This week in gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

The Feast of the Seven Fishes special at Meddlesome Moth.

Raynor Brumfield

Let’s call this week “Feast of the Seven Fishes Week.” Multiple Dallas restaurants will celebrate the traditional Italian dinner – typically held on Christmas Eve. Why the number seven? Symbolic representations range from the seven days of creation to the seven days it took Mary and Joseph to reach Bethlehem. Regardless of religious background, everyone is welcome to enjoy various versions of the dinner at multiple eateries all week long.

Wednesday, December 21

Watercolor & Wine at Ellie’s
Learn the art of watercolor with a glass of wine in hand at the Hall Arts Hotel restaurant. This artist-led workshop will teach different techniques to create an original masterpiece based on a theme. The $75 ticket includes wine, light bites, paint supplies, and valet parking. Class will run from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Thursday, December 22

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Meddlesome Moth
An Italian-American celebration typically held on Christmas Eve, the tradition features many dishes of seafood and fish. Meddlesome Moth’s version will offer a Feast special ($59) of lobster with cognac cream, fried smelts, colossal shrimp, mussels, little neck clams, diver scallops, and black bass over a bed of linguini. The special will run Thursday through Saturday.

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Sassetta
This version of the Italian Christmas traditional dinner does indeed feature seven courses. Taking place at Sassetta inside The Joule, the dinner will offer scallop crudo, cioppino with mussels, clams, white fish, and calamari, two kinds of seafood pasta, branzino al forno, and cannoli with ricotta cream filling. The dinner is $130, plus tax and gratuity, and includes a cocktail upon arrival. Reservations are available both Friday and Saturday beginning at 5 pm.

Saturday, December 24

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Urban Crust
The Plano pizzeria and Italian eatery will feature three specialty courses to celebrate the Italian Christmas Eve tradition. Dinner is $49.90, plus tax and gratuity, and seating is first-come, first-serve beginning at 3 pm. Wine pairings will also be available.

Feast of the Seven Fishes at The Kimpton Pittman Hotel
The Deep Ellum hotel will host the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner inside Elm & Good, along with live acoustic music. The multicourse menu will include octopus carpaccio with fennel, grapefruit and pumpkin seeds, mussels in saffron broth, linguini with clams, shrimp cocktail, and much more. Dinner is $95, and reservations are available between 5-10 pm.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day dining
Christmas will be a two-day dining extravaganza, with celebratory meals served from Christmas Eve through Christmas night. Check this list for restaurants serving brunches and dinners both days, along with some to-go options for at-home celebrations. Looking for restaurants to take out-of-town guests throughout the week? Find some great options here.

holidays dinner wine news-you-can-eat

Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

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