This Week in Gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

You can call us biased, but this is the best week of the year for food events because of the return of our Tastemaker Awards on May 19. Plus a barbecue joint is celebrating a trip to the James Beard House, and there's a big beer festival (with firkins!). Mark your calendars:

Thursday, May 19

Chef's Harvest Dinner Series at Asador
Join chef Brad Phillips for an exclusive chef's table experience celebrating the spring harvest. This three-course family dinner includes Texas gumbo, chicken-fried quail, fried okra, smoked Gouda grits, stewed black-eyed peas, creamed turnip tops, and Texas strawberry shortcake. Dinner costs $90 per person and starts at 7 pm. To reserve your spot, call 214-267-4815.

Craft Beer & Artisan Cheese Pairing at Community Beer Company
Cheesemonger Ali Morgan, from Rare Edibles, collaborates with Community Beer Company for a night of delicious pairings. Tickets are $30, which gets you four craft beers matched with a complementary and contrasting cheese. If you are not good at math, that's four beers and eight cheeses. The event starts at 6 pm.

CultureMap Tastemaker Awards at Hall of State
Our annual celebration of the best in local restaurants and bars features great food, specialty cocktails, beer and wine, music, and more. Nosh on bites from FT33, 18th & Vine, Madrina, Remedy, Slow Bone, and 13 other eateries, while Bartender of the Year nominees whip up a variety of Tequila Herradura sippers. The fun begins at 7 pm, and tickets start at $40. Proceeds from the evening benefit Young Texans Against Cancer.

James Beard Dinner at Hutchins BBQ
In preparation for their James Beard House dinner in New York City next month, Hutchins BBQ owner and pitmaster Tim Hutchins and pit master Dustin Blackwell are doing a five-course preview dinner with Texas wine, beer, and spirits. Courses include appetizers (think Texas Twinkies), slow-smoked prime brisket with potato salad, slow-smoked St. Louis-style spareribs with Hutchins bacon macaroni and cheese, Hutchins family peach cobbler, and more. Tickets are $36, and dinner starts at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, May 21

North Texas Firkin Fest at Globe Life Park in Arlington
For a second year in a row, Texas Craft Brewers Guild brings North Texas this fun festival, featuring craft beer from around the state that's served in traditional casks (or firkins). Participating breweries include Real Ale Brewing Company, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, and many more. Tickets start at $10, and the event kicks off at 1 pm for VIPs.

Monday, May 23

Plant Forward Dinner and Cocktail Pairing at Stock & Barrel
Chef Jon Stevens and team work their magic to craft a four-course meal from local and seasonal vegetables. Dinner also includes a curated cocktail pairing, plus a surprise from event organizer Harvest Hands. Tickets are $90, and dinner starts at 7 pm.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company is one of the many brewers making an appearance at the North Texas Firkin Fest on May 21.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company/Facebook

Deep Ellum Brewing Company is one of the many brewers making an appearance at the North Texas Firkin Fest on May 21.

event-planner craft-beer festivals

Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 new happy hours for February

Even Coast

The Frozen John D at Even Coast.

The February edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column on restaurants and bars you can get a drink at, travels far and wide to find the best and most exotic happy hours around: From sushi deals in downtown Dallas to $5 margaritas in Collin County to Indian bar bites in Irving.

(If you're in a more date-night frame of mind, be sure to consult our list of places where you can share a sweet Valentine's Day meal.)

Here are five happy hours to try in February:

Cafe Gecko
Laid-back perennial favorite in Richardson has just unveiled a brand new happy hour menu featuring their delectable versions of classic bar food treats including pizza fries, pretzel bites, chicharrones, onion rings, and fried pickles, priced from $5-$7, plus $1 off everything in the bar. It's served Monday all day, and Tuesday-Friday from 3-7 pm.

Dozo Omakase
Omakase sushi restaurant which opened a year ago at Trinity Groves with a compact menu that includes the trendy multi-course omakase style of dining, available in small or large versions. They do a cool approach to happy hour by introducing a new menu nearly every month. For February, it includes items from the sushi bar and the kitchen including half-price nigiri, sushi hand rolls for $8, gyoza for $6, crispy rice tuna for $10, and miso soup for a bargain $2.50. Cocktails include sake for $9 and a Kyoto highball cocktail for $11.

Even Coast
Neighborhood restaurant from chef Omar Flores opened on the Addison-Dallas line in 2024 with seafood, pastas, and steaks — and now happy hour. It's a good one, served from 2-6 pm every day with its own menu of $3 oysters, $10 cheeseburgers, and salmon dip. House cocktails are $9, including a rotating flavor frozen drink; a pint of beer is $6, and wine by the glass is $9. The only restriction is where: On Friday-Saturday, it's available only at the bar; Sunday-Thursday, it's also available in the dining room and on the patio.

Neon Cactus
Congenial Mexican restaurant in Fairview has a happy hour with deals that surely seem worth driving for: They run Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm and include margaritas for $5, domestic beers for $4, wine by the glass for $5, and well drinks for $4. They also have daily food specials that run all day, such as queso blanco and chicken tinga flautas, $10 each on Thursdays, and taco plates with rice and beans, $10 to $12 on Tuesdays.

Nirvana
Sultry Indian lounge at Toyota Music Factory with DJ, dance floor, and rooftop patio has what may be the worst website in the world — but buried beneath the PTSD flash graphics and music is a worthy happy hour, served from 4-7 pm featuring $2 off all cocktails, including the Hunan Heatwave with tequila and tandoori pineapple, and the Beijing Berry mocktail with mixed berries and ginger ale. Plus Indian-themed bar snacks such as "drums of heaven" AKA chicken lollipops; street-style chow mein, and crispy chili corn.

cocktails where to drink