This Week in Gluttony

Burgers and barbecue top best food and drink events in Dallas this week

While we attempt to figure out how it got to be October already, we press on with our food events roundup, featuring an inaugural barbecue festival, some anniversary parties, and burgers and Burgundy for a good cause. A couple of these take place outside, and you know fall is the best time to enjoy the great outdoors in Dallas.

See you out there.

Wednesday, October 1

Wine Class Wednesday at Max's Wine Dive
Max's Wine Dive is hosting a wine class the first Wednesday of the month for the next three months. This one explores wines from the well-known regions of Napa and Sonoma, with a focus on a few pioneering figures and wineries. To help bring out the characteristic flavors of these unique wines, chef Patrick Russell is putting out some Americana-inspired dishes such as New England clam chowder, smoked meats and tuna tartare. Price is $45, and you can reserve your spot by calling 214-559-3483.

Thursday, October 2

Beer and Cheese Class at Scardello Artisan Cheese
These classes always sell out, so get your tickets while you can. Attendees learn about the expected and less traveled combinations in this age-old pairing and even explore how monks first used beer in the production of cheese. The class costs $35, and you can reserve your spot online. If the event is sold out, call 214-219-1300 to get on the waiting list.

Friday, October 3

DIFFA/Dallas presents Sixth Annual Burgers & Burgundy
Top Dallas chefs join John Tesar at the home of Karen and Bill Seanor for this popular event, during which chefs whip up burger sliders to complement a Burgundy wine of their choosing. Wines and specialty cocktails are also available. Funds raised benefit DIFFA/Dallas, whose mission is to serve those affected by AIDS and HIV across North Texas. Tickets are $100 for general admission and $150 for VIP entrance, which includes a private bar, entertainment, butler service and exclusive seating area. Buy your tickets online.

Saturday, October 4

Smoked at Main Street Garden
Smoked Dallas is a full day of smoked meats and smokin' tunes from participants such as Black's Barbecue, BBQ on the Brazos and Lockhart Smokehouse. Singer-songwriter Bob Schneider and blues/funk/soul band Black Joe Lewis are the headlining entertainers. Beneficiary for this inaugural year is Cafe Momentum, and students enrolled in the CM program prepare side dishes at the event. VIP tickets get you a one-hour jump on the BBQ tasting; general admission tickets enable fans to attend the tasting and concert from 2-5 pm. After 5 pm, tickets are for the concert only, with BBQ available for purchase separately. All tickets are available online.

11th Anniversary at Double Wide
Double Wide marks 11 "twisted years" in Deep Ellum with a two-block festival on Exposition Avenue, from Main Street to Elm. Double Wide is hosting High on Fire, Roky Erickson, Riverboat Gamblers and The Derailers, in addition to an outdoor stage provided by Lakewood Brewery. Easy Slider, Cold Beer Company and Eat Joe Dawgs are providing the sustenance. The fun starts at 5 pm, and tickets are $25. Buy them online.

Taste of Fall Cooking Class at Second Floor Bistro by Scott Gottlich
Join chefs Scott Gottlich and Andrea Maricich for a cooking class exploring the tastes of fall. The menu includes roasted butternut squash soup; grilled pork loin roulade filled with apple, cranberry, cider and toasted pumpkin seeds; braised red cabbage with raisins; and old-fashioned cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Additionally, mixologist Seth Brammer demonstrates fall cocktails and shares wine-pairing tips to conclude the class. Happening from 1-3 pm, the class is $45, and you can reserve your spot online.

Sunday, October 5

30th Anniversary Soiree at Parigi
Toast Parigi's three decades in Dallas with champagne and cocktails from Veuve Clicquot and Belvedere vodka, along with food prepared by Parigi chef-owner Janice Provost and the El Centro culinary students and staff. Andree Falls, founder of Parigi, is expected to attend, and Vince Martinez is providing the tunes. All proceeds go to the Parigi scholarship endowment fund at the Food and Hospitality Institute at El Centro College. The cost of the meal is $84 — representing the year it opened — and you can buy tickets online.

Against the Grain Book Signing with Danielle Walker at Half Price Books
Come meet Danielle Walker, author of Against the Grain, who is signing books and talking about her passion for Paleo. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when she was 22, Walker realized that she needed to make dietary changes to end her suffering. She removed grains, lactose and legumes from her diet, then started a blog to help others suffering from similar ailments continue to enjoy food. The signing lasts from 7-9 pm. There is no cost to attend, but you need to RSVP.

The sixth annual Burgers & Burgundy benefiting DIFFA Dallas goes down October 3.

Photo by William Bichara

The sixth annual Burgers & Burgundy benefiting DIFFA Dallas goes down October 3.

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Asian Food News

Taste of Malaysia restaurant brings rare Asian cuisine to Dallas area

Taste of Malaysia

A new restaurant has debuted in Coppell with a cuisine that's relatively rare in Dallas. Called Taste of Malaysia, it's now open at 3001 Olympus Blvd #130, at the Sound at Cypress Waters, between an Ari's Italian market and a Kilwin's ice cream shop, where it's serving authentic Malaysian dishes and flavors — adding another option to Dallas' burgeoning Asian restaurant scene.

A neighbor to Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, Malaysia has been described as having some of the best street food in Southeast Asia, boasting a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous flavors. Signature dishes include satays — skewered meats — plus vividly spiced soups and rice dishes.

The country's national dish is nasi lemak, a beloved comfort food originally devised as a breakfast staple, featuring fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves, sometimes enhanced with boiled egg and sliced cucumber and ikan bilis, i.e. anchovies.

Coming in at a close second is laksa, a spicy noodle soup made with rice noodles or egg noodles in a broth flavored with aromatic spices, shrimp paste, and coconut milk or tamarind.

These are the dishes that natives of Malaysia and fans of Malaysian food crave, says Shiva Nair, part of the team, along with his wife, Vsruti "Vish" Nair, that opened Taste of Malaysia.

Shiva has more than 20 years in the hospitality business including managing hotels and running other restaurants.

"There are a lot of Malaysians here in Dallas-Fort Worth but not many Malaysian restaurants," Shiva says. "That's what gave us the idea to open this."

Their menu features seven varieties of nasi lemak — including vegetable curry, chicken curry, slow cooked beef, slow-cooked chicken, fried chicken, fish, and spicy shrimp — all made with coconut rice, peanuts, boiled egg, and cucumber.

They also have fried rice, noodle dishes, satay chicken skewers, spring rolls, a samosa-style pastry with potatoes and vegetables called karipap, and a chicken "kutlet" — a breaded patty with minced chicken enclosed in a crunchy crust.

All of their meat is halal, meaning that the animals are raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines — a growing trend in Dallas-Fort Worth.

There's a full bar and the ultimate lure for timid diners: a lunchtime buffet, $18 on weekdays and $20 on weekends, with 15 to 20 dishes, with chicken, shrimp, fish, and vegetarian and vegan options, which are plentiful in Malaysian cuisine.

"We serve the buffet only at lunch, so that those who are unfamiliar with the cuisine can sample every dish," Shiva says.

"We saw an opportunity to bring Malaysian flavors to North Texas, a region hungry for authentic, halal-certified Asian food with real spicing and real heritage," he says.

openings coppell asian cuisine