This Week in Gluttony

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

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Dallas this week.

This week is all about tacos and tequila due to a certain Mexican holiday. In addition to Cinco de Mayo, there are also some wine dinners sprinkled throughout the week, and Whole Foods is teaching us how to make our favorite seasonal beverages.

Here are the top food and drink events in Dallas:

Tuesday, May 3

Seasonal Beverage Making Class at Whole Foods Highland Park
Texas-based author Kate Payne is teaching a hands-on workshop for crafting seasonal beverages. Everyday ingredients are used to make a mint syrup, a blackberry mint shrub, a stone fruit liqueur, and a mixed fruit hibiscus herbal wine. Participants sip a few infusions in-class and will start their own shrubs with seasonal fruit to finish at home. Tickets are $22, and the class starts at 6:30 pm.

Château Palmer Wine Dinner at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Château Palmer has been celebrated as one of the great wines of Bordeaux since the mid-1800s and here will be perfectly paired with Pappas cuisine. Courses include pan roasted breast of squab, rack of lamb, dry-aged strip loin, and cherry crumble. Price is $225, and the dinner starts at 7 pm. Call 214-366-2000 for reservations.

Wednesday, May 4

Cuatro de Mayo Party at Stampede 66
This festive night extends happy hour to 11 pm and includes a live mariachi band. Hornito’s specialty cocktails made with all three tiers of Hornito’s tequila will be served, and the menu features limited-edition nachos made especially for the occasion.

Thursday, May 5

Cinco de Mayo Tequila Dinner at Fearing's
Famed chef José Meza Arróyave of AAA Five Diamond-rated Restaurant Carolina at Mexico’s St. Regis Punta Mita Resort presents a multicourse Mexican fine dining menu paired with premium tequilas from Patrón. Courses include the botana quesadilla, ceviche de pozole verde, carne asada, and arroz con leche. The dinner is $150, and it starts at 6 pm. Make your reservations by calling 214-922-4848.

Murphy-Goode Wine Dinner at Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine
Executive chef Jermaine Brown teams up with California’s Murphy-Goode Winery to host a four-course wine dinner. Courses include jalapeño-marinated shrimp with lemon-grilled asparagus and tarragon sweet corn sauce, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with wild mushroom ragu and smoked onion soubise, wood-grilled beef tenderloin with roasted gold beet risotto and blackberry port gastrique, and bourbon-chocolate pecan pie. Dinner is $75, and it begins at 7 pm. Call 972-422-1519 for reservations.

Other Cinco de Mayo specials include:

Capitol Pub: Buckets of Modelo Especial and Corona, margaritas, and Herradura tequila shots, along with $6 seasonal cocktails. Food specials include chips and queso, guacamole, shrimp quesadillas, and chicken nachos from $4-$10.
Cantina Laredo: Live entertainment at all five locations, plus the Verde Infusion ‘Rita and Cinco ‘Ritas for $5.
Cook Hall: From 4-10 pm, enjoy Texas-style smoked brisket tamale for $6, jalapeño margaritas for $5, and Corona and Dos Equis for $3.
El Chico: Enjoy new menu items including botanas grande, the taquito taster, poblano chicken, enchiladas suiza, and the relleno and enchilada duo.
Meso Maya: May 5-8 enjoy the Vitamina C, which is a blend of bold flavors made from El Jimador tequila blanco, mezcal, fresh-squeezed carrot and lime juices, muddled cilantro, and house-made clover syrup.
Mi Dia From Scratch: $5 margaritas on the rocks or frozen.
Taqueria La Ventana: Live music and drink specials (like $2 margaritas at Dallas Farmers Market location) at each location.

Friday, May 6

Dallas Wine Opener at 3015 Trinity Groves
Sip great wines poured by international and domestic wineries, all benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Savor great cuisine presented at festive tasting stations, where the area’s trendiest chefs prepare their specialties just for you. Along with delicious foods and wine pairings, guests are treated to a large silent and live auction highlighting wine, cuisine, travel, contemporary art, and gift items, plus music from Downtown Doug. Tickets start at $100, and the event kicks off at 7 pm.

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Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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