Foodie Fest

Every delicious detail Dallasites need to know before Park & Palate

It's back, y'all. Park & Palate, the massive food and wine fundraiser put on by Klyde Warren Park, is returning for its fifth year.

That means you should get your stretchy pants ready for the Grand Taste on Saturday, October 26, from 12:30-4 pm, where you can sample bites from more than 40 of Dallas' favorite restaurants, pit masters and chefs.

What else do you need to know? Here's a handy checklist before the big day.

Tickets
Entry to the Grand Taste is $75, though for $125 you can be a VIP and enjoy early entry at noon, an open bar in the VIP lounge, and complimentary self parking. Buy them here.

Who'll be there
Get ready for tastings prepared by a who's who of Dallas culinary geniuses. Kent Rathbun is the host chef and Drew Hendricks is the host master sommelier, so you know the menus are going to be outstanding. Don't forget to check out the always-popular BBQ Alley, because this is Texas, after all.

Drink up
In addition to all that gourmet goodness, more than 30 wine, spirit, and brewery brands will be offering sips to accompany the inspired culinary offerings. A full-on beer garden awaits craft brew fans.

Get down
Live music, cookbook signings, pop-up shops, and lawn games round out the agenda of activities on this most delicious day. But if you want to do nothing but eat and drink, we won't stop you.

Pump up the park
Proceeds from Park & Palate pay for the park's daily maintenance and hundreds of free programs and educational events throughout the year. The 5.2-acre park is privately funded and operated by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, relying only on contributions from donors to support special programming and educational activities, and to provide a clean, safe environment for the more than one million guests each year.

The fine print
All guests must be 21 or over to attend Park & Palate (children, babies or infants, and strollers are not permitted). The event is rain or shine, but if there are extreme weather circumstances, the event will be canceled. All purchases are non-refundable. Park & Palate is presented by Republic National Distributing Company.

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Tickets to Park & Palate's Grand Taste are on sale now and available here.

Park & Palate's Grand Taste is October 26 from 12:30-4 pm.

Photo by Marcy Meeks

Park & Palate's Grand Taste is October 26 from 12:30-4 pm.

wine promoted chefs cocktails parks desserts festivals drinks fundraisers

Opening News

Dallas diner & music venue will open in former Ferris Wheeler space

Courtesy

Pancakes

A new restaurant has been unveiled that will take over the former Ferris Wheeler space near Dallas' Design District at 1950 Market Center Blvd.: Called AM/FM, it'll be an all-day diner and lounge with a big backyard and a stage for live music, and it's from Spune Productions, the music and event production company.

According to a release, it'll open in early January initially with evening hours, cocktails, and a few afternoon soccer matches. Music acts are already booked beginning January 8. More hours will be added down the road.

Ferris Wheelers BBQ, which was also a restaurant with a big backyard and a stage for live music, closed in November after eight years. Spune had already been involved since 2023 to help ramp up the live music side. Now they'll take it over with a fresh new personality and long hours.

They were famous for having a Ferris wheel on-site; an inquiry on its status went unanswered.

The diner will open daily at 7 am, serving "musicians coming off late nights, workers heading into morning shifts, and neighbors who want a place that remembers their name," says the release very poetically.

They've redecorated the interior with a new bar and banquettes that wrap the room. Alongside the renovations inside, the set-up outdoors will evolve over the coming weeks, with extra care given to the concert experience,

Menu
The food at AM/FM will be rooted in elevated Diner classics, with a menu overseen by chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman (Oh, Hi! Hospitality) that's influenced by Mexican-American kitchens and Nuevo Southern traditions.

Breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, breakfast empanadas, French toast, avocado toast, pork belly toast, and an intriguing twist on pancakes called masa pancakes, made using masa harina AKA corn flour.

Lunch includes a chicken Milanesa Caesar salad, Sonoran hot dog, fried catfish po'boy, kale salad, Cobb salad, and a Mexican twist on chicken noodle soup with fideo noodles.

Entree plates include pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a weekly pot pie.

The beverage program will aim for accessibility with coffee, cocktails, and craft beer, says Victor Rojas, Quinones-Pittman's partner at Oh, Hi! Hospitality.

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