This week in gluttony

These are the 11 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Chefs and home cooks will battle in the World Food Championships this week.

Photo by Danny Campbell Photography

Food events are in high gear with something happening just about every day of the week, from Tastes of Spain and Ethiopia to flavors from around the world during a five-day global food competition. There are chances to sip local Texas wine during a sip-and-stroll event, and local beer as part of a special anniversary event. Wine dinners and wine tastings round out the list.

Monday, November 7

Spain Fusion at Virgin Hotels Dallas
Free event is geared toward hospitality and culinary professionals and will include a day of panels, tastings, and discussions with some of Spain’s top exporters of wine, cheese, olive oil, Iberian ham, and more. One of the highlighted speakers is Fernando Mora, one of only 369 “Masters of Wine” in the world. The tasty and educational event – taking place in support of Food and Wine from Spain – will be held at Virgin Hotels Dallas from 10 am-5 pm.

Tuesday, November 8

Margerum Wine Company Tasting at Sylvan Avenue Tavern
Tavern at Sylvan Thirty in West Dallas is hosting a free wine tasting on the rooftop from 5-7 pm, featuring wines by Margerum Wine Company, the Santa Barbara winery founded by Doug Margerum who was nominated for Winemaker of the Year in the 23rd anniversary of Wine Enthusiast's Annual Wine Star Awards in 2022. Margerum will be there in person to oversee a tasting of the winery's Rhone-varietal whites and reds.

Wednesday, November 9

World Food Championships
Five-day feeding frenzy will celebrate its 10^th anniversary with more than 1,500 chefs and home cooks from around the world. All will compete to get a piece of a $300,000 prize purse. The competition cook-off categories include bacon, barbecue, burgers, dessert, rice/noodle, sandwich, seafood, soups, steak, and vegetarian. The event will take place daily from November 9-13, from 11 am-7 pm at Fair Park, with ticket prices ranging from $10 for a day pass to $185 to a three-day VIP weekend pass.

The Prisoner Wine Dinner at The Stoneleigh
Visit Perle on Maple at Le Meridian Dallas, The Stoneleigh for this four-course dinner to be paired with the popular Prisoner wines. Delight in butter-poached prawns, spiced lamb chops, and tiramisu. Dinner is $99 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6 pm.

Thursday, November 10

Duckhorn Wine Dinner at III Forks
Fine dining Frisco steakhouse will host a five-course dinner accompanied by Duckhorn Vineyards wine pairings. Certified Angus beef brand ambassador Tony Biggs will team up with chef Chris Vogeli on the menu featuring poke and carpaccio, bone marrow and mushroom fondue, lobster and spinach-stuffed rib medallions, and short rib bone-in beef wellington with truffle sauce. The dinner is $250 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, November 12

Meddlesome Moth Tilquin Fruit Extravaganza 2022
The Moth is one of 20 locations across the U.S. chosen to tap 10 fruited Lambic kegs from Belgian brewer Guezerie Tilquin. Kegs include: Framboise Lambic, Groseille Blanche Lambic, Peche Lambic, Sureau Lambic, Groseille a Maquereau Rouge Lambic, Myrtille Sauvage Lambic, Cassis Lambic & Oude Bruin Blend, Pomme Lambic, Poire Lambic, and Coing Lambic. Tasting of all 10 beers is $30 on Saturday 10 am-12 am and $40 on Sunday 10 am-10 pm. 214-628-7900.

Girl With Flour Fall Pop-up at Sandwich Hag
Here's a chance for Dallasites to buy stunning baked items from Girl With Flour, the home-bakery project from Erika Lam Radtke, whose goods are usually available by delivery only to Collin County residents. She'll be at Sandwich Hag 11 am-3 pm or until sell-out with fall-inspired pastries, sesame & scallion focaccia, cacio e pepe fougasse, and pumpkin spice pop tarts.

Wild West Wine Walk McKinney
Put on your boots and bling and sip nothing but Texas wine during this shop-and-stroll event in Historic Downtown McKinney. Four participating wineries and wine bars include Lone Star Cellars, Landon Winery, Barons Creek Vineyards, and 4R Ranch & Winery. Tickets range from $35 for 16 tastes to $50 for 20 tastes (including four premium wines) and all-day check-in. General admission check-in timeframes are 12-2:30 pm and 2:30-5 pm. All tickets include a souvenir wine glass.

Manhattan Project Beer Company Anniversary Party
Craft beer brewer celebrates its sixth anniversary with its first-ever side-by-side tasting of all six of their Particles Collide line of beers. The favorite will be added to the limited-release schedule next year. To ensure a taste of all six beers, purchase a commemorative flight board before the event. This also affords early access to the event at 2 pm. The rest of the party kicks off at 4 pm with food specials and live music. (Complete flight is not guaranteed after 4 pm.) Walnut flight board, six tasting glasses, and six 5-ounce pours is $50.

Bubbles + Bold Reds Holiday Tasting Wine Tasting at Trova Wine + Market
Ticket holders will get to sample more than 50 holiday wines during this private tasting. Sip and nosh passed appetizers, charcuterie, and cheese, and take advantage of sale pricing on all wines featured. Tickets are $100 per person and the party will run from 6-9 pm.

Sunday, November 13

Fana's Ethiopian Pop-Up Dinner
Chef Fana Yohannes of Carver 150 will showcase her culinary prowess during this pop-up dinner featuring authentic Ethiopian dishes. Set to take place at Taco y Vino, the dinner will come with three courses. Reservations are $35 (or $25 for a vegetarian option) and dinner will be available from 5-9 pm. Email info@carverdfw.com for reservations.

news-you-can-eat chefs craft-beer wine

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef