This Week in Gluttony

These are the 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Join Lisa and Tom Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse for a cookbook signing.

Photo by Wyatt McSpadden

It's one of those weeks that makes you proud to be a Dallas foodie. From José's Anastacia Quiñones cooking at the James Beard House and sharing her menu with us to a fun cookbook signing by the Perini Ranch gang, there's a little bit of everything going on. And if all else fails? Mac & cheese, please.

Wednesday, February 19

James Beard House Menu Pop-Up at José
A top Park Cities Tex-Mex restaurant is sending its chef, Anastacia Quiñones, to cook at the James Beard House in March. To celebrate, the restaurant is offering a one-night-only, pop-up menu to showcase the cuisine she will serve in New York City. The evening starts with passed hors d'oeuvres and a welcome cocktail and progresses into a six-course, seated dinner. The ingredient of the evening will be one of the chef's favorites — masa. Tickets are $140, and the night kicks off at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, February 20

Open House and Tasting Event at The Dallas Arboretum
This evening gives guests an opportunity to enjoy free food and drinks while mingling with some of the best vendors in DFW. It's an ideal way, especially, for engaged couples to tour the venue and to get an idea of what a wedding could look like at the Arboretum. Not interested in tying the knot any time soon? No worries. This event is free and open to the public but does require registration. The showcase runs from 6-9 pm.

Saturday, February 22

Taste of Victory at Victory Park
This progressive dinner features samples of special menu items from each of the participating restaurants, including Cafe Victoria, Sweet Tooth Hotel, Burgundy Swine, Sift + Pour, and more. Other shops are also open and will be offering specials and opportunities to explore their offerings. The event is free, but registration is required and attendance is limited. The tour begins at 5 pm.

Perini Ranch Steakhouse Cookbook Signing at Interabang Books
Lisa and Tom Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse come to Dallas to sign their new cookbook, Perini Ranch Steakhouse: Stories and Recipes for Real Texas Food. The event also features an "industry talk" with Free Range Concepts owner Kyle Noonan and a tenderloin tasting. RSVP to rsvp@droesepr.com to confirm your attendance to this free event, which starts at 6 pm.

Artisan Bread Class at Kuluntu Bakery
Learn how to make beautiful loaves of sourdough bread with just flour, salt, and water. Each attendee will make their own loaf with guided instructions and demonstrations and will go home with a bread-making starter kit. The workshop is for bakers of all levels, and lunch will be provided. Tickets are $125, and the workshop starts at 10 am.

Sunday, February 23

Texas Mac & Cheese Festival at Texas Live
The area’s best restaurants and food trucks come together at the state's largest-ever mac & cheese festival. Explore more than 15 mac & cheese food vendors and also enjoy a Texas-sized craft beer garden, axe throwing, live music, and more. There will even be a "best of' awards ceremony. Tickets start at $24.99, and the festival starts at 2 pm. Note: the festival lasts two days, but Saturday tickets are already sold out.

6th Annual North Texas Craft Beer Chili Challenge
Dozens of Dallas and Texas top breweries come together for this annual competition in which they make a chili using one of their beers. The 2020 event features an expanded field of brewery teams,and will come together at Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery - Mustang Station location. The city of Farmers Branch is closing down Bee St. so that breweries can set up in front of all of the new concepts under construction. You buy a tasting cup and spoon, with the proceeds benefiting Metrocrest Services. Donate $10 for 10 cups and a spoon to participate in the tasting. Every $10 gets you one vote for the winner. Pre-buy tickets on Prekindle to skip the line or bring cash or credit to purchase at the door. It runs from 12-5 pm, and includes live music and of course plenty of beer.

news-you-can-eat

Opening News

New restaurant The Gibson fills needs of its North Dallas neighborhood

The Gibson

A swanky new restaurant has debuted in North Dallas after overcoming some major obstacles: Called The Gibson, it opened in November at 17552 North Dallas Pkwy., in the space previously occupied by Maguire's Bistro & Bar, after three years in the making.

Husband-and-wife Carl and Carrie Britton first purchased the building in 2022, intending to open a spinoff of The Funky Door, their fine-dining restaurant in Lubbock.

Carrie is a big wine buff who's certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and is also a French Wine Scholar. She opened The Funky Door in 2010 — a rare fine-dining haven in Lubbock at the time. More recently, she's turned her attention to the Dallas area, opening a French restaurant called Vieux Carre in Flower Mound in 2023 (which is currently closed temporarily).

The Gibson was slated to open sooner, but in mid-construction, they were dealt a serious blow.

"In 2023, The Gibson was devastated by thieves," Carrie says. "They destroyed the building, doubling the remodeling budget in damage by stripping copper from the walls, stealing all the electrical wiring and components, stealing equipment, and destroying everything from the AC to the floors."

To make it worse, insurance wouldn’t cover the loss because it was theft.

"It was a blow that left me truly shaken, and for a long time I couldn’t even look at the pictures of the damage," she says. "Emotionally and financially, I had to really pray about whether I was going to get this done or not. But I really felt like it was something that I needed to do. I want to be victorious. I'm not going to be a victim."

She regained her passion, returning to the vision she had for the space.

“The building had its own personality — I felt like a kind of Hollywood glamor with a new Dallas edge would be perfect," she says.

The GibsonThe Gibson

The facade and decor have an Art Deco flavor with chandeliers, a color scheme with polished black surfaces and brass accents, and a swooping bar in the center. They've also added a patio, helping to make the space right off the Tollway feel more friendly and approachable.

The menu is American with steakhouse touches. There's a tomahawk for two, ribeye, filet, and NY Strip. Plus short ribs, salmon, a burger, vegetarian risotto, and sea bass with an unexpected white chocolate strawberry buerre blanc.

There are deviled eggs, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and fried pickles. Entree prices start at $20 and top out at $59 for the sea bass.

Cocktails include a pear martini and a Gibson with gin and dry vermouth, garnished with an onion. A large wine list includes what Carrie describes as “unicorns” — bottles that are hard to find, including a 1982 Lafitte.

"There are very rare wines, but we also have everything, starting from $40 a bottle," she says.

They're currently open for dinner with plans to add lunch, and there's definitely an audience. Maguire's had a big following and when The Gibson got vandalized, the neighbors came out in support.

"The neighborhood has been really awesome," Carrie says. "They would alert me when things were going on, and they were really great to help watch over it. That was a big motivation."

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