Get Ready to Eat

These are the 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Paint and sip during Dia de los Muertos this week at Miriam Cocina Latina.

Raynor Brumfield

Halloween howls on Thursday, but this week also celebrates Dia de los Muertos, a tradition celebrated in Mexico that honors deceased loved ones with food, music, and elaborate costumes and decor. In addition, there are two festivals to take note of by week's end: an annual food and wine event in Plano on Saturday, and Chefs for Farmers on Sunday. (And here's a list of restaurants doing Halloween specials.)

Thursday, October 31

Cocktail & Flower Crowns Master Class at Mexican Sugar
Create a La Catrina cocktail and a one-of-a-kind flower crown while learning about the significance Day of the Dead traditions during this hands-on class taking place at all Mexican Sugar locations. The class is $45 and begins at 6 pm at the Uptown, Plano, and Las Colinas locations. The Day of the Dead festivities will continue Friday and Saturday with tableside cocktail experiences, complimentary tequila tastings, tequila smoke show margaritas, tattoo artist, photo ops, and DJs spinning Latin beats from 6–9 pm.

Murder Mystery Dinner at Southfork Ranch
The former home of the iconic TV show Dallas, Southfork Ranch in Parker will host a three-course murder mystery dinner with a masquerade theme on Halloween. Menu items include sweet spring greens salad with praline pecans, Granny Smith apples, blue cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette, choice of Angus beef kebobs or ginger habanero glazed chicken, and peach pie or chocolate lava cake for dessert. The $125 ticket price plus tax includes a glass of wine. Doors open at 6 pm for a 7 pm dinner start. Masquerade attire is encouraged.

Saturday, November 2

Dia de los Muertos at Wild Salsa
Downtown Dallas taco restaurant and bar will host an all-day Dia de los Muertos celebration. Specials include half-off appetizers, $3 tacos, $5 margaritas and select cocktails, and discounted beer, wine, and pitchers along with face painting for the family. Open 11 am–10 pm.

Dia de los Muertos at Black Agave
Located at Mercer Boardwalk in Farmers Branch, Black Agave will mark its first anniversary with a Dia de los Muertos blowout. Visit for mariachi music, stilt walkers, costume contest, and specials including $10 frozen margarita flights, $10 cocktails, and $3 Mexican candy shots. Street corn will be served in festive Day of the Dead cups for $5. The specials will run Friday-Sunday.

Plano Food and Wine Festival
Back for its 7th year, the annual tasting event boasts bites from 26 restaurants along with more than 100 wines. The lineup includes Lombardi Cucina Italiana, Toulouse Café & Bar, Taverna Pizzeria & Risotteria, KAI Restaurant & Lounge, Tommy Bahama, Truluck’s, Fogo De Chao, Suburban Yacht Club, Taverna Rossa Plano, Union Bear, and more. Tickets are $80, or $45 for wine only and $55 for food only. The event will take place at Legacy West from 12–6 pm. (Note that food tastings end at 4 pm.)

Dia de los Muertos Paint & Sip at Miriam Cocina Latina
Klyde Warren Park eatery will celebrate Dia de los Muertos with a Casa Noble paint and sip party. The $45 price includes a Casa Noble Tequila flight duo of silver and reposado, or two Casa Noble margaritas with choice of cucumber or strawberry. A ceramic calavera skull and paint supplies are also included, along with appetizers and light bites. The party begins at 6 pm.

Sunday, November 3

Chefs for Farmers – The Main Event
The 14th annual event will highlight Dallas chefs and restaurants and local farms with an afternoon tasting festival. Taking place at Old City Park, the event will feature bites from Mirador, Quarter Acre, and Georgie as well as out-of-town eateries like New York’s Restaurant Benoit and San Antonio’s Cured at Pearl. Tickets are $145, with $25 going to The Seed Project Foundation. The event will run from 3–6 pm.

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Teppanyaki News

Japanese restaurant chain with sizzling hot plates to debut in Frisco

Pepper Lunch

Pepper Lunch is coming to Frisco.

A distinctive Asian restaurant concept with sizzling hot plates is coming to the Dallas area: Called Pepper Lunch, it's an international chain from Japan that does a fast-casual version of teppanyaki, and it's opening in Frisco at 9180 Warren Pkwy. #150, in a busy shopping center anchored by 99 Ranch, in the former Gen Korean BBQ space.

Frisco will be the very first Pepper Lunch in Texas. According to co-owner Phil Guo, it'll open in mid-March.

Pepper Lunch was founded in Tokyo in 1994 by chef Kunio Ichinose and features teppanyaki, a Japanese cooking style where chefs cook on a hot griddle (teppan) in front of diners, creating an interactive and entertaining meal.

But Pepper Lunch takes it a step further with do-it-yourself teppanyaki, with meals served on 500-degree Fahrenheit hot plates, which are patented to stay hot for more than 20 minutes — allowing diners to cook their own food at the table.

All that sizzle has made Pepper Lunch an internet sensation. Cooking your own food at your table is a trend, and Pepper Lunch also has price and convenience on its side: Most of its menu items come in under $20 and can be complete in 20 minutes, making it a desirable option for workers and others with a limited lunch hour.

The signature dish is their Pepper Rice, which comes in about a dozen options, including the best-selling Beef Pepper Rice, featuring sliced beef, white rice, corn, and spring onion, with freshly-cracked black pepper, which is also a signature. ("We crack it fresh every morning," Guo says.)

Salmon terifyaki at Pepper Lunch Frisco.Pepper Lunch

Other varieties of Pepper Rice include Salmon Pepper Rice, Chicken Pepper Rice, Shrimp Pepper Rice, and Tofu & Veggie Pepper Rice.

You can get your meat, rice, and veggies in a teriyaki option or with curry sauce. They also have pastas with cream sauce and your choice of protein. Sides include American classics such as fries, onion rings, or sweet potato wedges, and they offer Kirin beer.

Dallas is part of Pepper Lunch's broader expansion across the U.S. They currently have more than 500 locations across 17 countries.

Guo is a veteran restaurateur who, along with partner Ken Cheng, operates three locations of Jinya Ramen Bar, a completely different kind of dining experience.

"Jinya is a full-service restaurant with a nice bar and intimate atmosphere, and the food is more complex," he says. "Pepper Lunch is fast-casual, more family-oriented, with a faster pace. If you need to, you can be in and out in 20 minutes. But there's heat nothing like it when they bring your plate to your table, and you get to cook rice or steak right in front of your face — it sizzles and pops."

He loves to recall the first time he encountered Pepper Lunch, decades ago, on a family trip to Hong Kong.

"We waited in line for two hours, and I will always remember sitting down and experiencing that sizzling smell," he says.

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