What’s a ghoul to do now that Halloween is over? The obvious answer is, get in on some Day of the Dead celebrations happening today and tomorrow. El Camino Real is partnering up with Patron to prepare and serve a special $40 Day of the Dead dinner tonight starting at 7 p.m., featuring a four course menu paired with Patron cocktails. Patron’s Tequila Master Rob Astle will give a brief speech and answer questions about tequila. Dinner includes melon salsa and chips, and grilled corn paired with La Rosa, Patrón Silver, fresh lime and guava Jarritos soda, a burrito tasting, paired with a classic Margarita, with Patrón reposado, chili rellano, paired with La Luz Brillante, Patrón añejo, grapefruit and agave nectar, and churros and Mexican chocolate ice cream, paired with Café Margarita, Patrón XO Cafe, canella-infused Patrón Silver, mocha syrup and Mexican chocolate rim. Click through for more Day of the Dead festivities.
• Tomorrow (Day of the Dead proper), Xochitl is presenting a five-course dinner for $45 per person that it’s calling Heart and Soul. Chef Lucio Palazzo drew inspiration for the menu from corazon (heart), sangre (blood) and alma (soul). Dishes include chicharrones with salsa verde and apple, foie gras and duck confit empanada with shaved hubbard squash and pomegranate-chipotle salsa, D’Angelo’s morcilla (blood sausage) with beets, fennel and walnut-tequila vinaigrette, beef heart tacos with foraged mushrooms, fried bone marrow and pickled nopales, pan de muerto with quince paste and goat cajeta.
• Also tomorrow, Distrito, the Jose Garces Mexican number in University City, is celebrating Day of the Dead in the Cantina and in the upstairs dining room. In the cantina the celebration takes palce all day with specials that include Esquites, sweet corn with queso fresco and chipotle mayo, Nachos Ignacio, with black beans, poblano, queso mixto and pickled jalapenos, and assorted Alambres, or skewers, including hanger steak, shrimp and chicken. Plus specially priced cans of Tecate and Modelo Especial, Dos Equis Amber and Lager draughts and specialty cocktails will be available. At 9 p.m., two DJs will spin and face painters will adorn revelers faces with “Day of the Dead” skulls. A Day of the Day Herradura Tequila Dinner begins at 8 pm in Distrito’s private dining room. Space is limited, so reservations are strongly recommended. The $65 per person dinner begins with a cocktail reception, followed by dishes paired with tequilas. The menu features warm lobster cappucino with guajillos, Hiramasa ceviche with blood orange segments, radish, lime, jalapenos and micro arugula, red chile and pork tamale with Oaxacan black mole, braised goat with smoked bacon black beans and citrus salad and chocolate flan. A portion of the proceeds from the Day of the Day celebration will benefit Puentes de Salud, a non-profit organization that promotes the well-being of Philadelphia’s Latinos through low-cost, high-quality health care, community development and innovative education programs which reflect evolving partnerships among individuals, community organizations, and academic institutions.
