This Week in Gluttony

Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival tops best food and drink events in Dallas

We hope you like wine, because This Week in Gluttony is all about it. Just kidding — everyone likes wine, so lucky you if you’re looking for a chance to dine out this week. The big wine news is that Beaujolais Nouveau day is Thursday, November 21.

Say what you will about the French, but you have to respect their commitment to partying just because a wine comes out. Fortunately, you can follow suit in Irving with the 30th Beaujolais & Beyond Wine Festival on November 22.

Of course, there is a bevy of options for those looking for a more sit-down affair, including a wine dinner at Hotel St. Germain that takes its menu from JFK’s wedding dinner and state dinners.

If wine isn’t your thing, there’s a whiskey party in the Design District with more than 150 types of whiskey. Not a terrible alternative, really.

Thursday, November 21

Duchman Family Wine Dinner at Landmark Restaurant
The Landmark Restaurant at the Warwick Melrose hosts Duchman Family Wines for a four-course wine dinner beginning at 6:30 pm. Pairings include beef carpaccio, shoestring potato, cucumber, queso fresco, chives and truffle oil with 2011 Duchman Tempranillo, and duck confit ravioli, black truffles, baby carrots and roasted Jerusalem artichoke puree with 2010 Duchman Montepulciano. Reservations are $85 and can be made at the Landmark Restaurant website or at 214-224-3152.

Friday, November 22

Rudd Winery Dinner at Pappas Bros.
Pappas Bros. hosts Rudd Winery from Napa Valley for a four-course wine dinner beginning at 7 pm. Pairings include rabbit pot-au-feu with root vegetables and wild mushrooms with a 2008 “Samantha’s” Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon as well as dry-aged herb-crusted rack of lamb, baked acorn squash purée, ratatouille, pomegranate and demi-glâce with a trio of Oakville Estate selections. Reservations are $225 per person and can be made at 214-366-2000.

Camelot Wine Dinner at Hotel St. Germain
As part of Hotel St. Germain’s week-long devotion to the Kennedys’ Camelot, chef Chad Martin creates a wine dinner featuring dishes from Jack and Jackie’s wedding as well as other plates from several of their state dinners. Pairings include tournedos Henry IV and Parisienne potatoes with Gruaud Larose St. Julien, and a Grand Marnier soufflé with Dom Pérignon. The dinner is available at 7 pm on both November 22 and 23. Reservations are $125 per person and can be made at 214-871-2516.

2013 Beaujolais & Beyond Wine Festival
The 30th Beaujolais and Beyond Wine Festival revolves around the grandeur of 17th century France as guests enter the world of d’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers. You can sample an impressive collection of French wines from Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Provence, Alsace and Rhône Valley, as well as American wines from California, Washington and Texas. Tickets range from $50-$70 and include a commemorative wine glass, unlimited food and wine tasting, live entertainment, silent auction, and more. The festival begins at 7 pm.

Saturday, November 23

Second Annual Dallas Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival
Roar back into the 1920s with more than 150 whiskeys and other fine spirits at the Fashion Industry Gallery beginning at 5:30 pm for VIP ticket holders and 7 pm for general admission. Guests can enjoy the Gatsby-esque setting with a live swing band, a cigar lounge, gaming tables, and bites from restaurants such as Chamberlain’s Steak & Chophouse and Whiskey Cake. General admission tickets are $75 and VIP is $100. They can both be ordered online.

Sunday, November 24

AIWF Chefs’ Challenge Competition & Fundraiser (Canceled)
[Update: Chefs' Challenge has been canceled. No word yet on if it will be rescheduled.] The DFW chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food hosts seven local chefs in a competition to raise money for the organization’s Days of Taste program that educates children on nutrition and healthy eating. Chefs include Brian Armstrong of the Pyramid Room, Janice Provost of Parigi and Antonio Marquez of Lazaranda. The chefs compete for your vote in the categories of fruits, vegetables, legumes/beans and grains. The event begins at 1 pm in the International Ballroom at the Fairmont. Tickets are $75 in advance or $85 at the door.

The second annual Dallas Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival has more than 150 different spirits available for sample.

Glasses of whiskey with ice on bar or table

Photo via Taopic.com

The second annual Dallas Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival has more than 150 different spirits available for sample.

unspecified

Pasta News

Acclaimed team opens Tutto Gustoso Italian at Watters Creek in Allen

Tutto Gustoso

A new Italian restaurant with a high-powered culinary team has opened in Allen at Watters Creek Village: Called Tutto Gustoso Italian Restaurant, it's a contemporary Italian spot located at 842 Watters Creek Blvd., in the former Cru Wine bar space which closed in mid-2025 after 16 years.

Tutto Gustoso is from General Manager Leo Gravina, a native of Italy who is well known to Allen diners via Numero 28, the Italian restaurant he oversees at The Village at Allen; and executive chef Enrico Glaudo, a global culinarian, also from Italy, who previously helped open Ocean Ranch, an Italian restaurant on Greenville Avenue which has since closed.

Credentials
The famously charming Gravina previously worked for the Bice Group, the acclaimed Italian restaurant company founded in Milan in 1926, and was part of a team of Italians who opened a location of Bice in Uptown Dallas in 2006. He's since worked for hotel groups including Hilton and the Gaylord, and served as director of operations for the Lombardi Group for five years.

Glaudo started his career in the kitchen at age 14, and is well known in southern California's cosmopolitan Italian restaurant scene, having earned acclaim as a chef at restaurants such as Primi where his authentic Italian cooking dazzled critics. He first came to Texas nearly a decade ago by way of Houston, where he served as executive chef of Hotel Granduca Houston.

“Our goal is simple,” said Gravina, “to make our guests feel like they’ve stepped into a trattoria in Italy, where every ingredient is fresh, every pasta is handmade, and every meal is shared with joy.”

Menu
The menu at Tutto Gustoso celebrates Italy’s regional diversity, featuring handmade pastas, fresh seafood, Italian meats, and artisanal breads prepared daily.

Highlights are as follows:

Antipasti: Focaccia and dips featuring olive tapenade and spicy whipped ricotta, or Burrata Caprese — burrata mozzarella with basil oil and balsamic pearls. Polpette al Sugo (beef meatballs in marinara); Olive Ascolane (stuffed fried olives), and Fritto Misto with crispy calamari, zucchini and oyster mushrooms.

Pasta: Tagliatelle Bolognese with beef sauce, Ravioli Pere e Ricotta pear and ricotta-stuffed ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce, and Spaghetti Chitarra alle Vongole Rosse with Italian clams and Calabrian chili.

Risotto: Barbabietole Pistachio e Gamberi (roasted beet risotto with shrimp and Sicilian pistachio) or Porcini e Mirtilli (porcini mushrooms and blueberries).

Secondi: Main courses include Brasato al Barolo—tender short ribs braised in Barolo wine; Tagliata di Manzo, a 14-oz grilled New York steak with Tuscan beans and balsamic arugula salad; Salmone alla Senape Dolce; Filetto di Branzino; Pollo alla Milanese.

Pinsa & Piadine: By day, Tutto Gustoso serves light piadine—Italian flatbread sandwiches with gourmet fillings such as Parma (prosciutto, goat cheese, and candied figs) and Mortadella (burrata and pistachio pesto). At dinner, Roman-style Pinsa flatbreads take center stage — crispy, airy, and topped with Calabrese (spicy salami, San Marzano tomato, honey drizzle) or Modenese (prosciutto di Parma and stracciatella cheese).

Designed for both casual lunches and refined dinners, Tutto Gustoso offers a warm, contemporary setting with Italian charm, perfect for date nights, family gatherings and weekend aperitivos on the patio.

openings