Miguel R.
Yelp
I have a friend, who will call Kay. She is busy with work, life, and figuring out the balance between the two. There was a time where it was easier for both of us to spend time with one another. But now we text on days far apart, and promise to see each other, when time and responsibilities permit, an alignment that arrives on rare occassion, like a blue moon. After a nearly two year wait, we finally found the time to meet, on a night a week away from Halloween. I decided to book a reservation at Beetle House LA because an Instagram real led me to believe it would be a spooky, good time. And since Kay and I see each other seldomly, I thought the moment should be held by an environment and background that was uniquely special, and helped propel our shared time into distinct territory. And the place held its promise, for Kay and I had a good time because the place itself was modest spectacle that offered shadows and flames in play that provided Kay and I, further reason to make our long awaited hangout, special, like a vampire's first bite after a decade's coffin-slumber.
As soon as one walks in, one feels the ghoulish atmosphere that never feels like a scary maze ready with jump scares. The atmosphere is Halloween fun; a mix of kitsch, orange and purple glow, and the beat of the monster mash. When we arrived, the host was dressed a la Maleficent but with a sexier edge. I know this is picky, but I would have liked the host to great me with Halloween-forward language. For example, she could have said, welcome ghosts and specters, prepare for a frighteningly good time,. However, she had already done enough, wearing intricate purple make-up under her eyes, must take some time, so her lack of Halloween language would have been extra candy in my pumpkin basket, not a necessity.
As soon, as we walked in, we were escorted to our seats, which were right in front of a floor stage. She and I had not done a lot of research, thus we were surprised that they were going to have a show. I dreaded the realization a bit, as I am not always the fan of performances while I am dining, as they can easily traverse to being cheesy or non-engaging, thus they become something to endure and applaud out of respect. But this places's performances were micro bites of entertainment, they moved quickly and were bursts of visual appeal. For instance, the host Elvira, introduced a fire dancer who adopted Morticia's persona, of Addams Family Fame. As she came down the famous tune accompanied her, but it was a modern one, not the one that I know from before. She twirled her fire wands, and put the flames in her mouth. It was a momentary dazzle that added to the evening, not arrested our attention. Later in the evening, Elvira brought the different performers of the night together. She invited the guests and the performers to dance the famous song from Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Time Warp. None of the guests got up and dance. It would have been inconvenient-- the tables would have gotten in our way. Maybe Elvira could have invited some brave souls (volunteers) to dance in the stage alongside the performers. But It would have been great having the whole joint dancing to the Time Warp, but alas we were not pumped into action.
Our server was named Blanca, which means White in Spanish. I thought that was such a clever wink from the universe to us, for we were being served by a person whose named meant white, on a day where the dark was being celebrated, but neither Kay nor Blanca took the moment to enjoy the coincidence, much like Zombies, there funny bone might be rotten to the point of inefficacy.
The food was just ok, I am sorry to say. We were required to get a three course menu. We both started with the mac and cheese, and she got the French Chicken (coc au vain, or something close) and I the Miso Salmon. The mac and cheese was a let down. It was served in a small plate, not a small bow. The mac and cheese was made from pasta shell. I think they tried to make the dish special by using shells instead of elbows, it had no flavor, and its cheese consistency was a drip. No one wants to see watery cheese sauce on a pasta dish. My salmon dish was solid. I ate wasabi mash potatoes. At one point, I took a bite and the wasabi was so present, I felt its typical kick upon my nostrils, and taste buds. It was harsh, just a bit, but enough for me to know that this dish was more a solid attempt, than a compose dish. The cheesecake was pumpkin, and I ate it but it was not a sweet note to end a dinner with, more like a treat to enjoy to combat food waste. The drinks were enjoyable and came brewing! She and I both had two.
There were hanging plants from the ceiling. I imagine they were meant to remind us of the Swamp Thing in the ceiling. There were plenty of scary things to see! The place is more like a moment to celebrate Halloween, but other than that, do not expect it to be more!
