A LA CARTE : HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurants have few excuses to put on a party throughout the summer months. So, when Halloween rolls around each year, a few of them jump into the party spirit. Here are a few restaurant ``fright nights'' worth consideration: Border Grill Address: 1445 Fifth St., Santa Monica. Phone: (310) 451-1655. Cuisine: Mexican. Comments: El Dia De Los Muertos Día de los Muer·tos n. See Day of the Dead. [Spanish : día, day + de, of + los, the + muertos, pl. of muerto, dead.] (the Day of the Dead) is the Mexican equivalent to All Hallows Eve, and this famous cafe celebrates it to the hilt every year, this year from Friday through Nov. 3. Look for the Day of the Dead altar with a skeleton presiding. Picks: Pork stew with green pumpkin seed sauce, sea bass Tikenchik in banana leaf with achiote a·chi·o·te n. See annatto. [American Spanish, from Nahuatl achiotl.] sauce, turkey black bean chili with ancho an·cho n. pl. an·chos A dried poblano pepper. [American Spanish (chile) ancho, wide (chili), from Spanish, from Old Spanish, from Latin amplus; see ample.] salsa, wild mushroom and huitlacoche huit·la·co·che n. Variant of cuitlacoche. empanadas, chicken tamales with mole, chiles en nogada Chiles en nogada is a dish from Mexican cuisine. The name comes from the Spanish word for the walnut tree, nogal. It consists of poblano chiles filled with "picadillo" (a mixture usually containing chopped or ground meat, aromatics, fruits, and spices) topped with a with walnut and pomegranate pomegranate (pŏm`grănĭt, pŏm`ə–), handsome deciduous and somewhat thorny large shrub or small tree (Punica granatum sauce, flan de calabasa, Oaxacan mocha cake, pastel rufina, Black Death tequila, blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. voodoo beer and Dead Guy ale. DC3 Address: 2800 Donald Douglas Loop N., Santa Monica. Phone: (310) 399-2323. Cuisine: Contemporary Californian. Comments: Will not have an all-out party as in previous years, but the spirit will still be present. Picks: The regular menu will prevail, and once again, children of parents dining here (reservations by 2 p.m. Oct. 31) will be escorted to the adjacent Museum of Flying by a baby sitter to attend a kiddie event and fed a meal at no cost. They will even receive a Halloween gift. Lula Address: 2720 Main St., Santa Monica. Phone: (310) 392-5711. Cuisine: Mexican. Comments: A Day of the Dead five-course tequila dinner ($43 per person, includes special gifts) will be held on Halloween night. Reservations necessary. Limited seating. Picks: Black bean tamales with avocado leaves and Sauza Commemorativo tequila, huitlacoche (earthy corn fungus) crepes with a pomegranate Sauza Silver tequila margarita, zucchini flower and pumpkin squash soup with a Sauza Hornitos tequila margarita, a choice of entrees (Oaxacan moles, Oaxacan black beef stew, Oaxacan yellow chicken mole with dumplings or pork with dry chili, pineapple and plantains), banana and pienapple dessert. Moonlight Tango Cafe Address: 13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Phone: (818) 788-2000. Cuisine: Contemporary American. Comments: Costume (with prizes) party, special Cajun menu and Zydeco entertainment featuring Lisa Haley and the Zydecats on tap. Show time 8 p.m. Food and drink minimum $9.95. Picks: Cajun popcorn with sherry sauce, Bayou turtle soup, chicken and andouille an·dou·ille n. A spicy smoked sausage made with pork and garlic, used especially in Cajun cooking. [French, from Old French andoille, from Medieval Latin *inductilia, jambalaya, Louisiana crawfish crawfish: see crayfish. etoufee. St. Moritz Address: Toluca Lake Tennis Club, 6711 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. Phone: (213) 851-8844. Cuisine: Continental. Comments: The special ``bewitching be·witch tr.v. be·witched, be·witch·ing, be·witch·es 1. To place under one's power by or as if by magic; cast a spell over. 2. To captivate completely; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. menu and ghostly spirits dinner'' here begins at 5 p.m. and is $17.50 per person. Picks: Look for such items as jack-o'-lantern pumpkin soup, ghoulish ghoul n. 1. One who delights in the revolting, morbid, or loathsome. 2. A grave robber. 3. An evil spirit or demon in Muslim folklore believed to plunder graves and feed on corpses. goulash gou·lash n. 1. A stew of beef or veal and vegetables, seasoned mainly with paprika. 2. A mixture of many different elements; a hodgepodge. , warlock's blackened snapper, vampire tournedos of beef and Casper's whitefish. Stinking Rose Address: 55 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills. Phone: (310) 652-7673. Cuisine: Garlicky Italian. Comments: Find Dracula's Grotto here. This area and others get the full frightening decor treatment on Halloween. Picks: Eat enough garlic (the 40-clove garlic chicken with garlic mashed potatoes is a good start) and the vampires won't come near you. Neither will your friends. Taix French Restaurant Address: 1911 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Phone: (213) 484-1265. Cuisine: Country French. Comments: Approaching its 70th year, it's a true L.A. dining landmark. Picks: The 12-ounce prime rib is a Halloween special dinner at $9.95 with a house salad and pumpkin pie or pumpkin ice cream for dessert. Vitello's Address: 4349 Tujunga Ave., Studio City. Phone: (818) 769-0905. Cuisine: Italian. Comments: Has opera nights on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and comedy nights on Tuesdays. A special Halloween party is set for Wednesday, the night before Halloween. Picks: The regular menu on hand, but there's a costume contest for the singers who are invited to dress like their favorite operatic characters. MEMO: Do you have a question about restaurants? Mail it to Larry Lipson, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91365-4200, and look for the answer in a future dining beat column in L.A. Life. |
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