Bits & Bites: Things to Do and Chew in Dallas This Weekend, August 9

Writing this final post has made it sink in that this really is my last day as an intern at D Magazine. I am so sad that I won’t be contributing to SideDish on a regular basis anymore (look out for my comments), but I am especially sad that I have to leave Carol. Many thanks to all those who have read. I’ve provided some pretty solid options for this weekend and even included a surprise at the end. Oh, and sorry in advance for the SausageFest part. Guess I’ll go cry now…

Friday

The Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson is finally open! Check out Meredith Carey’s preview of the food right here. It’s going to be a crazy-good time in Richardson this weekend for cinephiles.

ZEN Sushi, one of the 100 Best Restaurants, has $6 specials on ZEN bruschetta, sea bass ceviche, coconut shrimp, and more for their 6^th anniversary all weekend long. The fun starts tonight at 5:30 p.m. Also, chef Michelle Carpenter agreed to do an “Ask Me Anything” post on Reddit. She started taking questions on Wednesday; see if she’s still at it.

There are lots of KRLD Restaurant Week dinners and lunches starting today. Some of the restaurants are Komali, Bijoux, and Al Biernat’s, which all happen to be some of our 100 Best Restaurants.

Saturday

Yesterday, I tagged along with Carol to try some of The Tamale Company’s pumpkin tamales. It might sound weird, but they taste so good. They’re sweet, but not too sweet – it’s the handheld version of pumpkin pie. My point? Go to your local farmers market (if you’re lucky you might find a stash of the pumpkin ones). Sidenote: If you’re the first 250 market-goers to drop by the Chipotle tent at the Dallas Farmers Market this Saturday and Sunday, you’ll receive a $10 currency token. It’s redeemable for produce, and  farmers can cash the tokens to receive the full cash value.

A different type of market to try this weekend is the Design District Market at Dallas Contemporary from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. This market will feature local artists, photographers, fashion and jewelry designers, vintage shops, and more. You won’t find produce here, but you can find food trucks and Ben E. Keith is supplying the booze. It’s going to be hot, but there will be chill music and a “dumpster pool.” I don’t know about diving into a dumpster, but it does get hot. Desperate times call for desperate measures – or however that goes.

SausageFest. Need I say more? Okay, maybe so you don’t get the wrong idea. Uh, anyways, 105.3 The FAN presents a festival for celebrating all things sausage at Main Street Garden. Doors open at 4 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. Sorry, kids (includes me), but you must be 21. Too bad I won’t be 21 in time, because I’d like to see who wins the Miss SausageFest pageant and what measures people will go to for sausage bobbing. Awkward.

Sunday

If you like Chopped or Iron Chef, then you should head to Sundown at Granada to catch Food Network’s premier of Cutthroat Kitchen. It will feature Sundown’s very own Patrick Stark. The rooftop viewing party will have $3 beers and wells all night long. Check out the trailer. How far is chef Stark willing to go to win this cooking competition with $25,000 on the line?

For an added bonus and as my parting gift to all you SideDishers, here is something fun to do on Monday. I want the dog in the picture. Caption that.

Marley Dablo will be an online journalism senior at the University of Oklahoma in the fall. She plans to attend culinary school upon graduation in hopes of combining her writing and culinary skills to ultimately have her own cooking show one day.