This Week in Gluttony

Cinco de Mayo fiestas top the best food and drink events in Dallas

It's not that busy of a week — except, oh, wait, it totally is. This weekend, many a refreshing alcoholic beverage will be had in the name of a horse race in Kentucky or an obscure battle between Mexico and France. And, at the TACA Lexus Party on the Green, CultureMap's Jennifer Chininis helps award a Golden Skillet.

Wednesday, May 1

Wine Poste and Gandona Wine Tasting
The Design District’s new tenant, the Wine Poste, hosts a special tasting with Gandona wines from California from 6-8 pm. Gandona’s vintner, Manuel Pires, discusses his 2010 Gandona and 2010 Encosta Cabernet Sauvignons. Wine tasting is $25, but if you purchase a bottle, the fee is waived.

Oak Cliff Cellars Wine Dinner at Lavendou Bistro
Lavendou and Oak Cliff Cellars team up for a four-course meal at 7 pm. Dishes include white butter salmon and spinach in a pastry shell paired with Oak Cliff Cellars Chardonnay from Twist Root Vineyard 2011 and pear tart with almond crust paired with OCC’s Firebrix from Firebrick Vineyard 2011. Reservations are $69 and can be made by calling 972-248-1911.

Friday, May 3

2013 TACA Lexus Party on the Green
The Party on the Green takes place on the grounds of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and features seven chefs from Rosewood properties located throughout the world and 13 top Dallas chefs. Dishes include roasted quail moromi miso, by Matt Raso of Nobu, and preserved Poteet strawberry gazpacho with black pepper, wild oxasis and foie gras snow from FT33's Matt McCallister. Judges award the Golden Skillet for the best dish. Tickets are $350, and proceeds benefit TACA.

Saturday, May 4

Sissy’s Second Annual Jockey & Juleps
The Kentucky Derby is a fine Southern tradition, and much of that is owed to the great mint julep. Sissy’s is pouring juleps, Kentucky punch, Presbyterian bourbon presses and Alabama sunsets for $7 from 3-6 pm. No tickets or reservations required, and there’s a prize for best dressed, which is almost guaranteed to include seersucker.

12th Annual Polo on the Lawn
Dress for the derby for this fun-filled, family-friendly Kentucky Derby-themed afternoon of fast-paced action, thoroughbred beauties and champagne divot stomping. You can socialize on the sidelines of a polo match and watch the Kentucky Derby broadcast live in the pavilion. Enjoy food and drink, music and dancing, and silent auction. Prizes will be awarded for Best Dressed, Best Hat, Best Picnic and Best Tailgate. Tickets are $45 or $150 for VIP. Kids 12 and under get in free.

Cinco de Mayo

El Fenix downtown, Meso Maya and Taqueria La Ventana host a Cinco de Mayo block party on May 4 from 2 pm-midnight. Admission is free before 6 pm; $5 after. Food and drink tickets are $2.50 each.

The Blue Goose Cantina is serving Dos XX and Tecates for $2.

Lazaranda hosts a Saturday Cinco de Mayo party from 6-11 pm, with $4 house margaritas, live music by Dave Corley and a raffle.

West End Pub has margaritas, beers, and live music by Jes Spires and Friends from 1-6 pm Sunday.

Mattito’s is hosting a celebration at all of its Dallas locations, beginning at 4 pm Sunday with live music. The Uptown location is also doing mechanical bull rides and zip line rides. Zip lines are so Cinco de Mayo.

The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek hosts the 2013 TACA Lexus Party on the Green.

Exterior of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek hosts the 2013 TACA Lexus Party on the Green.

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Spicy Food News

New restaurant Dallas Spicy Chinese Cuisine does it for real in Plano

Dallas Spicy

Fried rice and chicken at Dallas Spicy Chinese Cuisine

An authentic Chinese mom-and-pop restaurant has debuted in Plano: Called Dallas Spicy Chinese Cuisine, it opened in late 2025 at 4140 Legacy Dr. #310, at Coit Road, in the same center as Sprouts, taking over a space previously occupied by 369 Chinese BBQ, a long-timer that closed in 2025 after more than a decade.

Dallas Spicy Chinese Cuisine stands apart in the Chinese restaurant field thanks to a trio of elements:

Unusual dishes
They offer an array of Sichuan, Shanghai, and Taiwanese dishes, some not commonly found in DFW, such as:

Hot & Spicy Crayfish
Cumin Beef
Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs
Sauteed Bullfrog with Pickled Peppers

Dishes like their humongous Braised Lion’s Head Meatballs, a Huaiyang-style dish from Eastern China featuring pork meatballs simmered with Napa cabbage, and their Spicy Stinky Tofu — a Chinese tofu dish often sold as a snack at roadside stands — are earning raves for their home-cooked authenticity.

The menu has a big assortment of vegetable dishes, mostly stir-fries such as stir-fried shredded cabbage and stir-fried green beans with garlic, which has emerged as a major crowd-pleaser.

There are rice and noodle dishes such as chow mein, beef noodle soup, and dan dan noodles, a Sichuan classic with noodles, minced pork, scallions, and peanuts. An "American Chinese" category on the menu offers familiar staples such as honey walnut shrimp, orange chicken, and broccoli & beef.

Set price
A second distinction at Dallas Spicy is their "set price" dinner, like a Chinese version of omakase, featuring 10 dishes for about $150. It can be ordered in spicy or non-spicy versions.

The pandas
Dallas Spicy is obsessed with pandas: They've made pandas their decorative them, putting them everywhere: panda wall stickers, panda condiment shakers, and a massive installation featuring dozens of stuffed panda toys tacked to the wall in a heart shape.

The owners are hard to reach; they rarely answer the phone. But they'll provide attentive service if you dine in. They vow to be more than just a restaurant. According to their manifesto, they're a place "where stories are told through taste."

Dallas Spicy decor Pandas rule the decor at Dallas Spicy Chinese.Yelp

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