This Week in Gluttony

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

Head out to Carrollton for a tour of Parks Coffee on August 10.

Photo by: The PR Collaborative

Wine. Beer. Cocktails. And even coffee. When a week's food events lineup includes all of these super sips, you know it is going to be a good one. Also, learn to make plant-based back-to-school snacks for kiddos, attend a boozy festival at Globe Life Park, or take a tour of the city's finest barbecue joints.

Tuesday, August 6

Plant-Based Cooking Class at Nature's Plate
This cooking demonstration allows attendees to learn about the unique ingredients and specific recipes involved in making delicious plant-based snacks. The menu includes chocolate chip snack bars, hummus, chocolate pudding, chocolate fruit sauce, popsicles with no added sugar, and more. Tickets are $65, and the class, which takes place at their Lake Highlands kitchen, starts at 6 pm.

Wednesday, August 7

First Taste Wines-Day at Cool River Cafe Irving
The first Wednesday of each month, guests can sample five wines selected by the restaurant’s wine director paired with hand-passed hors d’oeuvres. The favored wine wins a place on the Cool River Cafe menu for the following month. Tickets are $20, and the tasting kicks off at 5 pm. Call 972-871-8881 for more information on reserving your spot.

Saturday, August 10

All-Star Craft Beer, Wine & Cocktail Festival at Globe Life Park
This inaugural event features craft beer, wine, and cocktail brands from around the world in addition to live music, games, product samples, food vendors, and more. Tickets include a glass for sampling, a voucher for two tickets to a 2019 Rangers home game, and a photo in the Rangers dugout. Tickets start at $39.95, and there are two sessions — noon to 4:30 pm and 6:30-11 pm.

Dallas' Best BBQ and Brewery Tour at Four Corners Brewing Company
Jump on a tour bus at Four Corners to sample the city's best barbecue and enjoy some ice cold beers in the process. More details on specific samplings will come after tickets are purchased; however, one stop includes barbecue voted "Best BBQ in Dallas" by the pitmasters themselves. Tickets are $64, and the tour starts at 10:30 am.

Parks Coffee Roastery Tour at Parks Coffee Carrollton
This one-hour tour gives coffee lovers a special look into the entire roasting process. The tour explores how the coffee goes from farm to cup and includes a “cupping” (tasting) of select single-origin coffees paired with delicious pastries. Tickets are $10, and the tour starts at 10 am.

A Dinner with the Queens of Dallas at Pink Magnolia
Join chef Blythe and her family for late night "naughty" bites to go with your cocktails and drag queens. This show features some of the best entertainers in the Dallas drag game and is offering entertainment at both 7 pm and 10 pm. Tickets are $50 and include the show, bites, and two drink tickets.

Monday, August 12

Sangria Dinner at Stampede 66 by Stephan Pyles in Allen
Join chefs Stephan Pyles and Stuart Race at their monthly pairing dinner, where Messina Hof Winery and house-made sangria will take center stage. Courses include baked brie, steamed mussels, fried calamari, grilled flank steak, and grilled summer fruits. Tickets are $65, and dinner starts at 6:30 pm. To make your reservation, call 469-675-0800.

craft-beer cocktails wine news-you-can-eat barbecue

Saucy Summer

Loro Asian Smokehouse bottles fan-favorite sauces for summer in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

This lively salsa can now dress up dishes at home.

You can't bottle famed Texas pitmaster Aaron Franklin's meat-smoking skills, but you can bottle the sauce at Loro, his popular Asian Smokehouse founded with Uchi chef Tyson Cole. Three of the restaurant's signature sauces will be available for a limited time this summer, starting June 21 and ending July 5.

A press release promises "bold, smoke-kissed flavors" on offer during the restaurant's "Saucy Summer" event. Guests can pick them up from all Loro locations across Texas. In Dallas, that means 1812 North Haskell Ave. in East Dallas and 14999 Montfort Dr. in Addison. There are also locations in Austin and Houston.

Fans of Loro probably already know these flavors from dipping wonton chips and slathering fried chicken sandwiches.

Loro Hot Sauce Loro's smoked hot sauce and chicken are a perfect match.Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

The three sauces for sale are:

Tamarind BBQ: A sweet sauce that's "a little wild" thanks to spicy and fruity flavors. Ingredients include tamarind, honey, soy, pineapple, Thai sriracha, mesquite, and nam tok seasoning — usually a mix of lime, chili flakes, and other standard seasonings like salt and sugar. This one is recommended for brisket, grilled chicken, or brushing ribs in the last five minutes of cooking.
Loro Hot Sauce: Described as "buttery" and "chili-forward." It's also made with Thai sriracha and augmented with dried Thai chili flakes, vinegar, butter, and tallow. The recipe was made with eggs, tacos, fried rice, wings, sandwiches, and spicy spreads in mind.
Green Chili Salsa and Marinade: Be careful with this spicy sauce, which has a "sneaky heat." The overall tone is bright and herbal thanks to green tomato, cilantro, garlic, lime, and ginger, with soybean paste and Thai chili adding oomph. This sauce is great for marinating chicken or shrimp, but it can also be poured right on top of tacos and rice bowls or used to finish veggies and grilled fish.

Each sauce sells for $8, but shoppers can bundle three of them for $20.

Purchases can be made for dine-in or takeout via Toast. Deliveries are available via Door Dash and Uber Eats while the promotion is running. To stay on top of stock, only a certain number of sauces will be sold each day.

Loro Tamarind BBQ Sauce Sauce-lovers can bundle all three sauces for variety.Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

Whether or not guests purchase a sauce, they can use the code SAUCYSUMMER to take $10 off to-go orders placed July 3 and 4.

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