Ultimate Guide to Your Weekend, August 26-28

Do This!
Literary nonprofit Wordspace kicks off its new season at The Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) Friday with a party and screening of '67 film Valley of the Dolls, about rising starlets and their relationship to barbiturates. The party begins at 7 p.m. with themed cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and giveaways. The film screens at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free for Wordspace members, $10 for nonmembers. Find more info at wordspacedallas.com.

Have you been staring forlornly at the construction of the new Dallas Streetcar, wondering when you'll get to take it for a ride? Well Saturday's your lucky day. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a community block party in Bishop Arts centered on trips to and from downtown. Head to the corner of 7th Street and Madison Avenue to join in the free festivities, and visit Facebook for more information. 

Magician Confetti Eddie will play dirty tricks at 8 p.m. Saturday, and we're not just referring to his talent as a sleight-of-hand artist. He'll also be bringing in burlesque performers including Bethany Summersizzle and Sweet T for his performance at Viva’s Lounge (1350 Manufacturing St., Suite 120). Comedian David Jessup will emcee. General admission tickets to Confetti Eddie's Naughty Magic Show are $20 at prekindle.com.

Eat This!
So, the Moth balls at Meddlesome Moth (1621 Oak Lawn Ave.) are described as a "bar snack," but once you try them you might feel tempted to order another plate and call it dinner. Ricotta is seasoned with nutmeg, salt and pepper, formed into balls, and then rolled in semolina before being boiled. The result is a pasta-like dish that's finished with cream sauce and a sprinkle of peppercorn, Parmesan cheese, truffle oil and basil pesto. 

There's a halal war happening in Dallas between Dallas-based Big Guys Chicken and Rice and New York-based Halal Guys, both new in town. Food critic Brian Reinhart compared them this week, and he declares the less hyped and less busy Big Guys in Deep Ellum (2614 Elm St.) the winner. Order a combo platter of your choice of meat, rice and spicy sauce and weigh in on the emerging Mediterranean fast-casual trend.

The food at the fair is pretty gross when you think about. Which is why we recommend you don't. Instead, blindly embrace the ridiculousness of this year's offerings at the Big Tex Choice Awards on Sunday, where the public will get their first chance to taste the 2016 finalists when they're put before a panel of judges at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fair Park (1121 First Ave.). How about some deep fried, pulled pork Funyun dings? Tickets are $100 at etix.com and proceeds will go to the State Fair of Texas Youth Scholarship Fund. 

Drink This!
You might know a "boilermaker" by the simpler phrase "a beer and a shot," but a lot more thought goes into these pairings than you probably think. This week we took a look at some of the boilermaker specials around town, which are much more creative than the typical whiskey and beer, and the different ways that people drink them. Maybe after reading you'll feel like hitting up Armoury D.E. (2714 Elm St.) for a tequila shot with a Modelo chaser.

Grub Burger Bar (4925 Greenville Ave., No. 150) knew what they were doing when they named their Kitchen Sink Milkshake. It's made with coffee grounds, pretzels, peanut butter, butterscotch and caramel sauce, chocolate chips, potato chips, kittens ... OK, not that last one. Just making sure you were paying attention. But believe us that this decadent treat somehow works, and even better when you ask them to spike it with vodka. 

A new restaurant on McKinney, Next Door (2908 McKinney Ave.), is serving a playful cocktail that you should put on your short list. The Scorched Peach is a pretty sweet one thanks to cinnamon and cherry syrups and peach vodka, but who doesn't want an adult soda every once in a while? The cocktail is finished off with nutmeg, club soda and lemon juice, and garnished with a peach wedge. Get the recipe here.

Hear This!
Dallas Ambient Music Nights is a monthly event that takes place at different venues around Dallas, and it's routinely one of the best places to catch emerging experimental musicians and artists. Catch their first Club Dada show from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday. Get tickets for $10 on Ticketfly.com.

Chicha is a style of South American dance music that mixes traditional Columbian cumbia with surf and psych rock. Get a thorough education Saturday in the backyard of The Wild Detectives (314 W. 8th St.), where Denton chicha band Los Mosaicos and DJ Mutarrancho will keep attendees of the free event on their feet from 7:30 p.m. till midnight. For more, visit thewilddetectives.com.

Perhaps you genuinely like Coldplay; perhaps you find them boring. Either way, they're useful in situations that require compromise, because they're unlikely to offend anyone. If that's the kind of activity you're in need of this weekend, head to AT&T Stadium (1 AT&T Way, Arlington) at 7 p.m. Saturday for the tame British rockers' concert with Alessia Cara and Bishop Briggs. Tickets are $29.50 to $179.50 at attstadium.com.

See This!
House Party Theater, a DIY theater company made up mostly of recent SMU grads, is named for its practice of staging shows in unconventional places such as warehouses and art galleries. But this month it takes a new turn for the literal when the company’s CEO Chris McCreary puts on a show in his mother’s house. See Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson, about a runaway bride and a recluse who set out for some peace and quiet and get more than they bargained for, at 8 p.m. Friday or through Monday, Aug. 29. The home is located at 10647 Pagewood Drive and tickets are $10 on ticketleap.com.

Lots of love stories recently have incorporated time travel and other sci-fi theories, so you might think you already know the one being told by Constellations, Dallas Theater Center's season opener that follows one couple across multiple parallel universes. But the actors helming this two-character play in Dallas promise you're in for a surprise; there's a reason The New York Times called it “gorgeous” and “fugue-like” after its Broadway debut in 2015. See for yourself at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, or 2 p.m. Sunday, at the Wyly Theatre (2400 Flora St.). Tickets start at $20. Buy them at dallastheatercenter.org.

Jesse Morgan Barnett has curated a group show at Beefhaus (833 Exposition Ave.) that features work across different mediums including photography, multimedia and painting, all linked by themes of coexistence, contextualization and cooperation. DAYADAHAHA will have a free opening reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday and the exhibit will be on view through Sept. 23. See Facebook for more.