This Week In Gluttony

These are the 10 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner.

Courtesy photo

It's Cinco de Mayo week. Most Dallasites have a go-to place to enjoy their favorite margarita and taco combo, but if you need some direction, we've got you covered. And if that isn't your thing, there are a variety of other events to fill your schedule and your stomach, from a John Tesar book signing at Knife to a whiskey extravaganza at InterContinental Dallas.

Tuesday, May 2

Taste Tuesday at Millennium Tower
The public is invited to experience a preview of Taste Addison, with a selection of participating restaurants handing out bites from their festival menu. Additionally, guests have a chance to win Taste Addison admission tickets and swag. Admission is free and the tasting preview starts at noon.

John Tesar Book Signing at Knife
Knife and Flatiron Books celebrate chef John Tesar's book, Knife: Texas Steakhouse Meals at Home, with a reception and signing event. Complimentary beverages and bites from Texas' 44 Farms will be served. Tickets are $30 and include a copy of the book. Doors open at 6 pm.

Wednesday, May 3

Sommelier for a Day at III Forks
Each month, III Forks offers a Sommelier for a Day opportunity. Guests help select wines for the coming month by sampling six wines selected by the wine director at III Forks, each paired with hand-passed hors d’oeuvre created by executive chef Chris Vogeli. The cost is $25, and the sampling starts at 5 pm.

Firriato Wine Tasting at CiboDivino Marketplace
This authentic Italian tasting is hosted by chef Daniele Puleo and Firriato wine ambassador Marco Scapagnini. The event features a selection of Italian bites prepared by chef Puleo that will complement each of the four Firriato wines in the flight presented by Scapagnini. Tickets are $35, and the tasting begins at 6 pm.

Thursday, May 4

Whiskey Extravaganza at InterContinental Dallas
This extravaganza offers whiskey enthusiasts from the novice to the connoisseur the opportunity to explore some of the most prestigious single malt, premium Scotch whiskies and other unique whiskies from around the world. Each TWE event offers a tasting session, master classes curated by industry experts, and culinary pairings. Tickets are $150, and the event starts at 5:45 pm.

Lanson Champagne Dinner at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck
Lanson Champagne is hosting a dinner to celebrate the debut of its 2006 Lanson "Clos Lanson" Brut in the Texas market. Executive chef Jacob Williamson's courses to complement the champagne include chutoro crudo, coriander duck sausage, roasted Colorado lamb loin, and more. Tickets are $140, and the dinner starts with a reception at 6:30 pm. Call 214-571-5784 for reservations.

Friday, May 5

Looking to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Here's where you'll find the party:

Taqueria La Ventana (2:00 pm) Mexico City street tacos, live music, $2 margaritas, free tequila samples.
Mexican Sugar (2:00 pm) $7 margaritas, live music, a strong-man piñata competition, Latin food tents, and pop-up bars.
Omni Dallas (4:30 pm) Street tacos from Cafe Herrera, live Mariachi band, enchilada eating contest, and Mexican beer and margarita specials.
The Rustic (5 pm) Launch of lemon drop margarita, Mexican staple dishes, and a photo booth.
Fearing's (5 pm) Debut of El Playero margarita, $5 margaritas, and a Mexican bar menu.

Saturday, May 6

Artisan Market at Oak Highland Brewery
Join Oak Highlands Brewery in its taproom for live music, food trucks, 10-plus beers on draft, and its first Artisan Market featuring local Dallas-Fort Worth makers. This dog- and family-friendly event has something for everyone and free admission starts at noon.

BarkHappy's Spring Pub Crawl
Supporting Paws in the City, this event features a great time at three dog-friendly stops — State & Allen, City Council, and Nodding Donkey. Tickets are $15, and the crawl starts at 3:30 pm at State & Allen.

Sunday, May 7

Taste of the Cowboys at Ford Center at The Star
Past and present Dallas Cowboys players grace attendees with their presence as 30 gourmet food stations serve classic tailgate favorites. Austin-based Americana/Texas country band Reckless Kelly will provide this year's entertainment. Tickets start at $150 and the VIP event starts at 5 pm, with the main event starting at 6 pm. Proceeds benefit the North Texas Food Bank.

event-planner

Big Dreams Come True

Dallas gala fetes 40 years of making big dreams come true for Latino families

Photo by Simon Luna

Whitney Strauss, Florencia Velasco Fortner, Bridget Lopez and Monica Lira Bravo, Sandra Rosa

What: The Concilio Big Dreams Gala

Where: On the Levee

The 411: The Concilio, a Dallas nonprofit with a mission to build stronger communities by creating opportunities for Latino families, celebrated its milestone 40th anniversary at a gala that also marked the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

On September 15, Concilio patrons, supporters, and local and state dignitaries gathered for a festive event that included Latin-inspired cuisine, Ballet Folklorico dancers, and fireworks to end the night.

Guests were given a warm welcome by Concilio board chair Whitney Strauss, president and CEO Florencia Velasco Fortner, and Sandra Rosa with presenting sponsor Santander. They recognized the two women who put the event together, Monica Lira Bravo and Bridget Lopez, as well as The Concilio's co-founders, Nellie Tafalla and Gus Gonzales.

A video introduced Claudia Juarez, a 2012 graduate of one of The Concilio’s parent engagement programs who began her career in housekeeping and now owns a staffing service. She shared how the organization equipped her to help her son, Alberto Garcia, pursue his dream of going to college and becoming an entrepreneur.

The presenters recounted the myriad ways that the organization has helped families, especially during the pandemic. Texas State Senator Nathan Johnson then read a congratulatory resolution.

In total, the event raised $227,000 to support Latino families.

Who: Judge Clay Jenkins, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Alberto Bravo, Herlinda Resendiz, Deb Richard, State Representative Victoria Neave Criado, Beatriz Joseph, Dr. Elba Garcia, Claudia Rivas, Laura Leathers, Katie Doherty, Rachel Wilson, Rani Khamesva, Michelle Hicks Jorge Bastida, Adriana De Urquidi, Pauline Guerra, Kenneth Gonzalez, Monica Christopher, Brent Christopher, and many more.

Photo by Simon Luna

Whitney Strauss, Florencia Velasco Fortner, Bridget Lopez and Monica Lira Bravo, Sandra Rosa

fundraisers galas

Downtown News

Innovative art gallery to open in downtown Dallas with cocktail lounge on-site

TA Visuals

Sweet Tooth Hotel will open with an in-house cocktail lounge.

There's a date for an innovative new gallery in downtown Dallas: Sweet Tooth Hotel, the immersive art concept, has a new permanent 6,000-square-foot location at 1511 Elm St., and according to a spokesperson, it's set to open on October 29.

Taking over a former FieldHouse gym space, it'll be a flagship location with nine gallery spaces, a gift shop with rotating artist and retail pop-ups, and cocktail lounge sponsored by Calirosa Tequila.

At more than five times the size of their original pop-up, it represents their largest location to-date.

Sweet Tooth Hotel was founded in 2018 by wife-and-husband Jencey and Cole Keeton as an immersive, adventurous art venue featuring emerging experiential artists. Exhibit themes have included everything from sugar to retro-futurism to yarn.

Opening in downtown's Central Business District was a perfect fusion of their desire for a permanent space combined with the landlord's goals to spice up that block of Elm Street, Jencey says.

"Woods Capital, who owns the building, has been absolutely incredible to work with, and we are excited to add to the evolving neighborhood on Elm Street," she says.

Like all Sweet Tooth Hotel experiences, guests will “check in” to a magical hotel and travel through the corridors, opening each room to discover unique art installations created by local and national artists.

Custom hotel key cards will unlock the hotel doors for guests as they make their way through the gallery spaces and discover hidden passageways and surprises.

The downtown space was big enough to accommodate a cocktail lounge, presented in partnership with Calirosa Tequila. A full "neon disco" lighting experience created by Duck Lights envelopes the bar; guests who order a Calirosa Tequila cocktail will make the disco balls spin.

Calirosa Rosa Blanco is blue agave tequila aged in California red wine barrels for 30 days, which they say summons aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and honey, and creates its signature pink color.

The menu will feature cocktails created in partnership with Calirosa, plus classic cocktails, plus a boozy tea party service. Events will range from local musicians to artist workshops.

The first installation will be called Dreamland, and feature emerging Texas artists including latch hook artist Bobcat & Birdie (McAllen), multimedia artist Shamsy Roomiani (Dallas), visual artist Tramaine Townsend (Dallas) and multimedia artist Molly Sydnor (Dallas).

Design and fabrication was completed in partnership with wvvy Studio, recently opened by Cole Keeton and Alan Lockwood and offering experiential design, fabrication, and content creation services.

Tickets for the exhibit range from $20-$45. Guests can also book an interactive scavenger hunt as part of their visit.

galleries downtown

Radio News

One of Dallas' last rock stations KEGL The Eagle flips to sports talk radio

Twitter

Mike Rhyner posted a photo of himself on Twitter announcing his new employer.

In what is the worst-kept secret in the history of radio, longtime Dallas rock radio station 97.1 "The Eagle" KEGL-FM has changed to a talk radio format, headed up by big radio name Mike Rhyner, effective October 3.

The station has rebranded as 97.1 The Freak, first reported by Richie Whitt on Sports Illustrated, featuring Rhyner, the former co-host of "The Hardline" afternoon show on 1310/96.7 The Ticket KTCK, from 1995 until he retired in January 2020.

"It is finally here, The Freak weekday afternoons from 3 until 7 pm, I can't tell you how happy I am to be here," Rhyner said, before welcoming what he called his "longtime soulmate," Mike Sirois.

Other programming on the channel will include personalities from SportsMap, the national sports radio network owned by Houston-based Gow Media, which also owns CultureMap. Airing on The Freak will be SportsMap Radio's Jason Page, who hosts a show called The Cash In, and Cole Thompson, who hosts a show called Just Sayin' It; they'll debut on October 3 at 10 pm.

Before unveiling The Freak, the station aired a quick history of KEGL's previous formats including rock, top 40, even Spanish oldies, since its 1981 launch, with eras featuring Kidd Kraddick, pop, grunge, and Howard Stern.

In their opening, Rhyner and Sirois discussed the weekend broadcast that led up to the switch.

"We had freak songs all weekend and then Tom Petty's 'The Waiting' all day long — this is called stunting," Rhyner said. "That's what radio stations did, to find some way to while away the hours, but not give away too much."

The new lineup is as follows:

7-11 am: The Speakeasy with Jeff Cavanaugh, Kevin “KT” Turner, Julie Dobbs and Matt Cather
11 am-3 pm: The Ben & Skin Show with Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Krystina “K-Ray” Ray and Michael “Grubes” Gruber
3-7 pm: The Downbeat featuring Rhyner, Sirois and Gruber

While Rhyner is known for helping to co-found the concept of sports radio, KEGL owner iHeartRadio is describing the new format as “We Talk About What We Want" — so not just sports, but "Guy Talk."

"We're going to be given the latitude to talk about whatever we want," Rhyner said. "Everyone here has a substantial sports background, we are sports radio nerds. But we also have another side to our radio profile and we're going to be allowed to explore that without fear of program director retribution. They know what we're going to do and they said, 'Go get 'em, boys.'"

"Welcome back to the show that apparently never ends," Rhyner said.

celebrities media

This Week In Gluttony

These are the 10 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Largest women's art fair in Texas brings 54 artists to Dallas

Ridonculous Dallas house inspired by sci-fi movie Tron is for sale

Ex-Deep Ellum bar reopens on Dallas' Greenville Ave. with rooftop breakfast

Big Dreams Come True

Dallas gala fetes 40 years of making big dreams come true for Latino families

Largest women's art fair in Texas brings 54 artists to Dallas

Ridonculous Dallas house inspired by sci-fi movie Tron is for sale

Ex-Deep Ellum bar reopens on Dallas' Greenville Ave. with rooftop breakfast

Downtown News

Innovative art gallery to open in downtown Dallas with cocktail lounge on-site

Largest women's art fair in Texas brings 54 artists to Dallas

Ridonculous Dallas house inspired by sci-fi movie Tron is for sale

Ex-Deep Ellum bar reopens on Dallas' Greenville Ave. with rooftop breakfast

Radio News

One of Dallas' last rock stations KEGL The Eagle flips to sports talk radio

Largest women's art fair in Texas brings 54 artists to Dallas

Ridonculous Dallas house inspired by sci-fi movie Tron is for sale

Ex-Deep Ellum bar reopens on Dallas' Greenville Ave. with rooftop breakfast

This Week In Gluttony

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Big Dreams Come True

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Downtown News

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We will not share or sell your email address.

Radio News

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

Get Dallas intel delivered daily.