This Week in Gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

This weekend is packed with just about every kind of food and drink event that you can imagine. You'll want to save room for cupcakes, tacos, barbecue, and more.

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

Wednesday, April 27

Dinner & Conversation with Carl Sewell at Garden Cafe
Join Garden Cafe for dinner and a conversation with businessman extraordinaire Carl Sewell. Courses include arugula salad on shaved pickled beet, confit chicken thighs, roasted duck with grits, and lemon curd pie with blackberry. Dinner is $50, and doors open at 6:30 pm, with the conversation beginning promptly at 7 pm. Dinner is served at 7:45 pm. This event is BYOB, and there is no corkage fee. Call 214-887-8330 to make a reservation.

Thursday, April 28

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
This month's dinner is focused on sampling rosé wines and features a three-course, paired bistro menu by chef de cuisine Sarah Snow. The guest host is Nathan Gilmore of Republic, who takes guests through each sampled wine. Reservations are recommended and are available in seatings from 5:30-9 pm. Call 214-828-1981. The cost of dinner is $52.

Saturday, April 30

Monterey Fresh Pop-Up at Dallas Farmers Market
Chef John Cox and chef Cal Stamenov of Monterey County, California, join chef Kent Rathbun and his spectacular 15-foot Brinkmann smoker/grill for this interactive event. Expect live cooking demos, delicious bites, and special pours hosted by Lawrence Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines. This free event starts at 10 am and is taking place between Sheds Two and Three.

Cupcakes for a Cause at University Park United Methodist Church
Enjoy delicious cupcakes from bakeries all over Dallas-Fort Worth, and participate in fun activities like cupcake-eating contests, bounce houses, face painting, and more. All proceeds support LEAP Global Missions, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing and enriching the lives of people around the world by providing free specialized surgical and medical care. The fun starts at 11 am.

Taco Libre 2016 at Main Street Garden
Taquerias are coming from as far as El Paso and Austin for this event, with taco options ranging from authentic street style to contemporary. Tickets for the second annual taco and music festival start at $16, and the general admission gate opens at 3 pm.

Big D BBQ Battle at Valley View Center
Eat all the fall-off-the-bone meat you can handle at this beloved North Dallas Chamber of Commerce barbecue festival. Tickets, which start at $30 for general admission, include barbecue, beer, refreshments, kids zone, live entertainment, and parking. The festival kicks off at 5 pm, and proceeds benefit Cafe Momentum.

Good Local Market's Carrot Contest at Lakeside Baptist Church
This contest is free to enter, and prizes are awarded for best savory, best sweet, and most creative recipes. Tasting tickets are $3 a person, giving guests a chance to test carrot soups, casseroles, breads, desserts, sides, salads, and more. Register here. The contest is happening between 11 am-12:30 pm.

Sunday, May 1

De La Terre Dinner at CBD Provisions
This first-time event features 12 notable Dallas female chefs for a food event with a philanthropic twist. The evening begins at 6 pm with a welcome reception with passed appetizers and drinks on The Terrace at The Joule. A seated, eight-course dinner follows at 6:45 pm, featuring fresh, seasonal produce from local farmers and purveyors. A portion of the night’s proceeds benefit Genesis Women’s Shelter, a Dallas shelter that provides safety, counseling, and expert services to battered women and children. This dinner is $130 plus $50 for beverage pairings, and reservations can be made by calling 214-261-4500.

Mexico Today with Pati Jinich at Central Market on Lovers Lane
Explore the evolution of Mexican cuisine with Pati Jinich, host of the popular PBS TV series, Pati’s Mexican Table. In this interactive experience, Jinich shows you how to make traditional dishes passed down through generations, as well as recipes that have evolved over time. Tickets are $65, and the event begins at 6:30 pm.

Enjoy Cupcakes for a Cause, benefiting LEAP Global Missions at University Park United Methodist Church, on April 30.

Photo courtesy of LEAP Global Missions

Enjoy Cupcakes for a Cause, benefiting LEAP Global Missions at University Park United Methodist Church, on April 30.

wine tacos festivals dinner

Joie de vivre

New Bishop Arts bistro brings French elan to historic Oak Cliff home

Photo courtesy of Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Trapèze is serving French fare in a laid-back bohemian yet deeply thought-out atmosphere.

Transforming historic Oak Cliff homes into dining destinations is an art, and a duo known for their Deep Ellum hot spots has a new work on display: Trapèze, a French bohemian bar and bistro, that has quietly opened at 240 W. 8th St. in a repurposed bungalow on the west end of the Bishop Arts District.

Owners Peter Novotny and Dan Murry, who operate Ruins on Commerce and Armoury D.E. on Elm Street, told CultureMap in February that they envisioned Trapèze as “an old-fashioned bohemian artist’s enclave.”

Now in the soft opening phase eight months later, they say, by "drawing inspiration from the old French bohemian bars and cabarets,” they've accomplished their goal of creating "a place where people can enjoy a great meal and drinks, listen to some music, and just lose track of time a little.”

Trapèze has been welcoming guests discreetly the last couple weekends, as they complete a few finishing touches both to the building — they are excited about the near-complete patio — and to the food: “We have a limited but very solid menu available now, and should have the full menu, brunch and all, ready very soon,” Novotny says.

A grand opening date is still in the works.

Novotny has said that inspiration for Trapèze came from Oak Cliff’s historical French influence. Bishop Arts once was home to the French utopian community La Reunion, which settled in the mid 1800s. The neighborhood pays homage to these roots at its annual Bastille on Bishop celebration.

“We’re trying to do a tribute to the French history of Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts, and our goal is to capture the things we love about regional French cuisine and culture,” Novotny said earlier this year.

trapeze Designed by local artists at Decotron, the front-porch sign at Trapèze offers a taste of what's inside. Photo courtesy Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Novotny and Murry hired New York-bred chef Jeremy Spector to direct Trapèze’s culinary program. He’s worked in famous kitchens such as Balthazar and Gramercy Tavern and has owned and operated restaurants in NYC. The owners have told CultureMap that Spector's menu represents different regions of France, along with flavors inspired by France’s once-vast colonial empire, including Moroccan cuisine.

The bar menu is full of classic French and New Orleans-esque cocktails made with French spirits and liqueurs like absinthe and chartreuse; an extensive list of cognacs; French Caribbean-rooted Rhum Agricoles (or Agricole rums), and French and “French-adjacent” cider and beer.

The house that is now a restaurant underwent a massive revamp, which lasted months due in part to weather-related delays. To make matters more challenging, Trapeze is located in a conservation district, which means construction had to be done in a specific way that would preserve the home’s original look.

“It’s basically a complete renovation,” Novotny says. “They had to rebuild the entire structure. The whole exterior is all new.”

The new sign out front reads Bien Mangé, Bien Bu, which translates roughly to good food, good drink. Made by the sculptural artists at Decotron, an Elm Street-based signage fabrication company, it creates curb appeal and offers a preview of the attention to detail, whimsy, fine craftsmanship, and French flavor found inside.

Hours have been slightly fluid. At this time Trapèze is open 4 pm-"late" Wednesday-Thursday and 4 pm-2 am Friday-Sunday. Updated days and hours will be posted on Instagram along with information about live music performers, they say.

bar food drink craft cocktails french food live music bishop arts restaurants