Food Events Of The Week

Spring fest rings in 6 best food & drink events in Dallas this week

The Dallas Arboretum Food & Wine Festival arrives this week.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Sip and stroll amid spring blooms during a major annual food and wine festival happening this week. But first, make plans for two wine dinners featuring two big-name female winemakers. Save room for barbecue and some cold Fort Worth beer, too.

Tuesday, March 25

Mahjong & Meze Night at Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
Game night is back at Nikki Greek, this time for two nights due to popular demand. Enjoy a three-course dinner with choice of soup or salad, entrée, and dessert before partaking in mahjong and half-priced bottles of wine. The three-course dinner is $40 plus tax and gratuity and is available starting at 5 pm before a 7 pm mahjong start time. Tuesday is for beginners with a learn-and-play ticket for $45. On Wednesday, tickets for open play are $25. A glass of bubbly is included both nights.

Raymond Vineyards Pairing Dinner at Haywire Uptown
Raymond Vineyards winemaker Stephanie Putnam (a big name in Napa Valley) will visit the Uptown outlet of Haywire for a five-course pairing dinner. Menu highlights include duck with raspberry cilantro salsa, snapper crudo, and chocolate mousse with smoked red wine strawberries. Dinner is $100 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 7 pm.

Wednesday, March 26

Hall Wines Dinner at Hall Arts Hotel
Special guest Kathryn Hall, owner and vintner of Hall, Walt, and Baca wines, will visit Hall Arts Hotel for this five-course pairing menu featuring her wines. The menu includes spinach agnolotti, Bronzini Meunière, Wagyu beef tenderloin, and dark chocolate custard with black cherry jam and meringue. The $175 ticket includes gratuity and valet parking and the dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, March 27

Ice House Beer Dinner featuring Martin House Brewing Company at PGA Frisco
Barbecue will be paired with Fort Worth-based Martin House brews during this interactive dinner. Menu items will include Wagyu brisket, 44 Farms ribeye, and Diestel turkey, along with sides like lobster & brisket manicotti, whiskey glazed carrots, fried Brussels sprouts, smoked watermelon salad, seafood ceviche, fried pickles, baked potato bar, and jalapeno poppers. Save room for smoked peach cobbler. The dinner is $158 plus tax and fee, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Dallas Arboretum Food & Wine Festival
Guests can savor more than three dozen gourmet small plates and 125-plus wine varieties while strolling through the Arboretum’s 500,000 blooming bulbs. Participating restaurants include Monarch, Catbird, Asian Mint, and Empire Baking Company. Tickets are $159 ($139 for members) and general admission begins at 7 pm.

Saturday, March 29

French Wine Dinner at Café Momentum
The nonprofit restaurant and training facility for justice-involved youth will host a five-course pairing dinner featuring French wines. Menu items include a duo of oysters, duck confit salad, goat cheese tart, striploin with mushroom bordelaise, and chocolate profiterole with house-made vanilla ice cream. Tickets are $109 plus tax and gratuity, and dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

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Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a bar in Tempe in 2018 called Rodeo Ranch which served as a template for the concept, featuring an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings

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Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location