All On The Same Team

CultureMap Dallas' winning Tailgate bash unites sports fans + foodies

CultureMap fans know how to party, especially when they're cheering on their favorite sports teams with a taco in one hand and a beverage in the other.

That was precisely the vibe on Sunday, October 5, at The Empire Room, where fan assembled to celebrate all things sporty at The Tailgate.

Decked out in plenty of blue and silver, in honor of the Dallas Cowboys taking on the New York Jets that afternoon, guests arrived at the indoor-outdoor venue ready to score an afternoon to remember.

Dallas Tailgate 2025 Grace Tudor, Tanner Agar, Dee Lincoln, Bella Dinardo.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

A strut across the football field-inspired "green carpet" brought hungry attendees inside, where their taste buds were not disappointed. No tailgate is complete without killer eats, and this year’s restaurant roster was championship caliber. Attendees indulged in a dizzying spread of creative, tailgate-inspired bites, including:

Assorted po'boys from Antone's Famous Po' Boys
Chicken and tofu lettuce wraps from Feng Shui
Roast beef sandwiches on Heritage wheat bread from Empire Baking
Pastalaya: penne pasta with shrimp, andouille sausage, chicken, and Creole cream sauce from Dee's Table
Football-shaped Jamaican jerk pork tostadas from Loro
Fried chicken sandwich with gochujang, caramelized onion, mayo, and pickles from Kona Grill
JOA Grill's bulgogi ssam and akaushi sausage kimbap
Five spice slow-braised pork bao from Komodo
McRae's American Bistro & Cocktails' cherry BBQ short rib sliders with feta cheese and apple-cabbage slaw
Harissa-glazed chicken wings with black garlic ranch and scallions from Fearing Restaurant Group
Taqueria La Ventana's bistek and al pastor tacos
The All American, Kevin Bacon, and The Western burgers from Twisted Root Burger Co.
Slow-cooked pork carnitas tacos from Señor Oink
Lil' BRGs from STK Steakhouse
Corn Holes (petite deep-fried Better Balance vegan hot dogs dipped in a cornmeal-infused beignet batter on a stick, and drizzled with a spicy bourbon mustard) from Richardson International Food Festival (RIFF)
Scout at the Statler's pineapple char siu pulled pork sliders
Spiced apple crisp cups from Ruby Baking Co.

To wash it all down and keep spirits high well past the fourth quarter, there were Patron Silver margaritas and ranch waters, Reyka Vodka's Midfield Mule, The Ryes of Texas and the Bourbon Peach Buzz from Still Austin Whiskey, water from Saratoga, and an array of beers from Yuengling.

Dallas Tailgate 2025 Loro brought football-shaped Jamaican jerk pork tostadas.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Following last year’s fan-favorite Ultimate Wing Showdown, this year’s competition turned up the heat with the Top Taco Tournament. After weeks of online voting, the champion was revealed live at The Tailgate: Taqueria La Ventana.

Kona Grill's spicy, savory chicken sandwich scored big as attendees' official favorite dish of the day.

In between nibbles, guests could browse Mizzen+Main's collection of high-performance and collegiate shirts, explore holiday party options at Puttshack, and learn about crowd-funded college football from Sportsmo.

Those ready to get a jump on holiday shopping — or eager to complete their own collections — bid on sports and pop-culture memorabilia in the silent auction.

Dallas Tailgate 2025 Crystal Hardman, Michelle Vo.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Guests received quite a welcome.

Guests who arrived early scored big with an appearance from former Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland, who greeted fans, signed autographs, and snapped photos for the first hour. Holland, who famously helped pitch the Rangers to their 2011 World Series run, was all smiles as fans lined up to meet him.

As the cherry on top, the Cowboys trounced the Jets as Tailgate fans whooped and celebrated — no need for overtime here.

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The Tailgate was sponsored by FLIGHT by Yuengling, Sportsmo, Puttshack, Mizzen+Main, Antone's Famous Po' Boys, NXL LVL Events, Patron, and Still Austin Whiskey.

dallas cowboys derek holland sports tacos taqueria la ventana the empire room the tailgate

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

movies film