For those who love the idea of a Bishop Arts wine walk with a cause, the fifth annual Shop Eat Drink PINK! will be held this Thursday, October 5 in the Bishop Arts District. The organization was created by Sheri Mathis, part of the Good Space team that owns so many of the properties behind Bishop Arts treasures—spots like Lucia, Dude Sweet Chocolate, Emporium Pies—to raise awareness and funds for mammograms and breast cancer early detection procedures in Oak Cliff.
The evening’s 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. wine walk (hosted by the Bishop Arts District, benefitting SEDP), will include the usual stroll on a cool early fall evening, with shops serving wine and offering sales. An SEDP raffle will offer chances to win prizes donated by local restaurants and merchants, including a dinner and wine for two at Lucia with a reservation.
For those who want a little more, this year’s event includes 150 VIP tickets, pre-sold via PreKindle, for an event held at the whimsical floral art shop House of Dirt, featuring a pop-up by Lucia’s chef Justin Holt.
As someone who has followed Holt’s pop-ups over the past several years, I haven’t seen anything quite like this menu from him before. It involves (1) abura soba, brothless noodles that snuggle into an infused oil and have house-cured and smoked brisket on top; (2) rye ramen noodles (“When we take the soup out of ramen, we have a chance to showcase different grains,” says Holt; he’s been working on the recipe for months), (3) katsu sando, the Japanese fried pork cutlet sandwich on pillowy white bread and given a little spicy kick; and (4) a fried chicken sandwich on more house-made pillowy milk bread.
So, essentially, two white bread sandwiches, two brothless noodle dishes, pickled vegetables—that sounds about right. “It’s still Texas-summer hot outside,” says Holt, who admits to loving these opportunities to explore more facets of a Japanese cuisine he admires and loves.
He also feels drawn to the significance of the event. His mother is a breast cancer survivor, he tells me. And he appreciates the camaraderie of the Bishop Arts team (Dude Sweet Chocolate will make pink marshmallows; Joy Macarons will make pink macarons shaped like breasts).
“It’s nice to do something together,” says Holt. “All under one roof.”
At the end of this week, Holt will start curing brisket. Saturday he will make the alkaline ramen dough and allow it to sit. Monday he will let the brisket have its first kiss of smoke; he will sheet and cut the noodles.
It is all part of a more general labor of love.
For more information about SEDP, click here. For VIP tickets (including ramen pop-up), order here. Tickets are $50 and include food, wine by Neighborhood Cellar, music by DJ Ez Eddie D, and style shows by Indigo 1745, Home on Bishop, Opportunity Market, and DLM Supply.
