This Week in Gluttony

These are the best 7 food events in Dallas this week

Join Al Biernat's North for its CEO Spotlight Breakfast Series featuring Craig Hall on May 29.

Photo by Gustav Schmiege

Get your week started on an inspiring note with the Al Biernat's North CEO Spotlight and end it with an aesthetically pleasing one at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden's garden-to-table dinner. If ever a food event lineup deserved an award for being well rounded, this week would win.

Wednesday, May 29

CEO Spotlight Breakfast Series at at Al Biernat’s North
Join Al Biernat for the second installment of his inspiring morning meetup that features Craig Hall, chairman and founder of Dallas-based Hall Group. Hall formed this company at age 18 with $4,000 he had started saving at the age of 10. He will be signing copies of his book Bridging the Opportunity Gap to Reignite Startups after a panel discussion moderated by David Johnson of KRLD 1080. Tickets are $50, and the program lasts from 7-8:30 am. The event includes breakfast, a short Q&A session, and a raffle drawing.

Thursday, May 30

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
This monthly dinner series returns with a "classic Italian varietals" theme and features three courses from chef Brian C. Luscher, all complemented with hand-selected wines. Special guest John Mark Cleveland with Southern Glazers will speak to each table about the selected wines. Tickets are $55, and reservations can be made starting at 5:30 pm. Call 214-828-1981 to secure your seat.

Friday, May 31

Taste Addison at Addison Circle Park
The festival features dozens of Addison restaurants serving samples of their signature dishes, plus talented chefs dishing their insider secrets. Event-goers can also listen to some of the country’s favorite entertainers, including Walker Hayes, Josh Abbott Band, Deep Blue Something, Spin Doctors, Plain White T's, Smash Mouth, and The All American Rejects. For the first time since its inception, guests can pay at any booth with cash, credit card, or Tasty Bucks. Tickets start at $15, and the weekend festival opens at 6 pm on Friday and at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Cigar and Whiskey Social at Haywire Plano
Guests are invited to the restaurant’s third-level, rooftop patio to sip on TX Whiskey while enjoying puffs of the new Haywire Signature Cigar. Cigars will be hand rolled on site by Cuban master blender Noel Rojas from Rojas Cigars. Additional whiskeys are available for purchase. Admission is free, and the event kicks off at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, June 1

Sip Cider with Pups at Mutts Canine Cantina
Mutts Canine Cantina in Dallas is partnering with Austin Eastciders for a fun-filled day of sipping cider and helping homeless dogs find their forever homes. The event benefits Operation Kindness. The day of philanthropic fun starts at 10 am, and admission is free.

Rosé Garden Party at The Stoneleigh
Who can resist a day of play and rosé? The outdoor garden soiree features rosé and frosé wines and signature cocktails, a Paint and Sip station, Henry's Handmade Ice Cream Station, delicious bites from executive chef Wade Burch of Perle on Maple, and a live DJ. Attire is "garden party best." Tickets are $50, and the fun starts at 11 am.

Sunday, June 2

Garden-to-Table Dinner at Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden kick off the summer with a four-course meal in A Tasteful Place, presented by Beyond the Box, overlooking White Rock Lake and the Dallas skyline at sunset. Tickets are $99 and include beer and wine. The event begins at 6 pm.

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Pizza News

Global Italian pizza chain 400 Gradi will close down Dallas locations

400 Gradi

400 Gradi pizza

A pizza concept from Australia is shutting down its presence in Dallas: Called 400 Gradi, it's a Neapolitan-style pizzeria that opened two locations in the DFW area — the original in downtown Dallas at 2000 Ross Ave., which is still open but will close in early 2025; and a second location in McKinney, which closed on December 31.

400 Gradi was founded by Johnny Di Francesco, a native of Australia and a regular on Australian TV shows such as MasterChef Australia, The Mentor, and Everyday Gourmet, who opened his first location in his hometown Melbourne in 2008. "400 Gradi" refers to the high temperature at which a thin-crust traditional Neapolitan pizza is cooked in a wood-fired oven.

The concept was brought to DFW by franchisee Igor Stevovic who opened the Dallas location in 2019 in what was then a seemingly up-and-coming building in downtown Dallas at a time when Neapolitan-style pizza was on an upswing.

That building still houses a location of the buzzy California-based sandwich restaurant Mendocino Farms, but it's now open weekdays only. Meanwhile, the building has added casual, low-priced tenants such as Shawarma Press and Firebirds Burrito.

Having a restaurant in downtown Dallas is not easy, and the pandemic has not helped that fact.

400 Gradi adhered to the guidelines of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. They used Neapolitan-style ingredients to make authentic pizzas, with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, flour imported from Italy, and a special water from a company called Artisan H2O that replicated the water found in Naples.

They served a traditional menu of Italian dishes, ranging from fried calamari and arancini (fried risotto balls) to pizzas topped with prosciutto and spicy salami. Plus larger entrees such as risotto, char-grilled steaks, and lamb shoulder.

In 2021, Stevovic also opened Zero Gradi, a decadent gelato and dessert shop next to 400 Gradi in downtown Dallas. He opened the second location of 400 Gradi in McKinney in 2023, along with a second location of Zero Gradi.

Stevovic, who has many years of franchising experience, says it was time to part ways.

"I regret to say that we're phasing out 400 Gradi in Dallas," he says. "I think that the corporate strategy versus where we wanted to go were not overlapping."

For now, Zero Gradi will still be open, so you can still get their croissants, supremes, pastries, and gelato. And for those who loved 400 Gradi's food, there's at least a few weeks at the Dallas location to run down there like a maniac and get it before it goes.

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