This Week in Gluttony

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

Bartender Andrew Stofko of Victor Tangos in Dallas

Andrew Stofko of Victor Tangos is one of the team captains at the Ultimate Cocktail Experience at Klyde Warren Park on November 5.

Ultimate Cocktail Experience/Facebook

Hopefully you got enough Halloween candy and you can move on to greater things — like a cheese pairing class, cocktails for a cause, and the grand opening of a one-of-a-kind bar. All of that and more is happening this week around Dallas:

Tuesday, November 1

Sommelier for a Day at III Forks
Have you ever wanted to be a sommelier at a fine-dining restaurant with a world-class wine cellar? III Forks offers the opportunity on the first Wednesday of each month, from 5-7 pm, where guests can help select featured wines. For $20 per person, attendees sample six wines selected by the steakhouse’s wine director and enjoy hand-passed paired hors d’oeuvre created by executive chef Chris Vogeli. Call 972-267-1776 for reservations.

Thursday, November 3

The Sprinkles Baking Book Signing Event at Sprinkles
This book includes more than 50 Sprinkles recipes (with directions to bake them as cakes too), including cupcake classics like red velvet, banana, and vanilla milk chocolate, as well as new flavors created exclusively for the book such as crème brûlée. Meet author Candace Nelson at this special book signing at the Plaza at Preston Center location, which starts at 4 pm.

Friday, November 4

The Cedars Backyard Bar Grand Opening Party
This shipping container-turned-bar, located behind Cedars Social, is the first of its kind in Dallas. Expect 15 beers on tap, tap cocktails, and traditional well drinks, to be enjoyed with one of the best views of the Dallas skyline. During the grand opening, drinks are just $1. The good times start rolling at 5:30 pm.

Out of This World Pairings Class at Scardello Artisan Cheese
The staff claims this is the best class they have ever done, so it seems foolish to miss it. Cheese gets paired with items both classic and unexpected. Tickets are $40, and the class starts at 8 pm. If the event sells out, you can get on a wait list by calling 214-219-1300.

Saturday, November 5

Crescent Court Farmers Market at The Crescent
At this monthly farmers market in Uptown Dallas, vendors offer locally sourced produce, artisanal foods, and hand-crafted items exclusive to the market. Admission is free, and the event runs from 9 am to 2 pm.

The Ultimate Cocktail Experience at Klyde Warren Park
This charitable pop-up cocktail party, now in its fifth year, features top bartenders from Dallas and beyond. Teams work together to create a new bar concept, and this year the theme is Cocktails from Around the World. Team captains include Kiyoko Kinoshita from Midnight Rambler (Asia), Andrew Stofko from Victor Tangos (North America), Jenny Park from Filament (Europe), Ravinder Singh from Rapscallion (South America), and Bryan Dalton from Mexican Sugar (Africa). Tickets start at $65, and the event kicks off at 6:30 pm. Proceeds benefit Trigger’s Toys, which serves children ages 0-17 who require extended medical assistance in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

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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.

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