Dining Events of the Week

Chef collabs top 7 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Chef Blaine Staniford of Grace restaurant in Fort Worth

Blaine Staniford will prepare a seven-course seafood dinner this week.

Grace Facebook

This week's dining events feature lots of chef action, including two collaboration dinners, and another chef reprising an Italian holiday seafood dinner. There are two events starring tamales, including an opportunity to participate in the beloved Mexican tradition of making them for the holidays, plus a whisky tasting at a sushi bar.

Tuesday, December 16

Cafe Modern Meets Star Cafe
Chefs Victor Villareal (Star Cafe) and Jet Tila (Cafe Modern) will collaborate on a six-course dinner featuring cocktails made with Shiner spirits, taking place at Star Cafe at 6:30 pm. Dishes include East coast clams, smoked pumpkin risotto with quail, smoked rib cap steak with Gristall Mills polenta & acorn squash, and prickly pear cheesecake. It marks the official debut of the Devil's Den, the Star Cafe's new private dining and chef’s room. Tickets are $128.50 and there are only a few seats left.

Wednesday, December 17

December Whiskey Tasting at Hush
Keller sushi bar will host a Japanese whisky tasting with a lengthy lineup of pours, including representation from Colorado’s Stranahan as well as Snow Monkey Sake to finish. Tickets are $50 plus tax and fee, and include small bites. The tasting begins at 6 pm.

Thursday, December 18

Tamale Flight Pairing at Maple Branch Craft Brewery
Foundry District brewery and gastropub will pair four hand-made tamales will four craft beers for a holiday twist on the Mexican dish. Varieties include pork with chipotle chilies, chicken with avocado crema in blue corn masa, frijoles with queso and habanero salsa, and cinnamon raisin with maple butter. The pairing is $24 and will be available Thursday-Sunday.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes at Grace
Annual event showcases chef Blaine Staniford’s take on the Italian Christmas dinner tradition. Seven seafood-centric courses range from poached prawn alla puttanesca to crab-stuffed crepes. Dinner is $195 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm with a sparkling wine reception before a 7 pm seating time.

Saturday, December 20

2nd Annual Naughty or Nice Bar Crawl
Join 1,000+ Fort Worthians for a full-day Santa crawl through the Fort Worth Stockyards. Check in at the RFD Lawn (diagonal from the Christmas Tree), then wander to more than 10 bars and retail stops decked out with holiday decor, music, and specials. Wear cowboy Santa, Western wear, ugly sweaters, or full Santa suits and enjoy themed drink and shot specials at each stop. The crawl runs from Mule Alley down East Exchange Ave. End at the Rodeo Exchange dance hall for an after-party from 5-7 pm. Attendance is 21-and-up. Tickets start at $20 and the crawl runs from 12- 7 pm.

Festive Flavors: Tamale Making Class at Bowie House
Upscale hotel will host a hands-on tamale-making class that will celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday dish. Participants will learn how to make fresh masa before wrapping in a husk and will take home their creation. Tickets are $85 plus tax and class begins at 2:30 pm.

Sunday, December 21

Four Courses at The Usual
Kevin Martinez (Tokyo Café) and Kevin Kiowski (The Usual) will pair up to prepare a four-course dinner and cocktails featuring Wild Common tequila and Branca spirits. Dinner is $75 and there are two seating times, 5:30 and 8 pm.

chefs holidays event-planner

Biscuits Out

Homey restaurant Biscuit Bar closes all Dallas-Fort Worth locations

Photo courtesy of Biscuit Bar

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A DFW restaurant concept dedicated to biscuits is shutting down: The Biscuit Bar, a chain with six locations including two in the Fort Worth area, is closing. According to the owners, the closures are effective immediately.

Owners Jake and Janie Burkett say they were poised to sell off the chain to keep it afloat, but the sale fell through at the last minute — forcing them to shutter the business entirely.

The chain has five DFW locations and one in Abilene. All have closed including these five in DFW:

Arlington, at Champions Park, at 1707 N. Collins St.
Fort Worth Stockyards, at Mule Alley, at 122 E. Exchange Ave.
Deep Ellum, at The Epic, the mixed-use project at 2550 Pacific Ave.
Plano, at The Boardwalk in Granite Park, at 5880 TX-121 #102B
Coppell, at 104 S Denton Tap Rd. #102

The couple blamed a variety of factors, including "rising costs, supply chain instability, and a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests" which "created pressures no small business was prepared to endure."

They debuted the concept in April 2018 at The Boardwalk in Granite Park in Plano, before expanding in 2019 with a bang, targeting five locations all at once. (They also opened a short-lived location in Dallas near SMU which is now home to D.L. Mack's.)

They were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering biscuits, tots, and beer on tap — very ambitious — with a menu featuring both savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made in house; tots, which could be customized; plus a bar with cocktails, local beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha, all offered on tap.

Their most popular menu item was The Hoss, featuring Southern fried chicken, bacon, Jack cheese, sausage gravy, and honey butter.

Their post says that by early 2025, they entered Chapter 11 — "not to walk away but to rebuild and secure a future for our employees," they say. "And for a time, it looked like that future was within reach. A respected restaurant group stepped forward, committed to acquiring and growing Biscuit Bar. The sale was structured, terms were agreed upon, and the closing was set for December."

Unfortunately, some of their landlords were not on board.

"While many partners supported a workable plan, several key financial stakeholders did not," their post says. "This included a few landlords whose participation was essential. Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financil ability continue operating. And so just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives."

They've launched a GoFundMe for their employees and are encouraging their fans to contribute.

"If The Biscuit Bar ever served you a meal, became part of your routine, or gave you a place to gather with family and friends, we humbly ask you to consider donating or sharing this campaign," they say.

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