This Week in Gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

DIFFA hosts Burgers & Burgundy at The Eye at The Joule on Friday, October 5.

Photo courtesy of DIFFA Dallas

If you are a fan of philanthropic eating, this is your spirit week. Plano is also debuting a food and wine festival that is sure to be a smash. So grab your boo and bask in the beauty that is Dallas' food scene in October.

Thursday, October 4

Grand Opening Chefs' Tasting at The Shops at Willow Bend
The Shops at Willow Bend celebrates the opening of its first five new restaurants and helps support the important work of the Junior League of Collin County. Guests can enjoy a cocktail reception followed by a progressive dining experience by Mexican Bar Co. Cocina, Whistle Britches, Knife, Terra Mediterranean, and Ascension. The evening will also feature desserts, coffee, and music by Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra, and more. Tickets are $125 and the event starts at 5 pm.

Opus One Wine Dinner at Abacus
Chef Chris Patrick has created a menu to pair with this superior California wine. The evening begins with passed appetizers, and then there is a seated meal featuring slow-smoked veal breast ragout, coriander seared Rohan duck breast, and whole roasted A Bar N Ranch beef tenderloin. Tickets are $350, and the event starts at 6:30 pm.

Friday, October 5

TACA Lexus Party on the Green at Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park
Enjoy signature dishes by local chefs such as Stephan Pyles of Flora Street Café, Janice Provost of Parigi Restaurant, and Sebastien Archambault of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek — plus creative cocktails and wine by local mixologists — at this food-centric fundraiser for the North Texas arts and cultural community. Expect a silent auction, wine cork pull, entertainment by Lucy Wrubel, and live performances by some of TACA's 2018 grant recipients. Tickets are $350, and the events starts at 6:30 pm.

Artful Pairings at Dallas Museum of Art
This new program is a series of exclusive tastings with local distilleries, breweries, and wineries followed by a tour of the DMA collection connected to the history of the alcohol. This particular event focuses on Crooked Fox bourbon. Tickets start at $55, and the event begins at 7 pm.

Burgers & Burgundy at The Eye at The Joule
Terri Provencal and chef John Tesar bring DIFFA's culinary fundraiser to The Eye at The Joule for a night of, you guessed it, burgers and burgundy. Participating burger makers for the 10th anniversary edition include Coner Seargeant (Wheelhouse), Blaine Staniford (Grace), and Bruno Davaillon (Bullion). Tickets are $150, and the event starts at 7 pm.

Saturday, October 6

Plano Food and Wine Festival at The Shops at Willow Bend
This inaugural food festival at The Shops at Willow Bend will showcase more than 100 wines, food from 20 different restaurants, and food trucks in a lively environment. There will also be live music, local artists, culinary demonstrations, a play zone for kids, and even grape-stomping competitions. Tickets start at $20, and all proceeds benefit North Texas Performing Arts.

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Gumbo News

Celeb-owned sports bar Walk-On's is bringing more gumbo to Dallas

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

Walk-On's brings all the fried delights.

A Cajun sports bar-restaurant concept with celebrity ties is opening a new location northeast of Dallas: Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar, the Baton Rouge-based chain founded by Brandon Landry and co-owned by New Orleans Saints superstar Drew Brees, will open in Wylie in a newly constructed space at 906 W. FM 544.

According to a spokesperson, it'll open in summer 2026.

Walk-On's features Louisiana cuisine and a full bar in a game-day atmosphere. Food is made from scratch, with a diverse menu featuring twists on game-day staples and upscale takes on Louisiana mainstays such as crawfish etouffee or duck & Andouille gumbo.

According to the company history, Walk-Ons was concepted on the back of a napkin by LSU walk-on basketball players Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, who opened the first location in Baton Rouge in 2003. Franchise partners include not only co-owner Drew Brees but also celebrity athlete franchisees Dak Prescott, Derrick Brooks, and football coach Dabo Swinney.

The menu has seafood and classic Louisiana dishes: fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, po'boys, fried oysters, gumbo, fried alligator, and boudin balls. Prices range from $10 to $20.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos. They have a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

This is not Walk-On's first foray into Dallas-Fort Worth. There's a location at 5774 Grandscape Blvd. in the Colony, which opened in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and is thriving. With many Louisiana transplants and fans living among us, Dallas has a big appetite for this kind of food. Not to mention its family-friendly atmosphere and plentiful selection of beers on tap, margaritas, and other crafty-ish cocktails.

The chain opened two other DFW locations, including the first that opened in the Dallas area in Las Colinas in 2018, followed by Arlington in 2019. Both of those locations have since closed, although Arlington is looking to reopen at a different address, the spokesperson says.

In 2024, the company introduced a new smaller footprint, around 3,600 square feet — about a third the size of an old-school Walk-On's. The Wylie restaurant will come in at about 5,400 square feet.

There are 12 Walk-On's across Texas, including Tyler and San Antonio, and nearly 80 locations total.

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