This Week in Gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

This weekend is packed with just about every kind of food and drink event that you can imagine. You'll want to save room for cupcakes, tacos, barbecue, and more.

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

Wednesday, April 27

Dinner & Conversation with Carl Sewell at Garden Cafe
Join Garden Cafe for dinner and a conversation with businessman extraordinaire Carl Sewell. Courses include arugula salad on shaved pickled beet, confit chicken thighs, roasted duck with grits, and lemon curd pie with blackberry. Dinner is $50, and doors open at 6:30 pm, with the conversation beginning promptly at 7 pm. Dinner is served at 7:45 pm. This event is BYOB, and there is no corkage fee. Call 214-887-8330 to make a reservation.

Thursday, April 28

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
This month's dinner is focused on sampling rosé wines and features a three-course, paired bistro menu by chef de cuisine Sarah Snow. The guest host is Nathan Gilmore of Republic, who takes guests through each sampled wine. Reservations are recommended and are available in seatings from 5:30-9 pm. Call 214-828-1981. The cost of dinner is $52.

Saturday, April 30

Monterey Fresh Pop-Up at Dallas Farmers Market
Chef John Cox and chef Cal Stamenov of Monterey County, California, join chef Kent Rathbun and his spectacular 15-foot Brinkmann smoker/grill for this interactive event. Expect live cooking demos, delicious bites, and special pours hosted by Lawrence Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines. This free event starts at 10 am and is taking place between Sheds Two and Three.

Cupcakes for a Cause at University Park United Methodist Church
Enjoy delicious cupcakes from bakeries all over Dallas-Fort Worth, and participate in fun activities like cupcake-eating contests, bounce houses, face painting, and more. All proceeds support LEAP Global Missions, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing and enriching the lives of people around the world by providing free specialized surgical and medical care. The fun starts at 11 am.

Taco Libre 2016 at Main Street Garden
Taquerias are coming from as far as El Paso and Austin for this event, with taco options ranging from authentic street style to contemporary. Tickets for the second annual taco and music festival start at $16, and the general admission gate opens at 3 pm.

Big D BBQ Battle at Valley View Center
Eat all the fall-off-the-bone meat you can handle at this beloved North Dallas Chamber of Commerce barbecue festival. Tickets, which start at $30 for general admission, include barbecue, beer, refreshments, kids zone, live entertainment, and parking. The festival kicks off at 5 pm, and proceeds benefit Cafe Momentum.

Good Local Market's Carrot Contest at Lakeside Baptist Church
This contest is free to enter, and prizes are awarded for best savory, best sweet, and most creative recipes. Tasting tickets are $3 a person, giving guests a chance to test carrot soups, casseroles, breads, desserts, sides, salads, and more. Register here. The contest is happening between 11 am-12:30 pm.

Sunday, May 1

De La Terre Dinner at CBD Provisions
This first-time event features 12 notable Dallas female chefs for a food event with a philanthropic twist. The evening begins at 6 pm with a welcome reception with passed appetizers and drinks on The Terrace at The Joule. A seated, eight-course dinner follows at 6:45 pm, featuring fresh, seasonal produce from local farmers and purveyors. A portion of the night’s proceeds benefit Genesis Women’s Shelter, a Dallas shelter that provides safety, counseling, and expert services to battered women and children. This dinner is $130 plus $50 for beverage pairings, and reservations can be made by calling 214-261-4500.

Mexico Today with Pati Jinich at Central Market on Lovers Lane
Explore the evolution of Mexican cuisine with Pati Jinich, host of the popular PBS TV series, Pati’s Mexican Table. In this interactive experience, Jinich shows you how to make traditional dishes passed down through generations, as well as recipes that have evolved over time. Tickets are $65, and the event begins at 6:30 pm.

Join Taco Libre for tacos, wrestling, and entertainment at Main Street Garden on April 30.

Photo courtesy of Taco Libre Dallas

Join Taco Libre for tacos, wrestling, and entertainment at Main Street Garden on April 30.

wine tacos festivals dinner

Downtown News

Dallas chef team to close downtown fine-dining restaurant Sauvage

Sauvage

undefined

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is closing: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, will close in March.

According to a post from co-owner and chef Casey La Rue, the final day will be March 21.

"We're going to be open weekends until then, on Fridays and Saturdays, and we're going to put out the best food we've done so far," La Rue says.

They're closing due to heart-related health issues that La Rue has experienced, which began to surface in the past five years.

"Over the past few years, I've had some health issues, even going back to Carte Blanche days," La Rue says, referring to the original tasting restaurant that he and his wife Amy La Rue opened on Greenville Avenue in 2020. "I guess running this kind of restaurant, and the all-consuming nature of it, isn't great for you physically."

That's especially true given the couple's DIY ethos: They opened Sauvage six months ago next to the Statler Dallas hotel at 1914 Commerce St., with a renovation that they executed entirely on their own, literally building the place from scratch.

They opened Sauvage as a woodfire concept with 16-18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker. It was a next-generation concept for the couple following Carte Blanche, where they earned a number of awards including a rare AAA 5-diamond award, before closing in 2024.

But the fine-dining landscape has changed in recent years, with some calling it unsustainable.

At around the same time, the La Rues opened La Rue Doughnuts, a buzzy shop at the Trinity Groves complex in West Dallas, and Casey says that's where they'll place their focus, stating that he's unlikely to do another fine-dining restaurant "in my lifetime." (On a related note, all of the equipment at the restaurant is for sale.)

Doing the math, that means: 10 nights remaining X 2 reservation slots per night X 12 seats at each seating. That comes out to exactly 240 opportunities to get a meal there before they close. Run to the reservation lines!

downtown