This Week in Gluttony

Beer for breakfast and sweet Easter pop-up top best Dallas food events this week

This coming Sunday is Easter, and that means brunch. But there are more food-filled events to be had, from a beer breakfast to a wine dinner to a lunch break at Sammons Park. Or if you just want to hang on a patio, we feel you.

Tuesday, March 31

Kibble & Cocktails at 3015 Trinity Groves
Hosted by Barking Hound Village, this event benefiting DFW Rescue Me’s Voice of Justice Fund features food from some of Dallas’ top restaurants, including Nick & Sam’s, Gemma, Rodeo Goat, Luck, Amberjax, Kitchen LTO. To wash it all down, there are Stoli vodka cocktails, Argentinean wines from Bottled Poetry and beer tastings courtesy of Texas Ale Project. Also expect live music by David Cote, raffle, live auction and puppies for adoption. Tickets are $100 (all of it goes to the fund), and the fun lasts from 7-10 pm.

Wednesday, April 1

Hirsch Vineyards Wine Dinner at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Hirsch Vineyards is recognized as one of the premier U.S. sites for Pinot Noir, and the California winery’s Jasmine Hirsch hosts this special dinner. Dishes include seared Hawaiian tuna, pheasant consommé, crisp five spice beef short rib, hoisin-glazed roast rack of lamb and rosemary pound cake. Dinner starts at 7 pm and costs $275. Reserve your spot by calling 214-366-2000.

Thursday, April 2

Sammons Lunch Jam at Sammons Park
Join AT&T Performing Arts Center for this exciting event supported by Neiman Marcus, featuring performers from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Fill up during your lunch hour at Dallas’ best food trucks, or bring your own picnic to the park located right outside the Winspear Opera House. The fun starts at noon, and it is free to attend, but you need to RSVP.

Saturday, April 4

Easter Pop-up Shop
Sucre Sucre by Lucia, Bark Chocolate, Val’s Cheesecakes, Dallas Caramel Company, Miss Naughty Brownie and others are teaming up for a pop-up shop the day before Easter, in the old Big E’s convenience store at 3001 Gaston Ave. Pick up macarons, pies, caramels, decadent layered brownies — even organic dog treats. For a feel-good twist, the companies are donating proceeds to their favorite charities, including Emily’s Place, Body & Soul, DFW Rescue Me and Operation Homefront. The shop is open from 10 am-3 pm.

Healthy Mediterranean Cooking Class at Sur la Table
An instructor takes you on a journey through Italy, Spain, France and Greece for healthy dishes that burst with flavor. Recipes include Moroccan carrot salad, grilled prawns with chermoula sauce, quinoa tabbouleh salad, and citrus in rose-scented syrup with yogurt and pistachios. Class starts at 10 am and costs $69 per person.

Jester King Beer Breakfast at Meddlesome Moth
Join the Moth crew for a beer breakfast as unorthodox as Jester King, with host and brewery founder Jeff Stuffings. Enjoy five beers and four courses starting at 10:30 am. Dishes include tamagoyaki with pork belly, bonito, nori and sea bean salad; foie gras on a rhubarb croissant; mascarpone pot de crème; and Texas pastrami biscuits with beef jerky marmalade. Tickets are $65.

Sunday, April 5

Marriage Equality Brunch at W Dallas Victory
This new monthly Sunday brunch, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, helps support the fight for marriage equality. The first Sunday of every month, enjoy brunch classics and live entertainment in the hotel’s Living Room Bar from 11 am-2 pm.

Grab lunch at a food truck and listen to some live music at the Sammons Lunch Jam on April 2.

Sammons Park at AT&T Performing Arts Center

Photo courtesy of AT&T PAC

Grab lunch at a food truck and listen to some live music at the Sammons Lunch Jam on April 2.

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Sushi News

Fun conveyor-belt sushi restaurant debuts at McKinney mixed-use

Photo by Jakob Layman for Kura Sushi

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A Japanese-inspired restaurant that brings you sushi on a conveyor belt is now open in McKinney: Called Kura Revolving Sushi, it’s located at 8585 W. University Dr. #150 in the West Grove mixed-use development, where it debuts on April 25, with an opening party taking place all weekend from April 25-27.

"We are thrilled to open our sixth DFW location in McKinney, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with a population that's increasingly diverse and open to new culinary experiences," says Chief Development Officer Robert Kluger in a statement. "We believe the West Grove shopping center is the perfect place to share our authentic Japanese dining experience with this growing community."

Kura Sushi USA was established in 2008 and has grown to be the largest revolving sushi chain: Small plates of sushi and sides are placed on a conveyor belt that snakes around the restaurant, allowing customers to grab items as they pass by.

They have more than 100 menu items, including sushi, ramen, and popular Asian starters like edamame and wontons. Each item is charged separately starting at $3.45 a plate.

There are two conveyors as follows:

Revolving Sushi Bar. The primary belt that snakes through the dining area, with plates of sushi that are protected by the chain's Mr. Fresh ventilated sushi lid. They say it limits airborne exposure and has plate-tracking technology that monitors how long the item has been circulating, ensuring food remains fresh.
Express Belt. Referred to as the "sushi highway," the express belt is positioned above the primary belt and is used to deliver special orders.

Bikkura Pon Prizes
An integral part of Kura Sushi USA’s tech interactive dining experience, Bikkura Pon is a machine that dispenses prizes after customers dispose of their plates properly. A touch panel registers the number of sushi plates dispensed into the plate disposal slot. After five plates, a short animation plays; after every fifteen plates, a prize such as a keychain or phone mount pops out.

Kura has more than 550 locations in Japan, U.S., and Taiwan. There are 70 locations in 20 states and Washington D.C. McKinney is the sixth location to open in DFW; other locations include Carrollton, Euless, Plano, Frisco, and Fort Worth.

openings