This Week in Gluttony

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

Join Wayward Sons on Thursday, August 25, for the Garden Series plant-based dinner.

Looking to hit up some food events this week? Then you'd better clear your schedule on Thursday night, otherwise Saturday is the only chance you'll have to make your foodie presence known.

Thursday, August 25

Garden Series Plant Based Dinner at Wayward Sons
Join Molly Tuttle of Fashion Veggie and Courtney Garza/Zak Shelton of Harvest Hands for an exciting night of plant-based cuisine. The menu includes tomato tartare, Paul Quinn College baby greens, wild mushroom and eggplant moussaka, and squash honey-nut cobbler. The cost for this four-course meal is $45 a person. Reservations are limited and can be made by calling 214-828-2888.

Pork & Pours Peticolas Beer Dinner at Mudhen Meat & Greens
Join chef Suki Otsuki as she prepares a whole hog in a Kalua-style pig roast to complement three brews from the award-winning Peticolas Brewing Company. The event features special guest Michael Peticolas and starts at 7 pm. Cost is $40 per person in advance, $45 at the door. Call 214-698-7000 for reservations.

Chef’s Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner featuring Malvira Winery at The Grape
Hosted by Karla Barber with Dionysus Imports, this month's wine dinner features wines from Malvira in Roero, Italy. Guests can also expect a sampling of Arneis, Barbera d’Alba, and Birbet (also known as Brachetto). Reservations for this event can be made between 5:30-9:30 pm by calling 214-828-1981. The cost is $55 and includes three paired courses.

Beer vs. Wine Smackdown at Scardello Artisan Cheese
Experience one of Scardello's famous classes and decide once and for all which is better with cheese: wine or beer. Each of the five rounds consists of one cheese, one wine, and one beer. The class leader takes time to talk about pairing, and the class votes on the favorite. Cost is $40, and the event begins at 7 pm.

Saturday, August 27

Chef Chris Ward Cooking Class at The Mercury
Chef Chris Ward is hosting an afternoon cooking class with the assistance of Burton Gilliam, actor and longtime friend of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT). Chef Ward prepares menu classics including escargot bourguignon, beef Wellington, creamed spinach, lyonnaise potatoes, and graham cracker cheese pie for class guests. Tickets include a full course tasting of demonstrated recipes, recipe cards, two drink tickets, and door prizes. Guests can also bid on the silent auction for artwork, spa/restaurant gift certificates, custom jewelry, and more. Tickets are $85, and the class starts at 2 pm.

Birds and Beer at Truck Yard
Lindsey and Simon of Window to the Wild are going to be on hand with some of their bird ambassadors, raising money for their nonprofit organization. Snag a photo with one of their birds, get one of their cool owl T-shirts, or just get up close and personal with a bird ambassador. The event is happening Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28, and starts at 3 pm. Admission is free.

Pints and Paws Adoption Event at the Ranch at Las Colinas
Inspired by International Homeless Animals Day, The Ranch is partnering with Operation Kindness to host an onsite adoption event during lunch, from 11 am to 2 pm. Operation Kindness will have its adoption trailer next to the patio throughout the event, allowing attendees to conveniently rescue their new best friend. The Ranch plans to donate $1 to Operation Kindness for each draft beer ordered during the event, and guests who adopt a dog will be rewarded with a complimentary beer.

dinner event-planner

Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 hot happy hours for April

Heyday Celina

Espresso martini at Heyday Celina with Tito's, Caffè Borghetti, brown sugar, vanilla, and 1418 cold brew.

April is income tax month and for many of us, that means it's belt-tightening time. If there's any month of the year that you need a happy hour, April is it. For this edition of CultureMap's monthly Where to Drink column, we've left no stone unturned in our dogged search for five worthy happy hours, from northwest Dallas to the Design District and all the way to Celina.

Here's where to drink for April:

Chefika
Turkish restaurant from industry veteran Serdar "Sam" Sensel (Istanbul Grill) located at Preston Hollow Village serves classics like pide (a Turkish flatbread), lamb shank, and a hanger steak kebab. There's also an in-house cake shop with sweets such as cheesecake and magnolia custard. They do a weekday happy hour on Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm, where they take $2 off entrees, but the best deals are on the drinks: wines by the glass for $8, beer for $5, and cocktails for $11-$12.

Claremont Neighborhood Grill
Neighborhood restaurant in Midway Hollow from Katz Bros. Hospitality (Beverley’s, Clifton Club, Green Point Seafood), known for its very Dallas menu of deviled eggs, pimento cheese, brisket sliders, tortilla soup, and Caesar salad, has a very attractive happy hour on Monday-Friday from 4-6 pm that features $10 margaritas — either frozen or on the rocks; $10 martinis; and $10 wine by the glass. Snacks include a dip duo with white queso, black bean dip, and tortilla chips for $10; and a quarter-pounder cheeseburger with fries for $12.

Heyday Celina
Buzzy restaurant specializing in craft cocktails, eclectic American food, and good vibes has been the toast of Celina ever since it opened in the downtown square in 2024. For discount-seeking sippers, they offer three great deals: Wine Down Wednesday with half-priced wine, both by the bottle and glass, all day. Mondays, it's martinis for $10 featuring Townes vodka from Texas. Last but surely not least is their weekday happy hour, extending from 2-6 pm with half-price appetizers such as calamari, arancini, tuna crudo, and their irresistible "zoodle" zucchini fries with ranch — plus $2-off on beers and classic cocktails.

Jo’Seon Wagyu Omakase
The specialty at this recently-opened omakase restaurant in the Design District is an unusual 12-course Wagyu-themed omakase fusing Japanese A5 Wagyu with Korean culinary techniques. But they also offer an a la carte menu from 10:30 am-5 pm with Korean-inspired small bites and mains, including an A5 Wagyu burger and traditional Galbijjim (braised short ribs). If you order from 2-5 pm, you get $5 off food and discounts on drinks including house wine for $7 and cocktails for $10-$11.

Torchy’s Tacos
Taqueria concept from Austin hosts a chain-wide weekday "Hooky Hour" from 2-5 pm with a serious deal: half-price beer and house margaritas. And right now, you can also sample their new menu category: nachos. Available for a limited time this spring, the nachos layer tortilla chips topped with Torchy's signature green chile queso, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream, with optional additions like fajita chicken, steak, pork, or brisket. The nacho plate is regularly $11, but during happy hour, they offer a smaller mini-version priced at $7.

happy-hours lists cocktails where to drink