This Week in Gluttony

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

Little burgers with red wine. It's a thing.

Photo courtesy of DIFFA Dallas

Those seeking foodie fun will find an assortment of dining experiences in this roundup: from bitty baby burgers to vegan fare, from a rare beer dinner to a rarefied exclusive feast featuring white truffles.

Here are the six best food and drink events for the week:

Thursday, October 10

Dallas Vegan Drinks 10-Year Anniversary at Trinity Hall Pub
Dallas Vegan Drinks, a monthly party that takes place the second Thursday of every month, celebrates its 10-year anniversary with an event at Trinity Hall Irish Pub. This monthly meetup has helped create an epic vegan community in Dallas, one that's become nationally known. The location changes every month, hitting up bars and restaurants who put on a spread of their best vegan treats. Trinity Hall Irish Pub got on the bandwagon early and even has a dedicated vegan menu with shepherd's pie, loaded potato skins, cheesy fries, chick'n & waffles, and tofu scramble. There's no entrance fee and you don't definitely have to be vegan to attend. The fun starts at 6:30 pm.

OEC Brewing Beer Dinner at Meddlesome Moth
Design District beer haunt will host a dinner featuring beers from OEC Brewing, a rare craft brewer from Oxford, Connecticut. OEC founder Ben Neidhart will be on hand to lead a guided beer experience featuring five brews paired with five courses prepared by chef Suki Otsuki (Mudhen). OEC's beers summon lost brewing traditions from Northern Germany across to Belgium. This dinner is the first time their beers will be available in Texas. Tickets are $75 for five courses and five beers. Doors are at 8 pm but call ahead to confirm.

Friday, October 11

Burgers & Burgundy at Klyde Warren Park
If you like baby burgers and red wine, then you already know about this annual culinary event benefiting DIFFA/Dallas, wherein a dozen chefs serve unique sliders paired with red wine. Chefs for 2019 include John Tesar, Joshua Smith, Rodman Shields (Milkshake Concepts/Common Table), Brian Zenner (The Porch), Don Flores (CBD Provisions), and Jacob Williamson (Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck). Tickets start at $150 and should be purchased here. The event kicks off at 6:30 pm, for the first time at Klyde Warren Park.

White Truffle Dinner at Hush
Hush, an underground restaurant in Preston Hollow, is hosting "Festa Dei Tartufi Bianchi," two exclusive dinners dedicated to the white truffle, to celebrate the start of the 2019 white truffle season. Hush chef Giuseppe Letteri will head to his native Italy to procure white truffles for this special event, 10-course meal featuring truffles in every course. There are two nights: October 11 and October 12 at 7:15 pm. Tickets are $750 — white truffles are expensive right now — and are available here.

Sunday, October 13

The Ultimate Cocktail Experience at Harlowe MXM
Now in its eighth year, the Ultimate Cocktail Experience is more than just cocktails and fun. It's one of the world's largest charity cocktail events, featuring some of the best bartenders from DFW and around the country. There's food, multiple bars, and rooftop views, all to raise money for Trigger's Toys, a nonprofit that provides aid to hospitalized children and their families. The 2019 event features five winners from previous years; each winner will captain one of the bars and will create an original concept and menu of drinks. The fun goes down at Harlowe MXM at 6 pm. Buy tickets here.

Dallas All Star Chef Classic at Sixty Five Hundred
The Dallas All Star Chef Classic was born in 2014 to help raise funds and further addiction awareness within the restaurant community. The 2019 version has 24 Dallas chefs who will create delicious bites for an evening supporting the Dallas 24 Hour Club, an addiction recovery center. Matt McCallister (Homewood) will serve as host chef. In addition to food, there's live music by the Georgia Bridgwater Band, plus live and silent auctions. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased here. The event takes place at Sixty Five Hundred and begins at 5:30 pm.

event-planner

Breakfast News

Denny's sibling Keke's Breakfast Cafe comes to Dallas, first in Texas

Keke's

Keke's breakfast

An intriguing new breakfast option is coming to Dallas: It's called Keke's Breakfast Cafe, and it's a fast-growing breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain that will make a big Texas debut with five new cafes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The first will open at 7700 W Northwest Hwy. #600, in the former A Pea in a Pod space next to Tom Thumb in the Lincoln Park center, across from NorthPark. According to a release, it'll open on December 10.

Keke’s was founded by two brothers in 2006 who couldn't find a quality breakfast spot like the one they loved back home in Philadelphia. ("Keke" comes from a combination of the first syllables of the founders' names, Keith and Kevin.) Their vision: a better version of an American cafe focused on fresh, quality ingredients, abundant portions, cleanliness, and fast, friendly service.

In 2022, they were acquired by Denny's, but Keke’s operates independently from Denny’s, with its own development and marketing.

Keke's menu highlights include a "Create Your Own" omelet and their signature "Florida Pancakes" which come topped with fruit: strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. There's oatmeal; yogurt with granola; and a scrambler bowl — like a bowl version of an omelet with eggs, vegetables, home fries, and toast.

Seven waffle options include chocolate chip, strawberry, and chicken & waffles; and an assortment of stuffed French toasts come with cream cheese and choice of filling such as apple-cinnamon and banana-caramel-pecan.

The lunch menu has panini including their signature Cheese Steak Panini, plus sandwiches, wraps, and salads including the Carolina Chicken Salad which has fried or grilled chicken strips, iceberg lettuce tomato, pecans, cheddar, and bacon in honey mustard dressing.

The Texas expansion marks another milestone in Keke's growth story, following launches in Tennessee, Colorado, and California, with additional locations planned in Georgia and Nevada.

"Every new market we enter becomes part of our extended family," says Keke’s Breakfast Cafe President David Schmidt. "We're not just opening restaurants – we're joining communities. The enthusiasm we've seen from guests in our new locations has been extraordinary, and we're confident Texans will find something special in Keke's combination of generous portions, quality ingredients, and genuine hospitality."

Four other locations will open in the DFW area over the coming months as follows:

Fort Worth: Victory Shops at Heritage Trace, 9821 N Fwy. #120
Fort Worth: Trinity Commons, 3000 S. Hulen St.
Grand Prairie: Epic Towne Crossing, 1020 Mayfield Rd. #630
McKinney: West Grove, 8885 W University Dr.

"Texas's bold spirit and legendary hospitality make it the perfect home for Keke's," says Keke's Director of Marketing Jenna Law. "We believe in doing breakfast the right way – abundant portions, premium ingredients, and service that makes you feel like family."

breakfast brunch openings