Food events this week

It's time for tea in 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Holiday tea service has arrived at The Adolphus.

The Adolphus

Halloween is over and the surge of Christmas-themed events begins right now, starting with two teas in downtown Dallas. Not quite in the Christmas spirit just yet? There's also a mystery wine pairing dinner, a tasting event featuring bites along a trolley line, and a fancy wine dinner at a popular steakhouse. Save room for one of Dallas' biggest barbecue cook-offs by Sunday.

Wednesday, November 5

Holiday Tea at The French Room
The French Room at The Adolphus Hotel begins its annual transition to a holiday wonderland this week with the launch of holiday tea service starting Wednesday. Elaborate décor, seasonal music, and holiday-inspired menus will take over the space through January 11, 2026. Included in the $85 ticket price ($35 for children under 12) is a three-course menu of savory and sweet dishes, two artisan tea pairings, a glass of bubbly, and new this year, a duo of hand-painted bonbons from Kate Weiser Chocolate to take home. Reservations run from 10 am-4:30 pm.

Thursday, November 6

Taste of the Trolley
Taste bites from restaurants along the M-Line Trolley route during this fundraising event benefiting the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority. Participants this year include Mexican Sugar, Sixty Vines, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, and Malai Kitchen, to name a few. The event will take place at the Fashion Industry Gallery from 6-10 pm. Tickets are $125 plus tax and fee, and include live music, open bar, silent and live auctions, and valet parking.

Jackson Family Wine Dinner at Al Biernat’s North
North Dallas location of the legendary steakhouse will host a four-course wine pairing dinner featuring the Santa Rosa, California-based Jackson Family Wines. Dinner includes Southwest Caesar salad; white truffle bruschetta with trumpet mushrooms, green olives, cherry tomatoes, and baked brie; filet mignon with wasabi mashed potatoes; and white chocolate strawberry cake. Dinner is $195 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Call 972-239-3400 for reservations.

Friday, November 7

Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Café Momentum
Think you know your red wines? This interactive five-course tasting menu event will feature mystery wine pairings, and guests who correctly match all five wines to their respective courses will win a bottle of their choice. The list includes a Syrah, Pinot Noir, Red Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon paired with dishes like beef tartare, rabbit and wild mushroom tortellini, and pan-seared scallops. Tickets are $125 plus tax and gratuity, and include valet parking. Proceeds benefit Café Momentum’s mission to empower justice-involved youth through culinary training, education, and mentorship. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, November 8

Mirador Modern Afternoon Tea
Restaurant at Forty Five Ten in downtown Dallas is hosting a 3-course Afternoon Tea beginning with a glass of bubbly and caramel apple scone; followed by bites such as falafel with date chutney, labneh, and cilantro; a Wagyu sando with spicy mayo and shiso; and a caviar tartlet with crème fraîche, chives, and cured egg yolk. Sweets include opera cake, pumpkin spice truffle, and chai alfajores. The tea — which repeats on November 29 and December 13 — begins at 2 pm. Reservations are required; tickets are $106.80 and can be purchased here.

Sunday, November 9

Meat Fight
The 15th annual barbecue showdown will feature 16 North Texas chefs who’ll compete in categories including best brisket, sausage, chicken, and wild card. Participants include team captains David Pena of Fortunate Son, Eduardo Osorio of Meridien, Danyele McPherson of Leela’s Wine Bar, and Jeramie Robison of Thompson Hotel. They’ll be judged by a panel of barbecue experts, including Jalen Head of Goldee’s BBQ, Chris Magallanes of Panther City BBQ, and Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. General admission tickets are $75 and include barbecue samples and a bar. The event will take place at Dallas Youth Sports from 5-8 pm.

holidays barbecue fundraisers chefs food events Food Events

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

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