This week in gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Irish nachos, if you please.

Photo courtesy of J. Gilligan's

St. Patrick’s Day events dominate this week’s list, including one that’s been running for more than 40 years in downtown Arlington. Don’t forget to wear green. Also on the list is an exclusive wine tasting at a gourmet Italian wine and cheese destination, and an anime event featuring an Asian food festival. For a longer list of St. Patrick's Day events and specials all week, go here.

Tuesday, March 15

Terra Wine Around at Eataly
Taste more than a dozen hard-to-find wines (not even available on store shelves or restaurant wine lists) during this tasting experience at Eataly in NorthPark Center. Participants will meet wine experts and producers to learn the stories behind the bottles. The $125 per-person tasting comes with chef-paired bites and starts at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, March 17

43rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Block Party at J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill
The Metroplex’s biggest day-of St. Patrick’s Day party happens at this time-honored downtown Arlington bar and grill. Hundreds will visit throughout the day for the 43rd edition of this annual tradition. Arrive as early at 11 am for lunch or later at 4 pm when the fun begins outside under tents. There’ll be live music, green beer, and those famous Irish nachos that have featured on Food Network. Note that a cover charge of $6 begins after 6 pm.

St. Patty’s Day Party at TK’s
This Addison comedy club will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with lots of festivities, including live music, specials on Irish food and drinks, and a scavenger hunt to search for shamrocks and a pot of gold. Menu items will include fish and chips, corned beef sliders, and loaded potato skins. Green beer and Irish car bombs will chase it all down. Arrive as early as 3 pm when the party begins and stay late for comedy acts beginning at 8 pm. (Tickets for the show are $25 or $40 to reserve a table.)

Dublin Downtown St. Patrick’s Day Party at The Statler
The downtown hotel will go green with green beer, green margaritas, and specials on Jameson Irish whiskey at all hotel restaurants and bars, including Scout and Primo’s MX Kitchen & Lounge. But the big party will be in the Statler ballroom, where Emerald City will rock the crowd starting at 8 pm. Tickets start at $19 for general admission, or go VIP with a $59 ticket that comes with a hosted bar of well cocktails, canned brews and house wines. Overnight hotel packages are available for those who wish to stay the night.

Saturday, March 19

Nishi Fest
The anime and Asian pop culture festival will take place at Esports Stadium in Arlington, the largest dedicated esports stadium in North America. Part of the event is an Asian food festival, featuring more than a dozen diverse vendors. Admission starts at $35, and children under 10 are free. Doors open at 10 am the event runs until 9 pm, although there is a separate ticket available for an after-party until 1:30 am.

Shamrocks & Shenanigans at Texas Live!
The Arlington entertainment complex will host a St. Patrick’s Day theme party with live music, drink ticket packages, and gold coin giveaways. Drink ticket packages start at $10 for two drink tokens and go up to $20 for five drink tokens, but expect prices to go up closer to the event. The party starts at 4 pm.

holidays news-you-can-eat

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's an ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.