Fried Foods

Fried ranch tops list of State Fair of Texas 2018 Big Choice Awards

Who could forget the 2016 entry, fried Jell-O?

Photo by Jason Hays

The 2018 fried-food contest at the State Fair of Texas returns, and for the first time it has a sponsor.

We are talking about the Big Tex Choice Awards, the annual competition among State Fair concessionaires who submit innovative treats for a final taste-off that will take place August 26.

But this time, according to a press release, it's the "14th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Vistaprint." Does the State Fair need a new revenue stream?

After a first round of judging, 31 semi-finalists have been named, who will compete for one of three winning titles: Best Taste–Sweet, Best Taste–Savory, and Most Creative.

Among the contestants are three entries with bacon; two with Kool-Aid; and one with lobster. There are at least two alcoholic beverages, including a savory corn dog ale and a sweet beermosa.

And finally, in the biggest fried condiment news since 2009's award-winning fried butter and 2014's fried Sriracha balls, there is deep fried ranch. You can blame that one on Jay Jerrier, owner of Dallas' Cane Rosso pizza chain, who has rightfully banished the presence of ranch in his restaurants, and thereby created an unbalance in the ranch dressing world.

Finalists for savory are as follows:

Corn Dog Ale
Deep Fried Bodacious Bacon Bombs
Deep Fried Chicken Tetrazzini Parmesana
Deep Fried Lobster Pops
Deep Fried Ranch
Deep Fried Shepherd's Pie
Deep Fried Skillet Potato Melt in a Boat
Fried Cup of Corn "Elotes"
Fried Kool-Aid Pickles
Hoppin' John Cake with Jackpot Sauce
King Crispy Coconut Crab Sliders
Pico Frito (Deep Fried Pico de Gallo)
Southern Fried Chicken Nachos
Texas Fried Hill Country
Texas Twang-kie

The finalists for sweet are as follows:

Bacon Brittle
Cherish Erbert Champagne
Cotton Candy Taco
Deep Fried M&M's
Deep Fried Raspberry Brie-ret
Frosty's Frozen Hot Chocolate
Fruity Dessert Nachos
Kool-Aid Pickle-Dilly Sangria
Orange Julia's Beermosa
Orange You Glad We Fried It?!
State Fair Fun-L Cake Ice Cream
Supra Stuffed Mini Sopapillas
Sweet Bakin' Bacon
Sweet Crispy Rice (Arroz con Leche)
Texas Thai Delight
The Roll Tide

The contest kicked off in mid-July with 49 entries submitted by 30 concessionaires. All competitors must have at least one year of experience as a concessionaire at the State Fair of Texas to enter the competition.

The semi-finalists were chosen by a panel of internal judges, and their identities were not revealed to the panel who judged merely by name and description, although contestants had the option to submit a photo. The press release says that the judges based their choices solely on which food name and description sounds "the most appealing to their personal palette." Surely they mean "palate," unless this is a color contest and not a food contest.

On the second round of preliminary judging, the panel tastes the entries. The 10 top entries will be announced in mid-August.

The final judging is a public event with "celebrity judges" on Sunday, August 26. Tickets this year, available online at BigTex.com, are $125, up from the $100 price of prior events. More money more money but all proceeds are donated to the State Fair of Texas scholarship program.

state-fair

Coffee News

French cafe from New York to open at buzzy Dallas center near Lakewood

Maman

Lemon meringue tarts from Maman.

A French cafe chain from New York is bringing its ritzy fare to a buzzy intersection in East Dallas: Maman, a celebrated spot with coffee and brand-name pastries, will open a location in Hillside Village, at 6465 Mockingbird Ln. #316, at the address previously occupied by Palmer's Hot Chicken.

Signage is already up in the space. According to a spokesperson, renovations are underway, with a targeted opening date of early fall.

Famous for its pale blue-and-white toile decor and Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maman was founded in Soho in 2014 by partners Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, and has expanded across the U.S, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Canada.

They made their Texas debut in November 2025 when they opened a location in the Plaza at Preston Center. There are also plans for another location in Frisco at the new Fields West mixed-use center, as well as a location in Casa Linda Plaza. Still more locations are said to be in the works.

At the favorably situated Hillside Village, they'll be joining tenants such as Sprouts, SusieCakes, and Sephora. The center has undergone an overhaul in the past decade with the addition of new tenants, starting when Sprouts took over the former Stein Mart.

Palmer's was there for five years; they opened in 2020, part of a then-wave of hot chicken places, before exiting the premises in January 2026. A permitting notice for Maman was posted the same week.

Maman will update the space, installing their signature interior touches to create a cozy, European garden atmosphere. They boast a French provincial aesthetic with vintage furniture, wood floors, imported tiles, and signature blue toile that extends to the custom espresso machine.

The cafe will be open during daylight hours with coffee, breakfast and lunch: espresso drinks, tea, and pastries such as croissants, kouign maman, Bundt cakes, tea cakes, and cookies. Heartier breakfast and lunch items include quiche, a breakfast bowl (with potatoes, arugula, bacon, caramelized onions, avocado, and egg), chicken Caesar wrap, and Mediterranean steak sandwich.

Their drinks can be elaborate with rarefied ingredients; for example, a vanilla honey butter latte with sweet corn foam & cornbread crumbs, or a salted tahini honeycomb latte. They also partner up on brand collaborations with food & beverage names such as Martha Stewart.

coffee openings desserts breakfast