The Spread.

Festival Season Can't, Won't Stop. Also: Hot Dogs In Deep Ellum!

Welcome to The Spread, our weekly feature that aims to share all the area restaurant, food and beverage industry news that's fit to print. Except that this is the Internet, so space isn't a concern. Also: Good thing, because this is Dallas and this town always has breaking restaurant news going down like whoa.

It seems like DFW has been overrun with craft beer festivals as of late. Don't get us wrong, we love craft beer festivals. Obviously.

But sometimes we just need a break from the beautifully brewed Texas beers we have come to know and love. Perhaps, instead, it might even be time to turn our booze-soaked attention span to a drink that has been fashionable since the time of Socrates.

This weekend, Grapevine is hosting its 27th annual GrapeFest, a four-day wine and food festival that would make the Greek god Dionysus cry tears of joy. Craft beer lovers need not fret, though, for there will also be craft beer available to quench that thirst of yours. No, beers might not be as widely available as one of the 140 different types of wines that will be on served by the more than 35 Texas wineries on hand, but, hey, Grapefest aims to please.

In case craft beer lovers are still not satisfied with that food, no worries: The Flying Saucer has recently announced plans for an upcoming installment of its own increasingly popular BeerFeast series. This next one is slated for the chain's Fort Worth location on October 12. The festival will include over 40 breweries bringing nearly 70 different types of beers to taste, plus several very rare and limited releases set to debut during the fest. In case those beers don't tickle your fancy, beers inside will also be available for sampling. Purchase tickets here.

In other booze and food festival news, Jack FM also announced plans to hold its first ever Beer, Bourbon and Brisket Festival, kicking off on September 28 at Panther Island Pavilion. Similar to its craft beer counterparts, the BBB Fest will offer sample cards, although card holders will be able to choose from various craft beers or a number of bourbon samples to boot.

Here in Dallas, the folks behind the North Texas Taco Fest are throwing a festival in honor of Dallas' beautiful and competitive burger scene. BurgerFest kicks off on September 21 in Deep Ellum with over a dozen burger proprietors competing for bragging rights. Notables including Maple & Motor, Easy Slider and Twisted Root are among the confirmed participants.

Also going down that weekend — September 22, to be exact — is the second annual Food Truck Palooza hosted by Temple Shalom. The Palooza will bring together some of DFW's best food trucks to benefit the North Texas Food Bank. Over the food truck scene? Get cultured instead at the Dallas Japanese Association's annual Japanese Fall Festival, which will feature traditional Japanese cuisine as well as entertainment.

It looks like even local breweries are getting in on this festival bandwagon thing, too: Lakewood Brewing Company will host BooktoberFest on September 26 to benefit the DFW chapter of Room to Read, a charitable organization focused on promoting literacy and gender equality in education. The festival will take place at the brewery itself and will include limited and specialty beers to sample, plus brats and, of course, books.

Are all of these festivals making your head spin? Could you use a drink? Perhaps even a 1920s-inspired cocktail? The Gin Mill, which goes for the whole modern-day speakeasy vibe on Henderson, will be celebrating its second anniversary on September 26. starting at 7 p.m. Known as the Bootlegger's Ball, the event and its organizers encourage Prohibition-era attire in exchange for offering complimentary appetizers and drink specials as local Western swing favorites, Shoot Low Sheriff provide an authentic soundtrack of yesteryear.

Moving on to food news: Taco Bueno debuted its first-ever food truck so it too could start making the food truck festival rounds… Baker's Ribs will be move out of its Greenville spot for a rent-efficient locale on Northwest Highway and Abrams Road… Twelve Stones officially opened its doors yesterday out in Flower Mound… Kitchen LTO opens up with Chef Norman Grimm at the helm… Emporium Pies has announced plans for a pop-up shop out in McKinney (at 107 S. Tennessee St.) this Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m…. popular hot dog and ice cream shop Wild About Harry's will spread its wings out in Deep Ellum and take over the former Theo's Diner spot at the intersection of Hall and Commerce… Sissy's Southern Kitchen rolls out a new brunch menu starting on September 21… Taverna Rossa opens its doors out in Plano today… Snappy Salads opens a new location on Upper Greenville… Urban Taco celebrates its third anniversary on September 19 with free margaritas, Dos Equis deals and a bevy of new fall specials… Quarter Bar celebrates its 13th birthday with a horror-themed bash this Friday… and Trader Joes announced plans for a Southlake location to open in October 2014.

Cover photo via the Wild About Harry's Facebook page. Got a tip for The Spread? Email us!