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.

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Tex-Mex News

Top-notch team helms Sophia's Mexican restaurant in Farmers Branch

dallas.culturemap.com

Dallas food and beverage professional Hugo Miranda is back — front and center at Sophia's Cocina & Cantina, a Mexican restaurant at 1980 LBJ Fwy. on the Mercer Boardwalk in Farmers Branch.

Miranda is the well-respected hospitality figure who previously helmed Hugo's Invitados, a Mexican concept that he opened in 2018 with entrepreneur Mark Hulme.

Hugo's drew a loyal following for its ambitious chef-driven Mexican food with dishes such as Wagyu carne asada and Mexican cioppino. At its mid-pandemic peak, there were Hugo's locations in Las Colinas, Dallas' West Village, and Highland Village.

But the concept was a COVID casualty in more ways than one, including putting Miranda in a coma.

"In 2021, I went to the hospital because of COVID — I was there for six months, including being in a coma for three months," Miranda says. "Hugo's was doing so well, (but) it destroyed our momentum."

Between Miranda being MIA, coupled with the effects of the pandemic, Hugo's met its inevitable ending in 2025.

After Miranda got back on his feet, he did stints with Chilango's and Meso Maya, where he'd worked previously. But he finally made the right fit after connecting with restaurateur Miguel Cavazos, who'd opened Sophia's in early 2026. They formed a partnership, providing a platform for Miranda to rev up a top-notch machine.

That included reuniting with chef Natalio Charles, former chef de cuisine at Meso Maya, former executive chef at José, former culinary director for Hugo's, and 2020 nominee for Best Chef in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards. Charles came on board as executive chef.

Chef Natalio Charles.Photo courtesy of Sophia's

With the band back together, Sophia's is now deploying the same level of impeccable Mexican food that earned Hugo's Invitados so many fans.

Highlights from the menu (which has not yet been uploaded to the restaurant's website nor their Facebook page) include:

Oysters "Oaxacanfeller": charred oysters, creamed spinach, anejo mezcal, crispy pork belly, corn, and manchego cheese
Pork Belly Chicharron: seared pork belly, smashed Purepecha avocado, chile de arbol salsa
Sopa de Cebolla: caramelized onions and poblano pepper in beef broth with toasted bread and chihuahua cheese
Parraillada Mixta Mixed Grill: with lamb, ancho hanger steak, pork loin, garlic mashed potatoes, and arugula
Ribeye Black Angus Tomahawk: sliced tableside with wild mushroom demiglace and saffron new potatoes
Huachinango: seared boneless whole Pacific snapper with roasted poblanos and mushroom risotto

There are also crudos; upscale tacos such as blue crab with spinach; and salads such as red beet carpaccio with arugula, goat cheese, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.

Pacific red snapper ceviche.Photo courtesy of Sophia's

"There is some traditional Tex-Mex although it's not fully authentic," Miranda says. "But we execute the quality well, and from my experience, I know these are dishes that people love."

At dinner, entrees range in price from $20 to $40, tacos are $15 to $20, and at lunch, most dishes are $20 or less.

There's a full bar featuring cocktails made with fresh juices priced at $15 or less; four varieties of margaritas including the Oaxaca with Desolas mezcal and blanco tequila; and a big selection of tequilas. At lunch, they're doing a drink special: 99 cent margaritas when you order an entree, a limit of three per customer, such a deal.

Once Miranda got on board, there was discussion about possibly changing the name of the restaurant to acknowledge his arrival, except for one tiny mitigating factor: "Sophia is my daughter's name, so we had to keep it," Mirada says.

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