Pumpkins and Treats, Goblins and Good Eats!
Written by SurfWriter Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
In October when the leaves start to fall and the Santa Ana winds pick up, signs of autumn and Halloween are all around us in SoCal. From North Orange County to South Orange County – especially at Roger’s Gardens in Newport Beach and the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano.
In North OC, Roger’s Gardens, with its upscale plant nursery, boutique shops and gourmet Farmhouse restaurant spread over 6 acres, is always popular. From early fall through the holidays – when it puts on its party face – is when it really draws people in.
In the lead-up to Halloween, the gardens and shops take on a spooky aura reminiscent of Ray Bradbury’s novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, when the mysterious carnival with its strange goings-on blows into town early one morning. Mixed in among the plants and displays are crystal balls, a fortune teller’s booth, mystical signs, and more.
The farm-to-table Farmhouse restaurant (a Surfrider Foundation Ocean Friendly Restaurant) makes the most of seasonal dishes. Specialties include: Apple Pumpkin Butter-Stuffed French Toast, Pink Lady Apples and Prosciutto Pizza, Grill Soy Dijon-rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Pumpkin Mascarpone Cheesecake, and other unique offerings.
While waiting for your table or walking off the calories, you can explore the shops and gardens themselves, which are filled with twists and turns and plants to add to your own garden, including some spooky Halloween ones.
In South OC, the newly expanded River Street Marketplace (near the famed SJC Mission where the swallows come each year) takes a page out of Old OC with its cowboy/western feel of barns, haylofts and grazing cattle, and a pumpkin patch where Charlie Brown’s Linus could wait for the Great Pumpkin.
With room to roam around in, you can stroll past the indoor/outdoor food hall and shops (including a fully-stocked Hobie Alter surf shop) or pause and sit awhile, taking it all in.
Some of the restaurants include: Hawaiian-inspired Shootz, Bred Hot Chicken, Mexican gourmet Capas, Pastalia, Kebab Craft, Asian-style Nom, American classic’s spot The Stand, Hudson’s Cookies (Yum!).
SurfWriter Girls opted for a traditional favorite – the grilled cheese sandwich at Bred Hot Chicken. It was sooo good!
If you stroll along the nearby picturesque Los Rios Street, beware! The oldest residential street in California, it’s said to be haunted with many ghost sightings…and maybe even a Bag Monster.
These North/South OC spots – and many spots in between! – are sure to put you in a boo-ti-ful mood for the autumn season.
Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.