This week in gluttony

Wine galore and fresh fish from the shore: The best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Yes, St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend. But we’re not here to talk about green beer (not yet, anyway). The week’s list of food events may be shorter than usual, but it’s full of wine (thank you, Savor Dallas). And wine is not the worst alternative to beer and whiskey.

Wednesday, March 13

Oak Cliff Cellars Wine Dinner at Spoon
John Tesar is putting together a wine dinner at Spoon with bottles from Oak Cliff Cellars. The $100 meal is five courses, with dishes such as charred octopus with avocado sea bean, edamame and miso vinaigrette, or swordfish steak with wild mushroom crust and red wine squid ink sauce. It starts at 6 pm. Call 214-369-8220 for reservations.

Saturday, March 16

Nosh Middle Eastern Cooking Class
Nosh is putting on a Middle Eastern cooking class at 10 am with lunch and wine after. Learn how to prepare Avner’s Mother’s Salad with bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley as well as Moroccan braised boulette, chicken and grilled Merguez sausage with cous cous and vegetables in saffron broth. Tickets are $75. Call 214-528-9400.

Wine Panel Tasting Seminar — “Modern Lifestyle Wines”
Wine is good, but the learning curve is steep. This Savor Dallas tasting seminar features winemakers from around the world as they give you a crash course on their wine — as you taste it, natch — and offer advice about pairing wine with food. There’s also a Q&A so you can ask the important questions. Moderated by Alfonso Cevola of Glazer’s Fine Wines and “The Wine Curmudgeon” Jeff Siegel, the seminar is at the Landmark restaurant in the Warwick Melrose from 2-3 pm. Tickets are $50 in advance, $75 at the door.

A Global Wine and Cheese Celebration
Wine is good. Cheese is good. Wine and cheese together is really good. (We’re regular lyricists.) If the tasting seminar isn’t your speed, try the Roswewood Mansion on Turtle Creek’s wine and cheese event, another Savor Dallas event. Michael Flynn, director of wine and beverages at the Mansion, and Rich Rogers, cheesemonger from Scardello, teach you why cheese and wine are made for each other. The event is from 2-3 pm. Tickets are $40 for members of the American Institute of Wine and Food and $55 for non-members. They can be purchased at 214-696-2493 or by email.

Sunday, March 17

Savor the Arboretum
Spring is beginning to come out from under the cover of winter, and that means the Dallas Arboretum is the perfect place to drink wine. Light bites keep you nourished while walking the trails and enjoying one of the best places to be in the spring from 6-8 pm. Tickets are $65 or $59 for arboretum members and can be purchased here.

Savor Dallas is a food-and-wine extravaganza from March 14-17.

Photo courtesy of Savor Dallas

Savor Dallas is a food-and-wine extravaganza from March 14-17.

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Cocktail Time

Where to drink in Dallas: 7 holiday drink specials for December

Courtesy photo

Festive drinking at the Miracle Bar.

Dallas in December is brimming with holiday festivities, and that includes cocktails: from over-the-top pop-up bars to extravagantly priced cocktails to drinks with a festive Christmas theme.

We're covering all that and more in this edition of Where to Drink, our monthly column recommending the best places to have to drink in Dallas:

The Charlotte
American bistro and bar recently opened on Henderson Avenue has three specialty holiday cocktails starting at $14. There's a butterscotch espresso martini with Revel Stoke Butterscotch, Baileys Espresso Cream, and espresso; cranberry paloma, with Don Julio tequila, grapefruit, cranberry, and a splash of Squirt; and a twist on hot chocolate. Called The Charlotte's hot chocolate, it features house-made cocoa with red wine and Mozart Dark Chocolate liqueur. The space has also been decorated with red hanging ornaments and wreaths and bows on the walls to enhance the holiday vibe.

The Mansion Bar
Don't come to this swanky bar inside the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek if you're looking for a happy hour. For holiday high-rollers they have a crazy special “Elf on the Top Shelf” menu of four cocktails priced at $75 each — not kidding. There's the Evergreen Elixir with Macklowe Gold Whiskey, L.N.Mattei Cap Corse Rouge Quinquina, and Fot-Li Vermut; the Midwinter Manhattan with High West A Midwinter Night's Dram Rye Whiskey, Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso, and Angostura Bitters; the Golden Hearth with Casa Del Sol Angel’s Reserve Añejo Tequila, prickly pear cordial, lime, orange bitters; and the Shiver & Shine with Belvedere 10 Organic Vodka, Mulassano Vermouth di Torino Bianco, and orange bitters.

Miracle at Aussie Grind
Australian-inspired cafe in Frisco has transformed into a “Miracle” pop up bar with a variety of specialty cocktails including the Christmasaurus, a tropical drink with pineapple rum, mezcal, apricot liquor, coconut milk, and coffee; Rudolph’s Replacement, with vodka, coffee liqueur, orange curacao, chai syrup, almond milk, and aromatic bitters; and hot buttered rum. True to form for a Miracle bar, the drinks come in collector cups like Santa pants and boots that can be purchased. The drinks range from $16-$18.

Omni PGA Frisco
Resort and PGA District has holiday-themed cocktails at six of its dining outlets through December. Trick Rider has a Pecan Manhattan with Brown Butter Woodford Reserve, Carpano Antica, pecan bitter and candied pecan. The Ice House has Bourbon & Bells with Bourbon, apple, cinnamon, and torched rosemary; Lounge By Topgolf has Down the Chimney, with Jameson Irish Whiskey, Baileys Original Irish Cream, vanilla ice cream, and Oreo. The Lookout has a Sugar Plum Sparkler featuring an edible shimmer, Gingerbread Old Fashioned, and Milk & Cookies, with espresso martini mix and Baileys Irish Cream.

Red Lobster
Seafood chain is cutting us a break with a newly launched weekday Happy Hour from 3-6 pm featuring $5 drink specials and $2 off select starters. Drink specials include margarita, Long Island iced tea, Tito's Twisted Strawberry Lemonade, 14-ounce Blue Moon draft, 14-ounce Bud Light draft, 6-ounce Mark West pinot noir, and six-ounce Ecco Domani pinot grigio. Discounted starters include lobster flatbread, seafood-stuffed mushrooms, crab queso, lobster dip, and mozzarella cheese sticks.

Sanjh
Indian restaurant in Irving has four holiday drinks with wonderfully exotic flavors: The Autumn Old Fashioned has Bulleit bourbon, amaretto, maple syrup, and almond flakes; Golden Glow has turmeric-infused Ketel One vodka, velvet falernum, and orange bitters; Harvest Spritz has Tanqueray gin, spiced cranberry syrup, lime, and cranberry dust; and the Negroni Royal has jasmine tea-infused Tanqueray, saffron-infused Campari and rose petal-kissed sweet vermouth. Cocktails are $16.

Very Merry Village at The Village Dallas
Mixed-use community in East Dallas is hosting a pop-up on the second floor of The Village Country Club Wednesday-Sunday until December 29, all decked out with Christmas trees. The menu has seven festive cocktails, including Mrs. Claus’ cranberry spritz, with La Marca Prosecco, cranberry juice, and ginger beer; Santarita, with Patron Reposado, Raspberry Liqueur, Cointreau, Agave, Lime; and a salted caramel espresso martini. There’s also a selection of draft and canned beers, wine, and champagne. Drinks range from $12-$14. Entry is free.

cocktails holidays where-drink