This Week in Gluttony

Chefs for Farmers Big Oyster Bash tops best food events in Dallas

Oh, so you thought because the State Fair is over you get a breather from the food fests? Not so much. This week is jam packed with wine dinners, culinary competitions, Farmers Market fun and much more. Unlike last week, when the majority of the events were free, you will have to cough up some cash to eat your way through this week’s lineup.

Wednesday, October 22

Family-style Beer Dinner at Victor Tangos
Join Victor Tangos for a five-course Belgian beer dinner with Duchesse De Bourgogne and St. Bernardus. Dinner starts at 7:30 pm, and courses include black bass with celery root broth and oxtail stew. Cost is $65 per person, and you can make reservations by calling 214-252-8595.

Thursday, October 23

Come As You Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
In honor of the restaurant’s 42nd birthday, chef Sarah Snow creates a three-course dinner to complement wines from the Old World (think France, Italy, Spain and Portugal). The dinner costs $64 per person, and reservations are available from 5:30-9:30 pm. Reserve your spot online.

A Celebration of Louisiana in Texas at The Foundry
Join Garden & Gun and the Louisiana Office of Tourism for a Louisiana culinary and musical throwdown of Texas proportions. This unforgettable evening features Louisiana chef Cory Bahr of Cotton and Dallas chef Tim Byres of Smoke, as well as live music by The Deslondes and Feufollet. The event runs from 7-10 pm. Tickets are $125, and you can buy them online.

Friday, October 24

42nd Anniversary Celebration at The Grape
Chef Sarah Snow prepares a special anniversary menu for $42 per person with an optional wine pairing upgrade. Courses include oxtail ravioli with celery root puree, roasted mirepoix and beurre rouge; pork Milanese with onion risotto, cassava, watercress and lemon-caper beurre blanc; and caramel pot de crème with bourbon sabayon, charred fig and bacon candy. The à la carte menu is also available nightly, and reservations are recommended. Call 214-828-1981 or visit the website.

Saturday, October 25

The Dinner Detective Dallas at Crowne Plaza
Make your weekend one to remember with the Dinner Detective, an interactive murder mystery dinner show. Actors are hidden among the customers, making everyone a suspect. Admission is $59.95 per person and includes a four-course meal and dinner show. Reserve your spot online.

Sunday, October 26

Chefs for Farmers Big Oyster Bash at Dallas Farmers Market
Join Chefs for Farmers at the Dallas Farmers Market from 2-6 pm for oysters from Texas and the coasts shucked onsite, an oyster-slurping contest, wine and cocktails, tarot card reader, tunes from DJ Souljah, and more. Participating chefs include Jon Alexis of TJ’s Seafood Market, Matt McCallister of FT33, Kyle McClelland of Proof + Pantry, Jack Perkins of Slow Bone, Stephen Rogers of Gemma, Jon Stevens of Stock & Barrel, John Tesar of Knife, and Randy Rucker of Briar and Bramble. The event is BYOG (bring your own glass) and costs $85. A portion of proceeds benefits Chefs for Farmers and Foodways Texas. Buy tickets online.

XXII Annual Caesar Salad Competition at Westin Galleria
Nine chefs serve their renditions of Caesar salad accompanied by an amuse-bouche while you, the judges, assess the creativity, presentation and taste. Participants include Thomas Holt of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Chad Kelley of Cafe Pacific, Andrea Maricich of Second Floor, Antonio Marquez of Lazaranda Modern Kitchen, Mark McDaniel of ReMARKable Affairs Catering, Kenny Mills of Chop House Burger, Brandon Moore of Ocean Prime, Stan Rodrigues of Whiskey Cake, and Julio Peraza of Komali. The fun starts at 2 pm, and tickets are $70 each or $600 for a table of 10. Buy them online.

Monday, October 27

Poderi Aldo Conterno Wine Dinner at Knife
Starting at 6:30 pm, chef John Tesar and special guest winemaker Franco Conterno take guests through five courses such as beef cheek ravioli and skate piccata paired with six wines from the Poderi Aldo Conterno collection. The Conterno family has been making wine since the 19th century on a small farm in Italy’s Piedmont region. The dinner is $225 per person, and reservations are required. Call 214-443-9339.

Seventh Annual Pumpkin-carving Contest at Libertine Bar
At Libertine’s annual pumpkin-carving contest, winners get cash: $100 gift certificate for first place, $50 for second place and a $25 gift certificate for third. Sign-up is $10 at the bar for one pumpkin and one draft beer. Carving starts at 6 pm; the judging begins at 9. All proceeds go to Lindsley Park Community Schools.

The Grape celebrates 42 years in Dallas with various events throughout the week.

Cheeseburger at The Grape restaurant in Dallas

The Grape Restaurant Facebook

The Grape celebrates 42 years in Dallas with various events throughout the week.

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun

This Week in Gluttony

Chefs for Farmers Big Oyster Bash tops best food events in Dallas

The Grape celebrates 42 years in Dallas with various events throughout the week.

Michelin-recognized chef brings Korean barbecue to Dallas' Bishop Arts

Dallas visionary joins 18 DFW billionaires on new Forbes' richest list

Massive retail village with restaurant and event barn to debut in Plano

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Michelin-recognized chef brings Korean barbecue to Dallas' Bishop Arts

Dallas visionary joins 18 DFW billionaires on new Forbes' richest list

Massive retail village with restaurant and event barn to debut in Plano