This week in gluttony

Tequila parties top 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

It's tequila time in Dallas.

Tequila Social/Facebook

Tequila is on the menu this week with not one, but two tequila-centric shindigs - one involving an adult spelling bee. But first, be a judge in a competition between a master sommelier and a master of whiskey, partake a summer-inspired California wine dinner, then recoup with Pilates paired with healthy bites. For those not on the naughty list, Santa is trading snow for poolside sips with a cocktail for a good cause. And this week begins with the grand opening of a new H-E-B.

Wednesday, July 22

H-E-B Grand Opening in Murphy
H-E-B will open its long-awaited new store in Murphy, at FM 544 and McCreary Road. Per tradition, doors will open to customers at 6 am and grand opening events will feature company executives along with city officials, community leaders, and area nonprofits. Customers can expect deals and samples throughout the day.

Thursday, July 23

Somm Wars at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
A master sommelier and a master of whiskey will go head-to-head to show off their pairing skills during this four-course dinner in which attendees get to judge who’s best. Each "master" will choose a pairing for broiled oysters with andouille butter and barbecue hollandaise, roasted quail with peach honey glaze and Texas caviar, prime New York strip with potato pave and bourbon butter, and Texas pecan pie with Blue Bell pecan and praline ice cream. The dinner is $195 and will take place at Del Frisco’s in Plano on Thursday and again at Del Frisco’s in Uptown on Friday. Start time is 6:30 pm both nights.

Stag's Leap Cellars Wine Dinners at Princi Italia
The Plano location of Princi Italia invites guests for a three-course wine pairing dinner featuring Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap Cellars. Menu items will include Laura Chenel goat cheese-filled zucchini flowers paired with a Sauvignon Blanc spritz, summer ravioli primavera paired with Chardonnay, Alaskan king salmon paired with “Artemis” Cabernet Sauvignon, and grilled peach shortcake. Dinner is $85 and begins at 6:30 pm.

Friday, July 24

Tequila Social’s Third Birthday
The Harwood District tequila bar and restaurant will host an all-day fiesta to celebrate its third year in business, which happens to coincide with the day that's been deemed National Tequila Day. Guests can enjoy $9 margaritas made with Fort Worth-backed La Pulga tequila, including skinny, spicy, and classic varieties, from 11:30 am to 7 pm. Stay for live music from 7-10 pm.

Saturday, July 25

Café Olivia Grand Opening Weekend
Both locations of the health-centric Café Olivia (Addison and downtown Dallas) will celebrate the launch of weekend service with grand opening festivities. The first 50 guests will receive a free pastry starting at 9 am and can take part in a complimentary Pilates class, peruse wellness vendors, and a enjoy flower bouquet bloom bar. New weekend menu additions include The Daylight Bowl ($14) with sweet potatoes, farro, soft scrambled egg, charred tomato, avocado, garlic spinach, charred halloumi, pumpkin seeds, and lemon tahini, and a refreshed beverage menu includes the Peel, made with homemade banana milk, cinnamon, caramel, and sea salt. New weekend hours are Saturday and Sunday from 9 am-3 pm.

Christmas in July at JadeWaters
Santa will take a vacation from the North Pole to visit the Hilton Anatole’s JadeWaters resort pool for summer sweets and sips for a good cause. Visit for holiday-themed treats, photo ops, and Christmas wish list writing for the kids. Grownups can enjoy a special holiday cocktail from which a portion of sales will benefit Scottish Rite for Children. The Christmas in July party will run from 10 am-2 pm. JadeWaters access is included with Hilton Anatole overnight stays and day passes are available via Resort Pass.

Tequila & The Bee at Legacy Hall
Can you spell tequila? Plano’s Legacy Hall will host an adult spelling bee competition presented by Casamigos Tequila. Contestants can compete for Legacy Hall gift cards ($250 for first place and $50 for second) while enjoying special Casamigos tequila flights. Admission is $10 for spectators and $20 to compete. The bee will run from 1-4 pm.

Cedar Hill Night Market
Historic downtown Cedar Hill will host its first-ever night market set to include more than 70 vendors, food trucks, live music, and beer and wine sold by Cedar Hill’s Mudhook Bar & Grill and Lakewood’s Pour House. Admission is free and the event will run from 5-10 pm at 600 Cedar St.

Restaurant closure

Beloved Bishop Arts Japanese restaurant Zen Sushi closes after 20 years

Zen Sushi/Facebook

After two decades Zen exits Bishop Arts

From the ever-evolving Bishop Arts District in Dallas comes news of another longtime restaurant closing: Zen Sushi, which served modern Japanese fare at 380 W. 7th St. in Oak Cliff for 20 years, shuttered without fanfare following Halloween dinner.

D Magazine was the first to report the closure.

Zen Sushi owner and chef Michelle Carpenter earned a national reputation after opening the restaurant in 2007. She was Dallas' first female sushi chef, the first woman to own and operate a sushi restaurant in the city, and one of the first to offer vegan sushi, years before plant-based dining became a major trend.

In a 2013 Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussion on Reddit, she also said that she invented the popular caterpillar roll — an eel and cucumber-stuffed roll topped with avocado. In the thread, she defended the less traditional approach, saying:

I have to pay the rent. I try to offer something for everyone, for varying levels and preferences. I personally don't like it, but [salmon and cream cheese] is a best-selling roll. There is place for the Philly Roll. I met the Master Itamae that invented this roll, and he is the much more traditional than I am. But he understood his audience and it took me a while to understand my audience."

Carpenter trained for years in San Diego beginning in the 1980s to become an itamae, or master sushi chef, and helped to pioneer the New American Japanese food movement by integrating Texas flavors into her sushi, rolls, and cuisine, as CultureMap has reported.

In 2023, while still operating Zen, Carpenter opened Restaurant Beatrice in Oak Cliff, taking over a beautifully repurposed old home and drawing on the Cajun side of her ancestry for the menu. Restaurant Beatrice was named a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category, just nine months after opening.

In June 2026, Carpenter closed the acclaimed Beatrice primarily because she was suffering a brain tumor. "I can’t do recovery and run Beatrice," she said then. She didn't want to give anything less than 100 percent to her work.

Zen Sushi remained open at that time, CultureMap reported.

In a November 5 story, D Magazine says Zen's closing also is largely related to Carpenter's recovery from brain tumor removal surgery. She is about 80 percent of the way through her recovery, and her condition has improved, according to the magazine. Still, Carpenter opted not to renew her lease this month. She wasn't forced out and could have stayed, but after 20 years, she felt it was a "natural conclusion." She also felt it was better to prioritize her recovery.

And that choice could leave the door open for more culinary achievements. Notes D, "Carpenter has an idea in mind for what she calls a 'legacy' restaurant to open when she is operating at 100 percent ... 'I’ve got one more restaurant in me, and this is beyond Beatrice and Zen.'"

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