Tue., Nov. 2, $120/couple
Portuguese eatery Koo Zee Doo has created a special menu to be paired with Irish whiskey-based cocktails from bartenders Phoebe Esmon (Catahoula) and Christian Gaal (Noble). The five-course tasting will include bacalhau (salt cod, raw) with spicy yolk; vanilla-poached lobster with pumpkin; and venison bean stew. On the drinking end, expect cocktails like Jameson with Cointreau, white wine and lemon bitters; and Redbreast 12-year with Falernum, lime and apple cider. Reservations recommended. Koo Zee Doo, 614 N. Second St., 215-923-8080, koozeedoo.com.
Tue., Nov. 2, 2:30-11 p.m.
Drop by U-City's Distrito to celebrate Dia de los Muertos — the bar will be serving "street food" specials, including assorted skewers (hanger steak, shrimp, chicken) and Nachos Ignacio, with black beans, poblanos, queso mixto and pickled jalapenos. To drink: $2 and $4 beer specials, plus $5 specialty cocktails. Beginning at 8, Jose Garces' Mexi restaurant will also offer a special Herradura tequila dinner for $65 a person; dishes will include hiramasa ceviche and pork tamales with Oaxacan black mole. A portion of the day's proceeds will benefit Puentes De Salud, a local non-profit benefiting Philly’s Latinos community. Reservations recommended. Distrito, 3945 Chestnut St., 215-222-1657, distritorestaurant.com.
Mon., Nov. 1, 7-9 p.m., $40
Featuring four courses paired with four different Patron cocktails, El Camino Real's day of the dead event sounds pretty tasty/potentially pretty drunk. The dinner will start out with a melon salsa and chips with grilled corn, paired with a drink called the La Rosa (Patron silver, fresh lime and guava Jarritos soda). Sounds bueno to me. El Camino Real, Liberties walk, 1040 N. Second St., 215-925-1110, bbqburritobar.com.
Sat., Oct. 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free
Beck’s Cajun Café in Reading Terminal Market is hosting a spooky Halloween party, Creole-style. Storyteller/singer Kent Courtney will appear as pirate Jean Lafitte, performing music and telling the tales of the Louisiana swamps. An eating contest featuring Beck’s bread pudding will take place, as will a costume contest, free mask-making for the little ones and free pralines for those who show up in costume. Beck's Cajun Café, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-592-0505, beckscajuncafe.com.
Fri.-Sun., Oct. 29-31, 5-10 p.m.
Le Viet wants to light your mouth on fire with some of the hottest dishes you'll ever taste. Every item on their special "Hell Night" menu will come with a complimentary glass of milk — you'll need it, eating dishes like "Devil's Stew" (beef soup with rice vermicelli, sliced beef shank pork and Vietnamese pork roll); and "Yellow Fever Chicken," simmered in a fiery curry. The restaurant insists the challenge is not for the faint of heart. Come dressed in costume and you'll have a chance to win a $25 gift card. Le Viet, 1019 S. 11th St., 215-463-1570, levietrestaurant.com.