Kelsey Shoemaker
Audio By Carbonatix
Each week we like to dig around and find unique, boozy and indulgent things to get into around Dallas. It might be a festival, a social gathering of like-minded imbibers at a brewery, a special dinner or a pop-up. Here’s what we’re excited about this week.
World Food Championships
Centennial Hall at Fair Park, 1001 Washington St.,
Nov. 10-13 This massive food competition has returned to Fair Park to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Events kicked off yesterday, but plenty of cooking, competing and eating are still on the agenda through the weekend as more than 1,500 top chefs and home cooks from across the world compete for a piece of the event’s $300,000 prize purse.
Kitchen Arena Central is where the live competition takes place in 10 categories: bacon, barbecue, burger, dessert, rice/noodle, sandwich, seafood, soup, steak and vegetarian. For the price of general admission, food fans can sample offerings from local, national and global brands. Or fans can party and nosh Texas style at BBQ Ranch, a ranch-style block party where pitmasters and chefs will cook up smoked and grill goodies to sample.
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Other events include Fire Woman on Nov. 10, when four female pitmasters will square off in a smoky competition for a cash prize. Attendance is included in the price of a general admission ticket. Nov. 11 brings Bourb’N’Que, a barbecue block party that includes premium bourbon tastings and a take-home gift bag. Tickets for the party itself are $60 VIP and $40 general admission.
New this year is WFC’s Best of the Fest, where attendees can taste some of the championship food and vote for their favorites. Cost is $30 per session, and only 300 tickets are available per day. Fans will get to taste 12 samples and vote to choose two chefs who will be qualified for the 2023 championship.
General admission tickets to Kitchen Arena Central and BBQ Ranch are $10 for a day pass or $25 for a multi-day pass. VIP tickets are $65 for a day pass or $185 for a three-day weekend pass and will get you access to a VIP lounge, cash bar, chef demos and more. Visit the World Food Championships’ website for more details.
Duckhorn Wine Dinner
III Forks, 1303 Legacy Drive, Frisco
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10The restaurant III Forks and the Certified Angus Beef brand are teaming up to host a dinner pairing beef with wines from The Duckhorn Portfolio. Certified Angus Beef director of culinary arts Tony Biggs and III Forks executive chef Chris Vogeli have created a five-course dinner paired with a selection of wines from one of America’s premiere winemakers. The meal includes canoe-cut bone marrow and forest mushroom fondue, lobster and spinach-stuffed rib spinalis medallion, short rib bone-in beef Wellington with truffle sauce and more.
The price is $250 per person, plus tax and tip.Visit the III Forks website for reservations. For more information, call the restaurant at 972-267-1776.
Tacolandia
Energy Square Plaza, 4925 Greenville Ave.
4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 This Saturday, join the Observer for Dallas’ largest taco festival at Energy Square Plaza. More than 20 local taco restaurants will have samples to try. Your goal is to try them all and then vote on the best. There are drinks, plus plenty of Things to Do, including a game zone and a pepper-eating contest. A mariachi band will join us, as well as a DJ. General admission tickets are $35 and include all the samples you can muster; beer, wine and cocktails will be available for purchase. Or get a four-pack for $100 and save some cash.VIP tickets are $75 and include entry at 3 p.m. with samples, plus three drink tickets at the VIP bar.
Tilquin Fruit Extravaganza 2022
Meddlesome Moth, 1621 Oak Lawn Ave.
Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13 First, let’s clear up a few definitions for casual beer drinkers. A lambic beer is one fermented by wild yeast captured from the air, rather than brewers yeast. A gueuze is a type of lambic made by blending different 1-, 2- or 3-year-old lambics. Gueuzerie Tilquin is a Belgian “blendery” that produces gueuzes from worts acquired from other brewers. What’s wort? Listen, class is dismissed. If you really want to learn about this, stop by Meddlesome Moth for the Tilquin Fruit Extravaganza 2022.
The Design District restaurant will tap 10 kegs of Guezerie Tilquin’s fruit-infused lambics. A tasting of all 10 beers will be available for $30 per person on Saturday and $40 on Sunday. Reservations are recommended. For additional information and to reserve a table, call 214-628-7900 or go to www.mothinthe.net.
Talk Water, Drink Beer
Celestial Beerworks, 2530 Butler St.
2 – 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 Celestial and the Fermentation Renewal Initiative are joining forces to encourage water conservation, and they want you to join them as Celestial unveils its Pontus DIPA, brewed with drought-resistant hops. FRI will be there to talk about water conservation, and a portion of all Pontus sales will benefit the Texas Brewshed Alliance.
