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

Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

openings pizza