This Week in Gluttony

Wine lovers will drink up this week’s best Dallas food and drink events

St. Patrick’s Day falls on Thursday this week, but it’s hard to remember the beer- and whiskey-swigging holiday with so many wine dinners to digest. We suspect you’ll spend March 17 at a good Irish pub (as you should), but these are the events to pencil in for the rest of this week:

Tuesday, March 15

Jordan Wine Dinner at Jasper’s
Chef Kent Rathbun and team prepare a four-course menu featuring wine-friendly dishes to pair with Jordan’s exciting Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. The menu also features Jordan’s olive oil and quince, as well as Sonoma cheese. Dinner starts at 6:30 pm and costs $125 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Shannon Tinsley at 972-673-0823.

Wednesday, March 16

Beer Dinner with Stephen Beaumont at Meddlesome Moth
Executive chef Richard Graff, David McMillan (Bird Cafe), and pastry chef Laurel Wimberg collaborate on a five-course menu paired with six beers selected by author Stephen Beaumont. A professional beer writer for 25 years, Beaumont is the author of 10 books, including Beer & Food Companion, The Pocket Beer Guide 2015, and the second, fully revised The World Atlas of Beer coming this fall. Cost is $75, and reservations can be made by calling 214-628-7900.

Franck Bijion Wine Dinner at Ser
The evening includes a multicourse dinner from executive chef Kevin Spencer, with guest speaker and renowned winemaker Franck Bijion. Master Sommelier Guy Stout also will be in attendance. Courses include salad; lamb variations; and a strawberry dessert with black walnut, streusel, and foie gras ice cream. The evening begins with a 6:30 reception, and cost is $139 per person. Make reservations by calling 214-761-7479.

Thursday, March 17

Whiskey Business at Dallas Fish Market
For St. Paddy’s Day, the downtown restaurant welcomes Old Forester and Woodford Reserve for a whiskey tasting. Executive chef Richard Triptow prepares a tasting menu and dessert for the event, which also includes a special welcome cocktail. The event starts at 6:30 pm and costs $40 per person.

Saturday, March 19

2016 Mudbug Bash at Main Street Garden
The annual Mudbug Bash features 4,000 pounds of crawfish, live music, games, beer, specialty drinks, and fun for the whole family (including dogs). Enjoy live music from Steve ‘N’ Seagulls, Travis Matte & The Kingpins, and Dallas favorites Calvin Sexton & The Inner City All-Stars. Tickets start at $15, and guests are encouraged to pre-order their crawfish online at a rate of $19.08 for two pounds.

Sunday, March 20

Sunday Cinema Series at Knife
Kicking off the second season of this popular series is a special screening of Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket. This year’s programming focuses on Anderson’s films because he is chef John Tesar's favorite director (and he's from Texas). Tickets are $35, and $10 of each sale benefits the Dallas Film Society. The ticket price includes gourmet themed bites by Tesar and beer from Four Corners Brewing Company. The event kicks off at 7 pm.

Monday, March 21

De Forville Wine Dinner at Americano
To pay tribute to the Piedmont region of Italy, Americano is teaming up with De Forville for a wine dinner hosted on its open-air patio. Courses include fried capers with parsley germolata, wild mushroom ravioli, Nebbiolo braised beef short rib, and almond sponge cake. Cost is $110 a person, and the night begins with a pre-dinner reception at 6:45 pm. Make reservations by calling 214-261-4600.

Guest Chef Series at FT33
For its next guest chef dinner, FT33 welcomes Jesse Griffiths of Austin’s Dai Due, which is known for its creative farm-to-table cuisine and rustic butcher shop. You get eight courses for $105 ($55 extra for wine pairings), and dinner starts at 7 pm. Reserve your spot by calling 214- 741-2629.

There is no shortage of wine dinners this week.

iStock

There is no shortage of wine dinners this week.

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Grandscape goals

Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

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Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

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