This Halloween Punch Bowl Will Give You Nightmares and a Hangover

The Jade Alembic

Restaurants and bars like the Upper Haight’s Alembic are getting into the Halloween spirit by dressing themselves up... as other restaurants. Specifically, The Alembic will transform for one night only into “The Jade Alembic,” adopting Chinatown-inspired decor and a menu and cocktail list to match. Come in (costumes encouraged) for a Shanghai Buck (aged rum, Angostura bitters, ginger beer, simple syrup, lime), General Tso duck legs from chef Rachel Aronow, and tea tastings from Uncle Gee, the famed Chinatown tea salesman.

It’s a bloodbath

At Straw in Hayes Valley, the restaurant’s year-round “carnival fare” theme takes a dark turn this time of year. Example: Their communal cocktail, the Bloodbath, which they’ve been serving since this weekend. It’s whiskey infused Sake, a bottle of sparkling wine, pomegranate juice, orange soda, and lemon juice served in a fishbowl. Feeds the whole coven.

Lucia’s Berkeley offers Venetian-style “Cicchetti” menu

Lucia’s, known for its popular Neapolitan pizzas, is adding a small plates, or cichetti menu, as it’s known in Venice. Think dishes like meatballs with house ragu, olives and nuts, and frito misto, as well as happy hour wine deals.

Nightbird hosts James Beard Award nominated Boston Chef

Townsman chef Matt Jennings, whose restaurant was named one of Food & Wine‘s 10 best of the year, is in town promoting his new book Homegrown: Cooking From My New England Roots. He’ll be at Omnivore Books on Saturday for a talk and signing, and cooking a collaborative dinner with Kim Alter of Nightbird on Friday. Their menu is inspired by the book and will include items such as broth style “west coast” chowder (a take off of Jenning's clam and squid chowder), warm crab panzanella salad, and beet-chocolate cake with candy cap ice cream. Reservations available online or by phone

Cupcakes for Napa

To honor its connection to Napa, where one of its bakeries is located, Kara’s Cupcakes will be selling a cupcake to benefit Napa at all nine of its stores throughout November. The #NapaStrong offering is a chocolate cake cupcake with marshmallow filling topped with a sweet a chocolate frosting, toasted almonds, and #NapaStrong written in icing. All proceeds from the cupcake’s sale will go to the Napa Valley Community Foundation.

The Eater revolution will be televised

Eater is coming to PBS in 2018 with a new show from Vox Media hosted by Red Rooster Harlem chef Marcus Samuelsson. The show, whose working title is No Passport Required, will focus on immigrant communities in the US, like Little Ethiopia in Washington, DC, and closer to home, Little Kabul in Fremont.