This Week in Gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

How many sliders can you eat?

Photo courtesy of Oak'd

Another benchmark on Dallas' return to normal from the dregs of the pandemic is the return of foodie events — and the revival of CultureMap's food events roundup, highlighting the best food and drink events happening over the next seven days.

These events feature wine, beer, BBQ, and even more wine.

Wednesday June 9

Wednesday Wine Chat: Kings of Chardonnay at Cru Wine Bar
Hail to the Kings of Chardonnay in this cool Wine Chat featuring four Chardonnays paired with chef's small plates. Wines featured include Bourchard Bourgogne Burgundy, William Febre Champs Royaux Chablin, Jordan Russian River Valley, and Mes Soleil from Santa Lucia Highlands. Tickets are $30 and the event runs from 6:30-7:30 pm.

Texas bartender competition: Fish House Punch
Chefs Christian Armando Guillén of El Cantinero, Haley Merritt of Midnight Rambler, Trey Roland of Parliament and the Hard Shake, and Pedro Tapia of Hillside Tavern will make one of America's oldest drinks, featuring rum and brandy, with bites by chefs Misti Norris and Philippe Gaston, plus wines from Ribera y Rueda from Spain. The event starts at either 5 pm or 6 pm, depending on who you ask, but it's definitely at The Gaston Dallas Bed & Breakfast at 4802 Gaston Ave. Tickets are $50, buy them here.

Thursday June 10

Dallas Arboretum Food and Wine Festival
The 2021 Dallas Arboretum Food & Wine Festival has been reimagined into a three-day celebration. On Thursday June 10, from 7-9 pm is a Gatsby Garden Soiree, with food, wine, and beer stations outdoors; roaring '20s attire is encouraged. On Saturday-Sunday June 12-13 from 10 am–3 pm is a farmers market event featuring local vendors. Tickets are a rather steep $125 and can be purchased here.

6th Annual Tap Fest at Texas Ale Project
Festival celebrating sixth anniversary of this Design District brewery runs four days, June 10-13, and includes: Thursday Night on the Midway with Fletcher's Corny Dogs and fair games; Friday VIP brewers' night; Saturday Tap Fest with new beers and live music; and Sunday Brunch at Stock & Barrel. Tickets run from $15-$175 and can be purchased here.

Friday June 11

BarNone Bar & Grand Re-Opening
East Dallas bar will host a Grand Re-Opening weekend from June 11-12 with specialty drinks and live performance by Rosco Johnny on Friday 6-8 pm and Honey Folk on Saturday 7-9 pm.

Saturday June 12

Rosé Wine Walk on Greenville Avenue
Fourth annual Rosé Wine Walk takes place on Greenville Avenue. Check-in at the Libertine Bar between 12-2 pm for wine glass, map, and a $15 wristband that gives access to specials at participating businesses such as $6 rose at Son of a Butcher. According to organizers Dallasites 101, a highlight of the experience is seeing everyone dressed pink, so apparently pink clothes are encouraged. It's 12-5 pm, and you can buy your $15 wristband here.

Oak'd BBQ Bash
East Dallas BBQ restaurant hosts party with live music, cornhole, and all-you-can-eat sliders, ribs, beans, mac & cheese, slaw, and potato salad. It starts at 6 pm and ends at 10:30 pm unless they run out. Tickets are $15.

Monday June 14

Ida Claire Wine Dinner with Elyse Winery
Five-course dinner features Lee Abraham from Elyse Winery guiding guests through a menu paired with wines from Napa Valley vineyards including Fried Pickled Green Strawberries with JP Chenet Sparkling Rosé, Kale Salad with Elyse Winery C'Est Si Bon, Duck Leg Confit with Petite Sirah, A Bar N Ranch Hangar Steak with Elyse Winery Cabernet Sauvignon from Holbrook Mitchell Vineyard in Yountville, and Texas Blackberry Crostata with Kopke 10 Year Tawny Port. Tickets are $90. Call 214-377-8227.

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Ice Cream News

Kwality Ice Cream shop to bring creamy exotic desserts to Frisco

Kwality

Kwality Ice Cream

An ice cream chain with an Indian flair is dipping into Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Kwality Ice Cream, it's a concept founded in New Jersey that specializes in traditional Indian ice cream and cold drinks, and it's opening a location in Frisco, at 13089 Main St. #500, in a new shopping center.

According to franchisee Raju Vikey, the shop will open sometime in 2025. It joins two DFW locations already open: Irving at 8600 N. Macarthur Blvd., and Euless, at 1060 N. Main St. at Harwood Crossing shopping center, which opened in April.

Kwality Ice Cream was founded by food scientist Dr. Kanti Parekh and his son Anand, in New Jersey in 2003. It has expanded with 38 locations in 14 states including Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas, where there are three locations in Houston and one in Austin.

“The idea was to create a South Asian-specific ice cream, which is more known for fruits and nuts,” Anand says. “As a Ph.D. in food and nutrition, my father’s background and expertise were in flavor. He used that to create very unique flavors and top notes to give a really good mouth feel and experience.”

They have close to 50 ice cream flavors with classics like cookies & cream, chocolate supreme, and butter pecan; but South Asian and Indian flavors dominate the menu with exotic options like green guava, lychee, and Nuttie Tuttie Fruitee, a berry-flavored ice cream with nuts and candied fruit.

There is also kulfi, a frozen dessert that's like ice cream but with less added air so it has a stiffer, creamier texture. It's served in slices and comes in popular Indian flavors like pistachio, mango, and rose.

Other novel frozen treats include cassata, an ice cream cake with three flavors of ice cream layered over sponge cake.

As with many Asian desserts, they're often less sweet than American-style confections. Wild inventions include the mawa rabdi cup, with ice cream, rice noodles, basil seeds, and rose syrup, topped with nuts and candied fruit; and Thandai ice cream, a staple at Indian festivals, consisting of almonds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds, rose petals, pepper, cardamom, saffron, milk, and sugar.

Rabdi is like a pudding, believed to have originated during the 1600s. Kwality makes it following the traditional method of slow-cooking milk until it thickens and reduces, enhancing its sweetness and creaminess, then adding ingredients like cardamom, saffron, and pistachios.

Pints of ice cream and frozen desserts range from $8-$11, and cassata ice cream cake slices are $7.

ice cream openings desserts