This Week in Gluttony

Tastemaker Awards headline the best food and drink events in Dallas

There are plenty of food events happening around town this week, and they are more interesting than your average beer or wine dinner. For example, you could swing by our Tastemaker Awards on Tuesday, as we honor the top talent in the local restaurant community.

So go ahead. Pick your poison:

Monday, May 5

The following restaurants are beckoning you with Cinco de Mayo specials:

Abuelo’s. Dos Equis draft beers for $2.50 and Mexican flag margaritas for $5.95.
Campuzano Mexican Food. Complimentary appetizer with drinks.
Cubiertos. Puebla margarita for $5 with melon, lime and pomegranate, plus menu specials such as $5 shrimp and pineapple salad and $23 chiles en Nogada.
On the Border. Special Cinco de Mayo drinks, including Angry Orchard Hard Cider blended with sweet and sour, topped with a shot of cinnamon whiskey on the rocks, plus frozen margaritas in mango, strawberry or wild berry.
Blue Goose. All-day happy hour includes $1 off liquors, $2.25 domestics, $3.25 premium beers, $3 top shelf frozen margaritas.
Mattito's Tex-Mex. Festivities include live band, Bob Armstrong queso-eating contest, mechanical bull rides, tequila tastings, games and prizes, and drinks specials.
Chuy's. Happy hour all day includes margaritas served in a commemorative cup, plus free fully loaded Nacho Car from 4-7 pm.

Tuesday, May 6

CultureMap Tastemaker Awards
We are proud to launch the Tastemaker Awards in Dallas, our annual tribute to the talent in the local restaurant community, with a kickass party in the Design District. From 6-9 pm, foodies can indulge in fine food and killer cocktails while toasting the winners in 10 categories, from Best Rising Star Chef to Best New Restaurant. You can also expect the famous CultureMap swag and other party tricks. Proceeds benefit Carry The Load and North Texas Food Bank. Tickets are $45 and include food, three premium drinks and valet. There are limited tickets at the door, so secure your spot online.

Herman Marshall Whiskey Dinner at Bone Daddy's Grapevine
Killer barbecue and Texas whiskey will come together for the Herman Marshall Whiskey four course dinner including bacon wrapped chicken jalapeno, chopped salad, 12 oz. bone-in pork chop topped with a Herman Marshal Bourbon Gravy with granny smith baked cinnamon apples and garlic mashed potatoes and housemade bread pudding with Herman Marshall Whiskey sauce. Seats are $50 per person, and reservations can be made by calling 817-251-0835.

Wednesday, May 7

Larry McMurtry Texas-themed dinner at the Dallas Museum of Art
Author Larry McMurtry discusses The Last Kind Words Saloon, his first novel in five years, with author/collaborator Diana Ossana. During the event, the DMA cafe is serving a Texas-themed three course dinner inspired by Texas settings in McMurtry's fiction. Dishes include Green Valley Farm’s snow pea shoot salad or roasted corn and poblano chowder, jalapeno and bacon stuffed free range chicken breast or spiced and braised beef brisket, and Dude Sweet Chocolate semi-sweet chocolate tart or pecan pie with soured cream. Dinner is $22, and you can purchase live simulcast tickets online.

Thursday, May 8

Taco Talk with José R. Ralat at Four Corners Brewing Company
From 6-9 pm, Slow Food Dallas presents a talk and taco fest with José R. Ralat, who starts with the taco's humble Mexican beginnings and ends with its place in Dallas food culture today. Admission includes the talk plus two tacos: one al pastor and one fried potato. Beer is available for sale before, during and after the presentation. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online.

Humane Hearts Hoedown at The Southwestern
The Humane League honors Rip Esselstyn, author of the bestselling book The Engine 2 Diet, with its first Humane Hero award. Join the nonprofit for a vegan buffet, including "chickn" and waffles. VIP cocktail hour starts at 6:30 pm; party follows at 7:30. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online.

Saturday, May 10

5th Annual Boil for the Brave Crawfish Boil at The Foundry
Hosted by the Rosedale Group, the annual Boil for the Brave Crawfish Boil raises funds for the construction and renovation of veterans' homes in the Dallas community. Guests can indulge in unlimited crawfish, potatoes and corn, as well as beer provided by Andrews Distributing. Tickets are free to U.S. military veterans and $25 to all other attendees and can be purchased online. Fun starts at 1 pm.

Join us for the first Tastemaker Awards on May 6, where you can feast on food from restaurants like Dive Coastal Cuisine.

Courtesy photo

Join us for the first Tastemaker Awards on May 6, where you can feast on food from restaurants like Dive Coastal Cuisine.

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Burger News

Family-owned Patty Lou's Smashburgers will open in old downtown Plano

Photo by Sara Aurora Cimminiello on Unsplash

Smashburger

A new restaurant starring a buzzy burger is coming to old downtown Plano: Called Patty Lou's Smashburgers, it will feature the namesake smashburger, and will open at 1004 E. 14th St. #105, in a historic location that was most recently home to a Starbucks.

Patty Lou's is a new concept from Urban Family Concepts, the hospitality company whose other restaurants include Urban Seafood Co., Urban Rio Cantina & Grill, and Italian restaurant Urban Crust, all located in the downtown Plano area.

Patty Lou's is their burger entry, a quick-service spot serving smashburgers, the flattened version of a burger with crisp edges that's been a hot trend for the past year.

According to Urban Family Concepts partner and spokesperson Dana Blaugrund, the restaurant will open in late spring.

Patty Lou's is also a sweet homage to a family member — named for Patty Lou Peters, of "Patty Lou and her Texas Sweethearts" fame, an all-female country & Western / Western swing group founded in the '40s, when female groups were a rarity.

Patty Lou was the mother of Bonnie Shea, who co-founded Urban Family Concepts with her husband Nathan Shea. Infusing the personal touch into everything they do is part of the company DNA, says Urban partner Michael Lee.

"Urban is generally driven by what we like," Lee says. "Urban Rio, our Mexican concept, came about because Bonnie loved that cuisine, and Urban Seafood Company, Nate loves seafood. Burgers are a favorite of their son-in-laws."

Their version of the smashburger will feature American cheese and onions that melt into the meat, Lee says. They'll be served on potato buns, and there'll be some toppings — but they won't go too crazy.

"It'll have onions, lettuce, and pickle, but we're going to stay minimal, with additional toppings on the side," he says. "Going overboard with ingredients can get complicated. Our goal is, very simple burgers that taste very good, at a value price, so that everyone can enjoy coming back and getting a burger."

The menu will also feature smashed chicken burgers, hand-cut French fries skin on, lightly battered onion rings, and milkshakes. They'll also serve alcohol, including bottled beers, wine by the glass, and a signature frozen cocktail. Eventually, they'll add specials like a burger of the month.

The location was originally home to the Ice House, built in 1917, an institution that provided ice products to Plano residents and businesses, says Urban partner Payton Hickey.

"You could pull up and get a block of ice from workers with tongs," Hickey says. "During remodeling, we could still see the raised floor where the freezer was, where they kept the ice."

They operated a licensed location of Starbucks in that space until 2024, when Starbucks opened a store nearby with a drive-thru in the former longtime Jack in the Box at 15th Street and US-75.

Decor at Patty Lou's will embrace a diner feel with counter seating, while incorporating elements from Patty Lou Peter's life, Blaugrund says. (It's a nice coincidence that her name syncs up with "hamburger patty.")

"We'll have her original guitar and some memorabilia in the restaurant — a cool mixture of country music and burger restaurant," Blaugrund says.

burgers openings