Tustin at Newport (Avenue) and Old Irvine (Boulevard). The chateau-style Plaza LaFayette mini-mall offers American brew, collectibles and needlepoint alongside Italian menswear and Greek cuisine. Some of the businesses’ spellings are funny (Nieuport 17?), but otherwise it only looks like you’re in France.

LUNCH 1

This may be new town Tustin, but Tustin Brewing Co., which opened in 1996, does homage to its roots with enlarged reproductions of old photos of Old Town and the nearby blimp hangars. The eat-and-drinkery is packed when most people get off work ($2 pints, $6 pitchers are in effect 3-6 p.m. weekdays, also after 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday), but at lunchtime you can have a relatively quiet glass of, say, pear or peach Wyder’s Cider, or a brew-master special such as apricot ale.

Listed under starters, the Brewery Sausage Sampler ($6.25) makes an ideal light lunch: assorted sausages such as garlic chicken, andouille and a spicy tri-pepper pork-veal combo are grilled and served with tabbouleh, sauerkraut and whole-grain mustard. Also on the menu is a variety of salads, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas and entrees. Dessert choices include creme ale bru^lee--”the way the French should have made it.”

AFTERNOON 2 3 4

D.H.F. Design offers furniture on consignment and “lots of collectibles.” Dog lovers will appreciate two styles of greyhound bookends ($58 and $65 a pair) and a little ceramic wounded boxer ($20). What appear to be ceramic books titled “The Men’s Club” and “The History of Cigars” are, in fact, cigar ash trays ($39 for a set of three).

Rakish (Suite 105), which carries women’s wear, and Frank’s Italian Menswear (Suite 106), relocated several years ago from Orange.

Needlepoint Unlimited seemingly lives up to its name. Whole walls are devoted to an astonishing array of fibers--don’t call them yarns! Patterns are divided into categories such as Oriental Express. Coffee-table books include “Tapisserie: The Art of Needlepoint,” “Icelandic Patterns in Needlepoint,” “Flowers and Fruit” and “The Art of Tassel Making.”

H. Foster & Jackson appears filled with bric-a-brac that, on closer examination, turn out to be collectibles including fantasy figurines by James C. Christensen and netsuke-like Harmony Kingdom boxes.

A look beyond ostrich Beanie Babies reveals even greater treasures, notably chess sets with riding to hounds and Confederate themes. Most impressive is a pewter World War II set: the battleships Bismarck and Texas face off as queens; American and Axis eagles duke it out as kings.

Time to kill before dinner? Many people consider nearby Tustin Lanes (at 1091 Old Irvine Blvd.) their favorite bowling center in the county. Before 6 p.m. (and all day Sunday and Monday), it’s extra economical: $1.50 per game, $1.50 for shoes. But don’t discount Rock ‘n’ Bowl: all-you-can-bowl for $12, with deejay and prizes, for three hours starting at 10 p.m. Saturdays.

DINNER 5

You could get all gussied up and head over to that bastion of continental cuisine, Nieuport 17, named for a World War I French biplane (13051 Newport Ave., adjacent to LaFayette Plaza). You gotta admire the combo naval aviation-German hunt lodge decor. (The owner was the naval aviator; apparently his brother is an outfitter in Montana.) Entrees $15-$26.

Christakis Greek Cuisine offers fare from the same continent. The Christakis Pikila ($7.95, $10.95 for two) is an array of starters including taramosalata (red caviar, onions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil), melitzanosalata (creamy eggplant spread), hummus (garbanzo bean spread), kalamata olives, feta cheese, tiropita and spanakopita (both filo dough dishes) and pita bread. Rack of lamb (market price) is Christakis’ most popular dish. For dessert, consider galactobouriko ($3), a custard filo pie topped with honey.

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1) Tustin Brewing Co.

13011 Newport Ave., Suite 100, (714) 665-2337.

11:30 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday.

2) D.H.F.

13011 Newport Ave., Suite 104, (714) 544-8194.

10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

3) Needlepoint Unlimited

13011 Newport Ave., Suite 108, (714) 832-8770.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

4) H. Foster & Jackson

13011 Newport Ave., Suite 109, (714) 544-4635.

Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

5) Christakis Greek Cuisine

13011 Newport Ave., Suite 113, (714) 731-1179.

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 4:30-10 p.m. daily.

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Parking

There is free parking in lots in front of and behind LaFayette Plaza shops. (Christakis Greek Cuisine also validates valet parking at Nieuport 17 Restaurant.)

Buses

OCTA Bus No. 67 runs along Newport Avenue with a stop at Irvine Boulevard; Bus No. 65 runs along Irvine Boulevard with a stop at Newport Avenue.