This Week in Gluttony

Haystack Burgers grand opening tops the best food and drink events in Dallas

This week brings the opening of a burger joint in Richardson and a Washington State wine tasting at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. But if those are too mainstream for you, then check out the Whole Foods seminar on beer bottle art, a wine/yoga/pool party at Hotel Palomar, or the inaugural Taste Addison 5K featuring pit stops for chocolate croissants and brisket burritos.

Then there’s a White Out party, where everything and everyone is covered in white, and the alcohol is clear. Of course, everyone knows clear alcohols are for rich women on diets.

Tuesday, May 14

Haystack Burgers & Barley Grand Opening
Haystack Burgers & Barley celebrates its grand opening from 5 to 6:30 pm with appetizer samples and representatives from Four Corners Brewery, Lakewood Brewery and Revolver Brewing. The staff gives out a Haystack VIP card, good for one burger a week for a year.

Wednesday, May 15

Pappas Bros. Wine Dinner with Long Shadows Vintners
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse hosts a wine dinner featuring Long Shadows Vintners with founder Allen Shoup from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. Dishes include a rabbit ragoût paired with 2009 Long Shadows "Saggi" Columbia Valley Sangiovese Blend and achiote-basted antelope chop paired with 2008 "Feather" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The four-course menu is $175 per person and begins at 7 pm.

Thursday, May 16

Wellness WINEdown with Attitudes & Attire
Hotel Palomar throws the Wellness WINEdown with sustainable wines, small bites from Central 214’s Graham Dodds, and low-cal cocktails from bartender Amber West. There are yoga demos, spa giveaways and a raffle for items including a Villy Customs bike. The event runs from 5 to 7 pm, and a $20 donation for Attitudes & Attire or a gently used handbag grants you entrance to this poolside party.

Friday, May 17

The Art of Beer at Whole Foods Preston Forest
Josh Cockrell, artist for Austin’s Jester King brewery, guides participants through the process of designing beer labels while they sample all the beers. The free event runs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the upstairs classroom.

Saturday, May 18

White Out Party at the Dallas Contemporary
Sigel’s Fine Wines and Spirits throws this bash dedicated to clear spirits at the Dallas Contemporary from 7 to 11 pm, with VIP doors opening at 5:30 pm. Samples include Tito’s vodka; Hendrick’s gin; Montelobos mescal tequila; and 27 other types of sake, tequila, wines and rums. There are also bites from Dragonfly, Sambuca, Kenichi and more. All guests are asked to dress up in white to match the alcohol and the room themes: purity, sacrifice and virtue. General admission is $35 and VIP is $70.

Tasty Run 5K & Fun Run
The first-ever Tasty Run 5K & Fun Run at Taste Addison 2013 lets participants literally eat and run, as it features several tasting stations along the route, with bite-size samples from Addison restaurants such as Raising Cane’s and On the Border. Tickets are $15 for kids 12 and under and $35 for adults. The race benefits the Addison Legacy Foundation.

Long Shadows Vintners brings Washington State wines to Pappas Bros. for a special wine dinner May 15.

Long Shadows Vintners Facebook

Long Shadows Vintners brings Washington State wines to Pappas Bros. for a special wine dinner May 15.

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Steak & Ale News

Local opening of Dallas chain Steak and Ale gets derailed

Steak and Ale

The long-in-the-works return of Steak and Ale in Dallas is being shelved for now: The casual steakhouse chain which in its heyday had nearly 300 locations is no longer opening a location it planned for in Grand Prairie.

According to a May 11 post from company owner Paul Mangiamele, the restaurant is definitely now a no-go.

"After years of very hard and exhausting work for making the Grand Prairie side by side S&A and Bennigan’s happen, the rug has been yanked out from under us," Mangiamele said in his post.

Often referred to as a pioneer in casual dining, Steak and Ale debuted in 1966, offering an affordable steakhouse experience with rustic Tudor design that included wooden beams and stained glass. In addition to steak and a signature salad bar, the menu featured then-fancy items such as steak Oscar, baby back ribs, and Hawaiian chicken with pineapple teriyaki sauce.

The chain remained a buzzy destination throughout the '70s and '80s, but by 2008, the parent company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and the remaining locations closed.

In 2023, businessman Paul Mangiamele, chairman and CEO of Legendary Restaurant Brands (which includes Monte Cristo sandwich purveyor Bennigan’s and Bennigan’s On The Fly, which he has also revived), launched a long-held plan to revive the Steak and Ale concept that included opening a new Steak and Ale in Burnsville, Minnesota, as well as partnering with a franchisee to open a location in Grand Prairie, side-by-side with a Bennigan's.

The Minnesota location opened in August 2024, but Grand Prairie will not be so lucky, and according to Mangiamele, it's due to the shenanigans of the franchisee.

"For years, we were being told by the developer and owner of the land how he was going to be our franchise partner," Mangiamele says. "He shared with me numerous times how he grew up with the brands and wanted to do his part in honoring Norman Brinker and would be a proud franchise owner. Well, after he finally (3 years later) received his money for selling some of his land, instead of being our franchise partner, he changed his tune, and wanted to instead, sell his land to us!!"

According to Mangiamele, not only did the franchisee try to sell back the land, he tried to make a profit.

"Our special deal was a ‘discounted’ price per foot on the land we’d need," Mangiamele says. "After a few due diligence calls, the discounted ’deal’ price was 20% higher than the comparable prices in the same area!! Simply unbelievable!"

Mangiamele says they are still talking to other interested parties in the greater DFW area and should have more news soon.

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