What to Eat and Drink this Weekend: Bacon, Banana Splits, Corn Dogs and Wine

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 for the next week.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend to shake off the crazy-ass week, there's plenty to fill your time and stomach. Thursday is national banana split day, plus Fletcher's Corny Dogs is popping up at Klyde Warren Park. For serious foodies (no shade intended — well, maybe a little), chef John Tesar is hosting a fancy French dinner at Knife Plano next week and Eataly is throwing a food and wine party — again.

Celebrate Bacon for a Good Cause
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Multiple Locations
Now through Sept. 7, all Snooze locations will donate 100% of the proceeds from their two over-the-top bacon day pancake specials to No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit on a mission to end childhood hunger. The specials include The Graceland Pancakes, an Elvis-inspired stack that has bananas and peanut butter along with caramel sauce and lots of smoky chopped bacon. Or get the Bacon and Eggs Pancake special, a buttermilk pancake with bacon and cheddar cheese topped with a sunny-side-up egg, more bacon and maple black pepper syrup. Yes, you read that right ... maple black pepper syrup.

Banana Split Day at The Sugar Factory
1900 Cedar Springs Road
Thursday, Aug. 25
The Sugar Factory downtown is known for its over-the-top desserts. In recognition of National Banana Split Day, Thursday, Aug. 25, they're sliding all their chips to the middle of the table for a crazy menagerie of the classic dessert. It's the Jersey Shore of banana splits. But everything here sort of has that vibe; it's crazy and fun, but lower all your food inhibitions. Life's stupid and short, so why not?

DSO Wine and Food Festival
2301 Flora St.
Aug. 25 – Aug. 27
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's annual Wine and Food Festival is this weekend. Highlights include a Summer Wine Down dinner at the Meyerson's Opus Restaurant, with chef Tiffany Derry from Roots Southern Table, along with Eric Dreyer of Monarch, Joel Orsini from Profound Farms and Andy Pham from Le Reve. It takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $175 for one, or $150 for two or more. Friday there's a Whiskey Tasting and Mixology Seminar, and a Barbecue, Bourbon and Beer Tasting. Visit the website for the full line-up of dinners and tastings, which run through Sunday.

Fletcher's Corny Dogs at Klyde Warren Park
2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26
Fletcher's Corny Dogs recently announced a new residency at the Klyde Warren Park. They're not quite set up yet, but this Friday for National Dog Day they're going to do a pup-up. You can get any of their six corn dogs, which range from the original to a brisket or vegetable corn dog, along with curly fries and lemonade. The fair is about a month away, just in case you were wondering.

The Boba Plug Popup
Okaeri Cafe, 312 N. Greenville Ave., No. 100, Richardson
12 – 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
The Boba Plug is a local popup that serves high-quality Asian-American bubble tea. We previously met the couple behind this pandemic-born concept, Alex Nguyen and Vivian Luu, who missed the social engagement that boba tea created. So, they immersed themselves in learning everything about boba tea and now you can find them at pop-ups around North Texas.  This Saturday they'll be at Okaeri Cafe with a Japanese and Vietnamese fusion drink.

Fantasy Football Draft Package
Draft Sports Bar & Lounge, 400 Olive St.
Through End of September
Get your house in order: it's about time to draft your fantasy football team. Draft Sports Bar & Lounge downtown has a fantasy football package that provides leagues a place to hold their team drafts. The package is $30 per person and includes a reserved table surrounded by 25 TVs, a bucket of beer, an appetizer platter for two, and some essentials like paper, pens and free WiFi. Now you don't have to clean all the dog hair off the couch at your house. How fun is that? Draft Sports Bar is inside the Sheraton Hotel downtown.

French Celebration Dinner at Knife
Knife Steakhouse in Plano, 6121 W. Park Blvd.
7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31
Chef John Tesar will showcase his French training (he attended La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris) with a dinner next week offering some of the restaurant's most iconic dishes as well as a few exclusive dishes. Passmore Ranch caviar, pounded big eye tuna (with foie gras torchon), pan-seared duck breast and filet au Poivre are all on the menu. Dinner will be paired with Champagne, cognac and French-inspired cocktails. Seating is very limited; make reservations on Resy. Dinner is $150 per person.

Summer Sips & Bites
Eataly, 8687 Central Expressway, NorthPark Center
Thursday, Sept. 1
Eataly loves to party and they're throwing another bash celebrating Italian food and wine next week. Tickets are $65 each and you'll get to choose from more than 20 Italian wines to taste, all of which have been selected to pair with chef-curated tasting stations with dishes like wagyu arrosticini, housemade pasta, meatball, artisanal salumi and formaggi. Nom nom nom.