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

Bankruptcy news

North Texas-based breastaurant chain Twin Peaks files for bankruptcy

Twin Peaks/ Facebook

Twin Peaks has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Lewisville-based Twin Hospitality Group, the parent company of the Twin Peaks restaurant chain, is filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The chain has not announced plans for widespread restaurant closures.

The company, founded in Lewisville in 2005, quickly became a major competitor to Hooters, Bombshells, and other eateries centered on buxom waitstaff. Currently, there are 114 locations nationwide, including four in San Antonio.

The January 26 bankruptcy filing comes only a year after the company went public on the stock exchange with a $1 billion estimated value. For now, doors will remain open and staff will be paid, but it's not a sign of strength for most companies to enter Chapter 11.

"Twin Peaks has redefined the sports bar experience and built an iconic and highly profitable business. We are confident that the brand remains positioned for meaningful global expansion in the years to come,” said Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of Twin Hospitality, in a statement. “Our focus in this process remains providing quality service to our customers and supporting our franchise partners and the thousands of corporate and franchise employees.”

The news comes at a time of reckoning for "breastaurants.” Last year, the leading name in the industry, Hooters, announced a major brand shift away from its skimpy model. Dubbed the “re-Hooterization," the chain plans to return to its original branding of a beach-themed hangout spot.

Multiple locations in Texas have already been bought out or closed in Grapevine, Houston, Lubbock, Bryan, and San Marcos. A spokesperson for Hooters told CultureMap that they are in the process of transferring all Texas liquor licenses from the former ownership.

"We look forward to the completion of the transfers, but it is a process that takes a little bit of time," they said.

bankruptcy breastaurants chains