This week in gluttony

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

Steak at Al Biernat's restaurant in Dallas

Steak and wine are on the menu this week.

Al Biernat's Facebook

First and foremost, friendly reminder that Mother’s Day is this Sunday. (You’ll find the list for Mother’s Day dining here.) But there are multiple opportunities to treat Mom (or other loved ones, or yourself) all week long. Tasty events range from a $21 popcorn and beer pairing to a $300 multicourse whiskey tasting. Save room for fresh gnocchi, Wagyu and wine, and a festival dedicated to local craft beer.

Tuesday, May 9

Garrison Brothers Distillery Bartender Face-Off at Local Yocal BBQ and Grill
Local bartenders will go head-to-head to create the best Garrison Brothers bourbon cocktail during this tasting event in historic downtown McKinney. Taking place at the Local Yocal BBQ and Grill, the event will welcome Garrison Brothers co-founder Charlie Garrison as one of the competition judges. Tickets are $50 and include three exclusive cocktail samples, Garrison Brothers tastings, bites and passed appetizers, live music, raffle prizes, and valet parking. Doors open at 6 pm and the cocktail competition begins at 7 pm.

Wednesday, May 10

Omakase at Kessaku featuring Glenfiddich Yozakura
An exclusive unveiling of Glenfiddich Single Malt Whiskey’s limited edition 29 year-old Grand Yozakura will take place during this multicourse tasting event. The spirit is the first-ever single malt to be finished in rare Japanese Awamori casks. A selection of sake and cocktails also will be offered. Reservations are $300, plus tax and gratuity, and the event begins at 6 pm.

Thursday, May 11

Icons of Eataly at Eataly Dallas
This month’s Icons of Eataly restaurant takeover features gnocchi al pesto Genovese, a pillowy potato gnocchi with fresh pesto Genovese pasta that’s well suited for the start of summer. Enjoy fresh gnocchi-making demonstrations and the chance to make your own pesto during this evening event at La Pizza & La Pasta, one of Eataly’s restaurants. The evening will include live music and freshly cracked wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The featured gnocchi dish will be $30 and the event will run from 5-10 pm.

Robert Mondavi Wine Dinner at Al Biernat’s North
Partake in a variety of wines from Robert Mondavi paired with four courses during this dinner at Al Biernet’s North location. Menu highlights include Wagyu beef and lamb meatballs paired with Pinot Noir and center cut filet mignon paired with Cabernet. Dinner is $195, plus tax and gratuity. Arrive for a reception with passed appetizers at 6:30 pm followed by dinner at 7 pm.

Wagyu and Wine at Fodo de Chao
All locations of the South American-inspired steakhouse will offer at side-by-side tasting of bone-in ribeye and Wagy ribeye paired with Fogo’s Trilogy Wines, which include two red blends and a malbec. The $45 price also includes hors d’oeuvres like Brazilian empanadas and bacon-wrapped chicken. Reservations may be made starting at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, May 13

Raclette + Wine Tasting at Trova Wine + Market
On the eve of Mother's Day, treat mom to complimentary Raclette cheese, paired with wines from Mayfield Selections, poured by Kelsey Collins Keener. Don't miss out on roasted potatoes, onions, cornichons, and prosciutto topped with melted Raclette cheese. And of course, wine. Reservations are recommended (make them on Open Table), but walk-ins are also welcome. 1-4 pm.

Beer + Popcorn Pairing at TUPPS Brewery
The downtown McKinney brewery will partner with neighbor Mom & Popcorn for a unique pairing. Try five flavors of gourmet popcorn paired with five different craft beers. Popcorn varieties include sea salt with cracked pepper, chili con queso, pizza, loaded potato, and classic caramel. Tickets for pairings are $21 and will be available at staggered times of 12 pm, 2 pm, 5 pm, and 7 pm. There’ll also be live music from 1-4 pm.

Strassen Beerfest DFW 2023
More than 30 local breweries will participate in this annual German-themed tasting event, set to take place at Texas Live! in Arlington. Guests can partake in multiple food stations, drinking games, and music. Tickets start at $25 for entry and three pints of beer along with a stein. The event, which starts at 2 pm, is 21-and-up, but dogs are welcome.

dinner chefs news-you-can-eat

Fair Everywhere

Dallas restaurants get into State Fair spirit with fun and funky fare

Photo is courtesy of Rodeo Goat.

Rodeo Goat's Big Tex Burger is one of of myriad State Fair-style plates found around town in October.

The State Fair of Texas this year introduced the Butter-Dipped Toffee Crunch Nutty Bar, Deep Fried Bourbon Banana Bread, and nearly 40 other wild foods, and plenty of its 2 million-plus visitors will gleefully gobble them up.

Inspired by the annual extravaganza, which runs September 25-October 18, restaurants across Dallas are getting in on the action, offering their own State Fair-themed dishes and specials, from Frito Chili Soufflé and Hot Cheeto elote to funnel cake fries and deep fried churros.

Check out these Dallas restaurants offering State Fair-inspired specials, all of which are available during the run of the fair:

Crown Block
The two-time Michelin recommended restaurant atop Reunion Tower is celebrating The State Fair with a seasonal menu featuring Elote Wagyu Dogs — that’s an ultra-tender beef hot dog fried in Fletcher’s signature batter beneath firm cotija cheese, corn, and cilantro. Crown Block State Fair specials also include the sweet Crown Fair, a dessert made from cotton candy, cinnamon churros, caramel sauce, and deep-fried Oreos topped with powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce. The Cotton Candy Cowboy craft cocktail features Texas whiskey, blackberry, citrus, and, obviously, cotton candy, which you can sip on some 560 feet above the fair, which is about four miles southeast of the dining room.

Lochland's Irish Pub
Irish pub in northeast Dallas is going all out with a list of fair-inspired fare that includes Shepherd’s Balls — Lochland’s signature shepherd's pie rolled into balls and fried — plus foot-long corn dogs, smoked turkey legs, breakfast dogs (breakfast sausage dipped in pancake batter), funnel cake fries, and deep fried churros.

Rodeo Goat
The Texas-born burger chain is bringing back its oversized BIG TEX Burger throughout the fair, featuring an all-beef patty topped with a chicken-fried mashed potato cake, crispy bacon, a fried onion ring, and chorizo gravy for $13.99. It’s going head-to-head with the Honey Bacon Blue burger, an all-beef patty stuffed with blue cheese butter and topped with honey bacon bits, fried kale, and curry mayo. There’s also a seasonal Pumpkin Spice Goat Balls dessert: deep-fried, cheesecake-filled bites coated in pumpkin spice and served with mascarpone dip. Rodeo Goat has 10 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Lucky’s
As one of Oak Lawn's longest-lasting diners, Lucky’s tips its cowboy hat to the Big Tex Award winners of the world, but claims a closer kinship to enduring classics. And the State Fair’s arguably most enduring classic has to be the Corny Dog. Thus the restaurant will offer two State Fair Corn Dogs with fries for $10.99, along with Funnel Cake Ale from Community Brewing for $5.50. Specials run throughout the fair days.

Maple Leaf Diner
North Dallas’ Canadian-themed diner is leaning into the fried-food spirit with a lineup of State Fair-inspired specials. Options include a Buffalo fried cheese curd five-cheese grilled cheese, fried pickles, fried Oreos, and the Carnival Burger — a beef burger topped with a fried block of cheddar and a corn dog skewer. Cotton Candy Mimosa, Churros and Cream Soda, and the returning Maple Bacon Iced Latte round out the cocktail and beverage menu.

Rise No. 1
Of course it's a soufflé. Anything else would be silly here at Dallas’ favorite French restaurant. And Rise's Frito Chili Soufflé is serious, with Texas chili, crunchy Fritos, cheddar, and fresh toppings baked into Rise’s signature airy soufflé. Viva this France and Texas collab. The seasonal special is a returning fair-time favorite.

Flying Fish
This North Texas seafood staple's State Fair-inspired specials include Grits-on-a-Stick and Gumbo — grits deep-fried on skewers and served with seafood gumbo — plus fried alligator nuggets with Papous Comeback Sauce and a Nashville Hot Catfish Sandwich topped with sweet-heat sauce, coleslaw, and pickles.

Bluebonnet and Thyme
After her Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Egg Sliders won Most Creative at last year's State Fair of Texas Big Tex Awards, Chef Kendall Williams opened her own Victory Park restaurant. The award-winning dish is on the menu along with charcuterie nachos, Cajun cream pastas, and more crave-worthy, if heartburn-inducing, dishes. The restaurant, which only opened in August, is in the former Dirty Bones space across from American Airlines Center.

The Stix Icehouse
The sprawling indoor-outdoor entertainment venue in McKinney tends to go Big in the name of Tex, turning its 14-acre property into a mini State Fair, September 25-October 18. Festivities include live entertainment, family activities, and a full menu of fair-inspired food — deep-fried footlong corny dog with queso and BBQ sauce, Frito pie, Hot Cheeto elote, a mac stack burger topped with a fried mac-and-cheese ball, deep-fried Oreos, and funnel cake fries with chocolate and caramel syrup. Bartenders will serve Texas cherry limeade, a cotton candy margarita, and a zero-proof cotton candy lemonade. The month-long celebration culminates October 18 with the fifth annual Good Ol’ Days Fest, featuring pony rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, vendor market, field-day games, and a celebrity dunk tank for a cause.

fried food desserts dining state fair of texas funnel cakes corny dogs state fair food