This Week in Gluttony

These are the 10 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

From sushi for a cause to a falafel anniversary and an annual Brew-BQ, this week packs in the foodie fun. There's even CultureMap's very own Hello Summer Social, which is, of course, a can't-miss event. Don't worry, though, with Memorial Day around the corner, you'll have Monday off to recover from all the festivities.

Tuesday, May 23

Nicky's Week at RA Sushi
This 13th annual fundraiser benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and honors the life of Nicholas Mailliard — a child who lost his battle with pediatric cancer in 2005 at the age of 13. Nicky was the nephew of RA Sushi co-founder Rich Howland. When guests order from the special Nicky’s Week menu, 100 percent of the proceeds go to St. Jude to raise funds for research to help cure childhood cancers and other life-threatening illnesses. The event runs through May 28.

Wednesday, May 24

CultureMap Hello Summer Social at West Village
Benefiting Kidd's Kids, our Summer Social promises to be impressive as always. Sip cocktails from Gentleman Jack, nosh on bites from various West Village eateries (think Pok the Raw Bar, Taco Diner, Public School, and more) and enjoy lawn games and a photo booth. Tickets are $20 and the event lasts from 6-8 pm.

Ravenswood Wine Dinner at Jasper's Plano
The “Godfather of Zin” (Joel Peterson) is hosting this four-course dinner with expert pairings from the Ravenswood Winery collection. Courses include goat-cheese-stuffed quail, crispy seared pork belly, braised short ribs, and a red-wine ice cream sundae. Tickets are $125, and dinner is served at 6:30 pm. For reservations, call Shannon Tinsley at 972-673-0823.

Thursday, May 25

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
This month's dinner features samplings from the Rhone Valley paired with a three-course bistro menu. The dinner is hosted by Dionysus Imports and features a wine expert who speaks to each individual table about the wines selected. Dinner is $54, and you can make your reservations between 5:30-9 pm by calling 214-828-1981.

Farm Shed Dinner at Dallas Farmers Market
This month's dinner features food from Grow it Forward Farm in Edom, Texas. The menu includes boiled peanuts, fried green tomatoes, peach al pastor quail, pork tenderloin, and a cheese plate. Tickets are $70, and the meal is served at 7:30 pm.

James Beard After Dinner at Abacus
Celebrating executive chef Christopher Patrick cooking a “Dallas Decadence” menu for 80 guests at New York City's James Beard House, Abacus is re-creating the menu for a special wine dinner. The menu plans to focus on Texas products including buffalo, pheasant, and rabbit, and each course is paired with a Jackson Family Wine. Tickets are $125, and the dinner starts at 6:30 pm. Contact Stephanie Conder at stephaniec@abacus-jaspers.com for reservations.

Friday, May 26

Anniversary Party at Amsterdam Falafelshop
Celebrate the European fast-casual restaurant's first anniversary in Dallas with live music on the patio; $1 pint beers; $1 falafel bowls and sandwiches; $1 off Shawarma bowls and sandwiches; and a raffle with chances to win catering trays, gift cards, and more. The celebration lasts from 4-7 pm.

Friday Night Foodie Tour at Dallas Farmers Market
Food Tours of America brings its Friday Night Foodie Tour to Dallas, featuring five generous, artisanal food tastings from local restaurants, as well as time for shopping and socializing. The host narrates each tasting course, sharing the relevance of Dallas Farmers Market, along with foodie trivia and the best bits and bites of Dallas history that will surprise even longtime local residents. Optional upgrades for this event include red or white wine by the bottle. Tickets are $79 and the event starts at 6:30 pm.

Sunday, May 28

Brew-BQ at Deep Ellum Brewing Company
When Deep Ellum Brewing Company was still just a dream, it threw a small party in a parking lot near the brewery to get to know its future neighbors and get some feedback on its first batches of beer. That party was Brew-BQ, and it's been a tradition ever since. Expect games, music, barbecue, beer, and community. Tickets are $35, and the fun starts at 6 pm.

Dallas Margarita Meltdown at West End
Competitors concoct their finest margarita and offer samples. Tickets start at $35 and include a sampling card, which allows you to sample, taste, and vote for your favorite margarita from each participating establishment. Think Yucatan Taco Stand, Iron Cactus, Fat Rabbit, Truck Yard, and more. The event lasts from 4-9 pm.

Eat at RA Sushi during Nicky's Week and 100 percent of items ordered from the special menu go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Photo courtesy of Sushi Axiom

Eat at RA Sushi during Nicky's Week and 100 percent of items ordered from the special menu go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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Thanksgiving News

Dallas steak frites restaurant will fry your turkey for free

Courtesy

Fried turkey

A restaurant on Lower Greenville is ready and willing to fry your turkey for free: Medium Rare, the upscale prix fixe steak frites chain with locations in nine cities including Dallas at 5631 Alta Ave., is expanding its Free Turkey Fry event to its restaurant in Dallas.

The chain has been hosting this event at its original location in Washington DC for 18 years. According to a release, for the first time, this holiday season they will host the turkey fry at other locations.

The Medium Rare Free Turkey Fry event was founded in 2008, by the restaurant’s co-founder Mark Bucher, who is a passionate voice on hunger, food insecurity, and real-world, scalable solutions.

He launched the event as a way to help those who wanted to avoid the hassles and potential dangers of turkey frying. Many who took advantage of the event were recipients of free turkeys but lacked the skill, confidence, or tools to cook them.

The expansion of this year’s Free Turkey Fry into Dallas, as well as into two additional cities (Houston and Boston), reflects both the program’s growth and the increasing need for community support surrounding the growing issue of food insecurity in the current economic and political climate.

“We’ve seen the growing need to expand the Free Turkey Fry event year after year,” Bucher says. “It’s great to provide food to those that are struggling to make ends meet, but we often don’t think about how they are going to cook the food."

As an offshoot of the Free Turkey Fry program, they launched "Feed the Fridge" during the pandemic, placing community refrigerators across DC, and paying local restaurants to fill them with ready-to-eat chef-prepared meals. That program has provided more than one million free meals and injected more than $2 million back into neighborhood restaurants.

Dallas’ Medium Rare Free Turkey Fry will take place on Thanksgiving Day from 11 am-4 pm, and is open to anyone who brings a fully thawed turkey, up to 10 pounds.

The event will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis, but Bucher says they will try to get to everyone. They're expecting to fry hundreds of turkeys in Dallas and encourage people to arrive early; at their DC events, lines begin forming around 8 am.

This year’s national expansion underscores both the scalability of community-driven solutions and Medium Rare’s long-standing mission to fight hunger and food insecurity with creativity, compassion, and action.

"If we can help a family enjoy Thanksgiving safely, and at the same time help another family eat with dignity through Feed the Fridge, then we’re doing what Medium Rare was built to do," Bucher says.

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