This Week in Gluttony

These are the 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Watermelon "sashimi" from Cane Rosso for Hotel Thrillist event

Take the entire family out to the Dallas Farmers Market to enjoy the 2nd Annual Watermelon Festival.

Photo courtesy of Thrillist

Whether you want to mix up a classic cocktail after a long day at the office or enjoy some fresh bounty from farmers all around North Texas, this week has a delicious food event opportunity for you. Plus, DFW Restaurant Week begins its run, offering meals at discounted prices and giving proceeds to good causes. Finally, what's better than a fresh piece of watermelon on a hot summer day?

Wednesday, July 31

Grand Marnier Cocktail Class at The French Room Salon
Join mixologist Morgan Moore as she leads a class on how to make Grand Marnier's twist on summer classics like the Julep and the Sidecar. Attendees will also go home with bar tools of their own. Tickets are $35, and the class starts at 7 pm.

Thursday, August 1

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
Chef Brian C. Luscher presents an intimate three-course dinner to complement hand-selected wines from Burt Street Cellars. Winemaker Timothy Skok will serve as the evening's special guest host and will visit each table to chat about the wine selections. Tickets are $75, and tables are available from 5:30-9 pm. To reserve your spot, call 214-828-1981.

Icon Wine Dinner at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
Happening at both the Dallas and Plano locations, this event includes an exclusive five-course menu that complements a selection of wines from noteworthy wineries, including Cade, Odette, and PlumpJack. Courses include seared jumbo sea scallops, grilled Australian lamb loin, and duck confit meatballs. Tickets are $195, and the event begins at 6:30 pm. To reserve your spot, call 972-490-9000 for Dallas and 972-312-9115 for Plano.

Hello Dumpling Cooking Demonstration at Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
See how the pros cook up some favorite cuisine and sample the fruits of their labor. This week's demonstration is from East Dallas' treasured dumpling outpost Hello Dumpling and is happening from 11 am to noon at A Tasteful Place. Admission is free with your paid entry into the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

DFW Restaurant Week
Far longer than a week, the annual dine-out fundraiser kicks off with "preview weekend" August 2 and now runs as long as four weeks at some area restaurants. Patrons can make reservations to indulge in a pre-set, multicourse meal for either $39 or $49 per person — a real bargain for some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s priciest establishments. There are dozens of restaurants in Dallas participating in the 22nd annual event, which benefits the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.

Saturday, August 3

Watermelon Festival at Dallas Farmers Market
This second annual celebration kicks off National Farmers Market Week and features watermelon eating contests, watermelon bowling, seed spitting contests, and more. Guests can also enjoy live music, demos, and tastings. Do not forget to bring your market bags so you can take home some delicious findings from farmers, ranchers, and artisanal food vendors. The festival kicks off at 9 am, and admission is free.

Good Local Market at Lake Pointe Church
Shop local produce, meats and eggs, bread and pastries, pickles, jams, and more from North Texas vendors who show up week in and week out to bring the White Rock Farmers Market some of the best goodies around. The best news? All of the vendors there produce their goods from within 150 miles of Dallas. The market starts at 8 am, and admission is free.

Celestina Blok contributed to this report.

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Not Pizza News

Dallas pizza purveyor Cane Rosso to open cocktail lounge in Frisco

Imperial Room

Food at Imperial Room, coming soon to Frisco

An ice cream shop in Frisco is closing, to be replaced by a new bar: Cow Tipping Creamery, a soft-serve shop located at 3685 The Star Blvd. at The Star in Frisco, has closed after a decade. Its final day was July 14.

In its place will be a cocktail lounge called The Imperial Room, which will open in early September, according to a release.

The new bar will open next door to the Frisco location of Cane Rosso, and is from PILF Restaurant Group (Cane Rosso, Zoli's Pizza, and Thunderbird Pies), which also owned Cow Tipping Creamery.

The transformation comes as PILF renewed its lease at The Star, at which time they proposed converting the ice cream shop into a bar — a concept that PILF owner Jay Jerrier envisioned for years, the release says.

"We've loved being part of The Star for the last ten years, and Cow Tipping Creamery created a lot of great memories for our guests," Jerrier says. "But ice cream is an incredibly seasonal business, and we've wanted to create a cocktail lounge for a long time. The Imperial Room gives us the opportunity to build something completely different — something that complements Cane Rosso, while also allowing our team to stretch creatively beyond pizza."

According to the release, Jerrier drew his inspiration from New York cocktail bars such as Juniper Bar in Manhattan, a multi-level restaurant and sports bar located near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

Decor
The bar will comprise an intimate 600-square-foot space seating 25 to 30 people, and will be available for private parties and special events. Decor will consist of olive and navy tones, cozy booths, warm lighting, with a "classic cocktail lounge atmosphere."

Beverage
PILF Restaurant Group has drafted acclaimed Dallas bartender Gabe Sanchez, whose work has helped shape cocktail programs at some of the city's most respected bars, including Black Swan Saloon and Midnight Rambler, to create an original menu.

Food
The menu by PILF executive chef Mat Urban will feature shareable plates such as focaccia, Caesar salad, and n’duja toast; larger entrées such as cacio e pepe, vodka agnolotti, and a roast beef sandwich; and lemon olive oil cake for dessert.

Construction is currently underway, with an anticipated opening in September 2026.

pizza cocktails openings