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

Teppanyaki News

Japanese restaurant chain with sizzling hot plates to debut in Frisco

Pepper Lunch

Pepper Lunch is coming to Frisco.

A distinctive Asian restaurant concept with sizzling hot plates is coming to the Dallas area: Called Pepper Lunch, it's an international chain from Japan that does a fast-casual version of teppanyaki, and it's opening in Frisco at 9180 Warren Pkwy. #150, in a busy shopping center anchored by 99 Ranch, in the former Gen Korean BBQ space.

Frisco will be the very first Pepper Lunch in Texas. According to co-owner Phil Guo, it'll open in mid-March.

Pepper Lunch was founded in Tokyo in 1994 by chef Kunio Ichinose and features teppanyaki, a Japanese cooking style where chefs cook on a hot griddle (teppan) in front of diners, creating an interactive and entertaining meal.

But Pepper Lunch takes it a step further with do-it-yourself teppanyaki, with meals served on 500-degree Fahrenheit hot plates, which are patented to stay hot for more than 20 minutes — allowing diners to cook their own food at the table.

All that sizzle has made Pepper Lunch an internet sensation. Cooking your own food at your table is a trend, and Pepper Lunch also has price and convenience on its side: Most of its menu items come in under $20 and can be complete in 20 minutes, making it a desirable option for workers and others with a limited lunch hour.

The signature dish is their Pepper Rice, which comes in about a dozen options, including the best-selling Beef Pepper Rice, featuring sliced beef, white rice, corn, and spring onion, with freshly-cracked black pepper, which is also a signature. ("We crack it fresh every morning," Guo says.)

Salmon terifyaki at Pepper Lunch Frisco.Pepper Lunch

Other varieties of Pepper Rice include Salmon Pepper Rice, Chicken Pepper Rice, Shrimp Pepper Rice, and Tofu & Veggie Pepper Rice.

You can get your meat, rice, and veggies in a teriyaki option or with curry sauce. They also have pastas with cream sauce and your choice of protein. Sides include American classics such as fries, onion rings, or sweet potato wedges, and they offer Kirin beer.

Dallas is part of Pepper Lunch's broader expansion across the U.S. They currently have more than 500 locations across 17 countries.

Guo is a veteran restaurateur who, along with partner Ken Cheng, operates three locations of Jinya Ramen Bar, a completely different kind of dining experience.

"Jinya is a full-service restaurant with a nice bar and intimate atmosphere, and the food is more complex," he says. "Pepper Lunch is fast-casual, more family-oriented, with a faster pace. If you need to, you can be in and out in 20 minutes. But there's heat nothing like it when they bring your plate to your table, and you get to cook rice or steak right in front of your face — it sizzles and pops."

He loves to recall the first time he encountered Pepper Lunch, decades ago, on a family trip to Hong Kong.

"We waited in line for two hours, and I will always remember sitting down and experiencing that sizzling smell," he says.

openings asian