Jazz and wine. Paint and poke. We searched high and low for a variety of choices to keep you busy for the next seven days. Celebrate Halloween or rally your poke fanatics; you'll find it here. Your best bet is all of them, but we happen to be partial to fun.
Back Bay Bistro Jazz Dinner Series – Newport Beach
Tomorrow is another installment of the bistro's jazz series. $40 includes a three-course dinner, or view the show only for half the amount. Reserve your seat by calling directly or going online. Entertainment brought to you by the Darnell Wyrick Quintet.
SeaLegs Wine Bar & SeaSalt Woodfire Grill Halloween Weekend Deals – Huntington Beach
Our friends off Beach Boulevard have got you covered this spooky weekend. Three courses with three glasses of wine for $55. Start with Chef Dale's savory pumpkin soup, move on to seared lamb with red wine bordelaise, and end with an eyeball cheesecake cake pop! And Chardonnay, Cab and Port, respectively. Call ahead to place a reservation.
Anaheim White House Canvas & Wine Night – Tuesday
It's like we always said: If we could drink and paint for a good cause, we would. And Anaheim's White House heard us. The evening of November 1st is when you can get all artsy for Caterina's Club, a charity close to Chef Bruno Serato's heart. Pinot's Palette is providing the painting materials; you need to shell out the $55. Class beings at 6 p.m.
Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill – Through November 20
Roasted veggies and quinoa and beans, oh my! Check out the veggie bowls from Sharky's, full of cauliflower, beets, yams and other goodness; then drizzled with a walnut-cilantro pesto. Throw in greens and beans and quinoa, and you've sort of got a salad. Not really, but it's still good for you. Bonus: It's vegan and gluten-free! Add some chicken or salmon if you need more protein. Available for a limited time at select locations.
Coming Soon: I Love Poke OC 2016 – November 13
Save the date! Hotel Irvine will be the host site for this year's ode to poke. Per festival founder Nino Camilo, “There's a lot of 'poke' in the OC, but it's definitely not Hawaiian, so it's not really poke. We are keeping the standards “HI” (we see what you did there) by bringing Hawaii poke companies out here [so] we can educate people on what poke really is.”
A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.