Taylor Swift tea tops 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

The Life of a Showgirl SwifTEA at Hotel Crescent Court

Hotel Crescent Court

A Dallas hotel is calling all Swifties for a Taylor Swift-inspired afternoon tea to celebrate the singer's new album release. But first, partake in a sip-and-stroll bourbon tasting, a Bishops Arts eatery's anniversary party, a fancy wine pairing dinner, and a time-honored fundraiser featuring burgers and burgundy. Red River Rivalry fans take note: there are pre-game tailgate parties on the list just for you. (Find a full list of all the TX-OU dining events here.)

Tuesday, October 7

The Whiskey Event at Al Biernat’s North
The inaugural event will showcase premium whiskeys and bourbons from distilleries around the country, including Buffalo Trace, Beam Suntory, and Garrison Brothers (to name a few) paired with hors d’oeuvres by chef Luis Rodriguez. Bourbon-inspired bites will include bourbon-cured salmon crostini, Lexington chicken sliders, smoked brisket sliders with bourbon barbecue sauce, pimento cheese bites, deviled eggs, Kentucky hot brown crostini, and more. Tickets are $75 and include one drink ticket, hors d’oeuvres, and access to eight tasting stations

Wednesday, October 8

Encina 5th Anniversary Party
Bishop Arts neighborhood eatery will celebrate five years in business with a parking lot party. Go for $5 burgers, $5 fries, and $10 martinis along with a band and flash tattoos. (Note the regular dinner menu will not be available.) The party will run from 5–9 pm.

Cosmic Cocktails at Vincent’s at JW Marriott Dallas Arts District
Rooftop lounge at JW Marriott Dallas Arts District is launching Cosmic Cocktails, a weekly sunset-to-twilight happy hour from 4:30-6:30 pm with skyline views, color-shifting drinks, and playful guest experiences. The series kicks off October 8 with complimentary tarot card readings and lip print readings as signature activations. Cocktails to try include the Cosmo Cosmic, a color-shifting cocktail that starts deep indigo and turns vivid pink, thanks to butterfly pea–infused vodka; tangy with citrus, subtle floral notes. They'll host complimentary tarot card readings and lip print readings, alternating each Wednesday.

Thursday, October 9

Vice Versa Wine Dinner at Dee Lincoln Prime
The Frisco fine dining destination will host a four-course dinner designed by Dee Lincoln’s culinary director Julian Rodarte to pair with California’s Vice Versa wines. Menu highlights include bluefin carpaccio, lobster and leeks, filet with shaved truffles, and a surprise dessert. Dinner is $550, plus tax and gratuity. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm with passed apps and champagne.

DIFFA Dallas Burgers + Burgundy
The 16th annual event created and hosted by chef John Tesar returns to The Village Dallas featuring 16 Dallas celeb chefs to present their unique take on the perfect slider paired with a glass of wine. Chefs include John Kleifgen of Nick & Sam’s, Sergio Gallardo of STK Steakhouse, Celina Gomez of Loro Asian Smokehouse, and Tesar himself. Tickets start at $95 and include burgers, wine pairings, plus an open bar and entertainment. The event begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, October 11

TX vs. OU at Happiest Hour
The downtown entertainment destination will host a pregame tailgate party sponsored by 818 Tequila and UberEats featuring DJ music, drink specials, games, and giveaways. Access is $25 (plus tax and a service fee) and the party will run from 9 am–noon. Stay to watch the game, which kicks off at 2:30 pm.

The Joule Tailgate Pop-Up with AB.Lino + LALO Tequila
Visit the lobby of The Joule before heading to the Cotton Bowl to partake in Texas and OU-inspired specialty cocktails from LALO Tequila at the Lobby Bar. Also snag exclusive co-branded keepsakes from The Joule and AB.Lino, including bandanas and polaroid photo inserts. The pop-up will run from 10:30 am–2:30 pm.

The Life of a Showgirl SwifTEA at Hotel Crescent Court
The luxe hotel has debuted a Taylor Swift-inspired tea that combines culinary creativity with nods to some of the singer’s most beloved songs in celebration of her new album launch. Menu items include Everything “Bagel” Has Changed (Song: “Everything Has Changed”) featuring a mini everything bagel with caper and herb cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumber, and smoked salmon belly; You’re On Your “Scone” Kid (Song: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”), served with clotted cream and house-made jam; and Loving Him Was “Red” (Song: “Red”) featuring red velvet cupcakes. Tickets are $100 for adults and $45 for children, plus tax and fee. Add bottomless bubbly for $40 more. Seating times are 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm Saturdays-Sundays through November.

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef