Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: mini-holiday feasts to go for November

For when you just want a taste.

Photo by Kathy Tran

COVID-19 is a wet blanket on all our fun, and that includes putting the kibosh on big crowds for the holidays. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, large gatherings — even at your home — will increase your odds of getting or spreading the coronavirus. Boo.

And yet this time of the year still brings cravings for those quintessential flavors: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Not to mention cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove.

If you're looking for a big spread, check out our master list of Thanksgiving options, with options for dining-in or getting family-size feasts to go.

This list is something else. It's for when you just want a taste, whether that's a turkey sandwich with stuffing or a turkey plate-for-one to go.

For our November installment of Where to Eat, here's our list of mini-Thanksgiving feasts:

Bread Winners Cafe and Bakery
Cafe-bakery chain has a full catering menu with all kinds of options, but they also have the perfect single-person plate for a solo meal. For $23, you get choice of sliced turkey or cider-glazed ham, with choice of pecan-cornbread stuffing or butternut squash stuffing, plus leek-mashed potatoes, sage turkey gravy, cranberry-orange sauce, and two rolls. Locations include Uptown, Lovers Lane, NorthPark Center, and Plano. 214-754-0099.

Celebration
Home cooking institution has a new "mini feast" which serves 4 people but is smaller than the usual mega-spread. It comes with sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread-sausage stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, and yeast rolls, and is $90. Who's to say you can't just order it and have it in the fridge for noshing all weekend long. Note: You must order by November 19, and pickup November 24-25. 214-352-0031.

Easy Slider
Deep Ellum food truck-turned-restaurant has an irresistible seasonal item called The Gobbler, that really is a Thanksgiving meal in a single slider. It features a ground turkey patty, topped with cornbread dressing, gravy, and cranberry-jalapeño-pecan relish, on a petite slider bun. Oops, forgot the piece de resistance: a teeny slice of pecan pie on top. It's $6, and you can order it online. Get 'em in multiples!

Hyatt Regency Frisco-Dallas
Hotel located at Frisco's Stonebriar Centre is doing a selection of limited-edition holiday menu items that include a Merry Mistletoe Margarita (secret ingredient: cranberry juice) and pumpkin creme brulee. But we're here for the "Holidays in a Sandwich" featuring smoked turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, a fried potato pancake, and cranberry aioli on ciabatta bread. The sandwich is $13, and is available through November 30 at the hotel's in-house restaurant, Copper & Steel. To place an order for pickup, call 469-598-1235 and press 4.

Mendocino Farms
Chic sandwich market-cafe chain from California has the perfect Thanksgiving bite. Called "November to Remember," it's a warm turkey sandwich with kale-mushroom-turkey sausage stuffing, ancho chile-cranberry chutney, havarti cheese, herb aioli, and shredded romaine on rustic white bread. It's $12.95, and for each sandwich sold through Dec 1, 25 cents gets donated to Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Saltgrass Steakhouse
Thanksgiving plate for one comes with with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, soup or salad, and bread. $20. Order online by November 24. Pick up November 24 after 3 pm to November 26 at 11 am.

Spiral Diner
For the first time, DFW's No. 1 vegan restaurant chain is offering "Plate For One," a complete holiday vegan meal designed for one person. It includes two slices of their house-made roast, served with sides of green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, brown gravy, a dinner roll, and a slice of sweet potato pie. It's $26.99, and you can order it online.

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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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