Brunch and dinner

Holiday feasts lead 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Dolce Riviera

Dolce Riviera/Facebook

Santa is making his final week of appearances at food events around town before preparing for the big day next week. Catch him at a tamale festival and Texas-sized Sunday brunch. But first, secure reservations for a collaborate dinner featuring a Michelin chef, then break out the ugly Christmas sweater for a beer brunch. Save room for an Italian seafood dinner leading up to Christmas Eve.

Thursday, December 18

Chef RJ Yoakum Collaborative Dinner at Rye
Michelin chef RJ Yoakum (The French Laundry, Georgie, Lynn’s Table) will visit Rye for a collaborative tasting dinner. Patrons can expect eight courses paired with Michelin-accoladed cocktails from the Rye bar, with courses such as smoked oyster flan, Japanese ratatouille with purple potato, kabocha squash, & Japanese eggplant, pork belly with prunes, seared Wagyu ribeye with crispy potato sticks, and butter mochi in puff pastry. The $250 ticket price includes tax and gratuity, and there are two seating times, 5:45 pm and 8:15 pm.

Saturday, December 20

Tamale Weekend at the Dallas Farmers Market
Snag tamales by the dozen at this annual festival that will run both Saturday and Sunday at the Dallas Farmers Market. Bring the entire family for letters to Santa with photo ops and live music, along with tamale making demos and sampling. The market will be open from 9 am–5 pm.

Holiday Around The Swirled — A Spirited Vegan Dinner
Four-course vegan dinner by Chef Troy Gardner at Swirled Peace in Bishop Arts features seasonal dishes including Celtic kale & carrot salad, butternut squash soup with turmeric & saffron cream, choice of British "meat" pie with truffle parmesan roasted new potatoes, or dill-parmesan salmon with whipped sweet potato, and choice of sticky figgy pudding with Swirled Peace vanilla ice cream & rum sauce, or apple cobbler sundae with Swirled Peace eggnog ice cream & brown sugar almond crumble. Two seatings at 5:30 pm or 8 pm. $85 plus $18.70 tax+tip and $2.59 service fee.

Sunday, December 21

Holiday Brunch Buffet at The Ranch at Las Colinas
Santa will make an appearance during this Texas-sized Christmas brunch buffet at The Ranch at Las Colinas. Plan for multiple carving stations, a seafood display, taco bar, traditional breakfast dishes and more. The price is $60, or $20 for 12 and under, and the brunch will run from 10 am–3 pm.

Ugly Sweater Christmas Brunch at Community Beer Company
Break out the tacky Christmas sweaters for this Sunday brunch at Community Beer Community. There’ll be a contest for the “ugliest” sweater, a la carte brunch items, a hot chocolate bar, winter cocktails, mimosa set-ups with two juices, and colossal bloody marys. Handle any last-minute shopping at the on-site local vendor market, too. The brunch will run from 10:30 am-3 pm.

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Dolce Riviera
Italian destination in the Harwood District will celebrate the Italian tradition of serving a seven-course seafood-centric dinner before Christmas. Menu highlights include kampachi crudo, Naples style paccheri with striped bass and fennel fish broth, and Venetian-style Dungeness crab risotto. The dinner is $90 and will be available starting Sunday through Christmas Eve. Note that whole table participation is required.

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Coffee News

Italian brand Lavazza Coffee opens training facility in Dallas

Lavazza

Lavazza Coffee

A coffee brand from Italy has planted a stake in Dallas: Lavazza, founded in the northern Italian city of Turin in 1895, has opened a state-of-the-art training center in Dallas, at 1722 Routh St. #960, where it will serve as a hub for coffee enthusiasts throughout the Southwest.

Dallas is the newest outlet in Lavazza's coffee training network, joining locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, West Chester Pennsylvania, and Toronto — part of their expansion across high-growth markets in the U.S., and its mission to elevate coffee culture globally. (They're also doling out endorsement dollars in commercials featuring Steve Carell and John Krasinski.)

The facility is equipped with espresso, brewing, and coffee innovation equipment, and will serve Lavazza partners, industry professionals, baristas, and distributors. They'll offer hands-on training, SCA certification, menu development, and emerging coffee trends.

Lavazza already partners with many respected hospitality groups and culinary destinations in Dallas including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Coury Hospitality Group, Al Biernat's Steakhouse, and Vandelay Hospitality.

In October 2025, Lavazza also began serving coffee on flights by Fort Worth-based American Airlines — further strengthening their connection to the North Texas market. The facility will enable Lavazza to provide closer, more consistent support to these partners and help elevate their coffee programs through continued training and collaboration.

Lavazza has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today they're one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild, and Kicking Horse.

In a statement, Lavazza North America president Hossam Ashraf says that "Dallas has an incredible energy and an ever evolving coffee scene," while Lavazza North America Marketing VP Daniele Foti says that Dallas is great, and we must concur.

"As one of the fastest growing hospitality and culinary markets in the country, Dallas represents a tremendous opportunity for Lavazza," Foti says. "Our investment in this new Training Center demonstrates our commitment to the region and to the partners who bring the Lavazza experience to life every day. Dallas is a city of innovation and high standards, and we are excited to deepen our roots here."

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