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Got your Iron Fork ready?

On May 8, Whole Foods Market and Chef Kent Rathbun‘s Iron Fork, the annual dazzling display of culinary chops, where two top chefs go head to head in an “Iron Chef” style battle while guests graze on tasty nibbles and sip on wine and cocktail samples. What’s not to like here, people?!

New this year is the venue — Iron Fork is moving from the Fashion Industry Gallery right downtown to the Dallas Contemporary, another terrific space that’s in the Design District. I think it’ll work a little better, as it’s one biiiiig space, and traffic won’t get clogged in the little mini-galleries at the f.i.g.
Also new is the challenger against reigning champ Scott Romano of Nick & Sam’s: the one, the only Matt McCallister of FT33. The chefs will get one secret ingredient that they have to build a dish with, and the best dish will crown this year’s victor. Fun stuff!
And this year, you’ve got even more to like, as your Dallas Diva is sharing a promo code with you for a little discount action when you buy your General Admission tickets here! Your tickets for an evening bursting with great food and drank will only set you back $30, a good discount in April, an even better one in May, when the price increases. Just enter the code dallasdiva, click Apply Code, then Get Tickets. You are welcome, my chickadee!! Hope you will flock with me to the big show on May 8!

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Weekend highlights in Dallas

This weekend, food fuels some tantalizing events on the docket: the North Texas Taco Festival and the North Texas Food Bank’s Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party. Happily, they’re on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, so you won’t miss any of the notable noshing!

North Texas Taco Festival

The taco fest takes place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market, on Main Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Crowdus Street. Presented by Taco Trail and Entree Dallas in collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas, this event promises to deliver a wealth of tasty taco goodness directly to your face. Among the taco providers will be Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino, Rusty Taco, Rock and Roll Tacos, So-Cal Tacos, El Tizoncito Taqueria and more. Deep Ellum Brewing Company will bring the craft beers, and there’ll even be a music stage and a chef taco cookoff. Sweet!

Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party

The North Texas Food Bank’s fundraiser is in its ninth year of inviting fans to mix and mingle among NFL greats while sampling outstanding local fare and drooling over silent auction items. And check out this year’s lineup of hosts: Dallas Cowboys DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, Abacus exec chef and proprietor Kent Rathbun, and former Dallas Cowboys Preston Pearson, Daryl “Moose” Johnston and Chad Hennings. This year, the fun migrates from Dallas to Grapevine’s Glass Cactus nightclub, which’ll provide a terrific outdoor space for the party — perfect for this weather. Among the chefs dishing it out will be TJ Lengnick of Shinsei, Aaron Henschen of Del Frisco’s Grille, Bronwen Weber of Frosted Art Bakery & Studio, and Ernie Mendoza of Suze Restaurant. Mmmm, I can’t wait to revel in the sips, sports and eats. If you’d like to, too, you need to get a move on — advance ticket sales end at 5 p.m. today. Purchase yours here now, as any remaining tix sold at the door will be priced a bit higher.

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Weekend highlights in Dallas

Big Texas Beer Fest

Saturday marks the second annual BTBF, where brews from around the state, country and world will be on hand for sippin’ and samplin’. YES, I’ve been a wine and cocktail girl for the time you’ve known me, but I’ve seen the light where beers are concerned, especially when they’re paired with great food. The 2 p.m. Fair Park event, which will also feature 10 food trucks, is sold out, and no tix will be sold at the door, so unless you can do some swapping action with someone who has tix, you are all but out of luck! Buuuut, stay tuned to my musings on beer via Twitter.

No-Tie Dessert Party

Saturday night also marks the annual No-Tie Dinner‘s dessert party, at Frontiers of Flight Museum. AIDS Services of Dallas’ biggest fundraiser has a fun theme this year: Desserts-a-Go-Go, and guests are encouraged to dress in raucous ’60s style. As always, the event features numerous Dallas dining spots serving up their signature sweets, all to the sounds of toe-tapping music. Oh, and did I mention Whiskey-a-Go-Go cocktails? Yes! Tickets are $50 and benefit ASD, which provides needed services to local residents living with HIV/AIDS.

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A Community Cooks … again!

Paul Quinn College’s annual farm-to-table fundraiser is back, and happening next week on April 11. Last year’s event was a blast, featuring the city’s best chefs whipping up delectable culinary creations using produce harvested from the school’s own football field-turned-farm. What a delightful time, especially if the weather stays mild and sunny as it has been! Pro tip: bring some shoes that are comfy enough for traipsing through a gigantic garden with, because that’s what you’ll be doing to get from one chef display table to the next. Also, pack some sunshine, in case the sun does decide to beam hard.

Among this year’s cheffy lineup are kitchen luminaries Jeff Harris (Bolsa), Chad Houser (Cafe Momentum), Dan Landsberg (Dragonfly), Sharon Van Meter (3015), and more. Also new to the cast is mixologist Lucky Campbell (left, The Standard Pour), who’ll be hopefully be using herby components from the garden in his cocktails. A Diva can hope.

Sound delish? Want tickets? Head here. Proceeds go back toward Paul Quinn’s WE Over Me Farm, a collaboration between the school and PepsiCo. Good food for a good cause — my favorite type of event. Hope to see you there!

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Baton Rouge Day 1: Eats, drinks, blues

Earlier this month, I traveled to Louisiana as a guest of Baton Rouge to check out how the “Red Stick” city rolls. I had an exquisite time, and found the capital city to be full of charming corners, good eats and drinks and fun things to do. And no wonder — in the last few years, the city has poured resources into revitalizing its compact and very walkable downtown area. There’s a handsome new greenspace called the North Boulevard Town Square, at the heart of downtown that entices folks to walk around or grab a table for lunch. A classic trolley runs through some popular stops in town, including the town square. A stretch of 3rd Street offers nightlife options aplenty, and sites such as the Old State Capitol and the riverfront’s USS Kidd Nautical Museum and Louisiana Art & Science Museum make for supremely interesting visits.

But what kinds of trouble did I get into? Read on!