This Week in Gluttony

Savor this list of the best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Variety best describes this week’s roundup of food events — from soup to meatballs. Oh, and you can taste wines after a yoga class. Told you it was varied.

Wednesday, March 9

Dollar Meatballs at Kenny’s Italian Diner
March 9 is National Meatball Day (every day is National Something Day, isn’t it?), so Kenny’s is offering its famous meatballs for $1 each, from 3-10 pm. Just so you know, the restaurant has long held a contest recognizing diners who can eat the most of the quarter-pound meatballs, on Sundays, when they are also priced at a buck each. The person who eats the most meatballs in one sitting gets them for free. The current record is 22.

Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival Collaborative Wine Dinner at Central Market
Chefs Molly McCook of Ellerbe Fine Foods and Ben Merritt of Fixture team up to prepare a meal that shows off their skills. During dinner, pick up tips from these pros while Central Market experts pair the food with appropriate wines. Courses include spring spinach crepes, poached Gulf shrimp enchiladas, and crispy pecan-crusted Texas quail. Tickets start at $58.50, and the event begins at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, March 10

Savor Dallas at Dallas Arboretum
Celebrate the advent of spring with a stroll through Dallas Arboretum, wine in hand, courtesy of Savor Dallas. In addition to wine, guests can also savor (see what we did there?) food and spirits. Tickets start at $63, and the event kicks off at 6:30 pm. Proceeds benefit the educational department at Dallas Arboretum.

Friday, March 11

Texas Wine Talk & Tasting at Whole Foods Market Park Lane
If Texas and wine hold equal parts of your heart, you'll love this intimate tasting event. Experience a blind tasting of four Texas Wine Journal top-rated wines up against four world wines. This time around, you'll get to taste dry rosé and white blends. Plus, get insider intel from local wine experts that will leave you feeling like a Texas wine boss. The tasting starts at 6:30 pm and tickets are $25.

17th annual Empty Bowls at Meyerson Symphony Center
It’s not every day you can support the North Texas Food Bank while you eat lunch. At this popular fundraiser, sample soup and other bowl-friendly fare from 20 of North Texas’ finest restaurants. Attendees also get to select a handcrafted bowl from a Texas artist as a memento of the day. Tickets start at $40, and lunch starts at 11 am.

Tour de Fromage Round One at Scardello Cheese
Scardello has brought back cheese wars. The night includes a blind tasting of cheeses from two competing areas, plus libations. The winner from this evening moves on to the finals. Tickets are $45, and the competition starts at 8 pm. If the event sells out, call 214-219-1300 to get on the waitlist.

Saturday, March 12

Market Dinner at Patina Green
This chef’s tasting features five courses composed of locally sourced ingredients. The kitchen can even accommodate any picky eaters — er, dietary restrictions. Tickets are $55, plus $25 for beer or wine. Dinner is served at either 6 or 8 pm.

Yoga and Wine Tasting at Messina Hof Winery
Yoga plus wine? These are people after our own hearts. Yoga class lasts from 11 am to noon; a tasting of three wine follows. Participants of all levels are welcome, and they need to bring a towel or mat and a water bottle. (Must hydrate.) Tickets are $20, and the first 20 people to register receive a goody bag.

Sip wine at Savor the Arboretum on March 10.

Savor the Arboretum/Facebook

Sip wine at Savor the Arboretum on March 10.

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Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 new happy hours for February

Even Coast

The Frozen John D at Even Coast.

The February edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column on restaurants and bars you can get a drink at, travels far and wide to find the best and most exotic happy hours around: From sushi deals in downtown Dallas to $5 margaritas in Collin County to Indian bar bites in Irving.

(If you're in a more date-night frame of mind, be sure to consult our list of places where you can share a sweet Valentine's Day meal.)

Here are five happy hours to try in February:

Cafe Gecko
Laid-back perennial favorite in Richardson has just unveiled a brand new happy hour menu featuring their delectable versions of classic bar food treats including pizza fries, pretzel bites, chicharrones, onion rings, and fried pickles, priced from $5-$7, plus $1 off everything in the bar. It's served Monday all day, and Tuesday-Friday from 3-7 pm.

Dozo Omakase
Omakase sushi restaurant which opened a year ago at Trinity Groves with a compact menu that includes the trendy multi-course omakase style of dining, available in small or large versions. They do a cool approach to happy hour by introducing a new menu nearly every month. For February, it includes items from the sushi bar and the kitchen including half-price nigiri, sushi hand rolls for $8, gyoza for $6, crispy rice tuna for $10, and miso soup for a bargain $2.50. Cocktails include sake for $9 and a Kyoto highball cocktail for $11.

Even Coast
Neighborhood restaurant from chef Omar Flores opened on the Addison-Dallas line in 2024 with seafood, pastas, and steaks — and now happy hour. It's a good one, served from 2-6 pm every day with its own menu of $3 oysters, $10 cheeseburgers, and salmon dip. House cocktails are $9, including a rotating flavor frozen drink; a pint of beer is $6, and wine by the glass is $9. The only restriction is where: On Friday-Saturday, it's available only at the bar; Sunday-Thursday, it's also available in the dining room and on the patio.

Neon Cactus
Congenial Mexican restaurant in Fairview has a happy hour with deals that surely seem worth driving for: They run Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm and include margaritas for $5, domestic beers for $4, wine by the glass for $5, and well drinks for $4. They also have daily food specials that run all day, such as queso blanco and chicken tinga flautas, $10 each on Thursdays, and taco plates with rice and beans, $10 to $12 on Tuesdays.

Nirvana
Sultry Indian lounge at Toyota Music Factory with DJ, dance floor, and rooftop patio has what may be the worst website in the world — but buried beneath the PTSD flash graphics and music is a worthy happy hour, served from 4-7 pm featuring $2 off all cocktails, including the Hunan Heatwave with tequila and tandoori pineapple, and the Beijing Berry mocktail with mixed berries and ginger ale. Plus Indian-themed bar snacks such as "drums of heaven" AKA chicken lollipops; street-style chow mein, and crispy chili corn.

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