This Week in Gluttony

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

Burgers and Burgundy benefiting DIFFA Dallas takes place on Friday, October 6 at The Eyeball at The Joule.

Photo by Shana Anderson

Tacos and barbecue for a cause with a side order of fancy burgers and dining en blanc. If that isn't the Dallas dining scene in a nutshell, then I don't know what is.

Tuesday, October 3

John Tesar Cooking Demo at Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Chef John Tesar, a James Beard nominee and Top Chef contestant, presents a cooking demo featuring seasonal produce from the garden at the new A Tasteful Place edible display garden. This event is free with paid admission to the Arboretum and it starts at 1 pm. Reserve your spot here.

Wednesday, October 4

National Taco Day $4 Fundraiser at Urban Taco
In honor of National Taco Day, this Uptown eatery is selling $4 tacos all day. For each taco sold, $2 of the proceeds will be donated to Fundación Carlos Slim (in Mexico) to assist in earthquake disaster relief.

Friday, October 6

Burgers and Burgundy at The Joule
Chef John Tesar is rounding up the area's favorite chefs for a foodie fest unlike any other at The Eyeball at The Joule. Guests can expect bunned bites, cocktails, music by DJ Steffi Burns, and the reveal of the 2017-2018 Style Council Ambassadors. Tickets are $150, and the event starts at 6:30 pm. All proceeds benefit DIFFA/Dallas.

Diner en Blanc
The picnic-style Parisian dinner party is popping up again, in another undisclosed location. Participants in this mysterious dinner — 2,400 are expected — are in charge of setting up and taking down the entire operation, leaving no sign of their experience when it is all over. Eschewing Labor Day rules, everyone wears head-to-toe white. Tickets are $40, and more information will be emailed to those who make it off the wait list. Yep, this event is sold out.

Saturday, October 7

Lowest Greenville's Fall Festival
Who doesn't love an epic patio party to kick off the official fall season in Dallas? From 11 am to 6 pm, enjoy food, drinks, music, and local vendors from a variety of shops and restaurants including Joy Macarons, Bullzerk, Hg Sply Co., and more. The event is free but by purchasing a $10 mason jar from Blind Butcher, you can sample 10 different cocktails from participating locations. More info on the event can be found here.

Sunday, October 8

Pitmasters Picnic at Granada Theater
Enjoy delicious barbecue from some of the best pitmasters in the game, including Aaron Franklin, Travis Heim, Billy Durney, and more. There will also be cold beverages and live entertainment by Atlantis Aquarius, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, and The Last Bandoleros. Tickets start at $35, and the doors open at 1 pm. This event is in partnership with Savor Dallas, and all proceeds benefit Cafe Momentum.

fundraisers festivals dinner

Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

openings pizza