This Week in Gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

An annual fundraiser for rescue dogs takes place in honor of Winslow, the mascot of Winslow's Wine Cafe, who died in 2015.

Photo courtesy of Winslow's

Tiki drinks are officially trending, and one Magnolia Avenue bar will show patrons how to make them, pretty garnishes and all. Then a museum café transports diners to Chile via dinner and wine. The canine mascot of a popular Fort Worth restaurant gets remembered with a wine tasting event benefiting dog rescues like. And don’t put away the lederhosen just yet. Oktoberfest events are still in full swing, with two of the year’s biggest happening this Saturday.

Tuesday, September 26

Tiki Drinks and their Accessories at Proper
The Magnolia Avenue cocktail lounge is on island time, having transformed itself into a temporary Tiki bar offering tropical drink specials and educational seminars through October. Learn how to create Tiki drink garnishes while sipping rum-based beverages. The class begins at 7 pm, and a portion of the $10 ticket will be donated to the SPCA to aid animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Members of the United States Bartenders’ Guild get in free.

Wednesday, September 27

Times Ten Cellars 8th Anniversary Party
The wine bar will commemorate eight years in Fort Worth with special pricing to match. Wines by the glass and flatbreads will be $8, with select take-home bottles priced at $12. Try the tempranillo from Times Ten’s own vineyard in Alpine. Live music with Christa Russell starts at 6 pm.

Five-Course Chilean Wine Dinner at Café Modern
Transport yourself to South America for an evening with Café Modern chef Denise Shavandy’s take on Chilean cuisine. The five-course menu will feature gambas al pil pil (spicy garlic shrimp), empanadas, pheasant confit, steak and eggs, and sorbet made from the cherimoya fruit. All courses will be paired with Chilean wine. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, and reservations are $89 for members and $95 for non-members. Tax and gratuity are not included. For reservations, call 817-840-2157.

Saturday, September 30

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company 8th annual Oktoberfest 5K
Sweat then sip. Runners (more than 2,000 of them) will receive three pours of Rahr brew in a commemorative pint glass, a German brat or sausage, and an on-course shot of Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.’s TX Whiskey. This year’s race will benefit Brotherhood for the Fallen, a nonprofit that supports families of police officers killed in the line of duty. Registration is $50.

7th Annual Octoberfest! at T&P Tavern
Jagerschnitzel, knackwurst, bratwurst, and pretzels round out the menu at the south downtown bar and restaurant’s annual celebration of German culture and cuisine. Guests can guzzle German beer and win prizes for stein holding, best costume, best mustache, and even best beer belly. Fort Worth’s Joey Green will headline a day full of live music. Doors open at noon, and admission is free.

Sunday, October 1

3rd Annual Winslow Memorial
When Winslow, the official mascot of Winslow’s Wine Café, died in 2015 at the age of 14, owner Joe Berry started an annual memorial that would benefit other rescue dogs in his honor. The $125 ticket includes wines paired with cheeses and hors d’oeuvres, and proceeds will go to Animal Hope Adoptions and Police K9 Support Fort Worth, TX. Purchase tickets in advance, as the event — which runs from 5-8 p.m. — is expected to sell out.

craft-beer wine cocktails fundraisers dinner festivals

Chicken Sandwich News

Fort Worth-area McDonald's to get the ultra-buzzy chicken Big Mac

McDonald's

McDonald's Big Mac on the left, Chicken Big Mac on the right.

Fast-food chain McDonald’s, best known for its burgers, is doing the unthinkable: serving a chicken sandwich.

According to a release, the burger chain is "dropping" a new Chicken Big Mac at participating restaurants in North Texas for a limited time beginning October 10.

The Chicken Big Mac features the same toppings found on a Big Mac, but with two tempura battered fried chicken patties in place of beef burgers. Let us list the toppings here: special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and pickles on a sesame seed bun.

The sandwich was first introduced in 2022 for a limited run in the United Kingdom and enjoyed a test run in Miami the same year. Now it's hitting the U.S., and more specifically, Dallas-Fort Worth.

“With the introduction of the Chicken Big Mac, we’re excited to pay homage to one of our most iconic menu items, the Big Mac, and introduce it to a whole new generation of fans,” says Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald’s USA.

The release relays a story about a promotional event that took place last weekend in Los Angeles with a one-day pop-up dining experience by Chain, an online entity known for its "chef-driven takes on chain restaurant classics," wherein they served an item called "The Chicken Sandwich."

Many a fan was hoodwinked by the premise that the sandwich was a fake — but ba-zing, McDonald’s was behind it all. How is that for some next-level viral buzz-generating hype. (Chain is so proud of the promotion that they have it pinned on their Instagram account, and rightfully so! They really perpetrated quite the charade.)

The chain has also enlisted "internet star" Kai Cenat who will try the Chicken Big Mac on his livestream to determine whether a Big Mac with a chicken is, in fact, a Big Mac. Does McDonald's know how to work this social media stuff or does McDonald's know how to work this social media stuff?