This Week in Gluttony

Feast of the Seven Fishes tops best food and drink events in Dallas

How many tacky sweaters should one own? Are you allowed to recycle them for multiple tacky sweater parties, or is that considered too gauche? I ask only because this week there are two ugly sweater parties.

Now they’re both on the same night, so you could probably get away with just one ugly sweater, but maybe consult with your most fashionable friend before. Because it’s one thing to make an ironic fashion faux pas, but to unintentionally pile a non-ironic miscue on top is simply uncouth.

Elsewhere, Cook Hall and Deep Ellum Brewing are doing a dinner together, the Italian Club of Dallas is bringing out all the fish for the annual feast, and NorthPark Center has a bunch of baked goods if you’re willing to go to the mall the Saturday before Christmas.

Wednesday, December 18

Ugly Sweater Party at Victor Tangos
Put on your ugliest Christmas sweater for a night out at Victor Tangos beginning at 7 pm. Maker’s Mark cocktails are $5, and guests compete for three prizes for ugliest holiday sweater. Prizes are $100 to Victor Tangos for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third. The party is free to attend.

Tamales & Tacky Sweater Party at Urban Taco
Grab a tacky sweater and join Feed Me Dallas and Urban Taco for a four-course dinner beginning at 6:30 pm. Plates include pozole verde and a tamale trio. The best sweater wins a prize and Mexican ponche is included in the meal. Seats are $25 and can be ordered online.

Friday, December 20

Deep Ellum Brewing Beer Dinner at Cook Hall
Cook Hall and Deep Ellum Brewing team up for a five-course beer dinner beginning at 7 pm. Pairings include grilled pork chop with chili glaze, King Oyster mushroom and broccoli rabe paired with Deep Ellum IPA, and braised rabbit with ricotta gnocchi and currant glaze paired with Rye Pils. Tickets are $55 and reservations can be made by calling 214-397-4111.

Saturday, December 21

Treats of Christmas at NorthPark Center
Brave NorthPark Center for a chance to visit the ultimate holiday bake sale beginning at 10 am. Treats of Christmas is presented by Texas Chefs Association and features dozens of local chefs selling gourmet cakes, sweets, pies and cookies. Proceeds benefit the North Texas Food Bank’s Cooking Matters program, which gives local families the skills and knowledge to prepare healthy meals.

Sunday, December 22

Feast of the Seven Fishes at the Italian Club of Dallas
The Italian Club of Dallas hosts its annual Feast of the Seven Fishes beginning at 7 pm. Normally held on Christmas Eve, this year’s feast is a few days before. Guests can gorge on a plethora of fish options, including fried smelts, calamari, anchovies, sardines, eels, octopus, shrimp, mussels and clams. Also enjoy wine, desserts, pastas and more. Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for non-members. They can be purchased online.

Wear your tacky sweater for Urban Taco's four-course tamale dinner on December 18.

Photo courtesy of Urban Taco

Wear your tacky sweater for Urban Taco's four-course tamale dinner on December 18.

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There Goes the Biscuits

Mom-and-pop restaurant chain Biscuit Bar closes all Dallas locations

Photo courtesy of Biscuit Bar

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A Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant chain dedicated to biscuits is shutting down: The Biscuit Bar, a chain with six locations including five in the Dallas area, is closing them all. According to a series of Facebook posts, the closures are effective immediately.

Owners Jake and Janie Burkett say they were poised to sell off the chain but the sale fell through at the last minute.

The chain has five locations in the DFW area and one in Abilene. All are closed, as follows:

Deep Ellum
the Boardwalk in Plano
Arlington
Fort Worth Stockyards
Coppell

And Abilene.

The couple blamed a variety of factors, including "rising costs, supply chain instability, and a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests" which "created pressures no small business was prepared to endure."

They debuted the concept in 2019 with a bang, targeting five locations all at once — a bold move for an unproven concept, especially one dedicated entirely to one food group.

They were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering biscuits, tots, and beer on tap — very ambitious — with a menu featuring both savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made in house; tots, which could be customized; plus a bar with cocktails, local beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha, all offered on tap.

Their post says that by early 2025, they entered Chapter 11 — "not to walk away but to rebuild and secure a future for our employees," they say. "And for a time, it looked like that future was within reach. A respect restaurant group stepped forward, committed to acquiring and growing Biscuit Bar. The sale was structured, terms were agreed upon, and the closing was set for December."

Unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

"While many partners supported a workable plan, several key financial stakeholders did not," their post says. "This included a few landlords whose participation was essential. Their refussal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financil ability continue operating. And so just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives.

They say that "every earned wage will be paid," but to cover the loss of income and security so close to the holidays, they've established a GoFundMe and are encouraging their fans to contribute.

closings