This week in gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Christmas cocktails arrive early this year in downtown McKinney.

Facebook/Rye

This week gets cozy with fall cocktails, a baking class, a coffee class, and heated igloo-style bubbles that come with wine and warm fondue. And while Thanksgiving is next week (find dining-in and to-go lists here and here), we see our first glimpses of Christmas-themed events arriving now.

Tuesday, November 14

Santa’s Workshop Christmas Pop-Up at Rye
Christmas comes early to downtown McKinney thanks to a pop-up cocktail bar featuring nothing but holiday spirit. Located at 214 E. Louisiana St. in the former Rye McKinney location, Santa’s Workshop Christmas Pop-Up is now open offering Christmas movie-themed rooms for photo ops and festive cocktails. The menu runs deep with cheery choices like the White Russian-inspired Santa’s Pick Me Up, made with milk and cookies; and The Grinch, made with butterscotch Schnapps in a stocking shot glass. Hours are 5-10 pm Wednesdays-Thursdays, 12 pm-12 am Fridays-Saturdays, and 12- 10 pm Sundays. The pop-up will culminate on December 31 with a New Year’s Eve bash.

Thanksgiving Cocktail Dinner at Urban Rio
The Plano cantina and grill invites guests to forgo wine for cocktails during this four-course dinner. Four different fall-friendly cocktails will be paired with each dish. Dinner is $70 (price includes tax and gratuity) and begins at 6:30 pm.

Wednesday, November 15

Wild Game Dinner at SER Steak + Spirits
Hilton Anatole Dallas' sky-high steakhouse will host an inaugural five-course wild game dinner benefiting Communities Foundation of Texas. Exotic meats will be featured in each course, including a pheasant truffle terrine, bison tartare with duck egg, wild boar croquettes, and antelope Wellington. Fine wine will be paired with each dish. Tickets are $295, plus tax and gratuity, and the dinner begins at 6 pm.

Friendsgiving Bourbon Pairing at Carrabba’s Italian Grill
The Italian upscale comfort food chain will host a holiday dinner featuring bourbon and dishes perfect for a friendly gathering. The four-course menu includes spicy Palermo wings with gorgonzola cheese; creamy rigatoni with grilled chicken; bone-in veal steak with bourbon-bacon butter; and bourbon cinnamon panna cotta. Each course will be paired with a different bourbon. The dinner is $65 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm. Carrabba’s has locations in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst.

Friday, November 17

Winter Wonderland Bubbles at Hotel Vin
The fan-favorite igloo-style bubbles are back in downtown Grapevine. The colorfully lit bubbles are situated on Hotel Vin’s outdoor WineYard next to the historic Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Each can seat up to six and come with après ski lodge décor, heaters, wine, and three-cheese fondue served with sourdough bread, cherry tomatoes, marble potatoes, asparagus, bacon lardons, pickles, and pretzel bites. Reservations are available in 90-minute increments, at 4 pm, 6 pm, and 8 pm ($250, plus tax and gratuity) Wednesday through Sunday starting November 17. Additional food and beverage from the hotel's restaurant Bacchus is available for a la carte ordering. Bonus: this year the bubbles will run clear through February 14.

Underground Comedy Dinner at Bourbon & Banter
The Statler hotel’s underground speakeasy will host its third installment of its comedy dinner series, this time featuring headliner Ku Engenti, who’s opened for big-name comedians like Paul Rodriguez and Ali Siddiq. The $80 ticket price, plus tax and gratuity, includes a multicourse dinner with Wagyu steak au poivre; grilled chicken with fried Brussels sprouts and wild mushroom hunter sauce; and black cherry chocolate crème brulée. Doors open at 6:30 pm, dinner is served at 7 pm, and the show starts at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, November 18

Basics of Pour Over Coffee at White Rhino Coffee Roastery
Learn the art of the perfect pour-over during this expert-led, hands-on class. Bean selection and grinding techniques will also be covered. Tickets are $25, plus tax and a small fee, and class will run from 10 am-12 pm.

Candor Baking Class: Pecans, Not Just for Pie
Learn the many ways to use pecans in a baked dish during this hands-on class hosted by Candor Baking. Participants will learn how to candy pecans and use them in pecan pie scones and brown butter pecan blondies. The $60 price includes pre-baked scones and blondies to take home, along with coffee to enjoy with your own class creations. Class takes place at Davis Street Espresso from 10 am-12 pm.

Monday, November 20

The Ranch’s Farm to Fork Tasting Event
The Ranch at Las Colinas will celebrate 15 years with its annual tasting event that features local farmers, ranchers, growers, and distillers. Visit for complimentary tastings, live music, and photo ops. Admission is free and the event will run from 5-7 pm.

cocktails news-you-can-eat

Tacos 2.0

Beloved Dallas taco chain Tin Star makes comeback in McKinney

Photo courtesy Tin Star/Facebook

Tin Star's Farmers Market Bowl is made with greens, cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico, cheese, roasted corn, and guac with the protein of choice.

An old DFW favorite is making a comeback in McKinney: Tin Star, now Tin Star Tacos & Tequila, has re-emerged, bringing nostalgic favorites, fresh recipes, and its new aesthetic to 8801 El Dorado Pkwy., Ste. 100, former home to Maple Street Biscuit Company, which closed in 2025.

The reboot, as anticipated, resurrects best-sellers from the original 1999 menu, including the iconic Cheeseburger Taco, along with new takes on Tex-Mex plus weekend brunches, according to a press release.

Years before Torchy’s, Revolver, Velvet Taco and other concepts creating colorful and over-the-top tacos entered the market, Tin Star was trailblazing Dallas' gourmet-taco scene.

Leading the Tin Star revival is Tin Star co-founder and CEO of Reach Hospitality Rich Hicks and operating partner Aaron White, whose resume includes Nick & Sam's and Mooyah Burgers. White was the first franchisee when Hicks co-founded Mooyah in the 2000s.

Hicks has enlisted Tin Star alum Ruben Velazquez to help restore some of the original recipes. “For its return, Tin Star's menu leans proudly into its roots, delivering the unexpected flavor combinations and playful culinary creativity that made the brand a North Texas favorite,” says the release.

Other items making a return to the Tin Star menu include:

OG #9 — a savory-sweet combination of grilled chicken, red onion-jalapeño marmalade, crispy sweet potato straws, and melted Jack cheese
Cowboy Kimchi Taco — layers of tender pork and grilled onions with cool crema fresca in a house-made corn tortilla
Portabella Taco — a combination of earthy portabella mushrooms, roasted corn, crema fresca, crispy sweet potato straws, and pesto, all tucked into a house-made corn tortilla

New standouts include:

The Maverick — seared ribeye, creamy avocado, caramelized onions and salsa verde wrapped in a golden, cheese-crusted flour tortilla
Salmon BLT Taco — a lighter but equally indulgent combination of grilled salmon, smoky bacon, fresh pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce served in a crisp lettuce cup

For “the more, the spicier, the better” set, guests may help themselves to Tin Star's popular salsa bar. And for those who favored the cheeseburger above all, Tin Star 2.0 offers an even more indulgent Steakhouse Burger Taco, piled with smoky bacon and crisp fried onions.

Both burger- and steak-centric tacos are served with fries "because some classics are simply too good to reinvent,” the release notes.

Mouths aflame from all that spice can cool off with one of eight signature frozen cocktails. Overheated eaters might opt for the Star Rita over the Watermelon Jalapeño Margarita, or there's the Prickly Pear Paloma, Espresso Martini, Old Fashioned, or Frosé. They are all $6 before 6 pm weekdays. As the updated restaurant name implies, an array of tequilas also is available to quell the pain.

Weekend brunches — Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am-3 pm — feature $5 mimosas and five signature breakfast tacos including La Reina, a hearty combination of fluffy eggs, fajita steak, rich demi-glaze potatoes, and melted Jack cheese and The Waffle, a sweet-and-savory creation featuring crispy chicken tenders, a sunny-side-up egg, jalapeño gravy, and maple syrup, all wrapped in a waffle-batter-pressed flour tortilla.

Tin Star Tacos & Tequila features updated murals, signage, menus, and uniforms and includes a full bar, "an architectural surprise for a fast-casual concept," according to the release, "with a striking limestone wall, warm woodgrain bar top, plush stools, and custom purse hooks fashioned from railroad ties.”

McKinney marks but the first chapter of the Tin Star return, according to the release. A second location is slated to open in late February 2027 at The Mix, a 112-acre development in Frisco touted as a hub of upscale retail, dining, office, hotel, and residential offerings surrounding a vibrant nine-acre central park.

For more information, visit tinstartacos.com or follow @tinstartacos.

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