It was sports heaven at The Empire Room on Monday, December 9, when fans of food, fun, and football gathered for the second edition of CultureMap's Tailgate party, presented by Verizon.

Absolutely perfect weather greeted guests at the indoor-outdoor event, as did the Frisco RoughRiders' mascot, Bull Moose, and excellent tunes from DJ Paiin.

Cowboys fans were out in full force.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Fans showed up supporting all Texas teams.

Many wore Dallas Cowboys jerseys in support of the Monday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns, which was projected onto two walls of the venue. Mavericks, Rangers, and even a few-out-of-state jerseys cemented that Dallas fans are serious about sports.

Courtesy of presenting sponsor Verizon, VIP admission gave guests access to a special meet-and-greet with former Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek as part of its On the Road to the Super Bowl promotion. Former Texas Rangers legend Rafael Palmeiro also posed for photos with VIP fans and joined Novacek in signing autographs to kick off the evening.

Guests were also able to register for an exciting chance to win a VIP trip for two to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans*. And if you missed your chance, don't worry. There's still time to enter now.

Tailgating is all about the food.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Of course, no tailgate is complete without delicious food. Guests gobbled up generous samples from some of Dallas' favorite restaurants, including:

• Smash Burger Pizza from Cenzo's Pizza & Deli
• Buffalo shrimp and blue cheese grits from McRae's American Bistro & Cocktails
• Sweet n' spicy bruschetta from Postino
• Pulled pork banh mi from JW Marriott Arts District
• Bulgogi Ssam (marinated ribeye lettuce wraps) from JOA Grill
• A variety of mini sandwiches from Corner Bakery
• Mexican shrimp cocktail and poblano cream soup from Anaya's Seafood
• Game Time venison roll-ups from Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse
• Smoke Signal sliders from Scout at the Statler Hotel
• Pastrami and pimento cheese sandwiches from Empire Baking Company
• Baked mezze rigatoni urbano from Will Salisbury
• The Original ChopShop's Kickoff with Coconut Chia Pudding and Huddle for Hummus with tortilla strips and veggies
• Blueberry cheesecake and tiramisu tartlets from La Rêve Gelato & Pâtisserie

With virtually no wait time for drinks, the bars served up signature cocktails by Tequila 512 (the Touchdown Margarita and Mexican Mule Rusher) and Jim Beam Black (the BBG and Rackhouse Black) and beer from EIGHT, along with THC seltzers from Howdy.

An array of beverages ensured guests had fun all night.Photo by Ashley Gongora

McRae's American Bistro scored as attendees' favorite dish of the night. Angry Dog beat out 15 other competitors in a bracket-style tournament to take home the title as winner of the Ultimate Wing Showdown. It was a busy week for Angry Dog — the eatery was also rumored to be one of the locations recently filmed for Guy Fieri's popular TV show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.

Buffalo shrimp and blue cheese grits from McRae's American Bistro & Cocktails won the best dish of the night.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Local sports organizations were well represented, with the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers raffling off an autographed baseball and the Frisco RoughRiders delighting guests with a prize wheel offering T-shirts, drawstring bags, and Evan Carter and Josh Jung baseball cards. An array of autographed photos, helmets, jerseys, and other memorabilia were also up for grabs in the silent auction.

The silent auction inspired competitive bidding.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Even though the Cowboys didn't win their game that night, fans still had such a good time that a spontaneous dance party broke out. At least someone got to do a victory dance!

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The Tailgate was presented by Verizon and sponsored by HOWDY, Eight Beer, Jim Beam Black, 512 Tequila, and PicMe Events.

*The NFL Entities shall have no liability or responsibility for any claim arising in connection with participation in this sweepstakes or any prize awarded. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored this sweepstakes in any way.