Welcome to Dinner and a Movie, a new OnMilwaukee Dining Month series where dining editor Lori Fredrich and culture editor Matt Mueller serve up the perfect menu for your upcoming night-in with scrumptuous local eats paired with splendid streamable cinema. Let OnMilwaukee take over the planning; all you have to do is enjoy the food and the entertainment. 

If small plates usually scare you, step outside your comfort zone and indulge in a feast of globally-inspired dishes you’ve never tried before. Both of these spots do it up right. Then leave the scaring for a creepy movie perfect to stream for the holiday weekend. (For more recommendations, check out this entire list of 100 great movies on streaming right now.)

And for a real adventure, order up two very different wines to pair and share.

Dinner

Odd Duck
2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
(414) 763-5881
oddduckrestaurant.com

Explore the world with shareable (read: romantic) dishes – from Korean pancakes and Moroccan kofta to whimsical bites like fried broccoli with "cheese poofs.” At Odd Duck, vegetable dishes shine just as brightly as meaty options, so don’t hesitate to order broadly. Add a cocktail kit to the mix and take the night off from bartending.

Mina 
Crossroads Collective
2238 N. Farwell Ave. 
minamke.com

If nibbling your way through an extraordinary selection of flavorful dishes is your jam, you’ll find them in spades at Mina, where Basque fare is the inspiration. Dive in and enjoy lively spreads and dips, small hearty plates and scads of perfectly noshable fare. It all pairs great with a bottle of bubbly from the Crossroads Pharmacy bar.

Bonus pick:
Sanford
1547 N. Jackson St., (414) 276-9608
sanfordrestaurant.com

Treat yourself to the affordable, well executed carry-out from Sanford! Not only is it a way to treat yourself to something special, but on Friday, Oct.  30 and Saturday Oct. 31 they're serving up special, spooky movie-inspired menus. Head here for a peek at what they're serving up!

Movie

"The Invitation"

One of the gems from the past decade, "The Invitation" is a pressure cooker of a thriller about a group of friends that get together for a fun dinner party and ... then things take a turn. And I refuse to say any more than that! Don't even bother with the trailer above! To ruin the surprises would ruin half of the fun of Karyn Kusama's tense and mysterious psychological thriller. It's the perfect scary movie for people who don't like scary movies, more about constantly ratcheting tension than bloody kills and more about keeping you on your toes guessing who you can trust than slasher villains. (Available to stream on Netflix)

"Zodiac"

Everyone loves true crime these days, so why not pop on one of the great true crime movies, 2007's "Zodiac," following the detectives (a pre-Marvel combo of Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal) who lose their grip on sanity trying to unmask the unsolved serial killer who menaced the Bay Area for years. It's a haunting story, brought to magnetic, creepy, thrilling and occasionally horrifying life by director David Fincher that'll send you down the same rabbit hole as its stars afterward. (Available to stream on Netflix)

"Psycho"

You can't have Halloween without the Master of Suspense himself and one of his most iconic masterpieces, "Psycho," about the world's worst roadside motel and the world's worst son. And if you're not in the mood to never want to shower again, don't worry; Peacock has a number of Hitchcock's famed freakouts, like "The Birds," "Frenzy" and "Rear Window." It's Hitchcock, so no matter your choice, you'll have chosen wisely – unlike poor Janet Leigh when she picked a rest stop in this movie. (Available to stream on Peacock)