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

Chef news

3 Dallas restaurants appoint new chefs, while another chef gets on TV

Photo via Houston Culinary Awards

This is called a toque. While many chefs no longer wear them, it's still symbolic.

It's a big week for big chef news in the Dallas restaurant world.

Three high-profile restaurants have made major new chef appointments. There's also a celebrity Dallas chef who will appear on TV this week.

Here's all the Dallas chef news you need to know:

Adolphus Hotel
Chef Rolf J. Weithofer has been appointed Executive Chef of culinary operations at the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas, where he'll oversee restaurant, bar, and catering including Rodeo Bar, City Hall Bistro, Otto’s, in-room dining, and banquets. (The hotel's acclaimed French Room has still not fully reopened post-pandemic, although it is open for tea Wednesday-Sunday, 11 am-3 pm.)

Weithofer has 22-plus years of experience, most recently as Executive Chef at Stone Harbor Golf Club in New Jersey, where he led two restaurants and banquets. Prior to that, he worked at restaurants and hotels in New York, Maui, Germany, Japan, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Miami, and Puerto Rico, including Maxim’s de Paris in New York. Weithofer has also racked up awards including a Gold Medal in the Culinary Olympics.

Ocean Prime Dallas
Charlie Tkacik has been appointed Executive Chef at Ocean Prime Dallas, the upscale seafood and steakhouse from Cameron Mitchell Restaurant (CMR) which opened in Uptown in 2009.

Tkacik was born in Rhode Island and the Northeast is his major influence, particularly in preparation of seafood such as the restaurant's Texas redfish. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, he interned at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, and has more than a decade of experience at upscale restaurants across New England, including a four-year stint at the iconic Boston Grill 23 & Bar. He joined Cameron Mitchell Restaurant several years ago and was most recently Executive Sous Chef at Ocean Prime Boston.

Mexican Test Kitchen
Matt McCallister is executive chef at Mexican Test Kitchen, a new pop-up restaurant at the West Village in Dallas from Local Favorite Restaurants, the group from restaurateur Mike Karns that also encompasses El Fenix, Snuffer's, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Tulum, Village Burger Bar, Jalisco Norte, and Twisted Root. Mexican Test Kitchen took over the former Honest Taco space and is an interim concept to be replaced by a new restaurant in the fall. McCallister is now working with Local Favorite Restaurants full time.

A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, McCallister began his Dallas career at Stephan Pyles, where he served as executive chef and had his own tasting room. In 2012, he opened FT33 in the Dallas Design District, which earned accolades locally and nationally in magazines such as Bon Appétit and Food & Wine. In 2019, he opened Homewood on Oak Lawn Avenue which had its own on-site garden. The restaurant made Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurant list in 2020, and Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's 2020 Tastemaker Awards.

Fox TV MasterChef
Tiffany Derry joins Fox TV series MasterChef as a guest judge, appearing on an episode on Wednesday, June 14, airing at 8 pm.

Derry, who owns Roots Southern Table, appears on United Tastes of America in an episode called "Regional Auditions - The South." Contestants have 45 minutes to prepare a dish that will secure them one of five remaining spots in the top 20. The show is hosted by Gordon Ramsay, with judges Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich. Derry will be the week's Guest Judge.

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