This week in gluttony

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

Dine out cheaper at some of Dallas' priciest restaurants, like Nobu, during DFW Restaurant Week.

Courtesy of Nobu

This week marks the beginning of DFW Restaurant Week, where more than 100 area eateries will offer specials to benefit a good cause. August also means Hatch chile season is here, and one gourmet grocery chain is ready to celebrate the piquant pepper with a month-long festival. Also on the schedule: a wine dinner, taco and margarita tour, and a hangover brunch to end the week.

Tuesday, August 3

Evil Cooks & Metalachi at José
It's an exclusive night of tacos with Evil Cooks, the dynamic husband-and-wife duo of Chef Alex and Chef Huerta, known for their trompo style tacos and flan dessert tacos. They don't do set menus, so you won't know what's being served till they arrive at José and plan the night with Chef AQ. Margaritas, cocktails, beer, and wine available for purchase at the outside bar or inside at the main bar. Metalachi, a metal, fiddle-swinging, trumpet-blasting, guitar-strumming Mariachi band, will also perform. It's from 7-10 pm, and tickets are $75, available here.

Wednesday, August 4

Annual Hatch Chile Fest at Central Market
Hatch peppers are here, and the gourmet grocer will feature the popular pepper in everything from crab cakes and brioche to mac and cheese and tortillas. Named for their origin of Hatch, New Mexico, the pepper is harvested only a few weeks out of the year and more 250,000 pounds will make their way to Central Market stores across Texas. The festival will run through August 26 at all locations.

Thursday, August 5

Prisoner Wine Dinner at The Ranch at Las Colinas
The four-course dinner will be paired with wine from the popular Napa Valley label. Menu items include grilled and chilled peach soup with goat cheese and basil, yellow tuna tartare, coffee-infused filet, and peach mousse with Italian meringue. Dinner is $95 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6 pm.

Friday, August 6

DFW Restaurant Week
The 2021 edition of the annual dine-out fundraiser kicks off its preview weekend on Friday, with the official “week” running August 9-15. Patrons can indulge in a pre-set, multicourse dinner for either $39 or $49 per person — a bargain for some of Dallas’ priciest establishments like Nobu, Al Biernat’s, and Mansion on Turtle Creek. A two-course lunch option is available for $19. There are dozens of restaurants in Dallas and surrounding areas participating in the 24th annual event, which benefits the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home. Note that some restaurants are extending their specials through September 5.

Saturday, August 7

La Cruda Brunch at Four Corners Brewing Company
The Dallas brewery and taproom will launch brunch this week, set for the first Saturday of every month. La Cruda means “hangover” in Spanish, and menu items follow the theme. Go for hangover-curing dishes like breakfast tacos with fillings including migas, beef fajitas, or chorizo; and burritos with eggs, queso, avocado, and potatoes. There’ll also be coffee, micheladas, and boozy kombucha seltzer. Brunch will be served from 10 am-1 pm.

Dallas’ Best Tacos & Margaritas Tour
Hop aboard a motorcoach for a four-stop tour of tacos and margs around Dallas. There’ll be street tacos and gourmet tacos (four total) along with two margaritas and some taco trivia along the way. (More margaritas available at additional cost. Participants may also BYOB on the motorcoach.) Tickets are $70 per person and the tour begins at 12:30 pm.

Black Bourbon Society Bourbon-Q Paired Tasting at Sandaga 813
Black Bourbon Society, in partnership with Jim Beam, is bringing The Open Door Tour to Dallas, and the featured event is a family barbecue that allows adults to sample the Beam portfolio paired with BBQ small bites. The tour spotlights Black-owned bars and restaurants in the community; the barbecue will take place 3-4:30 pm at Sandaga 813 (813 Exposition Ave., Dallas). For more information and other events through the weekend, visit the tour's website.

Sunday, August 8

Bubbles & Brunch at The Whiskey Spot
In addition to a brunch buffet that includes bottomless bubbly and mimosas, there’ll be a local vendor market and even DIY crafting at this Sunday brunch event. Menu highlights include house-cured smoked salmon and fig balsamic-glazed chicken. Tickets are $50 per persona and brunch begins at 11 am.

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Soda News

Texas' favorite soft drink Dr Pepper spins off fruity-creamy new flavor

Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper has a new flavor.

Texas' favorite soda Dr Pepper, loved for its cherry-ish flavor, has a new berry variety: Strawberries & Cream, available in regular and Zero Sugar versions, now on shelves everywhere.

According to a release, Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream Regular will be offered in 12-packs with 12-ounce cans and also in 20-ounce bottles. The Zero Sugar version will be offered in 12 packs only.

Both will be permanent additions.

The release says that the new flavor combines the original 23 flavors of Dr Pepper but with layers of strawberry flavor and a creamy finish. That sounds like a lot of activity for a little old soda.

"Our expert team of flavor scientists are constantly innovating to bring to life new varieties that will surprise and delight treat seekers and our existing dedicated fans," says Dr Pepper Marketing VP John Alvarado. "Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream is an exciting evolution for our brand's flavor portfolio as it joins our permanent lineup alongside popular varieties such as Dr Pepper & Cream Soda and Dr Pepper Zero Sugar."

Dr Pepper is part of Keurig Dr Pepper but is also the oldest major soft drink in the United States, around since 1885.

The "23 flavors" theme, which is said to be responsible for its unique taste, is a secret recipe, ooooh, and is thought to include amaretto, almond, blackberry, black licorice, carrot, clove, cherry, caramel, cola, ginger, juniper, lemon, molasses, nutmeg, orange, prune, plum, pepper, root beer, rum, raspberry, tomato, and vanilla.

The current full Dr Pepper lineup includes Regular, Diet, Caffeine Free, Cherry, Zero Sugar, and Cream Soda.

A spokesperson says that Dr Pepper has introduced several LTO flavors over the past few years, including Dr Pepper Fansville Reserve Bourbon and FANtastic Chocolate in celebration of college football season, and Dark Berry, all available for a limited time only.

The spokesperson neglects to mention some other special edition flavors from the past that have included Dr Pepper Red Fusion, Dr Pepper Berries & Cream, Dr Pepper Cherry, Dr Pepper Vanilla Float, and Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr Pepper, which was delicious.

The two best were definitely Heritage Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper "Made With Real Sugar" — best because they used sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Alas, discontinued.

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