This week in gluttony

Beef & bourbon top the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Perini Ranch Steakhouse will bring their beef tenderloin to Easy Slider this week.

Perini Ranch Steakhouse/Facebook

It's a busy week in Dallas with the 2026 FIFA World Cup well underway (find our list of restaurants and bars hosting special events here) and Father's Day arriving on Sunday (that restaurant list is here). But pairing dinners, cocktail-making, and tasty pop-ups are also calling this week featuring bourbon, steak, summer drinks, barbecue, and soul food.

Tuesday, June 16

Tusk Estates Wine Dinner at Dee Lincoln Prime
Meet the team behind some of Napa’s most notable red wines during this exclusive four-course wine pairing dinner at Dee Lincoln Prime in Frisco. Tim Martin, Tusk Estates partner, and Maayan Koschizky, winemaker, will be on-site to talk through pairings with dishes including tenderloin tartar caviar cones, shrimp fagottini with blue crab butter sauce, an Australian and Japanese Wagyu duo, and bourbon old fashioned crème brulee. The luxury experience is $1,195 and begins at 6:30 pm. Email ashley@deelincolnprime.com for reservations.

Thursday, June 18

Garrison Brothers Bourbon Dinner Pairing at JW Steakhouse
The steakhouse inside JW Marriot Dallas will host a multicourse pairing dinner perfect for bourbon enthusiasts or those looking for early Father’s Day plans. The menu includes smoked shrimp cocktail, local greens salad, apple smoked brisket, and apricot bread pudding. Tickets are $100, and the event begins at 7 pm with a welcome cocktail reception before seating at 7:30 pm.

Friday, June 19

Summer Cocktail Making at Terra - Mixology 101
Kick off the weekend with cocktail class at Eataly’s terrace level Italian bar and restaurant, Terra. The hands-on class will cover ingredients, method, and equipment for a well-stocked bar. Two cocktails plus a charcuterie board are included in the $55 ticket. Class will run from 5-6 pm.

An Evening with Tamela Davis at Café Momentum
Life coach, podcaster, philanthropist, NFL wife, and foodie Tamela Davis will share a multicourse Southern feast inspired by her Mississippi roots during a special "Juneteenth takeover" at the non-profit restaurant Café Momentum. Menu items include lemon pepper wings, Ro-Tel cheese dip, fried catfish, turkey necks, collard greens, sweet potato casserole, strawberry short cake, and cinnamon rolls. The event is a partnership between Davis’ platform, The F Word (Faith, Family, Food & Football), and Café Momentum founder and CEO Chad Houser. Tickets are $75 and dinner begins at 6 pm.

Saturday, June 20

Dallas Juneteenth Soul Food Fest
The annual event will feature more than 20 food vendors from Texas and beyond featuring soul food dishes like pork chops, candied yams, oxtails, greens, fried chicken, barbecue, and more. Patrons can also enjoy artisan vendors, live entertainment, and kids’ activities. Admission is free with a reservation ticket in advance. The event will take place from 12-6 pm at Loft Spaces in Dallas.

Plano Juneteenth King of the Grill Cook-Off & Douglass Community BBQ Festival
This Juneteenth celebration in Plano begins with the King of the Grill Cook-Off from 3-5 pm, where local pitmasters will compete for the coveted 2026 title by serving their signature barbecue dishes to a panel of judges. From 3-8:30 pm, the Written in the Stone Douglass Community BBQ Festival will feature food trucks, live entertainment, spoken word performances, a Kids Zone, and free barbecue while supplies last. Both events are free and take place at the Plano Boys & Girls Club.

Sunday, June 21

Perini Ranch Pop-Up at Easy Slider
Tom Perini of Buffalo Gap’s iconic Perini Ranch Steakhouse will join his daughter, Caroline Perini, at the restaurant she co-founded, Easy Slider, for a special Father’s Day pop-up. Visit from 1-5 pm for Perini Ranch favorites including mesquite-grilled beef tenderloin, jalapeno poppers, and sourdough bread pudding. The newly released Perini Ranch Steakhouse cookbook will also be available for purchase along with other merchandise.

Pints & Ponytails at Community Beer Co.
Perfect for girl dads, this laid-back, hands-on class on the basics of braiding and ponytails will be hosted by Clark & Company Salon at Community Beer Co. Dads can enjoy a cold beer while learning a helpful school-morning skill on tabletop mannequins with other dads. The $35 ticket includes a free pint, and the class will run from 3-5 pm.

juneteenth chefs food events

Legacy restaurants

Dallas' storied Old Mill Inn returns to Fair Park with World Cup preview

Photo by Gangway Advertising for Rousso's Concessions

The 90-year-old Old Mill Inn at Fair Park is getting a revival in 2026.

Dallas' second-oldest restaurant is getting a revival, and diners can sneak a peek this summer during World Cup. The Old Mill Inn at Fair Park, the landmark restaurant on the grounds of Fair Park, is being reopened by State Fair of Texas concessionaire Isaac Rousso.

According to a release, Rousso and his company, Rousso's Concessions, are transforming the nearly century-old building with the iconic exterior paddlewheel into a full-service restaurant and bar.

"The Old Mill Inn is one of the most magical, irreplaceable buildings in all of Dallas," Rousso says in the release. "When I walked through those doors, I saw everything it could be - the history, the architecture, the soul of it."

It's expected to debut with much fanfare ahead of the State Fair of Texas later this summer.

But first (because who can think of State Fair yet with World Cup in town?), visitors can get a preview during the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park, running June 11-July 19. Located at 3611 Grand Ave., the restaurant is operating daily from 11 am-3 pm, with a closing time that could vary slightly based on foot traffic.

Old Mill Inn at Fair Park Rousso's Wine Garden at the Old Mill has seating for 300, shade umbrellas, and a big screen for sports watching.Photo by Gangway Advertising for Rousso's Concessions

The new-and-improved Mill includes a 300-seat outdoor patio called Rousso's Wine Garden at the Old Mill, featuring shade umbrellas, a full bar and - good news for World Cup fans - a large-screen TV for match viewing.

Rousso is one of the State Fair's best-known concessionaires, operating concepts including Magnolia Beer Gardens, Shiner Beer Garden, Cajun Cowboy, Rousso's Fat Bacon, Holy Biscuit, and Who Dat Daiquiris. Since launching his first stand at the fair in 2005, he has earned four Big Tex Choice Awards, including a 2024 win for Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick.

Diners at The Mill will find a menu featuring Rousso favorites, including his Cuban pulled-pork sandwich, select award-winning Fair foods, burgers, wraps, salads, flatbreads, and charcuterie and cheese boards. Full-bar service will be offered with more than 20 different wines alongside a tequila and bourbon bar.

The Old Mill Inn at Fair Park, Dallas, c. 1936.Facebook/Dallas Historical Society

Built in 1936 for the Texas Centennial Exposition, the Old Mill building was modeled after the Burrus Flour Mill in McKinney and constructed with timbers from the original mill, some dating to the era of the Texas Republic.

Over the decades, the building housed the Borden Dairy exhibit, where generations of visitors met Elsie the Cow and her calf Beauregard, as well as Youngblood's Fried Chicken and later an El Chico restaurant. According to the release, only El Fenix surpasses it as Dallas' oldest restaurant.

The Old Mill Inn has sat largely dormant since the pandemic.

The new restaurant will display historic photos and memorabilia on loan from the State Fair of Texas, including items from previous Big Tex outfits and other artifacts tied to Fair Park's history.

Old Mill Inn at Fair Park The interior will feature a large wood-burning fireplace.Photo by Gangway Advertising for Rousso's Concessions

The interior will seat 120 and will feature a bar-lounge area and a large wood-burning fireplace.

"Rousso has envisioned an atmosphere that channels rough-hewn elegance with whiskey barrels, warm wood tones, Mexican tile floors, and the soul of the Texas frontier, while delivering a modern dining and entertainment experience," the release says.

The exterior water-powered paddlewheel is also being lovingly restored. "Its slow, rhythmic turning will evoke the timeless charm that has made this building a Dallas touchstone for nearly nine decades," the release says.

The restaurant is located across from Big Tex Circle and can be accessed most directly through Gate 5 at Fair Park. For more information about FIFA Fan Festival tickets, go here.

fair park fifa fan festival fifa world cup fifa world cup 2026 historic building history isaac rousso old mill preservation state fair openings