Broadway Dallas' glitzy gala seduces with hot night at the Moulin Rouge

Come what may

Photo by Thomas Garza Photography

With can-can dancers, corseted coquettes, late-night corny dogs, and top-shelf cabaret cocktails, the Broadway Dallas 2023 Galawas a glittering Moulin Rouge-inspired spectacle from entrance to exit.

The Music Hall at Fair Park’s Crystal Terrace Dining Room was transformed into the world’s most famous pleasure palace for a Parisian-inspired affair on Saturday, April 1.

More than 350 patrons decked out in Moulin Rouge-inspired cocktail attire - satin, feathers, and sequins galore - walked the red carpet, right into a cheeky French boudoir for a cocktail reception. There, they bid on fabulous silent auction items, from gift cards to trips to a highly coveted pair of Taylor Swift concert tickets for the very next night.

Master of ceremonies (actor B.J. Cleveland, portraying the proprietor of Moulin Rouge) corralled patrons into the opulently appointed dining room for the evening’s presentations. Recognized were gala co-chairs Jolie Humphrey and Gail Plummer, along with honorary co-chairs Ambassador Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall. Broadway Dallas president and CEO Ken Novice thanked supporters for “celebrating the magic of Broadway” and helping to spread its spirit to schools and into the community.

Guests enjoyed a sumptuous multicourse meal, starring a surf-and-turf duo of beef and lobster tail, prepared by FGF Catering. The French-inspired fare was paired with HALL wines, and affable servers never let glasses run dry. Flutes of Telmont Reserve Brut Champagne sparkled alongside the iced lemon souffle for dessert.

The dinner program hit its pinnacle when more than 30 students from Guyer High School (which participates annually in Broadway Dallas’ High School Musical Theatre Awards) performed “Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart)” from the show Anastasia. A live auction and paddle raise followed, helping to push the evening’s fundraising total to $870,000.

Guests hurriedly found their seats inside the hall for a full performance of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, winner of 10 2021 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Described as "a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love," the wildly energetic show electrified the audience, down to the confetti shower they received at the end.

Gala patrons continued the night at an after-hours fête hosted by co-chairs Emma Coppola and Hannah Hunt. Hungry attendees were treated to crepes from Whisk Crepes Café, parmesan and truffle pommes frites and croque monsieur, and of course, a full flowing bar with specialty themed cocktails. DJ Sheka kept the tunes spinning, and Trap Opera Star Madelyn Brené delighted with a musical performance.

Guests could take home a souvenir of the night via a 3D photo booth or a clever "backside" caricature drawn by Rob Free with The Original Butt Sketch.

As patrons exited for the evening, they could swing by the Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog truck for a late-night snack for the road.

The night was created and coordinated by Hamilton A Sneed of HAS Events, with assistance of many including Jan Strimple Productions.

Photo by Thomas Garza Photography

Gina Farmer, Grant Farmer

Spotted in the crowd, having a great time, were Gina and Grant Farmer, Tim and Hannah Hunt, Emma and Edward Coppola, Calvert Collins-Bratton, Vince Bratton, Dawn Mellon, Nerissa von Helpenstill, Gail Good, Helen and Brendan McGuire, Kymberley and Tony Scalia, Leigh Ann and Tom Watson, Venise Stuart, and hundreds more enthusiastic supporters.

The Broadway Dallas gala raises funds for the organization’s educational and community outreach programs, including serving more than 40,000 students and their families each year.

Next year’s gala, co-chaired by John Quattrocchi and Joseph DeMartino, will take place February 2, 2024 and include a full performance of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL!.

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New H-E-B stores in DFW top this week's 5 hottest Dallas headlines

This week's hot headlines

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that listhere.

1. H-E-B continues Dallas expansion with 3 new supermarkets in the suburbs. Texas supermarket chain H-E-B continues its Dallas-Fort Worth expansion, with three new stores in the works. The retailer is opening stores in Melissa, Prosper, and Rockwall. This comes just as the chain opens a new store in Allen.

2. Country's largest hot springs pool complex coming to Grandscape in The Colony. The newest attraction headed to Grandscape in The Colony is a wellness spa-amusement park: WorldSprings, a nine-acre outdoor mineral springs experience, will debut in spring 2024.

3. Award-winning Mexican restaurant hits the jackpot at new location in Denton. A DFW restaurant that's earned national acclaim has opened in Denton: El Rincón del Maiz, previously of Garland, is now located at 1431 E. McKinney St. in Denton where it's winning over locals with its Tex-Mex classics and vegan dishes.

4. New burger joint in McKinney with chef toppers and full bar is a sizzler. McKinney has a new burger joint that is already lighting up the Collin County foodie scene. Called Loyo Burger, it's part of the Local Yocal empire, and is newly opened in downtown McKinney at 216 W. Virginia St. #102.

5. Pickleball-restaurant with chef-level food paddles into Farmers Branch. A new pickleball concept is paddling into Farmers Branch: Called At Fault, it's a pickleball-restaurant facility, opening its first DFW location at 2330 Jett St., in spring 2024.

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 best new happy hours

Where to Drink

Maybe because it's fall or maybe because we're just lucky, but it's an especially rich time right now for happy hour offerings, with five spots that have either just debuted new happy hours (or are about to debut). There's a chef take at a restaurant-bar on Greenville Avenue; a fun music bar in Bishop Arts; a chance to sneak into a upscale steakhouse in a Dallas high-rise; and a restaurant-bar overlooking a tranquil golf course in Frisco.

Here's five hot new happy hours for our latest installment of Where to Drink:

Quarter Acre
Greenville Avenue restaurant has a new “Garden Hour” happy hour program Tuesday-Friday from 5-6:30 pm on the patio or at the bar, featuring snacks, three for $11, such as the Watermelon Bite, Crispy Pork Belly with avocado whip and sour lime, Half Shell Oyster with kiwi bubbles and rosé mignonette, and Mushroom Croquette with goat cheese. Select cocktails are $8 including the Front Deck Spritz with Aperol, passionfruit, and bubbles; and Bumble Bee’s Knees with Ford’s Gin, honey, and lemon. Three bottles of wine are $40: Pierre Sparr “Brut” Cremant d’Alsace, Mahua Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2022, or Black Cottage Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2021.

Revelers Hall
New Orleans-style bar in Bishop Arts has a new summer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7 pm, with good deals: half-price food, $6 wines, $5 well drinks, and $4 beers. They also have live music daily, featuring a variety of genres including jazz, bebop, Cumbia, and Latin jazz. Plus indoor and outdoor seating, and now is the time of year for that.

Ryder Cup Grille
Restaurant-bar at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort — one of 13 restaurants and bars at the resort — has a new happy hour with postcard-worthy views overlooking the Fields Ranch golf courses. It's an early one, running Monday-Friday from 2-5 pm and includes some domestic beers for $6, house wines for $10, and Ranch Water for $13. Food specials include Parmesan fries ($7), a guacamole and salsa flight ($9), chicken tenders with Buffalo sauce, Deep Ellum blue cheese dressing, and ranch ($11), nachos with brisket and refried beans ($12), and Cobb salad ($12).

SER Steak & Spirits
Steakhouse on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole has a Social Hour Tuesday-Thursday from 5-6:30 pm with $10 cocktails, $10 wines by the glass. A new bar menu features oysters, beef tartare, and gochujang chicken, priced from $9 to $23. They also have two new cocktails: Fall Berry Bush with tequila, Chambord, lime, rosemary, and sage; and a boozy lemonade with vodka, lavender, dill, lemon juice, and soda water.

Whiskey Cake
A new $7 Social Hour begins September 26, and runs Monday-Friday 3-6 pm with cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Margarita, Daiquiri, and a CYOM (create your own martini) with vodka or gin, clean or dirty, wet or dry, shaken or stirred, with a twist of lemon or olives, all for $7. House wines are also $7 and beers are $5. A menu of bar bites includes Wagyu corn dogs, BBQ spiced pork rinds, and blue cheese kettle chips.

Famous doner kebab restaurant makes Dallas debut with location in Frisco

Kebab News

A big name in doner kebabs is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth: German Doner Kebab, famous for pioneering gourmet doner kebabs in the UK and worldwide, will open its first location in Frisco, at 12025 E. University Dr. #100.

According to a release, it'll open on September 25, with seating for 77, making it the brand’s largest North American restaurant in terms of capacity.

Doner kebabs are a street food, centered on meat cooked on a rotating vertical spit. The name comes from two Turkish words: 'Doner' meaning rotate, and 'Kebap' meaning grilled meat. It's similar to a gyro, but döner meat is made from lamb or pork, while gyros are lamb or chicken.

German Doner Kebab, abbreviated GDK, is known for its distinctive waffle bread, in which the pita-like bread is imprinted with a waffle pattern. The company opened its first restaurant in Berlin in 1989 and is headquartered in Scotland. There are now 100-plus locations across UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

They made their U.S. debut in 2021 and have locations in New Jersey, Astoria, Queens, New York, and Sugar Land, Texas, outside Houston, which opened in 2022.

Their menu features doner kebabs made with toasted waffle bread, halal meat, vegetables, and signature sauces. GDK locations have an open kitchen so you can see the food being prepared to order.

In addition to the waffle bread, you can get the doner as a wrap, a panini, or in quesadilla form. Other items include a burger topped with Doritos and cheese sauce - like chips & salsa on top of doner meat, but all inside a bun; a black bean veggie burger; spring rolls; jalapeno poppers; and fries in a quartet of options including cheese fries, flaming fries, and curry fries.

“Many Americans are familiar with gyro, shawarma, and shish kebabs, however our ‘doner kebabs’ will be a new experience in both taste and format to most," says GDK North America managing director Nigel Belton in a statement.

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