Cardoon
DALLAS, TEXAS | APRIL 2026
Presented by Russian River Valley Winegrowers
The day was dark and moody, with heavy clouds sitting low in the sky over the broad pastures of Lucky Spur Ranch. Luckily, the tornado warnings stayed to the south of us, so we were able to set our table up under the overhang of one of the Ranch’s beautiful outbuildings, stretching long against the Western-style wood paneled wall. Guests drove down a long driveway, past longhorns and mules, to gather together for a meal celebrating Russian River Valley Winegrowers. After a welcome tasting, we paired their beautiful wines with a globally-inspired meal rooted in Syrian flavors from Chef Belal Kattan. He’s moved back and forth between Syria and America, layering influences from the many places he’s called home. From Big Green Egg fire roasted duck to handmade pasta, each course was served with care from our chef and an accompanying story from our winemakers.
While we may not have gotten the Big Texas Skies we thought we were planning for, the blanket of clouds turned out to be more fitting for this particular evening, which unfolded with coziness and a personality of quiet warmth. The beautiful barn wood wrapped around us as candlelight glowed brighter against the cloudy night. People who arrived reserved ended the night laughing loudly at stories told across the table. One of the winemakers sat next to Danielle’s mom, in attendance from Minnesota, throughout dinner, and made a point to thank her when it was his turn to address the group about his wines, for raising Danielle into the person who would create this type of experience. In doing so, he reflected the artistry of our chef, the poetry of the wines in out glasses. Each of these paid homage to the importance of our roots, the people and places that build us into what we are. By sharing those influences through food, drink, and conversation, we grant each other the opportunity to travel without leaving the table, so explore something new about the world and ourselves.
WELCOME
We first gathered on the Ranch’s patio, where our guest winemakers were waiting with wildcard selections; their favorite wines or something new to share. Everyone had a chance to meet the winemakers and hear a bit about them while tasting the first few bites of the night.
A MENU BY BELAL KATTAN
Chef Belal runs a Syrian-inspired pop-up called Bazaar in Dallas, merging Middle Eastern flavors with classical Italian and French techniques, including his particular love for handmade pasta. For our evening together, he created a beautiful menu designed around the wine selections from Russian River Valley Winegrowers, weaving in influences and ingredients from around the world to create unique components like shiro dashi beurre monte and hazelnut dukkah to finish his dishes.
MENU
WELCOME
Crustade black garlic, mushrooms, parmesan
Potato Pavé potato, shatta, cilantro
Pain Perdu sujuk, cheese
GUEST WINERIES
ZERO PROOF
Oddbird Blanc de Blanc
Steven Smith Teamaker Moroccan mint tea
TO START
Endive Salad endive, radish, cucumber, pepita, green goddess, brown butter breadcrumb
Wine: 2024 Inman Family Whole Bucha Love OGV White Blend
ISH Mexican Agave Spirit + Soda
FIRST
Fire Roasted Carrots hazelnut dukkah, whipped labneh, mint, olive oil
Wine: 2023 Harper’s Rest Moondust Vineyard Chardonnay
Kolonne Null Verdejo
SECOND
Tuna Tartare tuna, rhubarb agua chile, smoked olive oil
Wine: 2023 Innumero Wines Little Boot Vineyard Pinot Noir
Oddbird Blanc de Blanc
THIRD
Sunchoke Agnolotti sunchoke, za’atar brown butter, lemon, parmesan
Wine: 2022 Vaughn Duffy Wines Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel
Oddbird Low Intervention White
MAIN
Fire Roasted Duck candied spices, vegetables, shiro dashi beurre monte
Wine: 2022 Bricoleur Vineyards Kick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Saint Viviana Cabernet
DESSERT
Olive Oil Cake lemon curd, rhubarb chutney, jasmine
Limoncello Spritz
WINE PAIRINGS
Each guest winemaker paired their wine with a course of the menu, and had the chance to share its story at the table while pouring. We got to not only enjoy great wine and food, but the chance to sit down and share a thoughtful meal with the people who grew the grapes, walked the vineyards, and meticulously checked the ferment to make each beautiful, place-based vintage.
SECRET LOCATION: LUCKY SPUR RANCH
We wanted to lean into some true Texas vibes for this Supper, to bring a sense of place that would compliment both the wine and cuisine, which both supplied their own strong terroir. The rustic beauty of Lucky Spur Ranch, previously a hub for horseback riders and rodeos, offered the perfect country backdrop for our gatheirng.
