How about ... Java ?: D
If normal Java frameworks (for some reason) are unacceptable, then what about the Google Web Toolkit - you write code in Java (with all the advantages of the language), but the application is compiled in JavaScript, which can be run in any modern browser. In addition, it performs some optimization, etc. - It’s really worth a look if you are familiar with Java and want to use this language to write “lightweight” web applications.
If I didn’t specify earlier: you write code in Java (you can use all design patterns, object-oriented functions, strong typing, etc., the compiler warns you if there are compile-time errors, very mature Eclipse integration, etc. .), but the application is compiled in JavaScript - there is no need for a Java plug-in in the browser (without Java applets at all). The compilation part further optimizes and obfuscates the output JS code, so you will get faster and smaller code, and then if you wrote it manually. The server side is up to you ; while it’s easiest to use Java there (especially with all the great stuff included in GWT 2.1), you can easily use PHP, RoR or Django (via JSON or XML).