This Week in Gluttony

These are the 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Join Lisa and Tom Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse for a cookbook signing.

Photo by Wyatt McSpadden

It's one of those weeks that makes you proud to be a Dallas foodie. From José's Anastacia Quiñones cooking at the James Beard House and sharing her menu with us to a fun cookbook signing by the Perini Ranch gang, there's a little bit of everything going on. And if all else fails? Mac & cheese, please.

Wednesday, February 19

James Beard House Menu Pop-Up at José
A top Park Cities Tex-Mex restaurant is sending its chef, Anastacia Quiñones, to cook at the James Beard House in March. To celebrate, the restaurant is offering a one-night-only, pop-up menu to showcase the cuisine she will serve in New York City. The evening starts with passed hors d'oeuvres and a welcome cocktail and progresses into a six-course, seated dinner. The ingredient of the evening will be one of the chef's favorites — masa. Tickets are $140, and the night kicks off at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, February 20

Open House and Tasting Event at The Dallas Arboretum
This evening gives guests an opportunity to enjoy free food and drinks while mingling with some of the best vendors in DFW. It's an ideal way, especially, for engaged couples to tour the venue and to get an idea of what a wedding could look like at the Arboretum. Not interested in tying the knot any time soon? No worries. This event is free and open to the public but does require registration. The showcase runs from 6-9 pm.

Saturday, February 22

Taste of Victory at Victory Park
This progressive dinner features samples of special menu items from each of the participating restaurants, including Cafe Victoria, Sweet Tooth Hotel, Burgundy Swine, Sift + Pour, and more. Other shops are also open and will be offering specials and opportunities to explore their offerings. The event is free, but registration is required and attendance is limited. The tour begins at 5 pm.

Perini Ranch Steakhouse Cookbook Signing at Interabang Books
Lisa and Tom Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse come to Dallas to sign their new cookbook, Perini Ranch Steakhouse: Stories and Recipes for Real Texas Food. The event also features an "industry talk" with Free Range Concepts owner Kyle Noonan and a tenderloin tasting. RSVP to rsvp@droesepr.com to confirm your attendance to this free event, which starts at 6 pm.

Artisan Bread Class at Kuluntu Bakery
Learn how to make beautiful loaves of sourdough bread with just flour, salt, and water. Each attendee will make their own loaf with guided instructions and demonstrations and will go home with a bread-making starter kit. The workshop is for bakers of all levels, and lunch will be provided. Tickets are $125, and the workshop starts at 10 am.

Sunday, February 23

Texas Mac & Cheese Festival at Texas Live
The area’s best restaurants and food trucks come together at the state's largest-ever mac & cheese festival. Explore more than 15 mac & cheese food vendors and also enjoy a Texas-sized craft beer garden, axe throwing, live music, and more. There will even be a "best of' awards ceremony. Tickets start at $24.99, and the festival starts at 2 pm. Note: the festival lasts two days, but Saturday tickets are already sold out.

6th Annual North Texas Craft Beer Chili Challenge
Dozens of Dallas and Texas top breweries come together for this annual competition in which they make a chili using one of their beers. The 2020 event features an expanded field of brewery teams,and will come together at Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery - Mustang Station location. The city of Farmers Branch is closing down Bee St. so that breweries can set up in front of all of the new concepts under construction. You buy a tasting cup and spoon, with the proceeds benefiting Metrocrest Services. Donate $10 for 10 cups and a spoon to participate in the tasting. Every $10 gets you one vote for the winner. Pre-buy tickets on Prekindle to skip the line or bring cash or credit to purchase at the door. It runs from 12-5 pm, and includes live music and of course plenty of beer.

news-you-can-eat

Opening News

Dallas restaurant group opens popular Hudson House concept in Frisco

Photo by Kathy Tran

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A Dallas restaurant concept that has proven popular wherever it goes is now going to Frisco: Hudson House, the East Coast-inspired concept from Dallas-based Vandelay Hospitality Group, will open a location at 3475 Preston Rd., taking over a former Twin Peaks. According to a release, it will open on Wednesday, August 6.

Hudson House was designed to channel the spirit of a New England dining institution with the charm of a West Village neighborhood spot in New York. That is a lot of locations to channel. Signature menu items include their cheeseburger, oysters, and self-titled “World’s Coldest Martini."

Menu highlights include

Hudson’s Avocado Dip with whipped avocado, green onion, herbs, and ranch chips
The Cheeseburger - thin patties, American cheese, pickles, and Hudson sauce
Chicken Parm with tomato pasta and reggiano
American Tuna Tower - ahi tuna, avocado, English cucumber, mixed greens, radishes

In addition to the World's Coldest Martini, the bar has other martinis such as Bleu & Gold with vodka, olive juice, bleu cheese salt, and bleu cheese olives; Lemon Drop with lemon vodka, lemon juice, and Limoncello foam; and The Espresso - vodka, espresso, Kahlua and Bailey’s.

Non-martini cocktails include the Frozen Bellini, Strawberry Spritz with strawberry Aperol, grapefruit, & prosecco, and spicy Mexican with socorro reposado, jalapeño, cucumber, and lime.

Their happy hour, which runs Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm, is popular, thanks to half-price martinis and bellinis and wines by the glass, $3 oysters, and $10 cheeseburgers.

The space has leather booths, a large wraparound bar, a patio, and a large sit-down raw seafood bar with East Coast oysters, shrimp cocktail with chipotle remoulade, crab claws, and tuna tartare.

Frisco marks the ninth location for Hudson House and the seventh in the DFW metroplex, joining Highland Park, Lakewood, Preston Hollow, Addison, Las Colinas, and Fort Worth, plus two in Houston.

In a statement, Vandelay Hospitality Group founder and CEO Hunter Pond says that "Frisco has been on our radar for a long time."

"It’s a dynamic, fast-growing community that values quality and experience, which aligns perfectly with what we aim to deliver at Hudson House,” Pond says. “We’re thrilled to bring our signature East Coast-inspired atmosphere, raw bar, and the ‘World’s Coldest Martini’ to this part of North Texas and look forward to becoming part of the neighborhood.”

Hudson House Frisco is not only the ninth Hudson House, it's also Vandelay’s 21st restaurant, in a portfolio that includes Drake’s Hollywood, D.L. Mack’s, Jack & Harry’s, Brentwood, Anchor Sushi Bar, Slider & Blues, and Bar Sardine.

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