This Week in Gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Paula Deen's coming back to town, y'all.

This week is packed with fun food events that are all treats, not tricks. Butter queen Paula Deen stops back through town, three top chefs team up for a VIP dinner, and Chefs for Farmers brings all the fantastic food, fun, and booze back to Dallas.

Wednesday, October 31

Scary Cheese and Wine Class at Scardello Artisan Cheese
Have you every eaten cheese that looks like a brain? Put on a brave face as the experts discuss and taste some scary looking cheeses for Halloween. And as always, they will pair them with some less than frightening libations. Tickets are $40 and the class starts at 7 pm.

Thursday, November 1

An Evening with Wolfgang Puck, Dean Fearing, and Robert Del Grande at Five Sixty
Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck returns to Dallas for a special evening with Chefs Dean Fearing, Robert Del Grande, and Jacob Williamson of Five Sixty. The evening features a hybrid tasting menu showcasing flavors from the East and the West. Each chef will prepare one course of the four-course menu, which is available for one night only. The meal is $140 with an extra $40 added for wine pairing. The dinner menu is available all evening beginning at 6:30 pm.

Friday, November 2

Chefs For Farmers: Fearing’s Fall Harvest Backyard Fest at Ritz-Carlton Dallas
Joining namesake chef Dean Fearing will be iconic chefs Wolfgang Puck, Norman Van Akins, and Robert Del Grande to host an epic backyard feast that includes a cocktail reception followed by a family-style dinner. The event also includes live music from Fearing and his band. Tickets are $175 and the event starts at 7 pm.

Saturday, November 3

Chefs for Farmers: Street Food Night Market in Victory Park
Dallas goes global with this Chefs For Farmers event that brings all-star chefs, craft beers, top-shelf spirits, music, and more to Victory Park. Tickets start at $60 and gates open at 7 pm. VIP tickets are $95 and allow guests to gain entry at 6:30 pm.

Paula Deen Book Signing at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen
Celebrity chef Paula Deen will make an appearance at her eponymous restaurant to sign copies of her new cookbook, At the Southern Table with Paula Deen. Wristbands for the first 250 people (one per person) will be distributed to those who make any purchase in the Paula Deen Retail Store beginning at 8 am the day of the signing. No cameras are allowed, but a photographer will be on site. The signing event starts at 11 am.

Sunday, November 4

Chefs for Farmers at Dallas Heritage Village
There are many events that make up this multiday festival, but, insider tip: The Main Event is where it's at. The culinary extravaganza allows attendees to sample bites created by more than 50 farmers and talented chefs focused on creating locally sourced cuisine. New this year, Chef John Tesar (Knife) has invited some of the top pitmasters in the nation to add their barbecue best to the event. Tickets start at $84 and the event lasts from 2-6 pm.

The Old Monk 20th Anniversary Party
The Old Monk celebrates 20 years as a neighborhood pub with live music from Panic (A Smiths tribute band), American Werewolf Academy, and The British Are Coming. This parking lot party also includes the good food and drink that fans have learned to love over the last two decades. The party kicks off at 11 am and admission is free.

Garden to Table Dinner at Dallas Arboretum
This glam garden party allows guests to enjoy a four-course meal and a selection of wines. The menu includes passed hors d’oeuvres, as well as roasted cauliflower cream soup and beef short rib with a semolina puree, mustard demi, crispy Brussel leaves, and parmesan churros. Dessert is a sticky toffee pudding with verjus pears and brown figs. Tickets are $160 and the event starts at 6 pm.

celebrities news-you-can-eat dinner

Chef News

Beloved Dallas chef debuts farmers market restaurant Bucket & Rope

Bucket & Rope

Chef Victor Hugo is back.

A historical building near the Dallas Farmers Market has a stellar new tenant: Called Bucket & Rope, it's a new restaurant from acclaimed chef Victor Hugo, who previously owned the beloved Victor Hugo’s Dining and Bar in Oak Cliff, which closed in 2021.

Bucket & Rope is located at 600 S. Harwood St., in the space previously occupied by Green Door Public House, and is a partnership between Hugo and Mike Ruibal, owner of the famed Ruibal's Plants, who owns this space adjacent to his garden shop.

Dallas history buffs will remember that this structure, built over a century ago, was once home to Liberty Bank on Cesar Chavez Boulevard. It was relocated to the current location and rebuilt brick by brick to recreate the original structure. Green Door Public House was in the building for 10 years until it closed in August.

Ruibal was a regular at VH in Oak Cliff. He told Victor Hugo the first time they met that one day they would have a restaurant together.

“I decided to build a restaurant I would love, a neighborhood restaurant, and I wanted to do this with Victor," Ruibal says.

Bucket & Rope veggie plate Beautiful vegetable plate at Bucket & RopeInstagram

Hugo is an accredited chef who moved to Dallas from California and worked primarily for the Lombardi's group at Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village, before founding his own place in Oak Cliff.

After it closed, he launched a new VH location in Round Top at Oak Bones cabins, which he opens twice a year for the Spring and Fall antique shows in the area and for special events. He had a catering business as well — but was ready for more.

“Mike and I wanted to do something for the community, a place with great comfort food where neighbors can come two or three times a week, as an extension of their home," Hugo says.

The menu is New American, with steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Highlights include:

Rope In A Bucket: Crispy calamari strips, lemon caper aioli, Sriracha romesco
Steak Frites: 10oz New York Strip, green peppercorn sauce, skinny fries, spicy broccolini
Blackened Texas Redfish: Creamy parmesan risotto, green beans, mango habanero salsa
Duck & Rope Pasta: Duck confit, maitake mushroom, spinach tagliatelle, peppercorn cream, parmesan
Mike’s Burger: 8oz grilled Wagyu, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bucket & rope sauce, grilled onions, pickles on brioche bun with skinny fries

Prices are reasonable, with salads and sandwiches at lunch for $12 to $18, and dinner entrees ranging from $18 for pasta to $28 for a Wagyu beef roast with cheddar grits.

An anecdote on the website explains that the name came from Ruibal's son, and that the team felt like it was a perfect fit for the building's history and aesthetic.

The restaurant represents a welcome return to Dallas' culinary scene for Hugo and his wife Brianna Ruelas, whose hospitality and great food at VH in Oak Cliff were much beloved.

“We are really excited to be part of this community, we have already met many customers who are happy to have us here," Hugo says.

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