More Fried Foods

Here are the 10 finalists for 2017 State Fair of Texas fried food awards

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Put your money on the Froot Loops.

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

It's good news for the Froot Loops. The 10 finalists have been named for the 13th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards food competition, aka the State Fair of Texas' fried food awards, and the fried Froot Loops — which we rooted for in our semifinalist story — made the cut. Is there a betting pool on this thing?

Other notable final entries include fried Texas sheet cake, and fried chicken noodle soup on a stick, reminiscent of the "fried Thanksgiving dinner" of 2013 — or wait, is it more like the "picnic on a stick" of 2012?

For the first time, three winners will receive awards, instead of two. Previously, it was "Best Taste" and "Most Creative." Now they've broken Best Taste into Sweet and Savory. They've also expanded the field of finalists from eight to 10. It's all designed to pump up the volume. Winners will be chosen, as usual, on Labor Day weekend.

Here are the finalists:

Deep Fried Chicken Noodle Soup on a Stick, by Sherry and Chris Howard
Homestyle chicken noodle soup is deep fried and served on a stick. Each bite size ball will have an indention for a spoonful of savory broth sauce which is offered in a disposable plastic cup. Each dish is served with a side of crackers.

Deep Fried Froot Loops, by Gracie and Milton Whitley
Sweetened Froot Loops are folded into whipped marshmallow, dipped in batter, fried, then topped with glaze and powdered sugar. Just give them the award now and get it over with.

Fat Smooth, by Tami Nevins-Mayes
Three "Belgium" (surely they mean Belgian) mini cream puffs on a skewer are dipped in a Café Du Monde beignet batter, fried, powdered sugared, and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.

Fernie's Fried Texas Sheet Cake, by Winter Family Concessions
Fudgy chocolate brownie cake is coated in panko and ground cocoa puffs and fried, so that it has a crunchy outside and a molten center. The chocolate icing is infused with Dr. Pepper. Add chopped Texas pecans, whipped cream, and a strawberry, which they are saying will be carved to mimic a Lady Bird Johnson rose.

Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger, by Tom Grace and Edna Sutton
On this burger, buns are replaced with two funnel cakes that are fried to a golden crunch. There is also bacon and queso, and a dusting of powdered sugar, because apparently powdered sugar must be dusted on everything at the State Fair.

Gulf Coast Fish Bowl, by Clint Probst
This is a whimsical cocktail that seems to be served in a round plastic cup that's meant to look like an aquarium. Maybe that's just for the contest and they'll serve it in a more enviro-friendly package. It has Nerds candy "gravel" on the bottom, ice, blue alcoholic punch, Swedish Fish floating within, and a pineapple slice on top.

Pinot Noir Popcorn, by The Parish Family
Cheddar-cheese flavored kettle corn is dusted with a Pinot Noir burgundy wine powder. Unfortunately, it seems that it will be served in a large plastic goblet. Hopefully that is just for show, and at the Fair, the Parish Family will serve it in a paper box.

Surfin' Turfin' Tator Boat, by Melissa and David Harrison
This is a high-end stuffed baked potato filled with lobster and steak. Both are stuffed into the potato, which already has melted garlic butter, then topped with cheddar and romano cheeses. It comes with a side of lemon butter for dipping that seems a tad bit extraneous.

Texas Fajita Fries, by Nick Bert
These are meat "fries" made of breaded beef fajita strips, seasoned with a Sriracha spice mix and served in a bread cone. Which itself is presented on a bed of fried onions and jalapeños. With a side of pico de gallo and a sour cream guacamole hot sauce. That seems like a lot going on. Maybe that's why they say, "Texas fajita fries can be enjoyed as a sandwich or individually like french fries."

The Tamale Donut, by Justin Martinez
This takes the ingredients of a pork tamale and serves them in a doughnut shape. Pork carnitas are blended with authentic masa, hand-formed into the circular doughnut shape, fried until crispy on the outside and soft inside, then drizzled with creamy jalapeno salsa. Can you call something a doughnut (not "donut," OK?) just because it's tubular in shape? Apparently, yes.

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Acclaimed Vaqueros BBQ restaurant backed by M Crowd closes in Allen

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Vaqueros BBQ

A high-profile barbecue restaurant in Allen has closed: Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q, which opened at Watters Creek Village in early 2025 with backing from the M Crowd Restaurant Group, has shut down, and the partnership has dissolved.

The restaurant announced the news in an October 28 Facebook post that says, "ALLEN, TX. , it’s been real…Doors closed today at 4. Stay tuned. We ain’t done yet."

M Crowd CEO Edgar Guevara confirmed the closure to CultureMap, saying in an emailed statement:

"After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q in Allen, effective October 28, 2026. We are sincerely grateful to the Allen and North Texas communities for welcoming Vaqueros. It has been a privilege to serve our guests throughout our time here. To our dedicated team members, loyal guests and everyone who has been part of the Vaqueros story, thank you for your support."

Vaqueros had been a critically acclaimed food truck in Grapevine before it made the leap to brick-and-mortar. The restaurant in Allen represented a partnership between Vaqueros founder Arnulfo "Trey" Sanchez and M Crowd Restaurant Group, founded by the late "Godfather of Dallas Tex-Mex" Mico Rodriguez and known for neighborhood restaurants such as Mi Cocina, which also has a location at Watters Creek.

The standalone restaurant was announced in 2023 and debuted in January 2025 to much fanfare from foodies and critics and much excitement from M Crowd: "Trey's take on Texas barbecue is unique, one-of-a-kind, and above all authentic," Guevara had said at the time. M Crowd co-owned the restaurant with Sanchez, who remained a partner and pitmaster.

Spanish for "cowboys," Vaqueros served barbecue-influenced takes on Mexican dishes such as cochinita pibil and birria tacos.

The menu was an extension of the Vaqueros BBQ food truck that Sanchez had founded in Grapevine in 2018. His work with the food truck had earned nods in national publications and TV shows including The New York Times, Taste of Texas, The Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food, and Man’s Greatest Food.

His food truck menu featured classics like brisket and ribs, but also twists like tacos in rotating flavors, brisket nachos, and smoked cochinita pibil. His version of the trendy BBQ birria is what generated the biggest buzz: It was featured on Cooking Channel's Man Fire Food & Man's Greatest Food; Texas Monthly Top 20 Bites of 2020; and Cooking Channel's Man's Greatest Food's #14 Cheesy Dish in USA.

M Crowd took notice and partnered with him on a standalone restaurant. "I am thrilled to join forces with Edgar and believe that this partnership will allow me to take my establishment to the next level and focus on the part of the business that I love most," Sanchez had said at the announcement of the restaurant.

The Allen eatery earned raves when it opened in 2025, including a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards. Its nomination read: "Tucked into the Watters Creek development in Allen, Vaqueros is one of those barbecue joints that’s worth the drive. You can stick with a more traditional plate of brisket and sides, or dip the beefy birria tacos into Vaqueros’ excellent consome. And, as good as the brisket, pork carnitas, and sausage are, the sides, which include apple-Gorgonzola slaw and three-cheese mac and cheese, are equally compelling."

Guevara declined to give any particular reasons for the closure, or to expand on future plans for Vaqueros. The partnership between Sanchez and the M Crowd has ended, he said.

"At this time, we don’t have any additional details to share regarding future plans for Vaqueros," he said. "With the closure of the Allen location, M Crowd’s involvement with the brand has also come to an end. Any future announcements regarding Vaqueros would come from the brand directly."

CultureMap has reached out to Sanchez directly and will update this article if there's more information to share.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

barbecue food truck allen restaurant closings closure