In the spooky spirit? Here are some fun L.A. bars and restaurants to try this Halloween
Your morning catch-up: L.A. has some spooky bars and restaurants, SoCal braces for more strong Santa Ana winds and more big stories.
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When I think of Halloween, the first visions that come to mind are of my neighbor.
He goes all out every year with his 12-foot mechanical spider blocking the doorway, a walkway dripping with fake blood and permanent outdoor LED lights set to black and orange.
The spirit of the season, however, extends beyond these enthusiastic households, theme parks and haunted houses.
Many local restaurants, bars, pubs and eateries are also offering creative seasonal treats such as bat-shaped finger sandwiches along with cocktails with names such as Blood Moon and Liquid Lobotomy.
Colleague Melody Xu has curated a list of must-try haunts from L.A. to Long Beach and Orange County.
Here are a few spooky selections from the entire list.
The Haunting at the Ordinarie (Long Beach)
For the first time this year, the creators of Christmas cocktail pop-ups Miracle and Sippin’ Santa are debuting a Halloween concept called the Haunting.
Every day through Nov. 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., the Ordinarie will transform into immersive hideaways serving up surprises — think childhood haunted houses, glowing jack-o’-lanterns and late-night horror movie marathons.
Creepy cocktails include the Widow’s Whisper, Scream-sicle, Poison Apple, Liquid Lobotomy and Clown Pear-anoia, along with spirit-free drinks.
Witching Hour Afternoon Tea Chado Tea Room (Torrance)
Until Nov. 1, stop by any Chado Tea Room location for an afternoon tea full of spooky treats.
The $78 experience starts with a witch’s welcome refresher, and the first course offers a choice between cream of pumpkin soup and spooky skeleton caprese salad.
Next, dig into a three-tiered tea stand featuring four Halloween-inspired finger sandwiches. As for sweet treats, enjoy shattered glass scones served with witch’s cream and bewitched berry jam, spellbound butter cookies and witch’s spell cupcakes.
Guests will also receive a bewitching tea of choice: Black Magic, Día de los Muertos, Basic Witch or pumpkin spice chai. Reservations are available. Chado has locations in downtown L.A., Hollywood, Torrance and Pasadena.
Pete’s Spookeasy at Pete’s Sunset Grille (Huntington Beach)
From now through Nov. 2, find Pete’s Spookeasy haunting the bar within Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa.
Perhaps you’ll start with some Dracula Bat Wings and the Char-BOO-terie board. Then bite straight into entrees like the Grill-Reaper’s Ribeye, a 10-ounce house-butchered ribeye served with cowboy butter, or the Haunted Harbor Cake, a lump crab cake with roasted corn salsa and house remoulade.
To satisfy your sweet tooth, try the Witches Brew Tiramisu, made with chai tea-soaked chocolate lady fingers and purple sweet potato mascarpone mousse, or Poison Apple Toffee Pudding with apple compote, miso caramel and vanilla bean streusel. Cocktails are also themed, like the tropical Creepy Colada and the Black Magic margarita with blackberries, lemon and lime juices, agave nectar and a black salt rim.
Tarot cocktails at Written Hand (Hollywood)
Drop by the Kimpton Everly Hotel’s restaurant and bar, Written Hand, through Oct. 31, and your server will fan out a deck of tarot cards to decide your cocktail based on one of the seven deadly sins.
Gluttony is a zombie-style tiki drink that’s so stiff the bar cuts you off at two; sloth is a lazy purple Rickey of butterfly pea tea, London dry gin, lime and soda; envy is a riff on the Red Ant with rye whiskey, mezcal, Cherry Heering and a lemon twist; pride is a white negroni featuring a pink-lit ice cube with a grapefruit peel; wrath is a spicy mango margarita rimed in black volcanic rock salt; greed is a bourbon Gold Rush with lemon and honey, rimmed in gold flakes; and lust is a smooth, sweet pumpkin-spice Brandy Alexander with cognac, rye, crème de cacao, pumpkin puree and oat milk.
For much more, check out the full list here.
The week’s biggest stories
Santa Ana winds and SoCal Fire
- Southern California braces for more strong Santa Ana winds while a fire destroys homes in Orange County.
- The Norte fire burned more than 570 acres in south Orange County, destroying six homes and prompting evacuation orders.
- Climate change is weakening the Santa Ana winds — but that won’t save SoCal from devastating fires.
- Just eight years after Woolsey, a new fire ignites in its scar — too soon for both residents and plants.
- As the Bryson fire reignites trauma in Malibu, neighbors are once again leaning on one another.
Devastating hacks and AI
- Hackers have stolen the personal data of millions of California students in a massive breach.
- Here’s what we know about the man who allegedly bugged an OpenAI conference room in San Francisco.
- Culver City is quietly emerging as a new mecca for AI filmmaking.
Trump administration policies and reactions
- While the Department of Justice has made big assertions and sharp exchanges, there is little clarity in its election battle with California.
- The Justice Department sent L.A. County the names, birth dates and addresses of some 20,000 ‘likely noncitizen’ voters. But the list included voters from across the state.
- Trump’s team is in chaos as midterms enter final stretch.
Entertainers in the wrong spotlight
- Rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been transferred to a new facility after a prison perks report, head injury.
- Combs was transferred from a New Jersey prison to a low-security facility in Pennsylvania.
- Actor Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse indictment in New Mexico is thrown out by judge.
- Actress Selma Blair’s team issues a lengthy statement regarding her arrest and plane incident.
More news
- Elon Musk just showed off a flying car. Here’s what to know about the Tesla Roadster.
- Luna, a 10-year-old Jack Russell, just survived a month loose in Yellowstone National Park.
- The Coast Guard continues search for survivors, rescuing 16, miles off the Pacific coast after mayday call.
- What we learned from the Lakers’ preseason games and training camp.
Editor’s pick
In a neighborhood touched by tragedy, where residents say speeding is rampant, guerrilla activist Jonathan Hale and his group painted crosswalks without permission.
More picks
- Dozens of California dams need repair as El Niño winter draws closer.
- L.A. Affairs: Red flag! My date called sharing a Bloomin’ Onion financial theft.
- Opinion: Trump’s press secretary lasted five days. A carton of milk has a longer shelf life.
- Opinion: If you get kids off their devices, where are they going to go?
Things to do
- ☀️ Film critic and journalist Karina Longworth, the “You Must Remember This” host, enjoys her perfect Sunday with hikes in Laurel Canyon, catching a 35mm film screening and lingering over Italian food.
- 🍣 Koreatown’s new Tiger’s Den restaurant is serving the best takeout sushi in Los Angeles.
- 🍿Review: In the latest installment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, actor Paul Bettany reprises his role as Vision, who is trying to understand who and what he was in the Disney+ series “VisionQuest.”
Today’s recipe
“Lasagna soup is not new,” wrote content strategist Sara Kitnick. “It has been on Pinterest boards and cozy-season roundups for years. But the weather is shifting, and we just want something warm. Something nostalgic. Maybe a little dramatic. And now, TikTok is giving the dish a second life.” Here’s a look at a fast and simple recipe.
Photo of the day
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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