Tasty Notes: Restaurant Week is underway; Thirsty Lion opens in Preston Hollow

Tasty Notes is a roundup of food and restaurant news including specials, local food news, dining events and more around the area.

Restaurant Week news

KRLD DFW Restaurant Week returns for its 25th anniversary now through Sept. 4. Nearly 100 restaurants are participating with special menus and pledges to area nonprofits. Over its tenure, DFW Restaurant Week has raised $11 million in charitable donations.

See the full list of participating restaurants here.

Perle on Maple joins RW with two new menus

Perle on Maple at The Stoneleigh Hotel located in Uptown is offering two specialty prix-fixe menus created by Executive Chef Esayas Estifanos for both lunch and dinner.

The lunch exclusive consists of two courses for $24 a person. The meal features Tri-Color Tortilla Crusted Salmon served with fresh baby greens topped with roasted corn, black beans, red pear tomatoes, sweet red onions, fresh cilantro, and coated with a toasted cumin vinaigrette. The meal ends on a sweet note with a toasty Texas Pecan Pie served with classic vanilla bean ice cream.

The evening menu selections are three courses. For the price of $49 a person, dinner features generous portions of delicious options. The first course consists of a Southwestern Wedge Caesar Salad with Poblano Corn Bread Croutons and topped with a creamy Ancho Caesar Dressing. Transition into the main event of Orange Scented Roasted Beef Short Ribs smothered in a Burgundy Reduction and served with Glazed Baby Carrots and Basil Whipped Potatoes. The dinner comes to a close with its final dish, a rich Double Chocolate Mousse paired with Raspberry Coulis.

The menu offers suggested wine pairings for those looking for the perfect addition to their lunch or dinner.

Reservations are available now and can be made here.

Toro Toro offers three-course menu for RW

Toro Toro in Fort Worth offers Pan-Latin dishes with a Texas flair at a chic eatery for grilled meats, small plates, and barrel-aged cocktails. For the price of $49, guests can receive a three-course dinner meal made with quality ingredients from scratch.

Feast on antojitos options such as Hamachi Tiradito made with organic salsa macha, grilled avocado, and macadamia or the Lomo Saltado Empanadas served with criolla salsa, yuzu avocado, and sprinkled with garden-fresh cilantro as a starter.

The main course feature De La Parilla (of the grill) options. Featured entrees include cilantro chimichurri flat iron steak, achiote seared salmon with chipotle ponzu broth and morita bacon jam, or the vegetarian-friendly charred rainbow cauliflower served with pipian sauce. All mains are served with the choice of truffle mashed potatoes or fire-roasted heirloom carrots.

The final course features either chocolate-drizzled house made churros or a moist yellow corn cake topped with hibiscus tequila sauce as dessert options.

In collaboration with DFW Restaurant week, Toro Toro will donate 20 percent of the proceeds from every reservation to the North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving child well-being throughout Tarrant County.

Click here for information and reservations.

sweetgreen to open in Lakewood

The sweetgreen Lakewood opening will be on Aug. 23. The opening will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m.. The opening will also feature gifts from local vendors and a meet and greet with local artist MOM who is the featured artist at sweetgreen.

From sweetgreen:

We’re sweetgreen — our mission is to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. For us, that means sourcing from farmers and producers we know and trust, and cooking from scratch. By optimizing data, tech, and a sustainable supply chain, we’re redefining the way we think about fast food.

sweetgreen’s space is located at 6400 Gaston Ave.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub opens its fourth North Texas location

Thirsty Lion Gastropub announced Tuesday that its first proper Dallas location is now open at Preston Hollow Village. This follows its recent opening in Grandscape in The Colony. Thirsty Lion Gastropub has been expanding since its launch in 2010 with 10 locations in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Texas.

The restaurant is also hiring for all positions. Positions are now available in the front and back of the house including bartenders, servers, hosts, prep cooks, bussers, barbacks, food runners, and more. Benefits include comparable pay, employee discounts, and growth opportunities within the concept. Cick here to apply.

The location was a redesign of the previous existing restaurant in the shopping center.

The Gastropub has 7,500 square feet of indoor dining and bar area and 1,982 square feet of outdoor patio. The restaurant features an indoor/ outdoor bar, open kitchen, and patio area that wraps around the entire building, perfect for large groups and private parties. Total indoor seating capacity is 251 persons and outdoor seating capacity is 136 persons.

Thirsty Lion’s features a menu of scratch-made, multicultural cuisines, with an emphasis on local ingredients and flavors. Signature dishes include the Gorgonzola-infused Gastropub Burger; Bacon Wrapped BBQ Prawns; Beer Battered Fish & Chips; Gochujang BBQ Pork & Kimchi Fried Rice; the Seared Ahi Salad; Baja Fish Tacos; and Traditional Scotch Eggs.

The menu also features shareable appetizers, salads, sandwiches, fresh seafood, half-pound gourmet burgers and steaks. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available.

Thirsty Lion offers a large selection of craft cocktails that highlight combinations of fresh fruit purees, juices and premium liquors as well as a wide variety of beers on tap, many which are local to Texas. The menu features modern takes on classic cocktails and signature drinks like its Grapefruit Basil Martini, Blood Orange Margarita and Old Fashioned.

The restaurant offers weekend brunch and weekday happy hour from 3 until 6 p.m. Weekend Brunch will include mimosas and Bloody Marys by the bottle.

Get a free ice cream sandwich at Kenny’s Burger Joint

At both Kenny’s Burger Joint locations in Plano and Frisco, guests who ask will be give a free ice cream sandwich now through Sunday.

Draft Sports Bar & Lounge creates fantasy football package

Located inside the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Draft’s has drafted a Fantasy Football Package to provide football fans with a venue to participate in its draft all together in person. The package is currently running and will be offered throughout August and September for $30.

The package include:

A reserved table amidst the 4,000 square foot sports nirvana featuring 25 televisions

Bucket of beer

Appetizer platter for two guests

Fantasy Football Draft essentials such as notepads, pens and Wi-Fi access

For those who need privacy to focus on the draft, groups that want to have a draft moderator with a mic, or for those that need extra entertainment by singing karaoke during their league’s draft can reserve the private Karaoke Room inside Draft Sports Bar & Lounge. The Karaoke Room is available to rent for $300 and will include two appetizer platters, two buckets of beer, the Fantasy Football essentials and room for up to 10 people in a private room with karaoke access.

Get more information here.

Addison Oktoberfest tickets on sale now

Ticket sales for Addison Oktoberfest are open and includes both general admission tickets and limited availability packages. One of its more popular packages is the eight-person Partyhalle Deck, launched last year, which sold out last year. The event runs Sept. 15-18 in Addison Circle Park.

This year, approximately 50,000 fans are expected to attend the four-day festival to revel in German culture, food, music and bier, enjoying a taste of the original Oktoberfest with a Texan twist. The fest recommends booking a Hotelpaket and stay for the weekend. Hotelpakets start at $94 and include  lodging, two single-day general admission tickets to the festival, two commemorative lapel pins, two commemorative .5L steins and two Paulaner biers.

For more information on Addison Oktoberfest including host hotels, parking and ticket prices, click here.

Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill to host Foley Family Wines Dinner

The culinary team at Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill has created a five-course dinner of seafood and vintages from Foley Family Wines hosted by Chef Ryan Oruch.

This special dinner is at 7 p.m. Aug. 29. A cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. Seating is limited for this socially-distanced event. Reservations are required. Due to space limitations, Sea Breeze asks that guests commit to a full table. The five-course meal is $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.

For reservations, click here.

The restaurant’s posted menu for the event includes:

• Seared Tuna Au Poivre | Meyer lemon curd, chive, truffle oil drizzle |Banshee “Ten of Cups” Brut
• Beet Ricotta Gnocchi | Lobster, caviar, uni butter, crispy sage | Chalone Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir Poached King Salmon | Parsnip puree, wild berry gastrique, crispy sunchokes | High Haven Pinot Noir
• Sous Vide Crispy Skin Duck Breast | Blackberry mole, savoy cabbage, 100 layer duck fat potatoes | Chalk Hill Estate Red
• Butterscotch Budino | Salted caramel, coffee whipped cream | Horse Soldier Revolver

— compiled by Rich Lopez