State Fair News

State Fair of Texas closes Big Tex fried food awards to the public

This entry is shaped like an armadillo.

State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas has narrowed down the list of finalists for the 17th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, its much-vaunted competition of various fried foods that will be served at the 2021 event.

There are now 10 finalists, who will compete to win in three categories: savory, sweet, and most creative.

This year, 43 entries were submitted by 26 concessionaires, and 32 were selected as semi-finalists. The final winners will be selected by a panel of judges at the Big Tex Choice Awards event on Sunday, August 29.

In prior years, they've made the Big Tex Choice Awards an increasingly hyped event with lots of fanfare and an effort to ramp up the celebrity value of their judges. But this year's will be closed to the public, due to the you-know-what.

SAVORY

Crispy Crazy Corn, Ruth Hauntz — Whole kernel corn is battered and fried, then topped with pulled pork, pineapple slaw, jalapeño crema, and cilantro.

Deep Fried I-35, Clint and Gretchen Probst — Fried kolache dough topped with brisket, slices of peach, and BBQ glaze made with peaches and Dr Pepper.

Deep Fried Seafood Gumbo Balls, Gourmet Royale — Gumbo balls with Gulf shrimp, chicken, crab, and Andouille sausage are rolled in saltine cracker and breadcrumb batter, then fried, then topped with chicken-fried okra spears and served with a side of dark gumbo roux sauce and saltines.

Lucky Duck Dumplin', Bert Concessions — Fried dumplings filled with fluffy cream cheese, duck bacon, and corn, served with Thai chili dip.

Pork Shots, Glen and Sherri Kusak at Hans Mueller — Smoked sausage is wrapped with bacon to form a tiny bowl that gets filled with mac & cheese and sprinkled with BBQ rub.

SWEET

The Armadillo, James Barrera — Cookie butter ice cream sandwich has two armadillo-shaped cookies, made with a branding iron, sandwiching cookie butter semifreddo with cookie butter drizzle.

Brisket Brittle, Ruth Hauntz — Like peanut brittle, but replace the peanuts with Texas brisket.

Deep-Fried Halloween, Isaac Rousso — chewy pretzel is fried, then bathed in candy corn syrup, then piped with orange and white icing, then stacked with Halloween candies like M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Mini-Twix, Oreo crumbles, and candy corn, then topped with marshmallow whip cream, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Hershey's chocolate syrup caramel sauce, and candy corn drizzle.

Fernie's Fried Toffee Coffee Crunch Cake, Winter Family Concessions — Chunks of cake doughnuts, English toffee morsels, and almonds are blended with custard, dipped in an "egg product" and panko and vanilla cookie crumbs, and fried. Topped with mocha coffee whipped cream and a mini chocolate covered toffee bar.

Texas Pumpkin Poke Cake, Michelle Edwards — Texas-shaped pumpkin cake with vanilla glaze, caramel, and whipped cream.

The 2021 State Fair of Texas will open on Friday, September 24, and will run through Sunday, October 17. Here's how to get every possible discount.

state-fair

Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

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