If you plan wisely, it’s actually possible to knock out the entire Grub Guide for the next week. Start off at Rasselbock tomorrow for a hoppy good time. Then head for a workout over at Spectrum on Saturday afternoon. Recover on Sunday before heading to House of Blues for a little line dancing. Make Tuesday a Milk Box/Honey & Butter kind of day. Thursday is the new Friday, so have some scary good food at Knott’s (maybe knock out a maze or five). All that running around means you can indulge at Oozefest. See? Totally possible. Now run along and have some fun.
Rasselbock’s Oktoberfest Kicks Off This Weekend – Long Beach
Their Back-Lot Beer Garden opens this Friday from 5-10 p.m.. If you can’t make it, no problem. They’ll still be there Saturday and the following Friday/Saturday. Both kid and dog-friendly, enjoy the live German oompah band while you down pretzels, sausages and Oktoberfest specials on beer. In addition, every Sunday this month is dubbed “Family Sundays”, with kid’s meal specials and activities like face painting from 1-5 p.m. Check out Edwin’s review from last year over here. Prost! 4020 Atlantic Avenue, (562) 912-4949; www.rasselbocklb.com.
Coming Soon: Oozefest III – Foodbeast’s Cheesy Food Festival – Santa Ana
Do you like quesadillas? How about mac and cheese? Jalapeno poppers? Try all three in the same bite! Yeah, if you’re down with cheese like Foodbeast is, then the mashup dish from Razzy Ruca’s we just described will be right up your alley. So will the AYCE and drink (craft beer) portion of the third annual Oozefest, being held Saturday the 14th at Main Place Mall. Zpizza, Puesto, Mad Dumplings, The Kroft, PIE-NOT and Haute Sandwich Hut are just some of the folks who will be serving their piping hot and stringy stuff to the masses. Prepare for a cheesy good time, and get those tickets! 2800 Main St, (714) 547-7800; www.shopmainplacemall.com
Two Step to Nashville Nights at House of Blues – Anaheim
Monday nights are the new evening to put on those dancing boots. Join the House of Blues family for Jack Daniels-themed drinks, all-night happy hour bites (we’re partial to the crispy Carolina Mess fries smothered in pulled pork) and tush-shaking dance lessons. Bonus: Chef Cantwell’s new menu items include a Bayou flatbread topped with Gouda and andouille sausage! The party begins at 7 p.m. and carries on through the end of the month at their new Gardenwalk spot. We’ll bust out a cowboy cha cha next time My Maria comes on. 400 W Disney Way, (714) 778-2583; www.houseofblues.com.
Knott’s Scary Farm Has Ghoulish Good Eats – Buena Park
We know what Halloween means to a lot of folks— SCARY FARM!! We nearly peed our pants inside The Tooth Fairy maze recently, but were quickly calmed down by the seasonal selections available throughout Knott’s. For starters, check out the Ghost Town Bakery treats way up at the top of our blog post. If you’re near Cable Car Kitchen or Ghost Town Grub, the kid-friendly Gummy Nightmare Funnel Cake will aim to please. Look out for Monster Grilled Chicken and Carne Asada Burritos (Ghost Town food carts) as well as a Hellfire Chicken Sandwich (Wilderness Broiler). Chilly diners should hit Coffee Hut for their pumpkin and salted caramel fixes— we’re dying to try to the Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato. 8039 Beach Blvd, (714) 220-5200; www.knotts.com.
Milk Box and Honey & Butter Collaboration Still Going Strong – multiple locations
Milk tea and macaron fans unite through the 15th at your local Milk Box and Honey & Butter (Irvine Spectrum location only) spots. We recently dropped by Spectrum for a macaron fix, and left with Mustache Tea macarons for the perfect Saturday selfie. At all three Milk Box stops (Mission Viejo, Tustin and newly opened Westminster), you can also power up on Churro Milk and Mustache Iced Teas. Serious fans can purchase a collectible pin in macaron or milk tea form, if they so choose— or get it for free by purchasing two drinks and two macarons. This month’s featured beverage is an Apple Milk Tea. www.milkboxbar.com and honeynbutter.com.
Hello Kitty x Torrid Saturday Workout! – Irvine
Torrid takes Breast Cancer Awareness Month a step further with an athleisure collection featuring Hello Kitty. 20% of sales from this collection will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. To kick things off, they’re holding a dance aerobics class by the Great Wheel over at Irvine Spectrum this Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For a donation of $15, participants will receive a tote stocked with a few treats, including a Hello Kitty tumbler and a sweet surprise from the Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up Container! Purchase tickets online, or stop by the Torrid store that day to join in on the fun. 523 Spectrum Center Dr, Ste 243, (949) 585-9380; www.torrid.com.
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.