Holiday News

Grab tickets for cherished holiday tea at Adolphus in downtown Dallas

The elegant dining room will be serving holiday tea four days a week.

Photo courtesy of the Adolphus

Hard to believe we're talking about the holidays but tickets are on sale for one of Dallas' most precious traditions: the Holiday Tea at The Adolphus, returning to the downtown hotel's French Room for the 2022 season, beginning Wednesday, November 2 through Sunday, January 8.

The tea is hosted Wednesdays-Sundays, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day, from 11 am– 3 pm. Reservations go live on Tuesday, October 4.

Holiday Tea includes two courses, two teas, and a glass of champagne or French sparkling cider. The teas are loose-leaf and sourced from Zatki, a local purveyor who creates a custom tea just for The Adolphus.

The tea features pastries created by the Adolphus' executive pastry chef Ruben Toraño, who was nominated for a CultureMap Tastemakers Award for Best Pastry Chef in 2017 and whose pastry chops have been significantly notable to warrant a complete story devoted to them on CultureMap. He's an old hand at the tea thing, having devised an afternoon tea menu for the Joule Dallas in 2014.

The festive menu at the Adolphus includes a savory course with classics such as:

cucumber cress with herbed cream cheese
truffled egg salad on croissant with pepitas
roast beef on sourdough pancake with horseradish cream
pork rillettes and fresno-cranberry relish on sweet potato
mushroom rye bread pudding with apple and turnip

Under the sweet column, they'll do seasonally flavored cakes and pastries such as:

scones, served in the traditional British style with preserves and English double cream, in flavors that include brown sugar-cinnamon dulcey and cranberry orange
pumpkin cheesecake with whipped maple crémeux
chocolate caramel tart
ginger financier with pomegranate jam
spice cake with cream cheese icing and candied pecan

One new luxe feature: Caviar service can now be added to your tea experience for an added cost, ranging from $95 to $185 depending on what kind of caviar you choose, served solo or with buckwheat blini with crème fraîche and shaved yolk.

Holiday Tea is $75 plus tax and gratuity for adults or $35 plus tax and gratuity for children under 12. Discounted day valet parking at The Adolphus is included.

A special holiday tea service will take place on Thursday, December 23 and Friday, December 24 featuring the holiday tea menu plus Victorian carolers, a photo op with the Great Tree in Social Lobby, and a takeaway gift.

Book online through Resy.com at https://resy.com/cities/dfw/the-french-room or call The French Room at 214-651-3615; phone lines will be open Wednesday–Sunday from 10 am–4 pm. If you're calling outside those hours, leave a voicemail. For parties of eight or more, email reservations@thefrenchroom.com.

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Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife