Chefs for Farmers, the brainchild of FT33 chef Matt McCallister, is an event for both locavore foodies and those who want to celebrate the produce and protein of local farmers and ranchers. This second annual culinary festival returns to the heart of the gayborhood, Lee Park, on Sunday, Nov. 3, from 1–5 p.m.
Attendees will have a chance to enjoy bites created not just by McCallister and other Dallas chefs (among them Janice Provost of Parigi, Bruno Davillon of The Mansion and Kent Rathbun of Abacus and Jasper’s), but also chefs from as far as Charleston, S.C. The intimate event features no at-the-door tickets for sale, so get yours (priced $65 to $120) early at ChefsForFarmers.com.
Even staid restaurants are in the Halloween mood this week. Asador at the Renaissance Hotel will serve a Dia de los Muertos feast on Nov. 1, with courses including Mexican ceviche, pork shoulder with pumpkin and even traditional menudo, with live music playing. For reservations, call 214-267-4815. And on Halloween itself, Sissy’s Southern Kitchen hosts its second annual Halloween Hoedown, with live music from 7 p.m. to midnight.
The Hotel St. Germain, the Uptown Relais & Chateaux property that serves some of the finest food in Dallas, offers a special two-night menu on Oct. 25 and 26. The “Hidden Cities Wine Dinner” celebrates famed lost cities of the world not only with a five-course wine-paired meal of grilled rosemary lamb saddle and Mayan plantains with shredded pork, but also an after-dinner treasure hunt — all for $95. For reservations, call 214-871-2516 or visit HotelStGermain.com.
For those who’ve always wanted to merge art, fashion and food — and let’s face it, they go together nicely — Design and Dine is just the ticket: Cocktail bits by chefs from Capitol Grille, Kenichi, Nora and more will be served at the Crow Collection of Asian Art on Nov. 14, with style elements from Stanley Korshak. Tickets are $45–$60. DesignAndDineDFW.com.
Village Burger Bar, the staple joint in the West Village, opened its fourth location in North Texas this week near Jesuit Prep on Inwood. The locale also will serve as an R&D kitchen, so look for new items to pop up on the Uptown menu some time.
Also up and running for lunch are Kitchen LTO, the Casie Caldwell concept in Trinity Groves that will swap out entire menus quarterly; and Savor, the new lux property along Klyde Warren Park.
Finally, November is National Vegan Month! So get a hankerin’ for tofurkey and save a heartbeat or two — and judging by the huge turnout at last week’s Texas Veggie Fest, sponsored by DallasVegan.com, there are a lot out there! (Max’s Wine Dive is even expanding its vegan menu next month.)
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 25, 2013.