Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
Aside from the fact that Quater Acre’s tasting menu is one of the best meals in town, we love seeing Dallas chefs collaborate on menus and one-off dinners. Between the different styles, backgrounds and influences, guests can be assured a truly unique experience.
These collaborations are even more appealing when they benefit a great cause, which is why we’re thrilled that the Quarter Acre’s Drifter Dinner Series is coming back for a third straight year.
Dinner for a great cause
If you’re not familiar, here are the basics: every year, Quarter Acre’s chef, Toby Archibald, invites chefs he’s worked with over the years to join him in Quarter Acre’s cozy kitchen and build an eight-course tasting dinner between the two of them. Then, Archibald donates a portion of the tickets to these events to Baylor Hospital’s Tiniest Texans, an initiative close to Archibald’s heart. Tiniest Texans supports families with premature babies in the NICU, as Archibald and his wife experienced firsthand when their daughter Francesca was born prematurely in 2022.
Archibald says the Drifter Dinner series started as a way to cook alongside some of his favorite chefs and has evolved into something deeply meaningful to his team — and special to Dallasites as well.
Last year, Archibald invited us behind the scenes to watch a collaboration in real time with his team cooking alongside Misti Norris of Rainbow Cat and Far Out. It was a fascinating look behind the curtain into the work that goes into making a one-off dinner a success, with a lot of planning and on-the-fly adjustments.
This year’s lineup once again brings local talent, as well as visiting chefs from noted restaurants the world over.
August dinner
The series starts with Chef Matt Lambert on Aug. 7, arriving from Archibald’s native New Zealand. Lambert earned a Michelin as co-owner/head chef of The Musket Room in New York City before returning to his home in New Zealand, where he now owns and leads the aptly named Return.
September dinner
Denton’s Osteria Il Muro is loaning out Chef Scott Girling on Sept. 4. A recent James Beard Award finalist, Girling is known for handmade pastas and deeply personal Italian cuisine rooted in simplicity and seasonality.
October dinner
Chef Justin Fulton will cook at Quarter Acre on Oct. 2. Fulton leads the Michelin-starred Margot in Denver, where refined technique and ingredient-driven cooking define one of Denver’s most celebrated dining experiences.
November dinner
The series wraps up on Nov. 13 with Chef Rishi Kumar. Kumar hails from Chicago, and his restaurant Mirra recently received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. Where Indian and Mexican influences are blended into vibrant, boundary-pushing cuisine that has earned national attention.
If your budget allows, you can buy a season pass to all four dinners — for $1000 per guest (sold out).
The individual dinners are priced at $275 each and include all food and beverage, including wine and spirits keyed to each night’s menu. Individual dinner tickets will go on sale starting July 1 and can be booked via OpenTable.
