The Ultimate Guide to Your Weekend in Dallas, May 6-May 8

Do This!

Former Observer arts and culture editor Lauren Smart has collaborated with The Wild Detectives (314 8th St.) to throw a month-long festival, Women Galore, that celebrates the work of women in the arts. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday you can catch everyone's favorite 10-year-old comedian, Saffy Herndon, as she heads up "Women in Comedy" with help from Linda Stogner, voted the Funniest Comic in Texas in 2014. If you haven't seen Herndon, don't let her young age cause you to underestimate her: She writes all her own material and her commentary on adult topics like online dating is way more incisive than anything most adults we know could come up with. Admission is free. See the The Wild Detectives' site for more information about Saturday's event and the rest of May's lineup.

In continuation of a theme, this weekend should really be all about women, and one woman most of all: your mother. This is our final alert that Mother's Day is Sunday. Don't be the jerk who shows up with a "From the Dog" card because the Walgreen's aisle was ransacked by the time you got to it at 3 p.m. the day of. Instead, use our list of creative Mother's Day ideas to plan a day together that won't seem last minute, even if it is.

Most of all, we recommend the Swiss Avenue Home Tour, which you can take at your leisure from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday or from noon-6 p.m. Sunday. You'll be invited into six stunning early 20th century homes representing Classic Prairie Foursquare, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial and Spanish Mission Revival architectural styles. Horse-drawn carriages and mini-coaches will be available to take you from location to location — although it's not a long walk — and there will also be an art fair, children's play area, vintage auto show and live music. If you go around lunch time Sunday, you can brunch in Savage Park (Bryan Street at Swiss Avenue). Tickets are $20 for the tour and $25 for brunch. Gets yours online, or pick them up, along with a map, when you convene at the park. 

There's also lots of art worth checking out this weekend, including the opening of New York-based artist Joel Shapiro's geometric sculptures, which "visually and physically challenge the possibilities of balance and weight," at the Nasher Sculpture Center (2001 Flora St.) Saturday. Visit nashersculpturecenter.org and check out Jeremy Hallock's list of the best art this weekend to keep museum and gallery-hopping till you drop.
Eat This!

Among the new offerings at the Dallas Farmers Market is Afghan and Turkish restaurant Laili (920 S. Hardwood St., Suite 112). We dug into their mantoo ($12) and they make a good entry point to the restaurant's cooking. The tortellini-like dumplings are filled with ground beef and adorned with yogurt sauce as well as a buttery, peppery tomato sauce. Many of the stalls at the revitalized market focus on old favorites or trendy foods like macarons. Laili is a fresh, soulful addition.

Brian Reinhart isn't prone to hyperbole, so take him at his word when he says the twice-smoked chicken at The Blind Butcher (1919 Greenville Ave.) might be the best chicken he's ever had. Ever. The chicken is easily lost on the menu, but you'll regret having overlooked it when you taste the fall-apart tender bird that's been basted with juices from Butcher's sausages, brats, pastrami and duck, and arrives in an herb-garlic butter sauce. He said it tastes the way a Van Gogh painting looks, for crying out loud. 

This week we lost a legend when Jack Keller, proprietor of the iconic Keller's Drive In (6537 E. Northwest Highway), died at 88 years of age. Honor Keller's life by raising a frosty root beer and a delicious no-frills cheeseburger in his name this weekend. It's the best burger you can eat for $2.65 in this city — or hell, anywhere.  
Drink This!

Cinco de Mayo has come and gone but it's always a great day to drink a margarita. At Parliament (2418 Allen St.) — or Rattlesnake Bar at The Ritz (2121 McKinney Ave), if you're feeling extra fancy — you can sip on a delicious frozen concoction developed by mixologist Stephen Halpin in honor of the holiday. The Smoked Mangonada Margarita combines two types of tequila, plus mango purée and lime juice. It was runner up for Patrón's margarita of the year, so if you drink pitcher margaritas — and we know you do — there's no way you won't like this. We've also got the recipe for you. 

One of the most all-around awesome additions to the eats and booze scene in Dallas lately is CiboDivino (1868 Sylvan Ave. D100). We've already raved about their Neapolitan-style pizza, but did you know the Italian market and restaurant is also one of the best places to drink wine affordably, and on a lovely patio to boot? Their wine list features a mix of vintages from California and Italy, and the per-glass price tops out at $9, with a nice La Bambina Rosé for $6. You can have the bottle for $15 and even grab bottles to-go if you're in the mood to take the party home.
Hear This!

One of Dallas' most beloved dive bars, the DoubleWide (3510 Commerce St.), has been hard at work on renovations, and they'll unveil the results at a kickass party two-day party this weekend that features a lineup heavy on local rock acts with country and blues influences. On Friday, you can hear Dead Flowers, Vandoliers and A. Sinclair; Saturday it's Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Sleepin' Rattlers and Hell Texas. Doors are at 8 p.m. both nights and tickets are $5. Put a straw in a Yoohoo Yeehah, get yourself an Easy Slider from the truck that will be on-site and let the fun begin. 

Paul Simon and Sturgill Simpson have been sold out for ages, but you still have the opportunity to catch an important touring act that's coming to town this weekend: Tortoise. The seminal '90s band from Chicago makes rock music that draws on unexpected genres like avant-garde jazz, classical minimalism and British electronica, and they're currently touring in support of their first album in seven years, The Catastrophist. Tickets to their show at Club Dada (2720 Elm St.) at 9 p.m. Sunday are $17 in advance, $20 at the door.
See This!

Roger Ebert thought Ridley Scott's sci-fi noir film Blade Runner was a hot mess, but that didn't prevent it from becoming a cult classic. Fans still debate the nuances of the film, in which Harrison Ford hunts down genetically engineered humans in a dystopian Los Angeles, and Scott has reworked it several times to address lingering questions. See his final cut from one of the comfy couches at the Inwood Theatre (5458 W. Lovers Lane) when it screens at 11:59 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10.50.

Deferred Action is the first collaboration between two of Dallas' most important theater companies, Cara Mia Theatre Co. and Dallas Theater Center, and they chose a suitably important subject to tackle. The play, written by David Lozano and Lee Trull, centers on immigration and the challenges of being an undocumented minor in the U.S. Expect to be both educated and entertained when it runs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Wyly Theater (2400 Flora St.). Tickets are $14-$89.