• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark 2016
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

So Many Festivals

Tastemaker Awards top 11 best food & drink events in Dallas this week

Celestina Blok
Apr 28, 2025 | 5:59 pm
FW Tastemaker Awards

Tastmaker Awards 2025.

Ashley Gongora

Spring has arrived and so have spring events, as is evident by this extra-long list of Dallas foodie festivities. The list boasts the debut of not one, but two multi-day culinary festivals. There are also Kentucky Derby parties, a Cinco de Mayo margarita crawl, and a deluxe 5-course dinner that will benefit culinary students. But the uncontested highlight of the week is surely CultureMap's 2025 Tastemaker Awards, honoring all of the best in Dallas food and drink. Tickets are still on sale, it promises to be a feast, everyone's going to be there.

Tuesday, April 29

Villa Spendida Olive Oil Dinner at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
The Grandscape dining destination will host a four-course wine pairing dinner featuring Villa Splendid olive oil. Partake in hand-rolled basil gnocchi with Maine lobster, 55-day wet-aged prime strip steak with olive oil potatoes, and olive oil cake with olive oil gelato. Dinner is $105 (add $55 for wine pairings), plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, May 1

Savor at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort
The inaugural four-day culinary celebration will take place Thursday through Sunday at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort featuring an array of Food Network stars and James Beard Award winners. Guest chefs include Aarón Sánchez, Stephanie Izard, Antonia Lofaso, Kwame Onwuachi, Dean Fearing, and John Tesar. The four-day fete consists of four exclusive dining events, ranging from $550 Masters of Taste dinner Thursday night to a $195 Margaritas & Mariachis brunch on Sunday.

2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards
Our signature tasting event and awards ceremony will take place at the Astoria Event Venue, 3216 Royalty Row in Irving, bringing with it chef-driven bites and sips prepared by nominees in categories such as Restaurant, Chef, and Bar of the Year. See the menu here, including delicacies such as chicken kofta meatballs from Goodwin's, Peking duck wraps and spicy tuna cones from Komodo, and truffle Wagyu dumplings from Nuri Steakhouse. Tickets start at $75 for general admission at 7 pm, or go VIP for $125 and get early entry at 6 pm along with a dedicated bar and valet parking.

Heritage & Heat: A Mentor & Protégé Dinner at SER Steak + Spirits
SER chef Aubrey Murphy will reunite with his first mentor, legendary chef John Tesar, for an exclusive collaboration dinner. This five-course menu will showcase mentor and protégé dishes like coral trout with wasabi flowers to flash seared snow beef with osetra caviar. Dinner is $190, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6 pm.

Derby Dinner Party at Tupelo Honey Frisco
This Derby-themed dinner party will feature three courses of Tupelo Honey’s best-selling dishes along with drink pairings. The menu includes fried green tomatoes, bone-in honey-dusted fried chicken, and heavenly banana pudding. Dinner is $50, plus tax and a small fee, and begins at 6:30 pm.

A Taste of Country: Duckhorn Wine Dinner at Hall Park Hotel Frisco
To kick off the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards weeklong list of festivities in Frisco (the big show is set for Thursday, May 8), the Hall Park Hotel will pair Duckhorn Wines with Southern cuisine for a special dinner. Menu highlights include fried green tomatoes with pickled okra pico de gallo, chicken fried quail, and banana cheesecake with vanilla bean caramel. Dinner is $125, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Friday, May 2

Lone Star Smokeout
Making its Texas debut is this three-day outdoor barbecue and country music festival, an expansion of the award-winning Windy City Smokeout held in Chicago. The parking lot party will be held outside AT&T Stadium Friday through Sunday featuring country music headliners Cody Jinks, Jon Pardi, and Midland along with more than a dozen other bands. Tickets include access to barbecue from 13-plus pitmasters from across Texas and the country, including local favorites Dayne’s Craft BBQ, Hurtado Barbecue, and 2025 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Award winner Panther City BBQ. Single day tickets start at $73.

Saturday, May 3

13th Annual Frisco StrEATS Gourmet Food Truck & Music 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 local whiskey tastings along with family-friendly activities. Admission is free and the event will run from 11 am–8 pm in Frisco’s historic Rail District.

The Harwood District’s Cinco de Mayo Margarita Crawl
Sip your way through the Harwood District and enjoy live mariachi music and discounted margaritas and tacos at participating venues, which include Tequila Social, Dolce Riviera, Elephant East, and many more. The crawl ends at Te Deseo, where the party keeps going on its rooftop, La Terazza. Attendees must check in at Tequila Social between 1 and 2 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Derby Day at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
Get dressed in your derby best for this patio party at the Ritz in downtown Dallas. The $49 ticket includes access to the party and race live stream viewing area, live music, passed canapes, tasting station, and two drink tickets. The party will run from 4:30–6:30 pm.

Monday, May 5

Women in Restaurants Leadership Program Capstone Dinner
Enjoy an 8-course dinner prepared by culinary students in a program established by Restaurant Beatrice chef Michelle Carpenter, with Julia Fleming of Duro Hospitality supervising the service team. Courses include deviled quail egg, a salad with roasted carrots, beets, spring peas, and radish salad, blue cornmeal-crusted Gulf shrimp, mini beef Wellington with Duchess potatoes and long beans, and tiramisu. There's also a vegan option with courses such as blue cornmeal-crusted maitake, ratatouille on angel hair pasta, and strawberry coconut panna cotta. Tickets are $89 online and go towards the students' tuition. The dinner is from 5:30-8:30 pm at Dallas College - Culinary Pastry and Hospitality Center, 11830 Webb Chapel Rd. #1200.

festivals wine chefs tastemaker awards event-planner
news/restaurants-bars
popular

Strawberry butter forever

Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon and Zodiac Room live on at NorthPark Dallas

Stephanie Allmon Merry
Oct 2, 2026 | 9:23 am
Rendering of the new Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon at NorthPark
Rendering courtesy of Neiman Marcus and Arcadis Inc.
Rendering of the new Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon at NorthPark.

The Neiman Marcus flagship store in downtown Dallas closed its doors for good on September 30, and some longtime customers were so bereft, they dressed in black and laid flowers at the food of the entrance. Many took to social media to share memories of shopping for bridal gowns, dining at The Zodiac Room, and visiting with Santa at Christmas time.

Now there's a ray of light for those mourning the loss: Some of the most most beloved "downtown Neiman's" traditions are getting a second life at NorthPark.

The day after the downtown closure, Neiman Marcus revealed that The Zodiac Room, Bridal Salon, and Santa would move to the NorthPark store.

According to a statement from parent company Exemplar Luxury Group, the additions are part of planned enhancements to the NorthPark store designed to build on Neiman Marcus' history while creating new experiences for customers.

“As we close an important chapter in our history, we do so with immense gratitude for the generations of associates and customers who made our Downtown store so special," the company says. "We are excited to enhance our NorthPark store by infusing new elements that celebrate our storied history, continuing to evolve the experience where our customers prefer to shop.”

Rendering of The Zodiac Room entrance at NorthPark Rendering of The Zodiac Room entrance at NorthPark.Rendering courtesy of Neiman Marcus and Arcadis Inc.

The Zodiac Room popovers live on
One eagerly anticipated arrival is The Zodiac Room, which will open November 20 in the former NM Café space at NorthPark.

"The existing space will be transformed with key design elements from the Downtown Zodiac Room including the turquoise walls, plush banquets, and one-of-a-kind art," the company says.

The menu will be filled with the Zodiac's longtime favorites, including its signature chicken broth, popovers with strawberry butter, Stanley Marcus pot roast, and mandarin orange soufflé - alongside some newly created dishes.

The restaurant will serve a special holiday 2026 feast from November 20-January 2, giving Dallas diners a chance to continue a seasonal tradition that dates back decades. Reservations are now available through OpenTable. (Per a store representative, the restaurant is still listed as NM Cafe NorthPark in OpenTable and will change soon.)

Rendering of The Zodiac Room at NorthPark. Rendering of The Zodiac Room at NorthPark.Rendering courtesy of Neiman Marcus and Arcadis Inc.

The Zodiac's move had been teased at the September 17 Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas Fashion Show and Luncheon, the final event held at the downtown store. Mary McGreevy, chief stores officer for Exemplar Luxury Group, told the audience, "As we look forward to our future and continuing our legacy of Neiman Marcus at NorthPark, we will celebrate more events, we will celebrate with elevated shopping experiences, and our newly reimagined Zodiac Room, which will be opening right before the holidays."

Now they confirm it will open the week before Thanksgiving.

Here comes the Bridal Salon
In white-hot bridal news, the Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon will also make the move to NorthPark, relocating to the lower level of the store and "offering an intimate space for one of life’s most meaningful experiences," Exemplar says in the statement.

"It was important for the company to continue this tradition as many customers have generations of family members that are Neiman’s brides," they say. "The company will continue to service existing brides with their alterations and fittings at the NorthPark store while the new space is under construction."

Neiman Marcus NorthPark Bridal Salon rendering. Neiman Marcus NorthPark Bridal Salon rendering.Rendering courtesy of Neiman Marcus and Arcadis Inc.

It also fulfills a longtime need for a bridal salon at NorthPark Center in general.

The Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon is scheduled to open in early December. Customers can make new bridal salon appointments via their sales associate or by calling the store.

Santa Claus is coming to NorthPark
One downtown fixture will make the move in person (plug your ears, kids): Felix Estridge, the store's longtime Santa, will bring his Christmas cheer to NorthPark after Thanksgiving. According to the company, he'll continue traditions including photos with Santa and Breakfast with Santa, along with Storytime with Santa and Dine with Santa.

Tickets for the holiday events are now available online.

Neiman Marcus Santa Santa's ready to visit with kiddies at Neiman Marcus NorthPark.Photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus

Downtown art will live on
The downtown store's art collection won't be kept entirely in Dallas.

According to Exemplar, historic art pieces from the flagship will find new homes throughout the Neiman Marcus portfolio, allowing customers around the country to experience pieces of the company's history.

The original Neiman Marcus opened in Dallas in 1914. After years of uncertainty surrounding the downtown location, the company announced in June 2026 that it would close the flagship and concentrate its Dallas presence at NorthPark.

The downtown store's September 30 closing ended a long saga over its future. Neiman Marcus had originally planned to close the location in 2025, then kept it open through the holiday season while exploring options for the store. Six months later, the closure was announced.

"For more than a century, this store has held a cherished place in our history and in the lives of our customers, helping shape Neiman Marcus into the iconic luxury retailer it is today," Exemplar says. "The spirit of innovation, exceptional service and deep customer relationships that defined our Downtown store will continue to guide us as we honor our rich heritage and embrace our bright future. Dallas remains an incredibly important market for the Neiman Marcus brand."

downtown dallas zodiac room bridal boutique northpark center shopping neiman marcus
news/restaurants-bars
popular
CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
Get Dallas intel delivered daily.
Loading...