Food Fest News

Klyde Warren Park’s annual food fest embraces Texas roots for 2016

October 21-22, Klyde Warren Park will be teeming with Texas chefs and the foodies who love them.

Photo by Thomas McConnell

Texas chefs rule at the second annual Park & Palate, the food festival fundraiser for Klyde Warren Park, taking place October 21-22. Topping the list are Dallas celebrity chefs Kent Rathbun, John Tesar, and Dean Fearing, plus Jason Dady of the Jason Dady Restaurant Group in San Antonio.

Friday night's event, called Down to the Roots, has already sold out. But tickets are now on sale for the Saturday Grand Taste, featuring spirits, craft cocktails, beers, and more than 30 of the region's most popular chefs.

Participating chefs at Friday night's event, which runs 7:30-10, include Bruce Auden (Biga on the Banks in San Antonio); Jill Bates (Fearing's); Tyson Cole (Uchi); Dady; Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie); Fearing; Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie in Austin); Sharon Hage; Brian Johnson (Central Market); Molly McCook (Ellerbe Fine Foods); Kyle Nelson (Central Market); Hugo Ortega (Backstreet Cafe, Hugo's, Caracol in Houston); Michael Thomson (Michael's Cuisine & Ancho Chile Bar); and Julie Vorce (Savor Gastropub).

Saturday is the big day, so look forward to samples from these chefs from 2-6 pm: Jeff Balfour (Southerleigh in San Antonio); Melody Bishop (Lark on the Park); Richard Blankenship (CBD Provisions); Nilton Borges Jr. (The Joule); John Brand (Supper in San Antonio); Jermaine Brown (Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine); John Coleman (Savor Gastropub); Dady; Ross Demers (On the Lamb); Brandon Drew (The Pyramid Restaurant & Bar); David Fingerman (Madrina); Omar Flores (Whistle Britches); Diego Galicia (Mixtli Progressive Mexican Culinaria in San Antonio); Nick Hurry (Proof + Pantry); Dennis Kelley (Lark on the Park); Brian Johnson (Central Market); Geronimo Lopez (Botika in San Antonio); Brian Luscher (Luscher's Red Hots, The Grape); Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar in Houston); Andrea Meyer (Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie); Suki Otsuki (Mudhen Meat and Greens); Rathbun, Timothy Rattray (The Granary 'Cue & Brew in San Antonio); Justin Richardson (Brigid in San Antonio); Joe Scigliano (Savor Gastropub); Philip Speer (Bonhomie); Shuji Sugawara (Shinsei); Tesar; Rico Torres (Mixtli Progressive Mexican Culinaria in San Antonio); Vorce; Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo, Chicon); and Nicholas Yanes (Juniper in Austin).

Oh, and there will be music. Acts include Eric Paslay, Barbed Wires, Johnny Reno & the Rockets, and DJ Lucy Wrubel. Additional "talent" includes bartender/restaurateur Michael Martensen and Flower Chef Carly Cylinder.

Chaired by Carolyn and Rob Walters and Lyn and John Muse, Park & Palate also has many sponsors, including Republic National Distributing Corporation, Central Market, JP Morgan Chase, CBRE, Lucchese, Ben E. Keith, and Boardwalk Auto Group.

Tickets to the Grand Taste are $75 and can be purchased online. (Hey, that's cheaper than last year!) Proceeds benefit Klyde Warren Park.

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Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

openings

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Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar