In This Week's Food Events

NY's Eve tops 10 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

The champagne will flow at Monarch on New Year's Eve.

Monarch Dallas/Facebook

The final week of 2025 is here and whether you're looking for-last minute New Year's Eve reservations or planning ahead for 2026, this list has you covered. There's something for everyone, from a class on king cake (Mardi Gras will be here before we know it) and an iconic annual chili cookoff to demonstrations on healthy juices, kombuchas, and teas.

(If you're making plans for New Year's Day brunch, find that list here.)

Thursday, December 31

Restaurants and bars across Dallas will be celebrating New Year's Eve in one way or another, some with elaborate menus and opulent extras like caviar and champagne. The following still have limited reservations available:

Elaine’s Cocktail Kitchen
Frisco restaurant will host a Great Gatsby-inspired fete with two seatings: 3-course meal from 5–6:30 pm for $55, or a smaller event (limited to 30 guests) at 9 pm featuring a four-course menu with cocktails and midnight champagne toast with party favors for $175.

Georgie
Prix-fixe menu will offer bluefin tuna tartare, foie gras, truffle marbre, striped bass, and extras such as caviar, lobster, and truffles. Conclude with artful desserts like warm riz au lait or a citrus-kissed pavlova. The menu is $150 and it runs from 5–9:30 pm.

Fire & Ice Fantasy Ball at Monarch & Kessaku
Sister restaurants on the 49th and 50th floors of The National will host a glamorous party with food stations, seafood ice tower, sushi rolls, desserts, open bar, champagne, and caviar. Tickets are $350 and it runs from 9 pm–1 am.

Nuri Steakhouse
Asian steakhouse will host two seatings with a prix-fixe menu. Limited reservations are available for the early timeslot from 5–7:45 pm ($175) and the later seating from 8–10:30 pm ($225). Each includes a Moet split.

Sushi by Scratch Restaurants
Omakase destination downtown will host a 17-course dinner with caviar and champagne. Limited seatings are available at 5 pm and 9:30 pm, and tickets are $325.

Thursday, January 1

17th Annual Chili Cookoff at Strokers Ice House
Legendary Dallas biker bar and restaurant will host its annual chili cook-off where guests get to judge which chili is best. Pay $5 to taste all entries and enjoy drink specials. Judging starts at 3 pm but patrons can arrive as early as 12 pm to start sampling. The cookoff will run until 4 pm.

Saturday, January 3

New Year, New Cleanse at Dallas Farmers Market
Start 2026 with a visit to the Dallas Farmers Market for some healthy inspiration. Featured products will include juices, teas, and tonics. plus demonstrations on mocktails and kombucha, live music, and activities for the kids. Hours are 9 am–5 pm on Saturday and 10 am–5 pm on Sunday.

Mimosas with Meaning at Café Momentum
Non-profit restaurant will host an inspiring New Year’s brunch, featuring a one-day-only menu crafted by their creative chefs. Between sips and plates, you’ll be invited to join the restaurant's interns in setting intentions and goals for 2026. It's from 11 am–3 pm and prices are a la carte.

Uncorked: Natural Wines at Eataly
Learn about natural wines from Italy during this class lead by the beverage experts at Eataly, the Italian market at NorthPark Center. Topics covered will include regions, history, and grape varietals. The ticket is $55 plus tax and service fee, and includes the tasting and traditional Italian pairings. Class will run from 3:30–4:30 pm.

Monday, January 5

Make & Take: French King's Cake at Central Market
The traditional puff pastry dessert called galette des rois is enjoyed throughout the month of January leading up to Mardi Gras which is on February 17. Learn how to make it during this hands-on class at the Lovers Lane location of Central Market. Participants will leave with an unbaked cake to finish at home or freeze for the future. Class is $85 and begins at 6:30 pm.

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Italian Restaurant News

Italian restaurant The Saint makes debut in Dallas Design District

Samantha Marie Photography

The Saint

A swanky restaurant is relocating from one hip Dallas neighborhood to another: The Saint, the Italian steakhouse from Hooper Hospitality Concepts which originally opened near Deep Ellum in 2023, is moving to a new address in the Dallas Design District.

The restaurant will open at 1000 N. Riverfront Blvd., and it's happening soon: According to a release, it'll open on Saturday, January 3.

It's going into same building that will be home to Night Rooster, The Saint's sibling Asian concept which will open sometime in 2026.

Hooper Hospitality Concepts CEO Andy Hooper says in a statement that "the Design District offers the ideal setting for the experience we’ve created. It gives us greater visibility, a setting that matches the sophistication of our menu, and a chance to welcome even more guests into the world of The Saint."

Decor
The 1,800-square-foot dining room seats 85. Highlights include a golden-tiled stairway leading to the restaurant’s second-story landing, crowned by an 18th-century gilt chandelier, counterbalanced by a graffitied antique oil portrait hand-tagged by Design District artist Kelly O’Neal.

It's a whole opposites theme, creating a space where both “saints and sinners” feel at home. The wallpaper features a vivid interpretation of saints-and-sinners iconography, blending flora, fauna, snakes, doves, and talismanic motifs into a damask pattern.

Scalloped upholstered booths soften the room with elegant curves under the pink glow of an antique 1920s Parisian glass-domed chandelier. Nearly every seat captures a view of the downtown Dallas skyline.

New chef
The kitchen is now led by executive chef Sergio Esquivel, a Dallas-born chef whose culinary roots trace back to early days cooking beside his grandmothers. He attended The Culinary Institute of America and has worked at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Georgie by Curtis Stone, Harper’s, Nuri Steakhouse, and as personal chef for the Jones family at AT&T Stadium.

His style blends steakhouse tradition with Italian technique, Peruvian brightness, American comfort, and Korean depth, with a commitment to crafting everything in-house.

His menu will include dry-aged cuts from Texas ranchers, Wagyu selections, housemade pastas, seafood, and vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Standout menu items include

Texas Wagyu Tartare with truffle carpaccio and balsamic cured egg yolk
Shellfish Platter with Maine lobster, king crab, oysters, and prawns with cocktail sauce
Wild Mushroom & Black Truffle Tagliatelle
32-oz Bistecca Alla Fiorentina

The bar program will continue to offer inventive cocktails and a notable wine selection, now enhanced by a lineup of new signature drinks such as the In Good Faith with Ford’s Gin, Ramazotti Apertivo, hibiscus syrup, lemon and sparkling wine; plus new smoked whiskey decanter drinks, offering a mesquite-smoked Manhattan and Old Fashioned in regular and top shelf selections.

deep-ellum openings