This Week in Gluttony

Trucks for Tots tops the best food and drink events in Dallas

Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means that you’re most likely sick of turkey. But the holiday season is just hitting its stride. That means that This Week in Gluttony has caught the holiday cheer.

Although Santa Claus is known for his epic, world-wide crawl every year, that doesn’t mean you should be left out of the fun. Crawl for Kids hosts its second annual Reindeer Games in Uptown, and Trucks for Tots turns two as well at the Shops at Park Lane.

If you’re holding off on the festivities for now, Scardello is hosting a birthday party for cheesemonger Rich Rogers on December 6, and there’s a Syrah tasting at Times Ten Cellars pitting Texas’ best against the world’s.

Friday, December 6

Cheesemonger’s Birthday Surprise at Scardello
Scardello cheesemonger Rich Rogers celebrates his birthday the only way he knows how: with cheese. The party begins at 8 pm and features Rogers’ favorite cheeses paired with his favorite wines. Spots are $35 per person and can be ordered online.

Saturday, December 7

Crawl for Kids: Reindeer Games 2
Get in the holiday spirit with a pub crawl through Uptown beginning at 2 pm. Reindeer Games 2 takes you and five of your friends to five bars, including 6th Street, Primebar and Trophy Room, for wintery games with prizes as well as a six-pack of Deep Ellum beer and Deep Eddy drink specials at each bar. Proceeds from the crawl go to Raise the Arts, which works to supply art and music programs at local elementary schools. This year’s crawl benefits Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center in South Dallas. Tickets for a team of six are $240 and can be ordered online.

Second Annual Trucks for Tots at the Shops at Park Lane
The Shops at Park Lane host the second annual Trucks for Tots beginning at 11 am. Enjoy fare from 15 food trucks, including Rock and Roll Tacos, Easy Slider, Cajun Tailgators and Ruthie’s. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for local underprivileged children. Get your pic snapped with Santa and enjoy live music and entertainment throughout the day. Attendance is free; food prices are determined by individual trucks.

Christmas Lights, Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Tour at Two Corks and a Bottle
Dallas by Chocolate teams up with Two Corks and a Bottle for an evening of wine, cheese, chocolate and Christmas lights beginning at 5:30. After enjoying bites and wine at Two Corks and a Bottle, guests board a private bus for a tour of Christmas lights around the city while visiting several chocolate venues. Prices are $55 and can be ordered online.

Monday, December 9

Texas vs. The World Syrah Tasting at Times Ten Cellars
Times Ten Cellars pits Texas Syrahs against the world’s contenders to see how the Lone Star varieties hold up beginning at 7:30 pm. Sommeliers from Gusto lead the tasting, but it’s up to participants to crown a champion. Lost Oak Winery is the featured producer for this battle. Tickets are $40 per person or $35 when buying two or more and can be purchased online.

Easy Slider is participating in Trucks for Tots on December 7.

Easy Slider Truck Facebook

Easy Slider is participating in Trucks for Tots on December 7.

unspecified

Pizza News

Celeb-owned L.A. pizza chain Pizzana to open in north Dallas

Courtesy of Pizzana

Toppings are robust and very California-style.

An acclaimed pizza from California is sliding into north Dallas: Pizzana, the small pizza chain from the founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes, will open a shop at Dallas' Preston Forest Shopping Center, at 11700 Preston Rd #732, taking over a storefront previously occupied by Haystack Burgers, which closed in September 2024.

According to a Pizzana representative, the restaurant will open in fall 2025.

It'll be the second location in the Dallas area, following a first that opened at 3219 Knox St. in November 2022 — the first outside of California at the time it opened. They've since expanded to Houston, opening a location there in March 2024.

Pizzana debuted in Los Angeles in 2017, and stars the expertise of pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, who has appeared on Hulu's "Best in Dough" pizza competition series.

Described as neo-Neopolitan, Pizzana’s dough is fermented for 48 hours and cooked in a wood-burning oven. It has a more crispy crust than traditional Neapolitan, which can sometimes be a little damp for the American palate. Their goal is to create a light, easy-to-digest crust still sturdy enough to pick up with one hand.

Toppings range from traditional such as to Pizzana originals such as Uditi's signature cacio e pepe pizza, making him a trendsetter on that very buzzy pasta and spawning copycat pizzas far and wide.

There's a regular Margherita with San Marzano tomato, fior de latte, and fresh basil leaves, but also Neo-Margherita that's like a Margherita but with an extra "basic crumb" — like a toasty basil grit.

The menu also features antipasti, salads, and desserts. There are two vegan pizzas, and they also offer a gluten-free crust. They have beer, wine, and cocktails with Italian flair including their Sorrento Spritz, Negroni di Napoli, and Limoncello Martini.

The Knox location can be a tight squeeze, especially for their signature "pizza towers" — little swing-out platforms for hot pies to be presented and stacked above the surface of the table — but the new location promises a little more breathing room.

When they made their Dallas debut, Candace Nelson called Dallas "a very special city" that had already been so welcoming to her Sprinkles Cupcakes venture, before righteously boasting that "Pizzana’s menu will satisfy any carb craving and everything on the menu is worth the indulgence.”

openings pizza celebrities