This week in gluttony

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

Get your brunch on at Electric Shuffle.

Photo courtesy of Electric Shuffle

From brunch with Santa to a holiday burlesque dinner, events are wide-ranging this week, but all share a common theme: holiday merriment. Ugly Christmas sweaters are still a thing, so hang onto yours for a multi-level bar crawl. Also save room for seven nights in a row of holiday buffet dining with a garden view.

Tuesday, December 14

Woodford Reserve Dinner at Ida Claire
A whopping six courses, each paired with a unique Woodford Reserve whiskey cocktail, are included in this very merry pairing dinner at the Addison Southern-inspired restaurant. While the menu is impressive with its chanterelle mushroom bisque with black garlic, prime rib, and classic buche de Noel for dessert, the libations might be the showstoppers. Highlights include the Naughty & Spice made with chai simple syrup, and the Up to Snow Good with crème de cacao and raspberry simple syrup. Dinner is $110 per person and begins at 7 pm.

Wine & Cheese Pairing at Legacy Hall
Set to take place in the Plano food hall’s Tonic Bar & Lounge, this tasting class comes with four wines paired artisan cheeses. Wines will be from Napa Valley and Burgundy, France. The class is $65 per person and begins at 6:30 pm.

Wednesday, December 15

Clink & Drink Wine Dinner
Clink Wine Bar + Bites in Flower Mound will host its final wine dinner of the year, this one featuring Australia’s d’Aernberg wines, a favorite of Clink’s owner Laura Black. Four courses, including roasted Gulf shrimp, fennel-mascarpone ravioli, Australian lamb lollipops, and red wine poached pear, will be paired with wines. Dinner is $95 per person and begins at 6 pm. Call 469-240-1660 for reservations.

Friday, December 17

Holiday Buffet Dinner at the Dallas Arboretum
Friday kicks off seven nights of holiday buffet dining at Arboretum. Menu items range from carved sirloin with horseradish cream sauce to herb-crusted halibut and cheesecake with wild cherry sauce. Dinner is $75 per person (Children 2-12 are $45) and seating times are at 6 and 7:30 pm. The buffet will run nightly through December 23.

Naughty or Nice: A Holiday Burlesque Dinner at Virgin Hotels Dallas
Missy Lisa and her ladies from Ruby Revue Burlesque will entertain guests during this theater-style dinner, which will include bubbly, boozy hot cocoa, and food stations. The price is $125 per person or $175 for premium seating and a bottle of sparkling for the table. Note that seating is communal and there are two seating times, 7 or 9:30 pm.

Saturday, December 18

Santa Brunch at Electric Shuffle
The brand new Deep Ellum bar, restaurant, and electric shuffleboard destination will host Santa himself this weekend for a holiday brunch at a special price. Normally $50 per person, the brunch will be $35 per person both Saturday and Sunday and includes bacon jam pizza, brunch boards for sharing, and a bottle of bubbly per person. Electric shuffleboard games also are included. Brunch will be served from 10 am-3 pm and reservations are recommended. Don't forget to don your most festive Christmas attire.

Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl at Legacy Hall
Here’s a bar crawl that keeps all stops within easy distance. Navigate Legacy Hall’s three floors for five bars and have a Christmas cocktail at each. Tickets are $45 per person and include a holiday glass and admission to an Elton John tribute show. Dress in your holiday sweater best. The crawl starts at 8:30 pm.

Un-Tipsy Days at The Tipsy Elf
The Bishop Arts District holiday pop-up bar will host a family-friendly afternoon of Christmas festivities. Bring the kids for cookies, hot cocoa, coloring, and crafts. Parents can stay sane with a Tipsy Elf cocktail. The event is free, first-come, first-serve, and will run from 1-4 pm.

holidays cocktails news-you-can-eat brunch

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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