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

Chicken and tofu lettuce wraps from Feng Shui.

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

Adam Scott gets creeped out exploring eerie Irish hotel in Hokum

Photo courtesy of Neon

Adam Scott in Hokum.

There are relatively few actors who can switch back and forth between comedy and drama easily, but Adam Scott is the rare exception. He’s equally as well known for starring in comedy projects like Parks & Recreation, Party Down, and Step Brothers as he is for dramas like Big Little Lies and Severance. He’s going the latter route again in the new horror film, Hokum.

Scott plays author Ohm Bauman, who’s trying to finish his latest book. In an effort to avoid distractions and also pay tribute to his parents, he retreats to an Irish hotel where his mom and dad spent their honeymoon. Bauman, who is about as stand-offish as you can get, and the staff of the hotel are at odds almost right away, although Bauman finds a kind of kinship with Jerry (David Wilmot), a seemingly-homeless man he meets in a nearby forest.

Bauman becomes intrigued with the story of the hotel’s closed-off honeymoon suite, which is said to be haunted. His curiosity, though, seems to trigger a variety of strange things, one of which ends with him in an extended stay at the hospital. He returns to the hotel determined more than ever to discover what’s really happening in the honeymoon suite, with things both normal and supernatural blocking his way at every turn.

Written and directed by Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, the film’s approach to horror is both subtle and overt. On the good side is Bauman’s story, which gradually gets deeper as more is revealed about his past, especially the premature death of his mother. Bauman’s trauma over her loss influences his thinking and actions, and a possible connection between his current situation and his personal history broadens the scope of the plot.

There is plenty of creepiness to be found in the film, starting with the dark and decrepit nature of the hotel itself. Any building where a particular room is off-limits naturally inspires intrigue, and McCarthy does a solid job of building tension. That’s why it’s strange and disappointing that he gives in to the lamest of horror tropes - a sudden appearance by an odd-looking person accompanied by a big screeching noise - on multiple occasions.

The film is at its best when it features weird moments that are never or only slightly explained. A dead body in a rabbit suit is echoed by the unexplained broadcast from Bauman’s youth featuring a terrifying TV host with bulging eyes and rabbit ears. Bauman’s explorations take him into the hotel’s basement via a dumbwaiter, where he encounters all manner of strange things, including what seem to be witches. Because most of these things are left to the audience’s imagination, they hit harder in the moment.

Scott is known to be understated in his acting, and that skill works well in this particular role. Although he clearly plays Bauman as freaked out, he never indicates panic, and that level-headedness makes his character someone you want to follow no matter how dark the path might be. The mostly-Irish supporting cast is not well-known, but Wilmot and Florence Ordesh make the most of their short time on screen.

Hokum - a title that is also not explained - is a horror film that earns its bona fides through mood more than action. Even though not much of consequence happens throughout the film, it still keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what will happen next.

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Hokum is now playing in theaters.

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