This week in gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

All the red wine, please.

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Get creative with Valentine’s celebrations this week, as there’s more to do than just dinner out. From a wine and cheese fest and a bubbly and chocolate pairing to a bourbon tasting and craft beer dinner to-go, the options are many. It’s also Super Bowl week, and one venue is hosting a watch party with a 24-foot LED screen so not one second of the action (or the halftime show) will be missed. Still looking for Valentine's dinner plans? Find that list here.

Thursday, February 10

15 Shades of Red Wine & Cheese Fest at Eataly
Pair more than 15 Italian wines with bites from multiple chef stations during this storewide tasting event. Grab your wine glass and branded Eataly holder and get ready to sip and stroll. Note that tickets are only valid for specific timeslots, including 5:30-7 pm, 6:30-8 pm, and 7:30-9 pm.

Texas Spirits Tasting at Bourbon & Banter
The Statler speakeasy will host a three-course tasting featuring Texas spirits Waterloo Gin and Treaty Oak Bourbon. Courses include a charcuterie board, butter-based sea bass with lemon caper sauce, and black pepper-crusted ribeye. Guests will partake in samplings of three Waterloo gins and four bourbons from Treaty Oak. Tickets are $100 per person and the tasting begins at 6 pm.

Cocktail Class at Tricky Fish
Preston Hollow’s new Tricky Fish location will host its first cocktail class featuring Roxor Gin. Participants will be guided through creating two full-size gin cocktails to be enjoyed with lots of bar bites. The event is $25 per person, and two lucky guests will win either a $25 Tricky Fish gift card or a bottle of Roxor Gin. Class begins at 6 pm.

Bubbly & Chocolate Tasting at The Crescent Club
Bubbles and chocolate are always a good idea. Taste three different sparkling wines paired with chocolates during this tasting, set to take place in the 17th floor Crescent Club bar. The tasting is $48 per person and begins at 6 pm.

Friday, February 11

Lynmar Estate Valentine’s Weekend Tastings at Crozier Hall
Located in a remodeled historic high school, Crozier Hall will be the setting for this weekend of wine tasting events. (Saturday is already sold out.) Lymar Estate Winery, recognized for its award-winning Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, will be featured. The $65 per-person ticket price includes five wines and a charcuterie box from Café Momentum. The tasting is at 7 pm Friday and 2 pm Sunday.

Saturday, February 12

Mutts Love with Rahr to the Rescue
The dog park and cantina will host an all-day adoption event in partnership with Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. There’ll be $4 Rahr drafts all day, and anyone who adopts will receive a free one-year membership to the dog park. The event will run from 11 am-5 pm.

Sunday, February 13

The Big Game Watch Party at Legacy Hall
Watch Super Bowl LVI on a 24-foot LED screen with access to bites and beverages from 20 eateries and bars at Legacy Hall. Seating is first-come, first-served but private party areas may be booked for groups for a fee. They'll offer $10 Super Bowl squares available for purchase for those feeling lucky.

Monday, February 14

Valentine’s Day Beer Dinner To Go from Deep Ellum Brewing Co.
The Dallas brewery will package up a three-course dinner for two paired with seasonal and specialty brews to-go. Menu includes an amuse bouche, lump crab cakes, choice of entrée including braised short rib, Scottish salmon, and lemon-celery risotto, and red velvet lava cake with Tillamook vanilla ice cream. Beers will include a mixed 6-pack of cans and a 32-ounce crowler of Berry Chocolate Double Brown Stout. The feast is $100 and pick-up is between 4-7 pm on Valentine's Day.

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More Guy

Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is taping in Dallas this week

Guy Fieri/ Instagram

Guy Fieri at a previous DD&D taping.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is coming to Dallas this week as part of a meet-and-greet, in support of Santo Spirits, a liquor brand he does in partnership with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar.

But Fieri has not come alone: The Food Network star is also filming future episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

According to a source that requested anonymity, the perennially popular TV show currently has two crews in town, who began recording segments at restaurants around Dallas on December 4. The taping will continue through December 6.

The restaurants — there are six — have all signed nondisclosure agreements, and the tapings themselves are buttoned down tight. And a spokesperson for Food Network said they have no news to share.

So no one is willing to go on the record about DD&D being in town.

However, that does not stop an observant diner from noting abrupt closures of their favorite restaurants — blamed on perfectly-reasonable-sounding excuses such as "plumbing issues" and/or "routine maintenance."

There have also been loose-lipped employees bursting with pride who've been unable to resist sharing the news.

So far, restaurants that have been observed enacting sudden closures such as this include at least two barbecue joints, one of which is a chain: Soulman's Bar-B-Que, founded in 1974 in in Pleasant Grove; and Slow Bone, the acclaimed barbecue restaurant from beloved chef Jeffery Hobbs.

Barbecue is one of the most popular cuisines featured on Diners Drive-ins, and Dives, along with restaurants that specialize in quirky over-the-top dishes. The show favors independently-owned restaurants that offer a good bargain, and that also have "legs" — places that have been open for a minimum of two years and display the ability to handle the business side of ownership, since the show does not want to recommend a place only to have it close.

“Triple-D” has been airing on The Food Network since 2006 and has spotlighted at least 1,000 kitchens in all 50 states. Getting featured on the show has an incomparably beneficial effect because the episodes go into reruns and bring restaurants subsequent waves of business.

A story about the behind-the-scenes reveals their selection process, including suggestions from restaurateurs who've appeared on the show previously. They avoid places that’ve already been on TV, and seek out places where the food is made from scratch.

Post-pandemic, DD&D has been on the rebound, with a renewed intensity in tapings in cities such as San Antonio, where sandwich shop Ro-Ho Pork & Bread will appear an episode on Friday, December 6.

About two dozen restaurants around DFW have been featured including Afrah, Avila's, Cane Rosso, Chef Point, CrushCraft Thai Street Eats, Fred's Texas Cafe, Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine, Louie's, Maple & Motor, Nora Restaurant and Bar, One90 Smoked Meats, Original Chop House Burger, Pecan Lodge, Pepe & Mito's, Prince Lebanese Grill, Tacos Mariachi, Taste of Europe, Tutta's Pizza, Twisted Root Burger, and Whistle Britches — nearly all still open.

Meanwhile, Guy is guaranteed to be found at Spec’s at 9500 N. Central Expressway #200, where he'll do his meet & greet and bottle-signing on Saturday, December 7 from 6:30-7:30 pm.

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