Mixologist Paul Zahn has teamed up with La Nena Cantina in Hollywood to showcase some new honey menu items for National Honey Month this September, including his recipe for a Pomegranate Honey Margarita, made with Corralejo Reposado Tequila, fresh lime juice, pomegranate syrup, and Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur. New dishes on the new fall menu include the Vegano Baja Taco made with lightly fried cauliflower served with  honey chipotle sauce, grilled salmon tropical served with  a honey mango strawberry sauce alongside rice and vegetables. There’s also a grilled shrimp tostada salad with honey vinaigrette and a hint of habanero.

Descanso Restaurant is celebrating National Taco Day on Tuesday, Oct. 7, with a chef-curated taco platter featuring four of its most popular specialty tacos.. Available at its Costa Mesa and recently opened Los Angeles locations, Descanso’s National Taco Day Platter includes street-sized versions of the Felipe, The Relleno, Don Chingon, and Chicharrón de Pescado tacos for  $15. Each taco is served on a house-made corn tortilla: 

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National Taco Day Platter (Courtesy Descanso Restaurant)

  • The Felipe: Garlic marinated ribeye with poblano chiles, onions, oyster mushrooms, tres quesos, tomatillo salsa cruda, and micro cilantro on a corn tortilla
  • The Relleno: Roasted Anaheim chile with Tatuma squash, corn, sweet peppers, tres quesos, salsa verde, onion, cotija cheese, and micro cilantro on a corn tortilla
  • Don Chingón: Spit-roasted al pastor pork with red onion, salsa frita, avocado toreado salsa, chamoy, and micro cilantro on a corn tortilla
  • Chicharrón de Pescado: Crispy battered tilapia, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, morita aioli, pickled red onion, and micro cilantro on a corn tortilla

 Molly Baz, founder of the Ayoh mayo line and her weenie dog, Tuna, are hosting Big Weenie Fest 2025 on Thursday, Oct.  2, at Tail o’ the Pup in West Hollywood from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  It’s being billed as an evening full of glamour, weiner dogs, and mayo.  The first 50 Weiner Dogs and their owners eat for free, and there will be treats for dogs and humans alike, including $9 hot dogs.  And yes, there will be a step and  repeat and doggie red carpet.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre of Petit Trois is launching a new pop-up series: éphémère, with the first edition running from Tuesday, Oct.  7, through Saturday, Oct. 11. éphémère: légume marks the French chef’s  first all-vegetarian tasting menu, celebrating classic French technique and California’s seasonal bounty. The multi-course menu is available through OpenTable. Reservations are $195 per person plus tax and gratuity, beginning at 5:30 p.m. nightly (chef’s counter & table seating available). Tickets available here.

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Let’s Have Tea (Stan Lee)

On Sunday, Oct. 19, Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant, Spago Beverly Hills, will join forces with The Maybourne Beverly Hills and the City of Beverly Hills to host the Beverly Hills Autumn BBQ. Held adjacent to The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Beverly Cañon Gardens, a curated group of award-winning chefs and mixologists will gather from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  to offer elevated takes on BBQ favorites in support of No Kid Hungry – a national campaign working to end childhood hunger. 

The powerhouse culinary lineup for the event includes Puck,  Evan Funke, Nancy Silverton, Alisa Vannah, Burt Bakman, Daniel Castillo of Heritage BBQ in  San Juan Capistrano, and Frank Ostini from the Hitching Post in Buellton. Tickets are available  HERE, starting at $300.

Let’s Have Tea!, a modern Japanese tea experience, will have its final pop-up at the Arts District Loft on Saturday, Oct.  11, and Sunday, Oct. 12. Each session is designed around a unique theme, often tied to the season. For October, the theme is autumn. In Japan, autumn is the season of harvest, a time when appetite naturally deepens, and seasonal bounty is celebrated. 

The event features five to six carefully selected Japanese teas, including rare single-origin teas and premium matcha paired with California’s fall produce using Japanese culinary techniques, handcrafted wagashi Japanese confection to close the tasting, and a take-home ceramic tea cup designed by OWIU Goods, the LA-based modern design studio, as a keepsake gift. Reservations are available on  Tock.

What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink.