This week in gluttony

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

Apps will be half-off during HG Sply Co.'s rooftop anniversary patio this week.

Photo courtesy of HG Sply Co.

Italian inspo is big this week during events that harken the fresh flavors of the Italian Riviera and cuisine from the Piedmont region. Rose season is also in full swing, and there’s a terrace patio event to celebrate. And don’t miss the 10th anniversary of a pioneering Dallas restaurant that proved putting paleo cuisine on a menu can draw crowds.

Wednesday, May 17

Back to the Future with Ridge: The Ultimate Kegger at Sixty Vines
This wine tasting event will feature the release of Ridge Vineyards’ first wine in a keg, a 2021 Zinfandel called Three Valleys kegged exclusively for Sixty Vines. The $125 ticket (plus tax and gratuity) includes five different wines paired with chef-prepared bites. The tasting will take place on Wednesday at Sixty Vines Uptown and Thursday at Sixty Vines Plano from 6-8 pm both nights.

Monterosso Lemon Festival Wine Dinner at Dolce Riviera
The Italian Riviera-inspired restaurant in the Harwood District will host a four-course wine pairing dinner featuring lemon-infused specialties. Think lemon ricotta ravioli, lemon cod, and lemon goat cheese torte. Dinner is $125, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 7 pm. The dinner is part of the restaurant’s week-long lemon festival, with coincides with Monterosso Lemon Festival that takes place on the Italian coast. Lemony specials, from appetizers and cocktails to dessert, will be available through Saturday.

Thursday, May 18

Cup of Hope at Half Shells and Fish City Grill
All local Half Shells and Fish City Grill locations will participate in a "Cup of Hope" fundraiser, in which 100 percent of proceeds from cups of gumbo or soup will go to the first responders and victims of the recent shooting at Allen Premium Outlets. Soups include gumbo, clam chowder, cream of jalapeño, crab bisque, and red beans and rice, and the promotion runs all day.

Le Meridien Dallas The Stoneleigh Speakeasy Dinner
Le Meridien celebrates its 100-year anniversary with a series of three dinners featuring 1920s-inspired food and cocktails such as Waldorf salad and steak Diane. Guests get full access to the historic 11th-floor library bar, living and dining room, and corridors. Tickets include valet parking, dinner, two cocktails from the 1920s-inspired menu, and live entertainment. You can't just buy tickets, you need to sign up to be randomly selected, but if you are randomly selected, tickets are $60 and it starts at 5:30 pm.

PEJU Wine Dinner at Musume
Napa Valley winemaker Sara Fowler of PEJU Winery will visit the Hall Arts District sushi destination for a multicourse wine dinner. Menu highlights include a sushi sampler, Thai basil lamb lollipops, and udon Bolognese. Dinner is $180, plus a service fee, and begins at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, May 20

Fiesta on the Plaza at Toyota Music Factory
Get your fill of tamales during this Latin-inspired tasting event that will feature various Mexican and Salvadorean tamales along with mariachi music, DJ music, and dance performances. Early bird tickets range from $15-$35, which include food and beer tickets, with prices to increase to $30-$50 on Tuesday. Kids' tickets are $13. Save room for churros and paletas for dessert. The event will run from 10 am-6 pm on the Texas Lottery Plaza at Toyota Music Factory.

Asian American Heritage Festival in Garland
Boasting the 14th largest Vietnamese population in the United States, the city of Garland will be celebrating the talent, creativity, and diversity of Asian Pacific American communities at this festival, taking place at Winters Park Amphitheater at 1419 Spring Creek Dr. from 2-10 pm with cultural performances from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Hawaii, Indonesia, and more. There'll be craft stalls, art performances, the Colorful World Nation Parade, a lion dance, plus food vendors such as ORC Filipino Asian/American BBQ, Sabai Street Laotian food, Tom Yum Thai restaurant, and Churn and Bake.

Bella Hampton Farm Foundation Pig Roast
Bella Hampton Farm in Kemp, Texas rescues abused and abandoned farm animals, and practices ethical farming. They're hosting a fundraiser with a pig roast (maybe a pig they saved?), farm tours, live music, Tito's Vodka cocktails, plus food from chefs Leo Morales (Refined Hospitality Concepts) and Diana Zamora (Nena Postreria, Cry Wolf). The event runs from 1-6 pm and tickets are $100.

Sip, Sip, Rose at Ellie’s
Start Saturday by drinking pink during this brunch-time celebration of rose. Set to take place at Ellie’s on the terrace, the $40 ticket includes pours of various roses along with spring-themed specialty bites, live music, photo ops, and local shopping experiences. The event will run from 11 am -1 pm.

HG Sply Co. 10-Year Anniversary
The original Lower Greenville location of HG Sply Co. will commemorate 10 years in business with a rooftop party. Visit from 11 am-4 pm for half-prize appetizers on the rooftop along with drink specials and giveaways. A DJ will keep things festive from 12-8 pm. Not in Dallas? Visit the Trophy Club or Fort Worth locations for $10 HG Mules all day Saturday and Sunday to celebrate.

G.D. Vajra Wine Dinner at La Stella Cucina
Indulge in authentic cuisine from the Northwest Italian region of Piedmont paired with wines by G.D. Vajra during this multicourse dinner. Wine producer Giuseppe Vajra will be on-site to chat with guests. Dinner is $175, plus tax and gratuity, and seating times are available by reservation all evening long.

chefs wine dinner

Bread News

Award-winning Dallas bakery scores storefront in Oak Cliff mixed use

Photo courtesy of Kuluntu

Kuluntu bread

One of Dallas' best bakeries is graduating to a new location: Kuluntu Bakery, which currently operates as a cottage bakery in Oak Cliff, is moving into the East Dock, the innovative new mixed-use hub at 900 E. Clarendon Dr. near the Dallas Zoo and Halperin Park.

Founded in 2018, Kuluntu is the cottage food bakery that has been selling breads and pastries from an Oak Cliff home. Despite not having a brick-and-mortar location, the bakery has racked up numerous awards including an impressive ranking on a Food & Wine list of the Best Breads in Every State, a 2023 nomination for a James Beard Award, and a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination for co-founder Stephanie Leichtle-Chalklen for Best Pastry Chef.

And now they will have a brick-and-mortar location.

Their current menu changes weekly, with breads such as country sour and lemon-lavender-walnut sour; their signature granola; cinnamon rolls; and pastries such as almond & lemon croissant, cheesy artichoke galette, and salted rye chocolate chip cookies. They send out an email to subscribers every week listing the latest offerings. (To get on the list, email kuluntu@kuluntubakery.org.)

"At the new location, we will be expanding the menu quite a bit," Leichtle-Chalken says. "It will include items that we’re currently baking plus South African dishes for lunch service."

They're hoping to be open by the end of the year, and once they do open, they'll close down the cottage operation.

But Leichtle-Chalklen says this new location will be more than a bakery — it will be a community hub that centers women’s experiences and builds collective power through education, health & wellness, and equity initiatives.

She already operates Kuluntu as a non-profit, with a goal of co-creating a more equitable food system and community by connecting the food industry, consumers, and partners to center women and humanize all food workers.

Sustainability and taking care of the planet is a practice that threads throughout their organization: whether that's using Barton Springs Mill organic flours and Cedar Ridge Egg Farm free-range eggs, or whether it's following zero-waste baking by recycling, composting, and using environmentally friendly packaging.

East Dock Courtesy rendering

They'll fit right in at East Dock, a former industrial building that was built in 1915 and is being thoughtfully refurbished with a goal of creating an 18-hour campus: coffee in the morning, daytime operators such as offices, studios, and restaurants, then bars and entertainment at night.

On July 12, Kuluntu will host "Reimagining an Inclusive Restaurant in Dallas," where attendees can learn about the lived experiences of women food workers and how we can humanize the food system, as well as re-imagine what an equitable and inclusive restaurant could be — sharing your experiences, ideas, and perspectives to shape Kuluntu Bakery into a true community space for all. Pastries and beverages will be included.

The session will take place at East Dock, allowing a preview of the site which will be under active construction. Get tickets here.

desserts openings