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

Bowls News

Sassy restaurant Packin' Bowls gives Dallas' Sylvan Thirty healthy eats

Packin' Bowls

A healthy bowl concept has made its debut at Sylvan Thirty in West Dallas: Called Packin’ Bowls, it's now open at 1868 Sylvan Ave. #D150, in the former Shayna's Place space near Cibo Divino, Ten Ramen, and Houndstooth Coffee, where it's doing chef-crafted healthy bowls in an array of global flavors.

The restaurant is from Michael Youssef and Sam Kaiser, a congenial pair of restaurant industry veterans with entrepreneurial ambitions who first test-marketed the concept in a ghost kitchen before launching it into the big time.

Youssef and Kaiser met when they worked together at the Hilton Anatole. Youssef was Executive Banquet Chef and Kaiser was Senior Front of House Manager.

During COVID, they were furloughed and in 2021 decided to combine their complimentary skills — Youssef covering the kitchen, Kaiser the front of the house — by opening Furlough Brothers, a cleverly titled sandwich shop specializing in cheesesteaks, which they operated out of the popular Commerce Fork Food Co. ghost kitchen at 921 Commerce St.

But for their own lunch, they would bring rice, veggies, and proteins, and that inspired the idea of Packin’ Bowls. They launched the concept at the same ghost kitchen adjacent to their sandwich shop, where they've built a following over the past four years.

When it was time to open a brick-and-mortar shop, they were thrilled at the opportunity to open at Sylvan Thirty, two miles away.

"We felt it was perfect because we get to serve the same people that have been supporting us throughout the years," Youssef says.

They had to add a full kitchen — Shayna's did cold sandwiches only. There is also a comfortable dining room with tables & chairs, benches, and a bar, although they do not serve alcohol.

Their menu features eight chef-crafted bowls with sassy titles, similar to the sass in Packin', including:

Dank steak: Strip steak, fried onions, tomatoes, bacon, bell peppers, jalapeños, and blue cheese
Mediterranean OG: Chicken, arugula, tomato-cucumber salad, crispy chickpeas, feta cheese, pickled eggplant and lemon-garlic yogurt
Smoke in a bowl: Brisket, cheddar, charred corn, pickled onions, coleslaw, sweet potato, and smoky lemon ranch dressing
Reefer: Shrimp, pico de gallo, black beans, tajin pineapple, guacamole, tortilla strips
Vegan Grass: Falafel, cucumber salad, pickled onions, sweet potato, broccoli, pickled eggplant, harissa tahini

Prices range from $14 to $18. Customers can also build their own, choosing from options such as brown, white, or cauliflower rice, mixed greens, babaganoush, and black beans, as well as chef-quality dressings such as spicy Korean BBQ, harissa tahini, and cilantro lime sauce.

They also have garlic hummus with pita chips, fries, coleslaw, chips & queso, and edamame.

They keep later hours than the usual healthy place, open for lunch and dinner until midnight on weekdays, with a customer-friendly goal: healthy protein bowls with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and friendly service to satisfy a regular and diverse clientele.

“You can come here and have something different five days a week," Kaiser says.

health openings