5 Things to Do August 15-19

Dallas has some delicious cultural activities in store for us this week. Try a San Franciscan mystery dinner, Latina art and a festival of film made by women, with Elvis over enchiladas in between. Chill out with these recommendations:

FT33's Guest Chef Dinner Series: Tom McNaughton
7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15
1617 Hi Line Drive, No. 250
$105
FT33 is one of the best restaurants in Dallas. Just try a dish like the smoked trout with lardo, which we recently named of the 100 best dishes in the city, and you too will be awed by chef Matt McCallister and what he can do with a full grocery cart and a flame. But what makes his New American restaurant particularly cool is its openness to influence by other chefs and styles of cuisine. FT33’s guest chef dinner series invites talent from across the country to add their flavor to FT33’s style of cooking. More than just delicious, the dinner series helps Dallas to get outside of itself. It’s $105 for tickets to the eight-course, 7 p.m. Monday dinner with chef Tom McNaughton of San Francisco’s Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, which includes restaurants such as the James Beard-nominated pasta and pizza joint Flour + Water. However, his other restaurants veer from the casual (deli, bar food) to fancier Italian and Spanish fare, so there’s no telling what he has in store for Monday. Make a reservation, required, by calling 214-741-2629, and be the first to find out. Wine pairings cost an additional $55. Caroline North

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16
Winspear Opera House
2403 Flora St.
$25 and up
With noble, historical Hamilton having taken the world by storm, it’s easy to forget there were ever other kinds of musicals. Like, say, comedy. It’s been a while since we’ve witnessed a raucous comedy – and a dark one at that. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, opening 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and slashing its way through the audiences with various showtimes through August 28, has reminded us that on Broadway, you can get away with laughing at murder. Poor, poor Monty has eight heirs to pick off before he can get his inheritance. Plus, he’s got some rather complicated issues in the way of romance. It’s a hard lot balancing love, greed and murder, but you don’t have to kill for tickets if you love Broadway: They start at $25. Call 214-880-0202 or visit tickets.attpac.org.

Elvis Month featuring Victor Trevino
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17
El Ranchito
610 W. Jefferson Blvd.
$10 cover
It is required, by unofficial Oak Cliff tradition, that one celebrate the birth and death months of Elvis Presley with a Northern Mexican specialty like cabrito, or asado de puerco at El Ranchito. Nachos and enchiladas are also acceptable choices, but only while you sit closely, very closely with your neighbor on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ready to take in all the King’s glory. For a $10 cover charge you’ll get a full concert by Victor Trevino. But we recommend you make reservations for August 17 and 24, when the stage turns into a contest for Elvis tribute artists. Elvis Month continues through August 31, and every Wednesday requires a reservation — call now; they’re tough to get — as well as the cover charge. Oh, and a gracious tip for some of the hardest working and nimble servers in Dallas. Watching them move through the packed house of hunks of burnin’ Elvis lovers is a show all its own. Call 214-946-4238 or visit elranchito-dallas.com.

Cinco Latinas: A Common Thread
10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 18
Latino Cultural Center
2600 Live Oak St.
Free
The big traditional art museum isn’t the only place to see vibrant, invigorating, thought-provoking art. Although, to be fair, some of the artists of Cinco Latinas: A Common Thread are quite comfortable with having art in regular rotation and serving as featured workshop artists in such stark corridors. But fellow artist and activist Viola Delgado curated Cinco Latinas at the LCC to draw focus on something specifically varied: the diverse talent of Latina artists active right here in Dallas and North Texas. Works by Ivonne Acero, Mayra Barraza, Sara Cardona, Leticia Huerta and Maria Teresa Garcia Pedroche are on exhibition for just a bit longer. Visit Tuesday through Saturday through August 27.

Women Texas Film Festival
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19
Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
$11 individual tickets, $125 festival pass
Many great women are in Hollywood, but far too few are able to get their movies made. With every year that goes by that’s changing — too slowly, but we won’t ignore the progress. Friday through Sunday, the inaugural Women Texas Film Festival showcases a selection of “female-driven film” presented with the rule: Qualified films were made with women in at least one key creative role, such as writer, producer, director, cinematographer, editor or composer. Friday night’s 7 p.m. opening film is Australia’s Girl Asleep (2015), a fresh coming-of-age story with a few fantastical twists, based on a successful stage production and directed by Rosemary Myers. Saturday and Sunday offer five more features and four compilations of shorts. Tickets to each screening are $11, and many features are preceded by a short. Festival passes are available for $125 and shorts passes are $27.25. Purchase in advance at prekindle.com.