This week in gluttony

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

The Dallas Chocolate Festival will be one sweet event.

Photo by Kathy Tran

Rum is having a moment. There are not one but two rum events this week featuring libations using the island-inspired spirit. This week also offers a three-day chocolate festival and a plant class paired with wine. End the week with high tea celebrating the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, otherwise known as the Moon Festival. Want to look ahead to the best food and drink events of fall? Find that big list here.

Tuesday, September 6

Rum Dinner at Rye
Restaurant on Greenville Avenue will host a seven-course pairing dinner featuring only rum cocktails. Menu highlights include osso bucco, whole fish, braised chicken thighs, and pumpkin flan paired with creative rum cocktails and tastings. Dinner is $150 per person and will begin at 6:30 pm.

Friday, September 9

Dallas Chocolate Festival
Three-day festival will celebrate all things chocolate with multiple events, including a main event tasting, hands-on experiences, and classes. Each event is individually ticketed, and ticket prices range from $35 for the main event general admission on Saturday to $100 for the 21-and-up VIP night on Friday.

Everybody's Favorite Barbecue & Hot Sauce Festival, September 9-11
This three-day festival travels around the country, and it'll make its first Texas stop of the season in The Colony, September 9-11. Its aim is to celebrate the best barbecue in the country and to showcase talented live acts — all with a spirit of diversity, in an outdoor setting. The festival also honors teachers, who can request free admission. Tickets are $20-$75.

Saturday, September 10

Plant. Sip. Vibe.
Find your green thumb during this plant education tutorial that’s paired with wine. Participants will get a pot, custom soil mixture, and houseplant to take home. Enjoy wine and charcuterie while potting. The class is $65 per person and will run from 4-6:30 pm at The Schoolhouse in Dallas.

North Texas Food Bank 40th Birthday Party
Though technically not a "food" event, this party celebrates the tremendous impact that the North Texas Food Bank has had in the community for four decades. Beginning at 11 am at Klyde Warren Park, the free,family-friendly event will feature performances from the Ray Johnston Band, a book reading of NTFB’s children’s book, Hunger Bugs Me, and remarks from their CEO Trisha Cunningham. The first 100 people to arrive will receive a complimentary commemorative T-shirt.

Trucktoberfest at Truck Yard
Free weekend event at Greenville Avenue outdoor venue includes pretzel eating contests, stein hoisting, German rock bands, and special themed fare from participating food trucks. Special Trucktoberfest beer by German brewmaster Dennis Wehrmann is a traditional German Oktoberfest brewed with Munich malt and German Hops, served from a 200-year-old keg. September 10-11, 11 am-12-am.

Sunday, September 11

Moon Tea Festival at The French Room
The Chinese Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar as a time for families to get together when the moon is at its fullest. To celebrate, The French Room at The Adolphus Hotel will feature a Moon Festival Tea service experience with traditional Chinese flavors and rare tea pairings. The high tea is $75 for adults, plus tax and gratuity, and $35 for children under 12, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are available from 11 am-2:45 pm.

Monday, September 12

Bar Wars Rum Punch Rumble
Rum is all the rage lately, and this cocktail competition that will showcase the spirit in tasty fashion. Guests get to the sample and judge at least 10 different rum-based concoctions from McKinney area bars and restaurants. The competition will take place at Heritage Village at Chestnut Square, where there’ll be light bites and live acoustic music. Tickets are $25 per person and include 10 tastes. More tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the event, which will run from 6-9 pm.

news-you-can-eat barbecue desserts cocktails

Where to Drink

Where to Drink in Dallas right now: 5 best happy hours for October

B&B

Bar snacks from Barrel & Bones.

October has arrived, which brings us to another installment of Where to Drink, CultureMap Dallas’ monthly column on best bars and happy hours to check out. This edition has four of the best new happy hours in town, plus a crazy wine special with a spooky theme — because that's what October is about.

Here’s where to drink in Dallas right now:

Barrel & Bones
This BBQ smokehouse has a new happy hour menu featuring $3.50 domestics, $5 craft beers and house wines, and select $6 cocktails, including a house old-fashioned, Cazadores Tequila ranch water, or a Manhattan. Bites are $6 each, including pretzel bites, fried pickles, cheese curds, fried green beans, and fried mac & cheese. It runs on weekdays from 3-7 pm at all four locations: Dallas, Carrollton, The Colony, and Farmers Branch.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop
Taco chain with 52 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth has a new weekday happy hour from 2- 6 pm. Start early! Everything's $5: from chips & queso to an order of two tacos in varieties such as shrimp, cod, shredded chicken, brisket, carnitas, and grilled veggies. The $5 rollout includes four new cocktails: Fuzzy’s Red Sangria, Sangria 'Rita Swirl, Baja-Ma Mama, and Margarita Swirls.

Goldie’s
Sophisticated Lake Highlands restaurant-bar has introduced a Tuesday-Friday happy hour from 4-6 pm. Drinks include $10 house martinis, house cocktails, select wines by the glass, and select neat bourbons by the glass, including Eagle Rare and Jack Daniels Single Barrel. There are also a few food specials, including $10 À La Carte Burger, $5 Goldie’s “20 Feet” Fries, and $10 rotating crudité.

S&D Oyster Company
Uptown oyster bar is celebrating its 48 years in existence with an upgraded bar. The front room had its nice long wooden bar, but it served as a "lean-to" with no seating and more importantly, no liquor. They've added stools for seating and a cocktail menu that pairs well with happy hour, which is weekdays from 3-6 pm. Guests can enjoy $2 off cocktails, wine, and beer. Mondays are extra happy, since wine is half-price all day.

Sixty Vines
Wine bar with Plano and Uptown locations has a haunting program during October that's so out there, it's scary: They're pairing wine with Halloween-style candy. The first week is sauvignon blanc paired with Sour Patch Kids or Lemonheads. Week two features pinot noir with Twizzlers or Twix. Week three is rosé matched with Starburst or gummy bears. Lastly, the stars for the final week are cabernet sauvignon with Reese’s or Almond Joy. It's $17 for a 2-1/2-ounce pour.

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