Wining and Dining

Exotic pairings lead 5 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

JOA Grill brings back its Seoul & Soju Night this week.

JOA Grill

It's a big week for dinners paired with spirits that go beyond the usual wine: Options include two tequila soirees and one dinner featuring Korean soju. Also brush up on your bartending skills with two festive mixology classes.

Monday, June 23

Mixology Mondays at The Parlor
This mixology class at the Sheraton Dallas will guide participants through creating custom classic cocktails. Classes vary weekly and will focus on one signature cocktail, such as old fashioned, cosmopolitan, Manhattan, sidecar, and mojito. Class is $30, plus tax and gratuity, and will run from 5 – 6 pm every Monday.

5-Course Hornitos Pairing Dinner at Joe Leo Fine Tex-Mex
Each dish will be expertly paired with a unique Hornitos tequila selection during this five-course Tex-Mex dinner. The menu includes mini crispy beef picadillo tacos, redfish ceviche, pork carnitas, chicken empanadas, and arroz con leche. The dinner is $60, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 7 pm.

Thursday, June 26

Chef John Tesar’s Tequila Summer Social at Knife Plano
Try four different tequilas – two neat and two cocktails – during this four-course pairing menu by John Tesar at his Plano steakhouse. The menu includes Hamachi aguachile, chicken mole, 44 Farms New York strip, and churros with dulce ice cream. The price is $99, plus tax and gratuity, and the event begins at 6:30 pm.

Friday, June 27

Seoul & Soju Night at JOA Grill
After a sold-out first event, JOA Grill is bringing back this Korean barbecue and soju pairing night featuring grilled meats, Korean beer, and soju cocktails. Menu highlights include yuzu citrus salad, sea bream carpaccio, and JOA’s signature combination of prime short rib, New York strip, hanger steak, and marinated ribeye. Tickets are $85, plus tax and gratuity, and the dinner begins at 7 pm.

Friday, June 27

Mixology Class with Botanist Gin at The Exchange Hall
This lively hands-on mixology mastery class will take place at a private bar on the second floor of The Exchange Hall in the AT&T Discovery District, featuring refreshing gin cocktails by Botanist Gin. There are two start times, 7 pm and 9 pm, and the class is $40, plus a small service fee.

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Meatball News

Italian restaurant Sicilian Butcher preps meatballs for North Dallas

Sicilian Butcher

The meatballs are about to land: The Sicilian Butcher, the modern-casual restaurant known for meatballs, house-made pastas, and butchery-inspired Italian fare, has circled a date for the opening of its Addison-adjacent location in North Dallas at 5225 Belt Line Rd. #240, and the date is: August 7.

This marks their second Texas restaurant following the smashing debut of its Fort Worth location in July 2024.

The Sicilian Butcher was founded in Arizona in 2017 by award-winning Chef Joey Maggiore, and is popular for its build-your-own meal experience featuring gourmet meatballs and Sicilian-style bruschetta boards — alongside The Sicilian Baker, an Italian bakery attached to each Butcher location, which has its own innovative build-your-own cannoli bar experience.

It's part of the Maggiore Group, an Italian family-owned hospitality company that also includes concepts such as Hash Kitchen, The Mexicano, and The Italiano, which partnered with the Savory Fund in 2021 to expand the brand into neighboring states.

The North Dallas location will feature signature offerings including Chef Joey’s dishes, build-your-own pastas, Sicilian family platters, bruschetta boards, and more.

Other enticing menu items include

char-grilled artichokes
Neapolitan-style pizza
piadina — sandwiches, including chicken parm and eggplant parm, served on a thin, rustic Italian bread

They have all kinds of meatballs — Sicilian, sausage, eggplant — which you can order solo or in a variety, served on a meatball "wheel."

Salads include a Caesar, chopped, and a "Sicilian wedge" with iceberg, pickled fennel, tomato, crispy prosciutto, with creamy dolce gorgonzola and smoked bacon dressing. Pastas include pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghetti, rigatoni, and gnocchi.

Like their other locations including Fort Worth, the restaurant will also house a location of The Sicilian Baker, which features a build-your-own cannoli bar, authentic Sicilian cannoli, rotating gelato flavors, and Italian pastry classics such as lobster tails and sfogliatelle, and espresso.

“We are so excited to bring a taste of Sicily to Dallas,” Maggiore says in a statement. “From our amazing house-made pastas and signature craft meatballs to our Build Your Own Cannoli Bar, we can’t wait to welcome guests into our kitchen and show them what true Sicilian hospitality is all about.”

North Dallas will be the fifth location across the Southwest, with a third Texas location set to open in San Antonio later this year. Hash Kitchen is also flourishing, with 10 locations across the Southwest, including Fort Worth and Pearland, both of which opened in 2024.

openings