This week in gluttony

Savor foodie fest tops 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Savor arrives this week at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort

SAVOR at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa/Facebook

Derby parties are big this week, but even bigger is a second annual four-day food festival at a Frisco resort that will bring in big-name chefs for multiple events. (One is already sold out.) Other options: take a mini road trip for a roving taco and tequila party, stroll Texas' longest running food truck festival, or practice your cornhole skills for a chance to win $10,000 at a smash burger joint anniversary party.

Wednesday, April 29

WhistlePig & Wagyu Dinner at The Saint
This four-course dinner at The Saint will highlight a progression of Wagyu-driven dishes paired with WhistlePig whiskey expressions, including the highly sought-after Boss Hog XII: “Feather & Flame” Straight Rye Whiskey. Menu items include seared Wagyu Bistecca tonnato, tagliatelle and Wagyu tallow, smoked Wagyu ribeye, and dark chocolate and rye budino. The dinner is $195, plus tax and gratuity, and multiple seating times are available between 5-9 pm.

Thursday, April 30

Burger Schmurger First Anniversary Neighborhood Block Party
The East Dallas smash burger spot that originated from a backyard pop-up is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a high-energy block party featuring live music, giveaways, kid-friendly activities, dirty sodas by Dilly Dally Soda Co., and as the main event - a $10,000 cornhole toss. Guests can enter onsite, with one entry permitted per person. Three finalists will be selected at random to participate in the official toss at 6 pm, each receiving a single attempt to land the winning shot to win $10,000. The festivities will run from 5-8 pm. UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 AT 3-8 PM DUE TO WEATHER.

Savor at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort
The four-day culinary celebration at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort is back for a second year, taking place Thursday through Sunday featuring four exclusive dining events – with one already sold out. Events include the five-course Masters of Taste (Thursday, April 30, 6 pm, $395) featuring TV personality Scott Conant and the Omni PGA Frisco’s chef Leen Nuun, winner of Chopped: Sweets; Fork & Fire (Friday, May 1, sold out); Savor Grand Tasting (Saturday, May 2, 7 pm, $195) featuring bites by Tiffany Derry, Beau MacMillan, Kevin Lee, Dean Fearing, and Ben Ford.; and Margaritas & Mariachis (Sunday, May 3, 10 am, $145), a Cinco de Mayo-inspired brunch with James Beard-nominated Anastacia Quiñones‑Pittman and top regional chefs.

Saturday, May 2

14th Annual Frisco StrEATS Festival
Touted as Texas' longest-running food truck festival, the event promises gourmet eats from DFW food trucks, live music, and craft beer, wine, and with family-friendly activities. Admission is free and the event will run from 11 am-8 pm in Frisco’s historic Rail District.

Derby Day at The Statler
The downtown Dallas hotel will host several opportunities to celebrate the Kentucky Derby at multiple venues. At Overeasy, guests can enjoy themed specials like peach and bourbon pancakes ($14) and the Kentucky barbecue brisket omelet ($16). Watch parties (post time is 5:57 pm) will take place at Scout and Waterproof, with cocktail specials like the Kentucky Mule and the Kentucky Smash, both made with Woodford Reserve. Menu specials will include fried green tomatoes ($12), Louisville Hot Brown flatbread ($14), and more. At the hotel’s underground speakeasy, Bourbon & Banter, enjoy race day signature cocktails like the Secretariat and Nobody’s Mule, both made with Woodfood Reserve. Don your Derby Day best for a chance to win a prize for “best dressed.”

Derby Day at Dee Lincoln Prime
The Frisco steakhouse will host a Kentucky Derby party featuring signature cocktails made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, Old Forester bourbon, and Herradura Tequila. The $150 ticket, plus tax and gratuity, includes two drink tickets plus heavy hors d’oeuvres along with a festive watch party from 4-7 pm. Dress to impress for a derby hat contest. Call 214-387-3333 for reservations.

3^rd Annual Taco & Tequila Crawl at Tanglewood Resort
Located an hour north of Dallas on Lake Texoma, Tanglewood Resort will host a roving taco and tequila tasting to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Stops include Tanglewood Bar & Grill for carne asado tacos, shrimp ceviche, and sopapillas; Lakeside Lounge for chipotle lime tacos, guacamole, and mini churros; and the Tower Whiskey Bar for brisket and jalapeno tacos, chili-lime fruit cups, dessert shooters like tres leches, chocolate mousse, and Mexican flan, along with sprawling view of Lake Texoma. Cocktails are included with each stop. Ticket are $70 and the tasting will run from 6-9 pm.

food events

Diner News

Home-cooking classic Chubby's closes location in southwest Dallas

Chubby's

Biscuits and gravy at Chubby's

A beloved diner near Duncanville in southwest Dallas has closed: Chubby's, famous for its home-cooking cuisine and splendiferous breakfasts, has closed its location at 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd., near I-20 and 67, after 18 years.

In what will be a relief for Chubby's many fans, the original location, at 11331 E. Northwest Hwy., is still open. A manager at the original location confirmed that the Cockrell Hill location had closed, while a spokesperson for the property said the building was up for sale because the owner was "ready to retire."

The location has been on the market since June, but they finally shuttered the restaurant on October 31. It had been at that address since 2008, taking over a space that was formerly Owens Family Restaurant, and originally a Bob Evans Restaurant.

Chubby's was founded by brothers and Greek immigrants John and George Touris, who opened the first location in 1987. Over the years, they opened more locations, winning over fans with their pancakes, omelets, chicken-fried steak, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and more, as well as a few Italian and Greek dishes.

If you know restaurants, you know that Greek restaurateurs usually adhere to a high standard of quality. Stellar signatures, shown in their most tempting light on Instagram, include biscuits & gravy, chicken-fried steak, Greek baked chicken with potato wedges, banana pancakes topped with banana slices and whipped cream, Greek salad, and masterful desserts including multi-layer cakes and baked pies in varieties such as cherry, coconut cream, and the rare chocolate meringue.

As their website explains, John Touris was 16 when he, his brother, and mother left Greece in 1978 and emigrated to Buffalo, New York, where John learned the ropes from his uncle, a restaurant veteran who worked at Towne Restaurant, which helped many Greek immigrants find their way in the U.S.

John moved to Dallas and in 1982 opened his first restaurant, Dough Boys, which eventually evolved into Chubby’s when it moved to its location on Northwest Highway. Together with his brother George, John built Chubby’s into a community cornerstone, expanding to four locations across Plano and Lancaster, which both closed, and this location near Duncanville, which has now closed as well.

Chubby’s is treasured by old-timers as one of a shrinking pool of diner-type places, like Mama's Daughters' Diner, Original Market Diner, Metro Diner, and Norma's Cafe, that offers unpretentious, well-prepared food at a relatively low price.

breakfast closings greek cuisine