This Week in Gluttony

Bacon and beer are key ingredients in this week's best Dallas food events

March is supposed to bring warmer temperatures and sunshine, right? Apparently not. So it’s our good luck that one of this week’s best food events revolves around soup. A couple of others involve beer, which always keeps us warm.

A new festival celebrates all things bacon, which is good no matter what the weather is doing. Dig in.

Tuesday, March 3

Portugal Wine Dinner at Whole Foods Market Lakewood
Sommelier Scott Smitherman pairs wines from Portugal with six courses prepared by chef Thomas Winckler. Menu items include fig and olive tapenade with tomato crostini, cod cakes with vegetable julienne, marinated beef steak with fava beans, and white chocolate coconut mousse with mango purée. The dinner begins at 6 pm, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Cost: $30 per person.

Wednesday, March 4

Bacon Fest at Central Market
Central Market never met a food it didn’t want to build a festival around, and this new event celebrates all things bacon. That means the store is peddling myriad bacon varieties, as well as condiments, snacks and confections made with bacon. Festival starts March 4 and runs through March 17; on March 5 there is a bacon stroll at every store, where you can taste the goods at stations set up throughout the aisles.

Thursday, March 5

Market After Dark at Dallas Farmers Market
Now that March is here, the Dallas Farmers Market is kicking off this weekly event. Every Thursday, attendees can shop artisan food vendors, feast from food trucks, sample beer and wine, and listen to great music. Food is served from 6 pm to 10 pm, and this event is free to attend.

Jim Beam Bourbon Dinner at Carso Mediterranean Grill
Head to Plano for this exciting four-course dinner paired custom bourbon cocktails by Jim Beam. Cost is $50 per guest. For reservations, call Edward Searle at 469-353-5016.

Friday, March 6

Empty Bowls at Meyerson Symphony Center
In addition to soup and other bowl-friendly fare from 20 of North Texas’ top restaurants, attendees can select a handcrafted bowl from some of Texas’ finest artists as a memento of the day. This event runs from 11 am-1 pm, and it benefits the North Texas Food Bank. Tickets start at $25.

Saturday, March 7

First Anniversary Party at CrushCraft Thai Street Eats
Celebrate this milestone starting at noon. Expect specials on your favorite entrees, free T-shirts for the first 100 guests and a drawing for free meals for the rest of 2015. A $10 tickets get you an appetizer, entree and drink. The $20 ticket gets you an appetizer, entree and open bar access; the $30 ticket gets you the couples special featuring appetizers, two entrees and open bar/wine access for two. There’s also live entertainment from 6:30-10:30 pm. Buy tickets here.

One Community Table at One Arts Plaza
Spend your Saturday morning at this market featuring the finest products from local and organic purveyors. Find the freshest ingredients to prepare a delicious gourmet meal or the perfect hostess gift to give to a friend. Vendors include Dirt Flowers, Jack & Jill Pet Market, One Community Table, Hospitality Sweet, TJ’s Seafood and more. This is a once-a-month experience in the Dallas Arts District on the first Saturday of the month. It lasts from 8 am-2 pm.

Whole Wedding Bridal Fair at Whole Foods Park Lane
Don’t forget about your favorite neighborhood market when planning your upcoming wedding. Whether you are looking for cakes, catering, or beer and wine, Whole Foods can transform your special day into a tasty feast. The first 50 people to show up get a free swag bag. This event is free, but you must register here.

Sunday, March 8

Artisan Beer Dinner at CBD Provisions
CBD Provisions and Lakewood Brewing Company are collaborating for one night to celebrate the best of modern Texas fare and award-winning craft brews. Beer such as Lakewood’s La Dame Du Lac, Biere de Garde and strong pale ale are paired with a selection of house-made provisions, including fresh cheese, sausages, and smoked fish. Reservations are required; call 214-261-4500. Tickets are $65, and dinner begins at 6 pm.

Sunday School Brunch at Hotel ZaZa
Hotel ZaZa is kicking off Sunday School for the spring season. You can expect brunch, bubbly, a dancing panda and many other surprises. The event costs $75 a person and starts at noon. Call 214-550-9500 to reserve your spot.

Sunday Supper at Urban Acres Farmstead
Head to Urban Acres at 6 pm for a hearty meal of local, organic and sustainable cuisine served family-style. Chef Melissa Wagner is planning a hearty and delicious supper of turkey pot pie, winter greens salad and dessert. The event is BYOB. There are 30 seats for the taking at $30 each.

Monday, March 9

Alpine Beer Company Dinner at Meddlesome Moth
Meddlesome Moth presents the Texas debut of the highly acclaimed Alpine Beer Company. Founder Pat McIlhenney hosts the dinner and shares his experiences and beers with you. Alpine is just outside of San Diego and has had a limited distribution in the past years. The tentative beer list includes Nelson, Duet, Hoppy B Day, Capt. Stout, Red and Alpine Ale. Tickets are $75, and dinner starts at 6 pm.

Central Market's Bacon Fest starts March 4.

BBQDroid.org

Central Market's Bacon Fest starts March 4.

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun