The Frankenstand: L.A.'s Very Own Spooky-Theme Mobile Cuisine

With the end of August finally upon us, it seems like the Halloween season is finally beginning in earnest. Halloween merchandise is gradually finding its way onto store shelves, the weather is starting to cool down (or it was, until last weekend! sheesh), and last night I attended the Hollywood premiere of Rob Zombie's Halloween 2. (More on that later!) This time of year - mid-August through the very beginning of November - is my favorite because it seems like, magically, everyone is suddenly on board with my interests. I mean, you can walk into the supermarket and find decorative monsters plates and bargain horror movies on DVD! But I digress.

Last weekend, I managed to check out both the Frankenstand, a horror-themed vegan hot dog cart, and the Poe celebration at Dark Delicacies. The Frankenstand, in particular, was an absolute revelation. Spooky veggie dogs?! Sign me up!

The cart is well-decorated, with spooky little flourishes everywhere - from the umbrella right down to the condiment table. And, of course, that menu! Not only are the names and descriptions clever (The Cannibal: "Mmm, tastes like chicken"), but each selection has an accompanying photo of the wolfman, witches, etc. Mr. Frankenstand himself dresses up rather nattily (hat, tie, vest), and there's even a tiny boombox playing creepy songs.

And how, you might ask, is the actual food? Delicious! I tried the Wolf ("packed with a fangtastic, chipotle pepper flavor") and the bf tried the Franken ("a monster blend of sun dried tomatoes & basil") and we were both very pleased. In fact, I think I can say without exaggeration that these are the best veggie dogs I've ever had...and the fact that they come served with a side of spooky makes them that much better. The Frankenstand will be at the Madex GuerrilLA Drive-In in downtown Los Angeles on September 6th and the Downtown Art Walk on September 10th. Check their MySpace for additional future dates and locations.

As for the Poe festivities at Dark Del, check out Creepy L.A.'s post on the event for a more detailed account than I can provide. I found myself a bit overwhelmed by the crowds (and the sweltering Valley heat), so after checking with the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab table to see if they had any full-sized vials of Blood available (they did not, but advised me to attend their open house event on September 4th at 12120 Sherman Way and kindly gave me a complimentary "imp" of the fragrance) and grabbing a couple of non-Poe-related books (a used copy of The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories and The Book of Lists: Horror, co-edited by Mr. Del Howison himself), we were on our way.

Later this week, I'll have a recap of the H2 premiere and a review of the film, as well as previews of some more upcoming spooky events. Happy End of August, everyone!