This Week in Gluttony

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

There is a Glenmorangie whiskey tasting at The French Room Bar on Tuesday, March 6.

The French Room/Facebook

Whiskey seems to be popular this week. Preparing the liver for St. Patrick's Day, perhaps? There's also a drinking event to support the pups and a chance to enjoy free steak from a new restaurant in the DFW area. Very promising, wouldn't you say?

Tuesday, March 6

Glenmorangie Tasting at The French Room
The favorite single malt scotch whiskey is holding a tasting at The French Room bar from 5:30-7:30 pm. The evening includes mixing and mingling, with canapes and cocktails, and then a seated tasting by a national brand ambassador. Tickets are $50 and the event kicks off at 5:30 pm.

Friday, March 9

Longhorn Steakhouse Pop-Up Grilling Party at McCall Plaza
In honor of opening its first DFW location in Plano later this spring, this steakhouse is hosting a fun pop-up grilling party. Guests can sample menu items, meet with the Plano location staff, and enjoy live music by Drake White. The president of Longhorn Steakhouse will also be on hand to talk about the company while guests enjoy Texas-based spirits. This event is free and starts at 3:30 pm.

Night Owl Scavenger Hunt on Lower Greenville
Participants should check in at Blind Butcher between 8-11 pm by purchasing a $5 koozie and players card. This gets you access to drinks, food, and swag throughout the scavenger hunt. Participating bars include Gung Ho, Libertine Bar, Single Wide, Toasted, and more. For full scavenger hunt rules, head to the Lower Greenville Collective's Facebook page.

Saturday, March 10

Pints for Pups at Mutt Canine Cantina
This dog advocacy event features tasty drafts compliments of Deep Ellum Brewing Company. Guests who make a $10 donation to Paws in the City receive a pint of the Dallas craft beer in a commemorative glass. No need to stop at one; refills are just $5. One hundred percent of the proceeds made from Deep Ellum beer sales on March 10 are donated to Paws in the City. This event is free to attend and kicks off at noon.

Bike MS Brewery Tour and Open House at Community Brewing Company
This event features a specialty selection of rare Community beers on tap, giveaways, live music, and brewery games designed to bring out the inner beer and bicycle lover in everybody. Tickets are $15 and include three beers and two raffle tickets. Guided brewery tours are at 3 and 4 pm and thereis also will be a food truck on site. Proceeds support Community Beer + Dirtbag Charities Bike MS Team. The event starts at 2 pm.

Good Local Markets at White Rock Location
It's the launch of the 2018 season with vendors including Highway 19, Lonesome Lady Ranch, Barefoot Baker, Paul Quinn Farm, Kitchen Pride Mushroom, Noble Coyote Coffee, and many more. Good Local Market at White Rock is held every Saturday from 8 am-1 pm at 9150 Garland Road.

Sunday, March 11

Barrels + Burgers at Happiest Hour
Jameson Whiskey is being paired with exclusive beers and whiskey burger sliders at this St Paddy's Day preview. Special editions to sample include Jameson Triple Distilled, Jameson Caskmates, Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, and Powers Irish Whiskey. Tickets are $30 and the tasting starts at 3 pm.

fundraisers cocktails

Asian Food News

Taste of Malaysia restaurant brings rare Asian cuisine to Dallas area

Taste of Malaysia

A new restaurant has debuted in Coppell with a cuisine that's relatively rare in Dallas. Called Taste of Malaysia, it's now open at 3001 Olympus Blvd #130, at the Sound at Cypress Waters, between an Ari's Italian market and a Kilwin's ice cream shop, where it's serving authentic Malaysian dishes and flavors — adding another option to Dallas' burgeoning Asian restaurant scene.

A neighbor to Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, Malaysia has been described as having some of the best street food in Southeast Asia, boasting a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous flavors. Signature dishes include satays — skewered meats — plus vividly spiced soups and rice dishes.

The country's national dish is nasi lemak, a beloved comfort food originally devised as a breakfast staple, featuring fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves, sometimes enhanced with boiled egg and sliced cucumber and ikan bilis, i.e. anchovies.

Coming in at a close second is laksa, a spicy noodle soup made with rice noodles or egg noodles in a broth flavored with aromatic spices, shrimp paste, and coconut milk or tamarind.

These are the dishes that natives of Malaysia and fans of Malaysian food crave, says Shiva Nair, part of the team, along with his wife, Vsruti "Vish" Nair, that opened Taste of Malaysia.

Shiva has more than 20 years in the hospitality business including managing hotels and running other restaurants.

"There are a lot of Malaysians here in Dallas-Fort Worth but not many Malaysian restaurants," Shiva says. "That's what gave us the idea to open this."

Their menu features seven varieties of nasi lemak — including vegetable curry, chicken curry, slow cooked beef, slow-cooked chicken, fried chicken, fish, and spicy shrimp — all made with coconut rice, peanuts, boiled egg, and cucumber.

They also have fried rice, noodle dishes, satay chicken skewers, spring rolls, a samosa-style pastry with potatoes and vegetables called karipap, and a chicken "kutlet" — a breaded patty with minced chicken enclosed in a crunchy crust.

All of their meat is halal, meaning that the animals are raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines — a growing trend in Dallas-Fort Worth.

There's a full bar and the ultimate lure for timid diners: a lunchtime buffet, $18 on weekdays and $20 on weekends, with 15 to 20 dishes, with chicken, shrimp, fish, and vegetarian and vegan options, which are plentiful in Malaysian cuisine.

"We serve the buffet only at lunch, so that those who are unfamiliar with the cuisine can sample every dish," Shiva says.

"We saw an opportunity to bring Malaysian flavors to North Texas, a region hungry for authentic, halal-certified Asian food with real spicing and real heritage," he says.

openings coppell asian cuisine