This Week In Gluttony

Eat your vegetables and your barbecue at this week's best Dallas food events

If you’re on fried food overload (is there such a thing?) from the State Fair of Texas, a week chock-full of veggies might be exactly what you need. Also on the docket are champagne and oysters, wine, and tacos. But if you want to sneak in one last Fletcher’s corny dog before the fair closes on October 18, we’d understand.

Tuesday, October 13

Pappas Bros. Chef Collaboration Dinner
The steakhouse is hosting its first-ever five-course collab with chefs James Johnson and Yutaka Yamato, pairing Wagyu beef with wines chosen by Master Sommelier Barbara Werley. There are only 36 seats available, and dishes include seared Miyazaki A-5 strip loin, braised Australian Wagyu short rib, and Jack Daniel's apple spice cake. Dinner starts at 7 pm. The cost is $195 per person plus tax and gratuity, and for reservations call (214) 366-2000.

Wednesday, October 14

20th annual Hoedown at Dallas Farmers Market
Top local chefs, farmers, wineries, food artisans, and more share their culinary delights during this annual fundraising event for Dallas Farmers Market Friends. The event features live music, a silent auction, and tastings of local specialty foods. Tickets are $75, and the event starts at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, October 15

Deep Ellum Wine Walk
This recurring event (third Thursday of the month) combines two favorite pastimes: wine drinking and shopping. Visitors can purchase a collectible Wine Walk glass for $10, raise it, and repeat as they enjoy samples and explore Deep Ellum. Pick up a passport at the check-in table at 2650-B Main St. (starting at 5 pm). Have it stamped at five or more destinations — participating stores include Life of Riley, Akola Project, Epocha, and Elluments — and enter the drawing (located at the check-in table after the event) for a chance to win gift certificates.

Champagne & Oyster Thursday at Proof + Pantry
Every Thursday starting at 4 pm, enjoy special pricing on Delamotte champagne and East Coast oysters. Half flutes are $11 paired with three 25-cent oysters, or a full flute for $22 paired with six 25-cent oysters. This bubbles party is only happening through November.

Saturday, October 17

Texas Veggie Fair at Reverchon Park
This free, dog-friendly event is wildly popular in Dallas. So much so that 10,000 people showed up last year to celebrate a healthier, kinder, more sustainable way of eating. This is the largest veggie festival in Texas, and this year’s speakers include eco-lifestyle expert Ashlee Piper and Paul Shapiro of the the Humane Society of the United States. There are chef demos, live music, and vendors galore.

Tacolandia at Dallas City Hall
Mmmm tacos. This outdoor festival features a sampling of Dallas’ best tacos, ranging from urban contemporary to authentic street style. You can also enjoy live music, beer and cocktails (cash bar), and awards for best tacos in various categories. Tickets start at $25, and the event begins at 4 pm.

Sunday, October 18

A Brand New Start at C.H. Alexander Mansion
Enjoy an evening of delicious food prepared by Dallas chefs John Tesar, Omar Flores, Stephen Pyles, Joel Harrington, and more. This foodie function benefits the Dallas 24 Hour Club, a nonprofit that provides safe, sober transitional living for those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction. The evening also has entertainment by Lost Coyote featuring Dean Fearing. Tickets start at $100, and the event begins at 5:30 pm.

Cafe Momentum Pitmasters Picnic at Slow Bone
Part of Cafe Momentum’s pop-up dinner series, this one features some of the best barbecue in the state. Participants include Jack Perkins (Slow Bone), Wayne Mueller (Louie Mueller’s), Nick Pencis (Stanley’s Famous), Travis Heim (Heim BBQ), Jeff Bergus (Lockhart Smokehouse), Stephen Joseph (Riverport BBQ), and Tim Hutchins (Hutchins Barbecue). Tickets are $65, and the event starts at 6 pm.

The Cafe Momentum Pitmasters Picnic returns to Slow Bone October 18.

Courtesy photo

The Cafe Momentum Pitmasters Picnic returns to Slow Bone October 18.

tacos festivals barbecue deep-ellum event-planner chefs wine

Patio time

5 best restaurant patios in Dallas to hit on a warm spring day in 2026

Taco Y Vino

Award-winning patio at Taco Y Vino

Dallas is facing a sunny and warm spell, and that can only mean one thing: It's time to hit the patio. In a search for the best patio, deciding factors include sunshine, comfortable accommodations, an engaging view, and something good to eat and drink.

You'll find all of that at these five Dallas hotspots — one for every neighborhood, whether you're in Oak Cliff or Uptown Dallas, Plano or Addison, or good old Greenville Avenue.

Here are five patios to check out now that the weather's good:

Libertine Bar
Venerable low-key bar has an impressive selection of beer; great food like their irresistible battered portobello fries with jalapeno ranch; a bountiful brunch; and endless specials including steak night on Tuesdays, trivia night on Thursdays, and a generous happy hour Tuesday-Friday. Their street-facing patio has a fun chill vibe, and there is truly no better ringside seat to the action, sometimes rowdy, on Greenville Avenue.

Rose Cafe
Uptown cafe is an indoor-outdoor restaurant which transitions throughout the day, from pastry and coffee at breakfast to cocktails after work. (They also have some of the best made pastries in town.) The surprising decor features florals and soft pink hues pastry or brunch, and enjoying vibrant cocktails with friends. It's located right off the Katy Trail so the views are a given.

Taco y Vino
The patio at this beloved taco-and-wine restaurant in Oak Cliff is so spectacular, it has won awards: namely, a CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Best Patio in 2024. For tacos, they have 11 varieties, which you can get in a killer special: A bottle of wine and six tacos for $35, available any time. Or try one of their cool cocktails such as the frozen Kalimoxto, a refreshing combination of red wine and Coca Cola. In 2025, they opened a second location in downtown Garland, bringing their primo patio action to the east side of town.

Far Out
Restaurant in renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park has become known in the past year among the foodie set as the place for whom acclaimed chef Misti Norris has created a new menu with dishes like crispy pig ears and lemongrass duck confit salad. (It has earned two nominations, in fact - for Chef of the Year and Best New Restaurant - in the 2026 Tastemaker Awards.) But Far Out also has a charming patio that runs along the exterior, with a Southwestern/Santa Fe vibe that includes tasteful furniture and a big collection of cacti and other desert-style plants — a serene spot in the middle of the city.

Stix Icehouse
Restaurant-bar in McKinney sitting on a 14-acre spread is really more like a park and event center with a restaurant attached. With their extensive outdoor facilities, they're a family-friendly getaway, with a second-story deck for food and drink, and a sprawling backyard area with a basketball hoop, lawn, and trees. Their menu is quintessential Texas, with burgers, Frito pie, chicken-fried steak, nachos, and loaded fries. Drinks, including a frozen margarita and a salted caramel espresso martini, top out at $12.

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