If you're looking to start or add to your brood, you'll want to be
located in these highly sought-after Texas areas. That's according to Niche, the online platform that helps people choose schools and places to live. It just released its rankings of the Best Places to Raise a Family in Texas, and two Dallas-Fort Worth spots make the top five. Cottonwood Creek, a neighborhood in Richardson that Niche curiously identifies as Cotten Creek South, and
Coppell, in the northwest corner of Dallas, are Nos. 2 and 5, respectively. Niche used weighted data to arrive at its rankings, with its own public school grades comprising the largest chunk of the score (20 percent). Next is the percentage of residents who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher (12.5 percent), and the cost of living grade, violent and property crime rates, and a housing grade (which includes home values, property taxes, housing costs, and more) all weighing
in at 10 percent. Other factors such as family amenities (access to parks, libraries, and cultural events), outdoor activities, walkability, diversity, and an overall score determined by Niche users on a scale of 1-5. The percentage of households with children under the age of 18 also figured in, obviously. Rounding out the top five in Texas are the affluent town of Rollingwood, outside Austin, at No. 1, The Woodlands in Houston at No. 3, and Cinco Ranch (also in Houston) at
No. 4. The Woodlands also shows up on Niche's list of the Best Cities to Live, claiming the top spot in the nation while Plano (No. 7) and Richardson (No. 12) also appear. This is the seventh consecutive year that Niche has produced these rankings, spanning 228 cities and 18,516 towns and neighborhoods.Family-Friendly
Halloween is
over but Dia de los Muertos festivities are still in full force this week. Events include a multi-course dinner, tequila mixology class, and family-friendly festival. Speaking of festivals, the week ends with two big ones: one highlighting Greek food and culture and another featuring some of the country’s best pitmasters. Both are three days long, so pace yourself.
Tuesday, November 1
Dia de los Muertos Garland
This family-friendly, free event will celebrate the lives of loved ones lost with mariachi performances and ballet folklorico dancers in Mexican tradition. An array of food trucks and vendors will serve tacos, churros, Mexican sweet bread, fruit bowls with spicy Tajin, and more. The event will take place at the Granville Arts Center and begins at 5:30 pm.
Wednesday, November 2
Dia de los Muertos Dinner at Roots Southern Table
Chef Tiffany Derry will welcome guest chefs Mauricio Lopez and Ana Martinez from Hilton Los Cabos beach resort to collaborate a five-course, Baja-inspired dinner to honor lost loved ones for the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos. Each course will come with chef-curated tequila pairings.
Dinner is $175 per person and begins at 6 pm.
Day of the Dead - Return of Blackswan Saloon
For one night only, defunct Deep Ellum bar Blackswan Saloon will return from the dead to serve up its former glory at Midnight Rambler at the Hotel Joule downtown. Blackswan was the bar owned by Gabe Sanchez, who is now Midnight Rambler's general manager, so it's not such a stretch, but anticipate some
throwback infused drinks. 6 pm-12 am.
Thursday, November 3
Day of the Dead Mixology Class at Seisegundos
Seisegundos is Mi Cocina’s upscale second floor cocktail bar that overlooks McKinney Avenue, and it’ll be the site for this Day of the Dead-themed mixology class featuring Casamigos
tequila. Participants will get to taste four varieties of the popular tequila brand and learn to create seasonal cocktails. The $40 per-person price includes light bites from the bar. Class will run from 5:30-7 pm.
Friday, November 4
Greek Food Festival of Dallas
This three-day celebration of Greek culture and
cuisine will return to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, where guests can enjoy music and dance and authentic Greek dishes. Bring the family for kids’ activities, and don’t miss the marketplace. Admission is $10 for adults and complimentary for kids 10 and under. The festival will run from 11 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday.
Q BBQ Fest
To be held at AT&T Stadium’s Miller Lite House,
this three-day national competition among pitmasters features six that are native Texans. The lineup includes Barrett Black of Black’s BBQ, Brandon Hurtado of Hurtado Barbecue, Mike Perez of Loro, and more Tickets range from $15 for general admission (food and drink are available for purchase) to $119 for unlimited barbecue, cocktails, and beer. There’ll also be live music. All tickets include parking and must be purchased for specific timeslots. The event will run through Sunday.
Saturday, November 5
Drink North Texas Wine Festival at The Sound at Cypress Waters
Wine festival features 18 award-winning Texas wineries from the North Texas Wine Country. Sip and savor the best North Texas wines at the beautiful Sound overlooking North Lake. Along with the vineyards, there will be artisan vendors selling handmade goods, and Petty Theft will close out the event with a
performance at the Rogers-O’Brien Amphitheater. 12-7pm.
Morton’s The Steakhouse A Taste of Legends Wine Dinner
Five-course dinner paired with hand-selected bottles of wines from five of the most distinguished French wine regions to perfectly complement the meal. Courses include Brie butter brioche toast, tuna niçoise salad, Prime New York strip, beef short rib, and French
artisan cheeses, paired with Champagne Delamotte Brut, Château Miraval Rosé, Domaine Matrot Meursault Rouge, Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006, and Cyprès de Climens Barsac. $179. 6:30 pm. Reservations online.
A
Bachelor runner-up in 2020 won her happily ever after two years later in Dallas: Madison Prewett married Dallas native Grant Troutt in a glamorous, reality TV star-studded celebration at his folks' house on Saturday, October 29.
Prewett came in second on pilot Peter Weber's season of the ABC reality dating show (well, technically she quit but then briefly reunited with him after the show's dramatic ending). She was a fan favorite for her unwavering convictions. Troutt, a minister and podcast host, is the son of Dallas billionaire Kenny Troutt and wife Lisa Copeland Troutt; the wedding for 400 took place on the Troutts' sprawling family estate in Dallas.
“We chose this location because it’s unique and special to us and having all our friends and family there means so much,” Prewett, 26, told People. "I have always wanted to get married in the fall and we wanted a short engagement, so it couldn't be more perfect."
The couple chose top Dallas vendors to bring their lavish affair to life (reportedly in just 12 weeks), and Dallas-based fine art-film photographer Megan Kay Photography captured the big day.
Prewett walked down the aisle in a custom gown by Dallas' Nardos Design. The long veil featured the words "Worth the Wait" on the train.
Prewett's mother also wore Nardos, the designer posted on Instagram.
According to
Page Six, the couple used the same florist as fellow Bachelor Nation stars Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk, who also tied the knot in Dallas - Taylor Davis aka Something Pretty Floral. "Hers was stunning, so we got a lot of inspiration from that,” Prewett told Page
Six.
The ceremony and reception were a wonderland of white roses.
The cakes were by Dallas' Fancy Cakes by Lauren, which has become a celebrity wedding go-to; they created the cakes for Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton's wedding last year, too. Prewett reportedly wanted the cake to be centerpiece of the reception. It was a towering creation of more than eight layers, white with gold floral details.
Dallas' Engaged Events did the wedding planning and design. "CHEERS TO THE TROUTTS!," they posted on Instagram. "The past 12 weeks have been a whirlwind of planning and perfecting @madiprew & @grant_troutt ‘s big day and we have loved every second of it!"
Among the 400 guests were Bachelor stars the Gottschalks, plus Natasha Parker, Sydney Warner (née Hightower), Victoria Fuller, Kelley Flanagan, Jasmine Nguyen, and Hannah Ann Sluss, says Us Weekly.
According to People, the couple - who got engaged just three months earlier - spent a couple post-wedding nights in Dallas before jetting off to Cabo for a honeymoon.
Prewett is an Auburn, Alabama native who wrote a book called Made For This Moment. Trout, who went to Episcopal School of Dallas and SMU, works for Blue Stone Innovation Partners, an investment capital fund based in Frisco, says People. He's also reportedly a speaker and minister to athletes and churches.
His father, Kenny Troutt, founded long-distance phone company Excel Communications, which he sold to Teleglobe in a $3.5 billion deal in 1998, according to Forbes. He now owns WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky and has bred a Kentucky Derby winner. Lisa Copeland Troutt is a regular fixture on the Dallas society circuit.
It's unclear where the new Mr. and Mrs. will settle down, but they seem eager to start married life.
“What we are most excited for is a lifetime together,” Prewett told People. "We are most looking forward to walking out God's purpose for our life together. We can't wait to get plugged into a local church and host community in our new home!"
After just a year, an acclaimed restaurant in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood is closing: Modest Rogers, the ambitious mom-and-pop from chef Modesto Rodriguez has decided to close. Rodriguez announced the news on social
media, thanking friends, family, and customers, and alluding to the personal toll it had taken. "With a heavy heart we have decided to close Modest Rogers. I won’t get into any specifics of why but it was definitely a hard time to start a business and it was a reflection of this decision," he said. "The past year of my life has been an adventure that I have been working really hard to achieve. A dream that seemed unreachable when it surfaced has become a reality," his
post said. Modesto and and his wife Kathryn Rodriguez opened their charming restaurant in a cute house at 3811 Fairmount St., near Oak Lawn Avenue in October 2021. An El Centro alum, Modesto had an unusual background, starting as a graphic designer who loved to cook for friends and family at home, before switching careers to worked at acclaimed
restaurants such as Nonna and Carbone's. At Modest Rogers, he created a menu that incorporated influences from his Venezuelan heritage, along with Spanish and Mexican flavors, such as Wagyu with chimichurri sauce and arugula salad, and seafood with elote corn "ribs" — long strips of corn kernels cut straight from the cob. He earned critical praise for his efforts including a
nomination for Best New Restaurant of 2022 in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards. A note on their Facebook page said they "had to close" — but it wasn't a landlord issue, Rodriguez said. "We just ran out of money," he said. "The landlord was very supportive, but we never got out of debt — we were always underwater." He said
he gave it his all to make his dream possible. "Sleep, who needs that," he said. "Pain, it’s only mental. Family and friends, they understand my absence because my dream was the only thing that mattered. That was the foundation of this path I chose for myself. A path that has finally come to an end." He thanked his family, friends, staff, and wife, stating that "the future is unclear as I write this but I’m ready to take on this new challenge and chapter in my life."