Even with all the pollen in the air right now, it’s a beautiful world outside. Don your mask, take your allergy meds, and enjoy the local (and regional) food and beverage scene. Here are eight ideas to check out soon.
From noon to midnight on Fri, 10am to midnight on Sat, and 10am to 6pm on Sun, head to Heritage Park (301 N Ash St, Muenster, 940-759-2227) for Muenster’s annual Germanfest. This three-day event boasts homemade bread, cake, hearty cheeses, pies, apple strudel, and the headliner, German sausage. Tickets are $10 per day on Friday and Sunday and $15 on Saturday at Stubwire.com/Events/GermanFest.
Grapevine Main Station — a new transit-oriented development project featuring a newly minted Texas landmark designation — has its official grand opening on Saturday at 11am at the intersection of Main Street and Dallas Road. See the expansive Peace Plaza and Rail Station, which features Harvest Hall (815 S Main St, Grapevine, 817-251-3050), a European-style food hall with seven kitchens, craft coffee, drinks, and cocktails. There is also a new 150-foot-tall Observation Tower — the new home of the Grapevine Visitor Information Center connected to Hotel Vin — with panoramic views of Historic Grapevine and much of North Texas.
Did you know that JPS Health System has two food trucks parked on campus every night? Look for them in the parking lot at the northwest corner of Main and Allen streets from 10pm to 2am. A Taste of Louisiana, Bullfish Foods, Go-Coffee Co., Kipz BBQ, La Cocina Rodante, and WangzFii are all on this week’s schedule. For the nightly schedule (and the signup form for food trucks to participate), go to JPSHealth.net.org/Team-Members/Food-Onsite.
The thoroughbred season is kicking off at the Lone Star Park Grandstand (1000 Lone Star Parkway, Grand Prairie, 972-263-7223) with the Live Horseracing & Crawfish Boil on Sunday. Park admission is $5-35 at LoneStarPark.com/Tickets. Once inside the park, bring your appetite to the Courtyard of Champions, where crawfish — with corn and potatoes included — are $10 for a 1.5-pound plate or $20 for a 3-pound plate.
Are you missing your post-show pancake fix? Ol’ South Pancake House is back open 24/7 at its Fort Worth Location (1509 S University, 817-336-0311). The Burleson location (225 E Renfro Rd, 817-989-9090) is open daily from 6am to 10pm but plans to go 24/7 soon as well. (Ol’ South is also hiring, so apply in person day or night.)
Speaking of Burleson, Oscar’s Bar & Grill (1581 SW Wilshire Blvd, Ste 101, 817-447-7232) is back open. This brand new music venue, bar, and full-service restaurant had just met its three-month mark when the pandemic hit. Due to capacity restrictions, owner Christian Baird decided to close temporarily. With a full music schedule lined up from now through May, it’s time to head there for date night.
Taste your way around Scarborough Renaissance Festival (2511 FM 66, Waxahachie, 972-938-3247) on Saturday and Sunday at the Royal Ale Tasting Tour. After entering the festival grounds, head to the Royal Tasting booth in Crown Meadow to purchase a $10 tasting ticket (must be 21+), then enjoy a variety of craft beers in the various pubs and taverns throughout Scarborough. Festival admission tickets are $37 at Albertson’s and Tom Thumb throughout North Texas.
Food Hall at Crockett Row will soon be offering another food option — Smoke-A-Holics BBQ — inside Crockett Food Hall (3000 Crockett St, 817-885-7331). Smoke-A-Holics’ free-standing location (1417 Evans Av, 817-386-5658) will continue its operations with the food hall as a second location. The new site will serve most of the items from the original store, including loaded cornbread, a widely popular dish made of fresh-baked cornbread topped with baked beans, chopped brisket, shredded cheese, onions, and barbecue sauce. For updates and grand opening info, follow them at Facebook.com/Smoke1TX.
