This Week in Gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Philly Pretzel Factory will be serving up pretzels at BrewFest.

Photo courtesy of Philly Pretzel Factory

Getting back into a routine after Labor Day weekend might be rough, so we'll give you the week to recover and prepare for this weekend's awesome lineup of food and drink events. Thai? Check. Football and booze? Check. Chocolate? Got it.

Friday, September 6

First Friday Cigar, Bourbon, and Brew at Cool River Cafe
TahWahKaro Distilling Co. and Boulevard Brewing Company are teaming up to bring premium pours and lots of knowledge from visiting company representatives. Guests will be treated to hors d'oeuvres from chef Fernando Rodriguez and a complimentary, hand-rolled cigar by master cigar roller Mario Almanza. Tickets are $35, and the event starts at 6:30 pm.

Toasting to Touchdowns at Omni Frisco Hotel
Its second annual event toasts to the 2019 football season and allows attendees to take advantage of the official hotel of the Dallas Cowboys and its awesome amenities, like the elevated pool deck and bar — The Edge — which overlooks The Star. The event features signature cocktails, tailgate-inspired culinary dishes, and tunes by DJ SC. Tickets are $35, and the event kicks off at 6:30 pm.

Dallas Chocolate Festival VIP Party at Fashion Industry Gallery
On the eve of the 10th annual Dallas Chocolate Festival, VIPs are invited to gather for a first chance to explore, shop, and sample all weekend offerings. Think light bites, adult beverages, and even a swag bag. Tickets are $75, and the party starts at 7 pm.

Saturday, September 7

Dallas Chocolate Festival at Fashion Industry Gallery
This two-day, family-friendly expo aims to tell “The Story of Chocolate,” for the 10th year. More than 3,000 attendees are expected to learn, taste, shop, and experience quality chocolate from more than 60 chocolate makers from around the world. Guided tastings and chocolate making classes will be available for an extra charge. Tickets start at $35, and the festival starts at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Dallas Observer BrewFest at Dallas Farmers Market
This outdoor beer-sampling event and festival features hundreds of local, international, and craft beers. There will also be live music and plenty of food from Tutta's Pizza, Fletcher's Original State Fair Corny Dogs, Philly Pretzel Factory, and Taqueria Taxco. Tickets start at $30, and the event starts at 7 pm.

Monday, September 9

Summer Thai Kitchen Cooking Class at Sur la Table Dallas Knox District
Learn how to bring in fresh, summer flavors to some of your favorite Thai dishes as the class learns its way around a wok. The menu includes perfect pad Thai, lime and brown sugar glazed salmon, green mango and cucumber salad with peanuts, and coconut lime sorbet. Tickets are $69, and the class starts at 1 pm.

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Dumpling News

Chef Sun's Chinese restaurant steams into McKinney with noodles and dumplings

Chef Sun's

Chef Sun's rainbow dumplings

There’s a Chinese restaurant serving steamed dumplings and hand-pulled noodles in McKinney: Called Chef Sun’s Noodle and Dumpling, it’s in the former Fork and Fire space at 7540 SH 121, #150 at Hub 121, where it opened in February.

Chef Sun’s is from Richard Sun, who previously operated restaurants in Houston and China before moving to Dallas. He opened the first location of Chef Sun's Noodle and Dumpling in Plano in 2024.

He's joined by executive chef Jianmin Xiao, another native of China who also has extensive restaurant experience. Sun is from northeastern China, and Xiao is from Sichuan. They met in Houston six years ago and reconnected when Sun had plans to move to Dallas and open the Plano Chef Sun's location. Sun's daughter Cassie Sun is also part of the team, serving as general manager.

"After my dad finished culinary school in China, he'd travel around to different cities there and learn how to make different cultural foods, such as Sichuan and dim sum (Cantonese dumplings)," Cassie says. "All of our chefs also have 20-30 years of experience."

The menu at both locations is the same, featuring popular soup dumplings, rainbow dumplings, and house biang biang, a chewy and wide hand-pulled noodle dish.

The Sichuan region of China uses a lot of Sichuan pepper and chili peppers in dishes, while northeastern fare is milder. Xiao has his own stir-frying process: for the three-flavor pepper chicken, he stir fries the pepper first, then adds dried chili peppers to layer the spiciness of the dish, then adds the chicken.

Chef Sun's does baked or fried piggy buns.Chef Sun's

While they take their dumpling making seriously and turn out an impeccably authentic version, they also do cute specialty dishes, like the baked or fried piggy buns filled with red bean paste and designed with pig faces on the outside. Dumplings are typically $13 and noodles are $12-S18.

While Plano is more casual, the new McKinney spinoff has an elevated atmosphere with counter seating and hanging chandelier lights ideal for date nights and family gatherings, plus a patio.

They don't serve alcohol but one thing that enhances the dining experience at Chef Sun's is the open kitchen where customers can watch through a small window as dumplings are prepared.

chinese restaurant handpulled noodles mckinney sichuan region steamed dumplings