This Week in Gluttony

Lionfish dinner at Driftwood tops best food and drink events in Dallas

Researchers have determined that January 6 is the most depressing day of the year as people return to their jobs after the end of the holiday season and try to envision a month devoid of any actual celebration.

And while that’s a dark, dark way to look at it, we know that This Week in Gluttony has just what you need to turn that frown upside down. It mostly involves wine, as several restaurants are teaming up with some wine experts for dinners, while Pappas Bros. is eschewing food in favor of just more wine.

Of course, if that doesn’t sound like your glass of wine, there’s a vegan beer dinner, at the Libertine and Driftwood and TJ’s Seafood are joining forces for Dallas’ first lionfish dinner. If you make only one resolution this year, it should be to eat more lionfish.

Wednesday, January 8

Libertine Vegan Beer Dinner
The Libertine hosts its first vegan beer dinner of 2014 with a five-course meal beginning at 7 pm. Pairings include fried frisée salad with sage vinaigrette, grilled eggplant and cranberry compote paired with Revolver Mullet Cutter IPA, and jackfruit subzi with roasted squash and chickpea croquette paired with Community Trinity Tripel. Reservations are $60 and can be made at 214-824-7900.

Chef’s Table Wine Dinner at Bridge Bistro
Bridge Bistro teams up with Oak Cliff Cellars for a five-course wine dinner beginning at 6:30 pm. Pairings include juniper and porcini braised beef with Parmesan polenta, caponata and natural veal sauce with Oak Cliff Cellars 2011 Wild Diamond Mourvedre, as well as a duo of seared duck breast and duck confit with wild mushroom, olive and cavatelli pasta with Oak Cliff Cellars 2009 Firebrick Zinfandel. Reservations are $65 and can be made at 214-740-1985.

Thursday, January 9

Second Floor Wine Dinner With World Wine Discoveries
Second Floor Bistro welcomes World Wine Discoveries for a four-course, five-wine dinner beginning at 6 pm with a reception. Pairings include goat cheese gnocchi with pancetta, wild mushrooms and basil with Giacomo Vico Langhe Chardonnay, and charred beef with cambozola cream, grilled vegetables and gremolata with Giacomo Vico Barolo. Reservations are $65 and can be made at 972-450-2978.

Friday, January 10

Pappas Bros. Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse breaks out the bottles for a Cabernet Sauvignon tasting beginning at 6 pm. Try out varieties from all over the world, including South Africa, Mexico, California and Australia. Seasonal hors d’oeuvre are served alongside. Reservations are $55 and can be made at 214-366-2000.

Monday, January 13

Driftwood Lionfish Dinner with TJ's Seafood Market
Driftwood and TJ’s Seafood Market are joining forces for Dallas’ first lionfish dinner prepared by chef Omar Flores beginning at 7 pm. Flores prepares lionfish four ways during the five-course meal, while Traditional Fisheries founder Dave Johnson discusses the negative impact of the lionfish on Atlantic and Caribbean ecosystems. Plates include salt baked with soft herbs, arbequina olive oil, crushed white grapefruit and cold smoked with aji amarillo, crispy capers, pine nuts, pickled mustard and Pedro Ximenez vinegar. Reservations are $80 with an optional $20 wine pairing and can be made at 214-942-2530.

Driftwood's Omar Flores prepares lionfish four ways during a five-course meal on January 13.

Wikimedia Commons

Driftwood's Omar Flores prepares lionfish four ways during a five-course meal on January 13.

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Taco News

California restaurant Casa Comal debuts in Irving with standout tacos

Casa Comal

Shrimp taco at Casa Comal in Irving

A restaurant from the West Coast with a fresh approach to Mexican food has made its Dallas-area debut: Casa Comal Cocina, a Mexican restaurant founded in Santa Barbara in 2021, has opened at Cypress Waters in Irving, at 8701 Cypress Waters Blvd. #150, in the former Chilli Thai space, with a menu that is decidedly not run-of-the-mill.

Casa Comal, whose roots lie in Mexico City, specializes in tacos, with a wide variety that encompasses everything from traditional Mexico City-style offerings like carnitas and al pastor, to upscale tacos like lemon pepper chicken with arugula.

There's a taco filled with pork rinds, green sauce, and rice; quesa-birria, the trendy taco with shredded beef and crisped jack cheese; and taco Sonora with carne asada and a cheese-stuffed Anaheim pepper.

Seafood tacos include shrimp and tempura-fried fish; and there are vegetarian options such as zucchini with corn, or hibiscus flower with mushrooms — two ingredients commonly used in vegetarian tacos.

Everything's served on corn tortillas which they make in-house. With a few exceptions such as the shrimp tacos for $7.75, most of the tacos are $5.75.

In addition to tacos, there are nachos, quesadillas, empanadas, sopas, gorditas, and a torta sandwich filled with meat, refried beans, lettuce, and tomato. Appetizers include queso fundido, tostadas, and flautas filled with shredded chicken and beans.

One of their signatures is the "wet burrito" — sort of a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, featuring a burrito covered with choice or red sauce or verde green.

They also serve a full bar with about 16 cocktails including margaritas, a paloma, and their Mezcal de Pacifico, made with mezcal, coconut water, and lime, says co-owner Bachir Ramadam, who grew up in the Santa Barbara area. He has opened the Irving location with his wife, Elisa, and their partner, Alejandro Vera.

"We combine traditional preparations with local ingredients for dishes that are authentic to both their Mexican origins while incorporating local flavors," he says. "A lot of the recipes come from my family. My father is from Mexico, and this is the food I grew up with."

"But we always try to present the plates with a different touch," he says. "A lot of taquerias do tacos with the filling, salsa, and lime, and that's it. We try to do something a little more complex."

While Irving, Texas is a long way from Santa Barbara, Bachir says they have friends and family here, and are learning the ropes of Tex-Mex, which is more meaty and saucy than what you find on the West Coast.

"California has good Mexican food, but I've tried some Tex-Mex — we went to a couple restaurants, and I like it," he says. Good answer!

tacos openings