This Week in Gluttony

Abacus turns 15 to top best food and drink events in Dallas-Fort Worth

You know fall has arrived when your calendar fills up with food events. That's the case this week, because there are oodles of festivals, fundraisers and foodie celebrations. Heck, there's even a boozy 5K. And we can't even begin to explain the wackiness going down at Garden Cafe.

Dig in.

Wednesday, September 24

Chef's Table Wine Dinner With Joel Harloff at Bridge Bistro
Join chef Joel Harloff for a pairing dinner with Oak Cliff Cellars. Menu items include sea scallops, herb-brined game hen and summer wine bread pudding. Tickets are $65 each, and dinner starts at 6:30 pm. Call 214-740-1985 or reserve your spot online.

Saint Arnold Beer Dinner at Libertine Bar
Enjoy a five-course meal with pairings from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Dishes include sweet potato egg pasta with pancetta and snow peas, chicken sausage with mousse, alligator with crumpets and corn, venison with pearl onions and pickled okra, and pear tart with a chocolate toffee crisp. Dinner costs $60, including pairings, and starts at 7 pm. Call for reservations 214-824-7900.

Thursday, September 25

Oktoberfest Fort Worth at Panther Island Pavilion
This is an authentic German festival with just the right amount of Texas thrown in. Expect authentic German food, music, dancing, games, biergarten, dachshund races, and Spaten and other craft Oktoberfest and fall beers from around the country. Tickets range in price from $5-$15 and can be purchased online. The festival runs through September 27. Gates open at 6 pm on Thursday and Friday and 11 am on Saturday.

Foodiepalooza at Time Ten Cellars
The East Dallas Boys & Girls Club Advisory Council presents its annual event with special guest John Tesar of Spoon Bar & Kitchen and Knife. Join them for a night of food and wine, fun, and music by Chris Austin Martinez. They will be joined by nationally renowned pastry chef Katie Kennedy and chef Grant Morgan of the Ranch at Las Colinas. The evening also includes silent and live auctions with offerings such as dining packages, VIP Las Vegas getaway and private wine tasting for 20. The fun starts at 7 pm. Tickets start at $65 and can be purchased online.

Friday, September 26

Greek Food Festival of Dallas at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Enjoy all your favorite Greek foods — prepared right in the festival kitchen — at this cultural extravaganza that runs through Sunday. Also expect live music, authentic Greek dancing, kids area and marketplace filled with a range of Greek goods. Attendees can also tour the church and visit the Greek Cultural Center and church bookstore. Admission is free for kids under 13 and $6 for adults, and you can buy those tickets online. You must also purchase food tickets to buy food and drinks inside. Doors open at 4 pm on Friday and 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Grapevine Brewery Beer Dinner at Cook Hall
Cook Hall welcomes Grapevine Brewery for its latest beer dinner. Courses include pork rillette with crisp plantain chips, red and white endive salad, roasted organic chicken with fall vegetables, roasted venison, and apple and pecan sticky bun with brown butter ice cream. Tickets are $55, and you can reserve your spot by calling 214-397-4111. Dinner start at 7 pm.

Taste of the Fair at Pegasus Plaza
The State Fair kicks off this weekend, and the downtown parade starts at noon. While you're there, you can start your eating adventures at Pegasus Plaza from 11 am-1:30 pm. Food vendors offer State Fair classics such as Fletcher's corn dogs, roasted corn and more.

Saturday, September 27

Past and Present Dinner at Abacus
Abacus turns 15 this month, and that calls for a party — starting with this dinner. Celebrated chefs and former Abacus toques Tre Wilcox and Omar Flores return to the kitchen for one night. Alongside Kent Rathbun and executive sous chef Chris Patrick, they are creating a four-course dinner with wine pairings, including dishes such as duck three ways, deconstructed red chili pork "pozole," dark chocolate pate with pistachio and Bing cherry sorbet, and much more. You can make reservations between 6 and 11 pm by calling 214-520-0151. Cost is $200 per person.

Oktoberfest 5K and Biergarten at Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Who doesn't enjoy an ice cold beer after running a 5K? Runners for this fun event, presented by Discover Brewtopia, get a Rahr commemorative pint glass, tech-fit shirt and Bavarian treats. There is also a post-race biergarten and live polka music. Tickets are $40, and the race starts at 9 am. You can register online.

Sunday, September 28

Bangarang Ball at Garden Cafe
Drawing inspiration from Neverland and many other strange places, Garden Cafe's kitchen garden will be transformed at this unusual event. In addition to a special menu and wine, there will be beer from Deep Ellum Brewing Company and cocktails from Whistlepig. (If none of that excites you, then feel free to BYO drink of choice.) Chefs such a Graham Dodds and Justin Box plan to attend, along with the Rye Boys, who will keep you entertained. This event starts at 6 pm and should go strong until midnight. Tickets are $85. Buy them online.

15 Year Anniversary Party at Abacus
Help Abacus celebrate 15 years in Dallas at this party featuring food, craft cocktails, and cooking and mixology demonstrations. The restaurant is also bringing in Downtown Fever with a repertoire spanning from the '60s to today's most popular hits. Festivities take place from 2-8 pm, and the price to attend is $100 per person. For more information, call 214-559-3111 or buy your tickets online.

Rahr & Sons invites you to run a 5K and then enjoy music and beer on September 27.

Photo by Mary Tuab Flickr

Rahr & Sons invites you to run a 5K and then enjoy music and beer on September 27.

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Hot Dog News

Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails to dish sophisticated hot dogs in McKinney

thembites.com

Coney-style hot dogs will be on the menu at Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails.

A fun casual restaurant concept from a savvy player is coming to McKinney. Called Shorty's, it'll open in McKinney's charming Historic Downtown Square at 109 N. Kentucky St., where it will channel a quintessential Northeast-style hot dog shop.

According to owner Bryan McVay, it'll open in mid-March.

McVay is a food & beverage veteran who's worked in management and corporate finance for hospitality groups such as FB Society. He's also a native of Pittsburgh who worked at such a shop in his teens.

"In that part of the country, every town has a hot dog shop, and I worked at one through my high school days," McVay says.

But Shorty's is more than a hot dog shop. The full name is Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails, and it will surely serve hot dogs — but also burgers, sandwiches, and bar-style appetizers like fried pickles, not to mention a full bar.

McVay's approach is informed by the street-style food culture of big cities like New York. "I'm keeping in mind portability, where you grab a bite, and that's how we'll package everything," he says.

Mostly everything on the menu will be priced at $10 or less.

"Downtown McKinney has plenty of nice sit-down restaurants but we wanted to provide something not already offered, with good-quality food," he says.

During the day, Shorty's focus will be primarily on food: a place for McKinney visitors, couples, and families with kids to grab a bite. Later in the day, the emphasis will shift to a pre-date-night destination, a place to get a cocktail before or after dinner.

"We've kept the menu narrow, but with a goal to do everything at the highest level," McVay says. To that end, he recruited chef John Franke to consult. The centerpiece of the menu will be a Coney-style hot dog.

"Our Coney dog comes topped with chili, chopped white onions, and mustard," McVay says. "Although it's associated with Coney Island in New York, we're doing a style often found in Detroit. Our goal is to offer a fantastic Coney-style dog, but a cheffed-up version."

Other menu items include:

Smashburgers including one with hot pepper, bacon, BBQ sauce, and chili cheese
Chicken ranch sandwich
Filet O'Whitefish
Philly cheesesteak
Classic BLT
Haley's Killer Chili — "In Texas, they'll kill you if you put beans in your chili — well this chili has beans in it," McVay says.

Plus sides and snacks such as fried pickle chips, mozzarella bites, poutine, chili cheese fries, and "fancy fries" — cooked in trendy beef tallow.

This circa-1920 photo shows the facade of 109 N. Kentucky St. in McKinney Historic Square with the original "Drinks Lunches" sign.Shorty's/City of McKinney

The vision
McVay began his hospitality career with Hard Rock Cafe, and has worked for concepts such as House of Blues, Fox Sports Grill, and FB Society, where he lent a hand in the creation of Legacy Food Hall in Plano.

"Along the way, I always had this itch to do my own thing — connecting to my early days, and what made me fall in love with the restaurant industry, which was the idea of creating your own brand," he says.

The idea of Shorty's is rooted in nostalgia.

"My idea was to do a Northeast shotgun-style bar that has evolved over time so you feel the nostalgia around you," he says.

The right location was important. It took him four years to find the McKinney storefront, most recently a coffeehouse called Snug on the Square which closed during the pandemic, and previously home to an antique store, a rug store, and a bakery & coffee shop.

"Many of the buildings in downtown McKinney are 150 years old," he says. "Retrofitting a building that old and figuring out how to add modern necessities like ventilation and grease traps can be a challenge."

But it also means that the building comes with vintage treasures — from pressed tin panels on the walls to an original wood floor. McVay worked with the Texas Historical Society to preserve elements of the facade and retain some of the building's original character.

Over the entry, he's installed a cool retro "Coneys & Cocktails" sign that looks like it was made in the 1930s.

"I worked with two longtime sign makers who crafted the sign in the old-school style with blown glass," McVay says. "It took a few tries to get a sign that met the approval of the city of McKinney. We found a photo of the downtown square from decades ago which showed an original neon sign on the building. It said 'drinks & lunches.' So we recreated that sign — the exact same look, shape, and feel — but it says 'Coneys & Cocktails' instead."

"I'm trying to recreate what it might have looked like if it was a bar, 150 years ago," he says.

openings cocktails

This Week in Gluttony

Abacus turns 15 to top best food and drink events in Dallas-Fort Worth

Rahr & Sons invites you to run a 5K and then enjoy music and beer on September 27.

Hot Dog News

Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails to dish sophisticated hot dogs in McKinney

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

Renowned San Martín Bakery brings sophisticated pastries to Plano

Dallas chef team to close downtown fine-dining restaurant Sauvage