This Week in Gluttony

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

Jeremiah's Italian ice layered with soft serve, arriving in Addison this week.

Jeremiah's Italian Ice/Facebook

Pairing events get creative this week; there’s watercolor and wine, Girl Scout cookie cupcakes and cider, and bourbon cocktails with comfort food. Save room for Italian ice in a new venue celebrating its grand opening this weekend.

Tuesday, April 11

Ciao! From Italy Wine Dinner at Carraba’s Italian Grill
Casual Italian chain will host a communal four-course wine dinner featuring comfort favorites like lasagna Bolognese, bruschetta chicken, and shrimp & scallop alla vodka. End with olive oil cake with lemon curd, blackberries, and mint chiffonade. Courses will be paired with wine and a cocktail to start. Dinner is $55 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm. Carraba’s has locations in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst.

Wednesday, April 12

Watercolor & Wine at Ellie’s
Local artist Brie Milam will teach watercolor techniques for guests to create their own masterpieces while sipping wine. The best thing about this class is the location: It will take place on Ellie’s Terrace at Hall Arts Hotel. Tickets are $75 and include a glass of wine, light bites, all supplies, and valet parking. Class will run from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Bourbon Dinner Series at Yardbird Table & Bar
Miami-based, James Beard-nominated restaurant will host a series of bourbon pairing dinners at Yardbird locations from Vegas to D.C. with a stop in Dallas in between. The four-course dinner will include lobster mac & cheese with black truffles, chicken piccata, Wagyu with gouda grits, and a chocolate tart with caramel coffee sauce. All courses will be paired with Knob Creek bourbon cocktails. The dinner is $140 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 7 pm.

Thursday, April 13

Sip & Stroll at The Shops at Highland Village
Grab a glass and enjoy wine and food pairings around the Shops at Highland Village during this evening sip and stroll that will benefit Communities in Schools North Texas. A $12 donation gets you a goody bag and wine glass, and there’ll be photo ops, a caricature artist, fortune teller, and DJ music along the way. Food and wine pairings will be provided by Whole Foods Market. The event will run from 6:30-9 pm. Check in outside Barnes & Noble.

Rodney Strong Wine Dinner at Knife Steakhouse Plano
Here’s a fresh seasonal pairing of wine and food at chef John Tesar’s Plano steakhouse. Courses feature Hamachi ceviche, seared branzino, duck confit, and New York strip. All courses will be paired with different wines, including Alexander Valley cabernet. Dinner is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, April 15

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice Grand Opening in Addison
Founded in Florida in 1996, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice will celebrate the grand opening of its Addison location with free samples, music, face painting, and the Mr. Gelati mascot. They'll be featuring a special dessert layering Italian ice with soft serve ice cream in flavors like coconut lime, cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chip. The two-day event will run through Sunday showcasing the new 1,785 square-foot location at 14389 Marsh Ln.

Sunday, April 16

Girl Scout Cupcakes & Cider at Trinity Cider
Taste Girl Scout cookies in cupcake form during this sweet pairing event at Trinity Cider. Guests will get four different cupcakes, including Samoa, Thin Mint, Lemon-Ups, and Do-Si-Dos, paired with four ciders. Tickets are $28 per person and the pairings will be available from 12-5 pm.

Dallas College Bits & Bites
Culinary students will partner with some of Dallas’ best chefs for this tasting event that benefits the culinary program at Dallas College. Set to take place at the Dallas Arboretum, the event will feature beverages and bites from 30 chefs, including John Tesar (Knife Dallas), Jimmy Contreras (Taco y Vino), and Nikky Phinyawatana (Asian Mint). Tickets start at $85 per person and the event will run from 6-8 pm.

lists event-planner

Taco News

California restaurant Casa Comal debuts in Irving with standout tacos

Casa Comal

Shrimp taco at Casa Comal in Irving

A restaurant from the West Coast with a fresh approach to Mexican food has made its Dallas-area debut: Casa Comal Cocina, a Mexican restaurant founded in Santa Barbara in 2021, has opened at Cypress Waters in Irving, at 8701 Cypress Waters Blvd. #150, in the former Chilli Thai space, with a menu that is decidedly not run-of-the-mill.

Casa Comal, whose roots lie in Mexico City, specializes in tacos, with a wide variety that encompasses everything from traditional Mexico City-style offerings like carnitas and al pastor, to upscale tacos like lemon pepper chicken with arugula.

There's a taco filled with pork rinds, green sauce, and rice; quesa-birria, the trendy taco with shredded beef and crisped jack cheese; and taco Sonora with carne asada and a cheese-stuffed Anaheim pepper.

Seafood tacos include shrimp and tempura-fried fish; and there are vegetarian options such as zucchini with corn, or hibiscus flower with mushrooms — two ingredients commonly used in vegetarian tacos.

Everything's served on corn tortillas which they make in-house. With a few exceptions such as the shrimp tacos for $7.75, most of the tacos are $5.75.

In addition to tacos, there are nachos, quesadillas, empanadas, sopas, gorditas, and a torta sandwich filled with meat, refried beans, lettuce, and tomato. Appetizers include queso fundido, tostadas, and flautas filled with shredded chicken and beans.

One of their signatures is the "wet burrito" — sort of a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, featuring a burrito covered with choice or red sauce or verde green.

They also serve a full bar with about 16 cocktails including margaritas, a paloma, and their Mezcal de Pacifico, made with mezcal, coconut water, and lime, says co-owner Bachir Ramadam, who grew up in the Santa Barbara area. He has opened the Irving location with his wife, Elisa, and their partner, Alejandro Vera.

"We combine traditional preparations with local ingredients for dishes that are authentic to both their Mexican origins while incorporating local flavors," he says. "A lot of the recipes come from my family. My father is from Mexico, and this is the food I grew up with."

"But we always try to present the plates with a different touch," he says. "A lot of taquerias do tacos with the filling, salsa, and lime, and that's it. We try to do something a little more complex."

While Irving, Texas is a long way from Santa Barbara, Bachir says they have friends and family here, and are learning the ropes of Tex-Mex, which is more meaty and saucy than what you find on the West Coast.

"California has good Mexican food, but I've tried some Tex-Mex — we went to a couple restaurants, and I like it," he says. Good answer!

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