N&D 03.27.24 // Delicious Spring Events

With this being our annual Zest edition, I thought I’d generously sprinkle this week’s Night & Day section with a good measure of spring foodie/boozie events happening now thru April. Will there be eats and drinks at all the clam bakes below, or is this a clever way for me to contribute to this special issue? Yes. (I do, after all, love a good theme!)

 Thursday, March 28, 2024 

Wanna get heavy? Every Thursday, the Taco Heads location in the Stockyards (2349 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-420-6299) presents the 5-pound Burrito Challenge. Finish this delicious monster in 20 minutes, and it’s free. If you fail, that will be $40, sir. Taco Heads is open 10am-7pm Sun, 10am-9pm Mon-Thu, and 10am-11pm Fri-Sat.

Today is also Opening Day for your Texas Rangers, who are taking on the Chicago Cubs at Globe Life Field (734 Stadium Dr, Arlington, 817-533-1972) at 6:45pm. If you’re going to the game but don’t have a parking pass, consider taking advantage of the shuttles at J. Gilligan’s (400 E Abram St, Arlington, 817-274-8561) starting at 1pm. Along with the $15 ride (which includes free restaurant parking), enjoy the Game Day Party 3pm-8pm, featuring autographed item giveaways, beer pong, cornhole, DJs, a raffle for game tickets, and access to the whole food menu. It would be best to arrive two hours before you hope to be at the stadium. Read this week’s Stuff article on pg. 12 for a look at some eye-popping and mouthwatering Opening Day foodstuffs.

Leave the kids at home when you enter surreality this evening. Meow Wolf: The Real Unreal (3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Ste 253, Grapevine, 866-636-9969), winner for Best Kids’ Activities in our Best Of 2023, is throwing an adults-only party 6pm-10pm. Tickets to the Adulti-Verse Takeover are $45 at Tickets.MeowWolf.com and include full exhibit access and entertainment by DJ Mala Fama. Adult beverages will be available via a cash bar.

 Saturday, March 30, 2024 

Rahr & Sons Brewing (701 Galveston Av, Fort Worth, 817-810-9266) is hosting its inaugural Adult Easter Egg Hunt 4pm-10pm. The entry fee is $20 and includes a souvenir glass, three pours, music by DJ MFG, and the chance to search for 500 eggs — some of which are golden with special prizes inside. In case you’re the Sweet Home Alabama type (“You have a baby — in a bar!”), kids are also welcome and can participate for free.

McFly’s Pub (6104 LTJG Barnett Rd, Fort Worth, 817-744-8272) is also getting in on the hunting action. The Back to the Future-themed bar’s Dark Adult Easter Egg Hunt Party is 21 and up-only with live music by Jacob Furr. (Move over, kids. The adults will take it from here.) It’s BYOB with the B meaning “basket,” and the hunt starts at 9pm. As for eating and drinking, the Aaliya Zo food truck will be on-site, and the bar will have some specials. Attendance is free.

 Sunday, March 31, 2024 

Happy Easter! Check out this week’s ATE DAY8 a Week column on pg. 27 for Sunday brunch ideas for humans. For breakfast today, Celebration Community Church (908 Pennsylvania Av, 817-335-3222) invites you to visit and enjoy the Sunrise Easter Service on the Fellowship Hall Patio at 7am, followed by breakfast at 8am, a children’s Easter egg hunt at 9:15am, Easter worship at 10am, and coffee at 11:15am. There is no cost for any of the above. (Note: If you cannot attend but want to check out a nonjudgmental, inclusive church, all services can be viewed on YouTube @CelebrationCommunityChurch130.)

As for the doggos, Three Dog Bakery (9530 Feather Grass Ln, Ste 140, Fort Worth, 817-741-3364) offers a three-course Bunny Brunch Meal for $25 that includes a “puppitizer” of crunchy, locally sourced chicken feet; an entree of turkey, tater, and cheese casserole with a fresh-baked “cinnamutt woofle” and a fruit cup; and Easter Begg Egg cookies for dessert. Call by Friday to order.

If cats are more your speed, don’t forget about The Cozy Catfe (740 SW Green Oaks Blvd, Ste 200, Arlington, 682-323-4837). This cat-friendly spot is open various hours daily Thu-Tue, including 1pm-7pm on Sundays. For $15 per person, you can spend an hour with adoptable kitties and enjoy a complimentary beverage. “All the money we receive from entry fees goes back to the cats to keep them happy and healthy while they await their furever homes.” For info on special events, including an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, visit the event page at Facebook.com/TheCozyCatfe.

 Monday, April 1, 2024 

Since North Texas is in the “path of totality” during the upcoming solar eclipse, we’ll cover that planetary event more extensively in our Wed, Apr 3 edition. At local Tiff’s Treats locations, it’s already go time. Today thru Mon, Apr 8, you can order sun- and moon-inspired Eclipse Mix Cookies. This limited-time flavor combo includes half lemon-sugar cookies and half double chocolate chip. Prices range from $21 per dozen to $136 for a six-dozen tray at CookieDelivery.com/Eclipse-Mix.

 Thursday, April 4, 2024 

In our inaugural Weekly Women issue recently, we wrote about the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival, a signature four-day event that seeks to “foster, celebrate, and sustain” Fort Worth’s hospitality community with “a decided shift over the last few years to include more women- and minority-owned businesses.” To read what some past and present participants had to say, visit ATE DAY8 a Week in the Calendar drop-down at FWWeekly.com.

This year’s FWF +WF events include Tacos + Tequila on Thu, Apr 4; the Main Event on Sat, Apr 5; Rise + Shine on Sun, Apr 6; Burgers, Brews & Blues on Sun, Apr 6; and Ring of Fire on Mon, Apr 7. Individual event tickets start at $89 at FWFWF.org. For $635, you can also buy the Weekender pass, which includes early entry to all events, or the Kit for $390, which includes discounted general admission to everything.

 Saturday, April 6, 2024 

On the first Saturday of the month from now thru Sat, Jul 6, Autobahn Volkswagen (2810 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 817-969-3707) hosts a free car show called V-Dub Cars & Coffee in the parking lot, rain or shine. Admire classic Volkswagen bugs, vans, and more while enjoying a complimentary caffeinated drink 8am-10am. You can also see classic airplanes at the annual Fly-In Pancake Breakfast at the Vintage Flying Museum (505 NW 38th St, Fort Worth, 817-624-1935) 8am-10am. Admission to the museum and the pancakes and coffee are free during the event, but donations are appreciated.

Tarrant Area Food Bank offers a free mobile food pantry in the parking lot of the Potter’s House Church (1270 Woodhaven Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-288-9970) 9am-11am on the first Saturday of the month, including today. This event helps provide healthy food options for the church’s neighborhood, which is considered a food desert, meaning the area has limited access to affordable and nutritious food compared to a food oasis, where there is greater access to supermarkets with fresh foods. Another close option is to visit Town Talk Foods (121 N Beach St, Fort Worth, 817-831-6136), a deep-discount grocery outlet that sells seconds and surplus items for pennies on the dollar.

 Friday, April 12, 2024 

Jazz? Wine? Trains? I’m in! The Jazz Wine Train events at Grapevine Vintage Railroad (705 S Main St, Grapevine, 817-410-3185) are from 6pm to 9:30pm and are on three Fridays in April — the 12th, 19th, and 26th. Go for a leisurely ride while enjoying live jazz, assorted hors d’oeuvres, dessert, and a souvenir wine glass with tastings from six local vino purveyors. Tickets are $65 per person or $395 for a table of four at GVRR.com.

 Saturday, April 13, 2024 

At Rock Springs Cafe, the restaurant inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-463-4160), the Rock Springs Crawfish Boil is noon-5pm and includes all-you-can-eat crawfish, corn, potatoes, and three drink coupons, plus live music by the Squeezebox Bandits. Chicken tenders will also be available. Tickets are $60 per person at FWBG.org, and a portion of the sales will support future garden projects.

 Saturday, April 20, 2024 

Learn how to churn fresh butter and make from-scratch biscuits with historical interpreters Kate and Kelley at the Butter & Biscuits event at Log Cabin Village (2100 Log Cabin Village Ln, Fort Worth, 817-392-5881) 10am-noon. Participants will make-and-take their own butter jars and spread the buttery goodness on the firepit-baked biscuits. This adult/child activity is limited to two children (ages 8+) per adult. Tickets are $30 per person at LogCabinVillage.org. Registration ends on Thu, Apr 18.

Lone Star Murder Mystery has a special dinner show monthly at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117). Tonight, it’s Derailed & Departed. Test your investigative skills and solve the mysterious murder of Attorney Dewey Cheatumgood, a “dubious dealer of bogus railroad bonds,” at this 90-minute comedy show set in 1880s Texas, a.k.a. the Wild West. Doors open at 6pm, dinner is at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $66 at BillBobsTexas.com and include your meal (salad, dinner, dessert, and a soft drink) and the show. A cash bar will be open for alcoholic beverages.

The Arlington Museum of Art (1200 Ballpark Way, 817-275-4600) has a new home in the city’s entertainment district, and from 7pm to 9pm, it will celebrate its sixth annual Eat Your Art Out event. Tickets are $100 per person, with proceeds providing supplies for the museum’s Summer Art Camp, which welcomes hundreds of at-risk and talented youth who attend on scholarships provided in partnership with the Arlington school district. Guests will enjoy auctions, raffles, savory bites, and sweet samples from a dozen local bakeries. For tickets, visit ArlingtonMuseum.org/EYAO.

Still on the hunt for a great Easter (or any Sunday) Brunch? Read Ate Day8 a Week.