This week in gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Miracle cocktails are served in festive glassware.

Facebook/Nickel City

The stage is set for Thanksgiving on Thursday, but there are other tasty happenings this week, including a Japanese take on the traditional Thanksgiving meal, the kick-off of a German market, a barbecue pitmaster course, a smoothie pop-up, and a whiskey tasting. Multiple stretchy pants may be required.

Monday, November 21

Miracle at The Aussie Grind
The Frisco coffee shop, café, and bar will make spirits extra bright this holiday with the return of Miracle, the nationwide Christmas-themed pop-up bar that arrives in more than 100 cities this week. Originating in New York City, Miracle features over-the-top Christmas décor and craft cocktails in beautiful glassware to set the tone for the season. Past fan-favorite cocktails include the Christmaspolitan, made with spiced cranberry sauce and elderflower with vodka and dry vermouth, and the Snowball Old-Fashioned, which looks just like it sounds. New for this year is kitschy Grandma Got Run Over By A T-Rex – a vodka concoction with orange liqueur, spiced pomegranate and grapefruit, and aloe vera. Also new is the Holiday Spiked Chai made with brandy, Jamaican rum, coffee liqueur, and amaretto. Miracle will run through December 31.

Tuesday, November 22

Japanese Thanksgiving at Uchi Dallas
Uchi will provide a unique take on the traditional Thanksgiving meal with this multi-course omakase dinner. Menu highlights includes spaghetti squash bisque with shrimp, bluefin crudo, and turkey katsu with Japanese curry. Dinner is $275 for two, plus tax and gratuity. Reservation times vary and are limited.

Friends-Giving Trivia at Legacy Hall
Start Thanksgiving week by testing your knowledge of the iconic hit series Friends at the Plano food hall. Grab a cup of coffee from Legacy Hall vendor Whisk & Eggs, sliders from Son of a Butcher, or chili cheese fries from Root Chicken Shak and get ready to play. The $30 fee to participate is good for a team of up to six players. Teams with the most points can win Legacy Hall gift cards for first, second, and third place, up to $100. Trivia begins at 7 pm.

Thursday, November 24

Thanksgiving dining
Looking for a restaurant to dine in or take a feast to-go? Check out our long list here.

Friday, November 25

Texas Christkindl Market
Arlington will channel German vibes during this month-long holiday market set to take place at Globe Life Field. The free, family-friendly experience will feature handcrafted gifts, German treats and eats, music and live entertainment, and appearances by St. Nikolaus. Visit the Kinder Kids Root Beer Garden for stage shows, craft workshops, and root beer and hot cocoa concessions. Adults can enjoy beer and seasonal beverages in the Warming House. German fare will be available for purchase throughout the market, which runs until December 23. A tree lighting and opening ceremony will take place Friday at 7 pm.

Miracle at Texas Live!
The over-the-top holiday pop-up bar (see above) is also taking over the Miller Tavern inside the Texas Live! complex in Arlington. "Miracle at Live!" will feature an explosion of tinsel and twinkling lights, specialty holiday cocktails, tasty small bites, Insta-worthy photo moments, themed nights, and more. Miracle at Live! will officially open at 5 pm November 25 and will stay open through December 24. Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations and private events are also available. For more information and a schedule of events, visit the website.

Saturday, November 26

Pitmaster University at Oak’d BBQ
Learn how to select and trim meat, control temps and timing, nail the rubs and seasonings, and more during this 90-minute course on smoking meats. The class will be led by Oak’d chef Michael Lane. Cost is $99 and class will start bright and early at 8 am.

Smoothie King “King of Coffee” Pop-Up Tour
The national smoothie chain will pop up outside Anime Dallas to introduce its new coffee and espresso smoothies. Visit for free smoothie samples, merch giveaways, and fun photo ops out of a coffee café shipping container with artist mural. New smoothies include Espresso High Protein Almond Mocha. The pop-up will run from 9:30 am-6 pm at Hyatt Regency’s Trinity Crossing just outside Reunion Tower.

Monday, November 28

Whiskey Pairing at Commons Club
It’s Monday Fun-Day at Virgin Hotels Dallas during this multi-course whiskey tasting. Commons Club chef de cuisine Christian Panepinto will provide assorted bites to enjoy with a variety of bourbons and whiskeys. The price is $80 and the pairing begins at 7 pm.

dinner news-you-can-eat holidays barbecue cocktails

Greenville Ave News

Dallas steakhouse chef to open his own restaurant on Greenville Ave

Aubrey Murphy

Steak by Aubrey Murphy

An acclaimed Dallas chef is striking out on his own. Aubrey Murphy, who most recently was executive chef at SER Steak + Spirits, is opening his own restaurant on Greenville Avenue. Called Brute, it'll be a contemporary American spot located at 1802 Greenville Ave. #110, in the cute storefront previously occupied by Swizzle, the tiki bar which closed in 2025.

Murphy will partner with James La Mar, a hospitality professional and sommelier, who will oversee the front of the house. They're working on the menu and renovation of the space and hope to be open in November.

Murphy's resume includes hotels and high-end restaurants alongside chefs such as John Tesar and Dean Fearing. Prior to SER, the steakhouse at the Hilton Anatole where he served as chef for three years, he was culinary director at Trinity Groves, and also worked at Fearing's, Knife, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, and the Waldorf Astoria in Hawaii.

During his time at SER, he was part of the team that received the "Best Food and Beverage Team of the Year," and was also nominated for Chef of the Year in CultureMap's 2026 Tastemaker Awards.

Opening a smaller restaurant on Lower Greenville is a major shift, one that Murphy welcomes. Landing the Swizzle space, next door to Wabi House and on a prime block on Greenville Avenue, is the culmination of a lengthy search.

"I feel like a lot of restaurants are way too big, and this will be more personal," he says. "I've been trying to open a restaurant for two years, but finding the right location was key. This space is the right size and it has character. I didn't want a glass box."

Their vision is a neighborhood restaurant where the food is both creative yet approachable.

"James and I are channeling restaurants that deeply inspire us, the kind you'd find in places like Chicago, California, and east Austin, where you don't feel weird going once a month," he says.

Brute will feature a main dining room with a regular menu, plus a separate lounge area in front where diners can come in for small bites and cocktails. The cuisine will be based on their travels and personal experiences.

"The food I like to cook combines my Dallas roots with Asian, a little Tex-Mex, and my experience of having lived in Hawaii for five years, where they mix up Americana with Thai, Filipino, and Japanese," he says.

They'll print a fresh menu every day, depending on what's in season and available. Murphy is already lining up local purveyors, including eggs from a small farm north of Fort Worth, and beef from Longhill Wagyu in Luling.

The bar program will include craft cocktails, a thoughtful wine list, and lots of AF.

"So many wine lists seem to have the same usual suspects, but we'd like to be more intentional," he says. "We're also going to have a bomb cocktail program and take the non-alcoholic selection seriously."

The main dining room will also offer a special program called "Let Us Feed You," inspired by something Murphy has seen done in some restaurants in California.

"It's our take on a tasting menu, with highlights of rare and cool dishes or something we might have in limited supply," he says.

While there will not be a "signature dish," Murphy is taking on a bold challenge.

"I'm going to do my best to have the best chicken dish in the state," he says. "I see all these restaurants these days doing duck and none of them can do chicken. It feels like running before learning to walk. I've learned to appreciate the complexities of doing a chicken dish well that celebrates the bird."

As for the name Brute, it's meant to be a double entendre, which gives a nod to both their food and wine goals.

"It's a play on 'brut' dry wine, and also the idea of raw and direct, with the same energy as restaurants like Animal on the West Coast," he says.

chefs greenville-avenue openings

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Greenville Ave News

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