Church & State 

Church & State’s Chef Tony Esnault is preparing a festive meal on Sept. 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. in celebration of Rosh Hashanah. The prix-fixe meal starts with an amuse-bouche of challah toast with apple compote and honey – a variation of the traditional celebratory Jewish new year fare of apples dipped in honey symbolizing hope for a sweet year to come. For the second course, guests can choose from roasted beets with goat cheese, apple, frisée and honey, or butternut squash and carrot soup. For a third course, Esnault will serve chicken liver mousse on crostini with mesclun salad, pomegranate and apple. Three main course options include Israeli couscous accompanied by fall roasted vegetables, mint and tomato confit; slow-cooked salmon with lentils, carrot and pickled red onion; and braised beef brisket with mashed potato, haricot vert and beef jus. Finish with a selection of cookies. The special dinner is $48 per person, with a pairing of Tulip Winery cabernet sauvignon from Galilee, Israel by the glass for $16, and $60 per bottle. 1850 Industrial St., (213)405-1434.

Tavern

Tavern will offer a special Rosh Hashanah menu on Sept. 21, prepared by Chef de Cuisine Amy Deaderick with inspiration from James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef Suzanne Goin. Starters include potato kugel with shallots and horseradish crème fraîche, and Black Mission figs with herbed goat cheese and parsley vinaigrette salad. Choose from main dishes such as red wine vinegar braised beef brisket with spinach, cippolini onions and carrot puree; seared sea bass with braised leeks, roasted tomatoes and Castelvetrano-Meyer lemon salsa; and vegetarian Tehachapi grains with charred eggplant, sweet peppers, currant-pine nut relish and torn mint and labneh. Finish with a honey-glazed apple upside-down cake with crème fraîche whip. The special new year menu is $52 per person. Tavern’s regular à la carte dinner menu is also available. Diners can also plan ahead for Yom Kippur on Sept. 30. Appetizers, main courses, side dishes, and Larder Baking Company breads and rolls are available for home dining. The menu also includes savory dishes, cookies, chocolate-almond rugelach, apple honey upside-down cake and Tavern’s “Snickers” bar. Orders should be placed 24 hours in advance. 11648 San Vicente Blvd., (310)806-6464.

Spring

Raise a glass in celebration of Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 21, as owner Yassmin Sarmadi and Executive Chef Tony Esnault offer a vibrant traditional new year menu at Spring. The meal begins with challah bread and date compote, honey and sparkling grape juice. Next, choose from celery soup with celeriac, apples, lentils and sprouts, or beet salad with cucumber, orange, pomegranate and citrus vinaigrette. Entrées include a choice of braised brisket with sweet potatoes, pearl onions, haricots vert and red wine sauce; and branzino with leeks, tomato concasse, olives and lemon. Save room for the apple streusel to commemorate a sweet new year. The traditional Rosh Hashanah menu is available from 6 to 9 p.m. and is $48 per person, with an optional wine pairing by the glass or bottle for an additional cost. 257 S. Spring St., (213)372-5189.

Fig & Olive specials

During September, bring the flavors of the French Riviera home by treating yourself to the Fig & Olive Cuisine of the French Riviera cookbook and specially-priced olive oils. The upscale restaurant and bar serves seasonal Mediterranean fare prepared with flavored olive oils. The cookbook is $25; olive oils are $8 for 375-milliliter bottles and $10 for 500 milliliter bottles. 8490 Melrose Place, (310)360-9100.

Cocktails in the city

An epic cocktail party is coming to Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 23 at The Majestic Downtown. Representatives of approximately 30 bars and liquor brands will create specialty drinks. Enjoy cocktails by bartenders from Sassafras, Birds & Bees, Harvard & Stone, Hotel Figueroa, Otium, Lono, The Wallace, The Peppermint Club, Redbird LA, Normandie Club, Melrose Umbrella Company, No Vacancy, Big Bar, and Wolf and Crane. Also included are interactive, themed pop-ups taking attendees to a bygone age of celebrity glamor. One bar will immerse guests in The Beatles’ “White Album,” while another will feature a Prohibition-era cabaret lounge. Visit pop-ups by Kye’s, Trejo’s Tacos and Bronzed Aussie on the mezzanine level. Pose in a selfie booth and visit two Craft Spirits discovery rooms. A special bar school will offer instructions on making classic cocktails. Complimentary sodas and water are available from Seasons Soda and Topo Chico, as well as non-alcoholic cocktails from the Harvard & Stone bar, in partnership with Seedlip. The first cocktail is included with ticket purchase, along with an event guide and gift bag; additional tokens for cocktails can be purchased for $10. Tickets are $25 for a pre-dinner cocktail party from 4:30 to 8.30 p.m., or the late night cocktail party from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. 650 S. Spring St. bit.ly/2xad4M2.

Guest chef burgers

Esters Wine Shop & Bar invites well-known chefs into the kitchen to make a special burger on one Tuesday night each month. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Chef Michael Fiorelli, Love & Salt, will serve his spicy cult-favorite Downlow Burger, an elevated take on In-N-Out Burger’s Double-Double featuring two black angus beef patties topped with fontina cheese, caramelized onions, house pickles and tomato aioli. The burger is also available on the brunch menu at Love & Salt. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, Oct. 17, when Chefs Chris Flint and Ashely Abodeely, of The Nomad L.A., will make an elevated chicken burger with foie gras, truffle mayo, frisée and pickled shallots. The monthly guest chef burger evening starts at 6 p.m.; each burger is $19. 1314 Seventh St., (310)899-6900.

Cleo opens more locations

Building on the success of Cleo Hollywood, another Cleo restaurant opened at L.A. Live in 2016, and a third Cleo will soon open on Third Street. Cleo offers Chef Danny Elmaleh’s modern twist on eastern and southern Mediterranean cuisine. Each location has a distinctive look, and Cleo is synonymous with glamour and sophistication. At the Cleo L.A. Live, breakfast, Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner are served, and the “After Dark” happy hour begins at 9 p.m. At Cleo Hollywood, a Matthew Rolston-designed space near Hollywood and Vine, the restaurant features an old Hollywood décor with Mediterranean charm. As an official partner of The Pantages Theater, the restaurant offers exclusive pre-theater and post-show dining specials. Soon to open this fall is Cleo Third Street at The Orlando Hotel, which will have offer a takeaway window offering fresh pressed juices. 1717 Vine St., (323)962-1711; 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (424)888-7818; 8384 W. Third St., sbe.com/restaurants/locations/cleo-third-street.

Poke Me

Poke bowls are a Hawaiian staple that have become a hot trend in fast-casual food. Poke Me allows customers to get creative with over 40 different options, including a Protein Packed Bowl that is perfect after a workout. The bowls include proteins such as scoops of crab meat and spicy crab meat, tuna and salmon. Mix in Poke Me’s popular white onion, cucumber and cilantro combination, and choose from 12 unique sauces such as sesame shoyu, truffle ponzu, spicy chili, yuzu wasabi and cochujang. Poke Me offers unlimited sauce and topping mixtures, and the restaurant features a self-serve topping bar. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free bowls are also available, as well as gluten-free macaron ice cream. 1244 Westwood Blvd., (323)815-1566; 310 S. La Brea Ave., Ste. E, (323)852-3572.