This week in gluttony

Fill up on the 11 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

More than 20 "eggheads" will participate in a Big Green Egg cookoff this Saturday.

North Texas EggFest/Facebook

Busy food-and-drink season is here, as evidenced by this week's lengthy list. Wine dinners abound, a barbecue and music festival returns, and an annual "egghead" cookoff will draw hundreds by week's end. Save room for a patio pizza-making party on Sunday.

Tuesday, October 15

A Taste of Spain: Spanish Tapas with Chef Mat Schuster at Central Market
The Lovers Lane location of the gourmet grocer will host chef Mat Schuster of San Francisco’s Canela Bistro for a cooking demonstration class. The lineup of Spanish tapas to be served range from jamon Iberico "tartar" to Mahón-Menorca PDO cheese with quince paste and toasted walnut phyllo cigars with quince drizzle. Spanish wine pairings are included in the $90 price, and class will run from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Barcardi Rum Room at Casablanca
Barcardi’s “Rum Room” pop-up tasting series will make a stop at Casablanca Bar in Bishop Arts for complimentary cocktails, DJ music, activations, and more. Drinks will feature Barcardi Reserva Ocho and include the “Old Cuban” and “After Ocho,” among twists on Barcadi classics. The pop-up will run from 7-11 pm and admission is free.

Wednesday, October 16

Cornell Wine Dinner at Dakota’s Steakhouse
The upscale Dallas steakhouse will host winemaker Elizabeth Tangney of Sonoma’s Cornell Vineyards to talk guests through a five-course dinner featuring her wines. Menu items include snapper crudo, duck pappardelle, and prime filet mignon. Dinner is $460, inclusive of tax and gratuity, and begins at 6 pm.

Thursday, October 17

Taste of the Trolley
Taking place at the Fashion Industry Gallery, this annual McKinney Avenue Transit Authority fundraising event features bites from restaurants located along the M-Line Trolley route. More than a dozen participants include Sixty Vines, Mexican Sugar, Malai Kitchen, The Rustic, and Truluck’s. Tickets are $125 and the event will run from 6-10 pm.

Outpost 76 at Knife Steakhouse Plano
John Tesar’s steakhouse will partner with Texas cattle ranch Outpost 76 on six-course dinner featuring Wagyu beef. The menu is a collaboration between the Knife culinary team and Outpost 76 chef Walter Bandt, who’s cooked for the likes of Paul McCartney, Madonna, and even the late Queen Elizabeth II. Menu highlights include “0 to 60” dry-aged beef sampler, 72-hour short rib, and a sweet and savory dessert of bone marrow crème brulee. Dinner is $275, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Friday, October 18

Orin Swift Wine Dinner at Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh
Four courses paired with Orin Swift wines will feature fall flavors like cinnamon and apple salad, thyme mustard crusted lamb chop, and caramel chocolate pumpkin dome. Price is $130, plus tax and a service fee, and dinner begins at 6 pm.

Saturday, October 19

North Texas EggFest
The 8th annual event will feature more than 20 “egghead” cooks who’ll fire up their Big Green Eggs for a tasting event. Guests can sample their creations and vote for their favorites. Tickets are $10 in advance and the event will run from 11 am-3 pm at Sunnyland Outdoor Living in North Dallas. Those in the market for a Big Green Egg can take advantage of deep discounts on demos after the cookoff.

Troubadour Festival
This Texas barbecue and music festival in Celina will feature 40 barbecue restaurants plus eight country music bands including co-headliners Shane Smith & The Saints, and Treaty Oak Revival. A few of the barbecue participants include Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, Hurtado Barbecue, Lockhart Smokehouse, and Meat Church. Tickets are $125 for both the barbecue and the music, with entry at 1 pm for barbecue samples until 3:30 pm. (Food will be available for purchase thereafter.)

Sunday, October 20

Pizza Making at Poco Fiasco
The Harwood District pizzeria and martini bar will host its monthly hands-on pizza-making class on the patio. Tickets are $40, plus tax and gratuity, and include a pizza-making kit and handcrafted cocktail. Class begins at 4 pm.

Dallas All Star Chef Classic
Dallas 24 Hour Club (“The 24”), which supports those in recovery from addiction, is hosting its 11th annual Dallas All Star Chef Classic fundraiser at the Empire Room, featuring 26 chefs including Kim Canteenwalla from Crown Block, Dean Fearing from Fearings, Troy Gardner from TLC Vegan Café, Rhonda McCullar from Uchibā, CJ Morgan from The Hubcap Café, Eduardo Osorio from Meridian Dallas, Meaders Ozarow from Empire Baking Company, and more. Individual tickets are $200 and the event runs from 5:30-8 pm.

Monday, October 21

Copper Cane Wine Dinner at Sea Breeze Market & Grill
California’s Copper Cane wines will be featured during this six-course dinner at Sea Breeze in Plano. The seafood-centric menu includes a lobster roll with caviar beurre blanc, tuna tiradito, seared sea bass, Coca-Cola braised short rib, and limoncello tiramisu. Seats are $125, plus tax and gratuity. Arrive by 6 pm for cocktail hour before a 7 pm dinner start.

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Coffee News

French cafe from New York to open at buzzy Dallas center near Lakewood

Maman

Lemon meringue tarts from Maman.

A French cafe chain from New York is bringing its ritzy fare to a buzzy intersection in East Dallas: Maman, a celebrated spot with coffee and brand-name pastries, will open a location in Hillside Village, at 6465 Mockingbird Ln. #316, at the address previously occupied by Palmer's Hot Chicken.

Signage is already up in the space. According to a spokesperson, renovations are underway, with a targeted opening date of early fall.

Famous for its pale blue-and-white toile decor and Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maman was founded in Soho in 2014 by partners Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, and has expanded across the U.S, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Canada.

They made their Texas debut in November 2025 when they opened a location in the Plaza at Preston Center. There are also plans for another location in Frisco at the new Fields West mixed-use center, as well as a location in Casa Linda Plaza. Still more locations are said to be in the works.

At the favorably situated Hillside Village, they'll be joining tenants such as Sprouts, SusieCakes, and Sephora. The center has undergone an overhaul in the past decade with the addition of new tenants, starting when Sprouts took over the former Stein Mart.

Palmer's was there for five years; they opened in 2020, part of a then-wave of hot chicken places, before exiting the premises in January 2026. A permitting notice for Maman was posted the same week.

Maman will update the space, installing their signature interior touches to create a cozy, European garden atmosphere. They boast a French provincial aesthetic with vintage furniture, wood floors, imported tiles, and signature blue toile that extends to the custom espresso machine.

The cafe will be open during daylight hours with coffee, breakfast and lunch: espresso drinks, tea, and pastries such as croissants, kouign maman, Bundt cakes, tea cakes, and cookies. Heartier breakfast and lunch items include quiche, a breakfast bowl (with potatoes, arugula, bacon, caramelized onions, avocado, and egg), chicken Caesar wrap, and Mediterranean steak sandwich.

Their drinks can be elaborate with rarefied ingredients; for example, a vanilla honey butter latte with sweet corn foam & cornbread crumbs, or a salted tahini honeycomb latte. They also partner up on brand collaborations with food & beverage names such as Martha Stewart.

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