State Fair Fried Foods

Fried Sriracha tops the weirdness of State Fair of Texas 2014 fried food awards

A little earlier than usual, the State Fair of Texas has announced the finalists for the 2014 Big Tex Choice Awards — or as we like to call them, the fried food awards. This year's lineup hits on some big foodie trends, including tacos, craft beer and the hot condiment Sriracha sauce.

The contest, which premiered in 2005, has seen such novelties as fried butter, fried bubble gum and fried beer. The 2013 winners were Fried Thanksgiving Dinner, for most creative, and Fried Cuban Roll for best taste.

This year's judges are pretty "foodie" too: Top Chef contestant Tiffany Derry, BBQ Snob and Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, Dallas lifestyle blogger Cynthia Smoot and 1310 The Ticket personality Donovan Lewis. Emcee is Hawkeye from 96.3 KSCS.

This year, for the first time, a non-celebrity will be added to the judging panel. The fair held a contest in which anyone could submit a video to apply for a spot at the judge's table. And for the first time, a limited number of people can also attend the judging on Labor Day, September 1, at 10 am and get to sample the entries; tickets are for sale here.

Without further ado, this year's finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards:

Chicken Fried Loaded Baked Potato
The creamy and moist insides of a baked potato — loaded with butter, bacon and cheddar cheese — are coated and battered with a blend of spices and flour to create a combination of fried crispy crust and creamy loaded baked potato. Served with a ranch dipping sauce.

Deep Fried "Breakfast for Dinner"
A twist on a favorite American dinner. This is a 10-inch flour tortilla stuffed with eight favorite breakfast items: scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, ham, onion, cheddar cheese and gooey cinnamon roll bits. It is deep fried until golden brown and served with a creamy country gravy, salsa and a pico-queso dip.

Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet
The Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet is a blueberry muffin, scone-style batter stuffed with cream cheese, blueberries and white chocolate chips. It is baked and deep fried, then topped with whipped cream, chopped white chocolate morsels, powdered sugar, blueberries and blueberry glaze.

Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil
Everything you would expect in a shrimp boil — baby Gulf shrimp, diced red potatoes, onion, lemon and seasoning — rolled into a ball around a cocktail shrimp, dusted with fish fry and fried to a golden brown. The tail sticks out for a handle. Served with remoulade sauce.

Fried Sriracha Balls
A combination of shredded chicken, corn, green chilies, tomatoes and Sriracha, formed into balls and coated with crispy tortilla chips, then flash-fried until golden brown. For those who like their food higher on the Scoville scale, extra Sriracha sauce is available.

Fried Sweet Texas
Traveling across Texas to try the best and most popular desserts provided inspiration for this fried treat. Fried Sweet Texas starts with fresh pie dough filled with crunchy pecan pie, juicy peach cobbler and creamy buttermilk pie. It is deep fried until the crust is golden brown and flaky, then served with a side of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.

Original State Fair Brew – Funnel Cake Ale
A light and delicious ale brewed to be reminiscent of one of the telltale flavors of the State Fair: funnel cake. The English-style summer ale has been brewed to be ready and crisp, with just the right amount of toastiness and sweetness, finishing with delicate notes of natural vanilla — all flavors you find in a funnel cake. You can get the rim of your cup coated with powdered sugar. Must be 21 years of age.

Twisted Texas Tacos
This is what you get when you combine the four major food groups of Texas: chicken fried, barbecue, Tex-Mex and chili. The taco starts with hickory-smoked Texas beef brisket, double-dipped in a barbecue-spiced buttermilk batter and deep fried. It is served in a warm flour tortilla, layered with a Mexican cheese blend, crispy fried okra, and a sweet and crunchy tri-color slaw accented with zesty poblano and sweet pepper corn. Served with a creamy country gravy, spicy Texas chili and a miniature salute from the Lone Star flag.

Fried Sriracha balls bring the "weird" to this year's Big Tex Choice Awards.

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Fried Sriracha balls bring the "weird" to this year's Big Tex Choice Awards.

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Pizza News

Celeb-owned L.A. pizza chain Pizzana to open in north Dallas

Courtesy of Pizzana

Toppings are robust and very California-style.

An acclaimed pizza from California is sliding into north Dallas: Pizzana, the small pizza chain from the founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes, will open a shop at Dallas' Preston Forest Shopping Center, at 11700 Preston Rd #732, taking over a storefront previously occupied by Haystack Burgers, which closed in September 2024.

According to a Pizzana representative, the restaurant will open in fall 2025.

It'll be the second location in the Dallas area, following a first that opened at 3219 Knox St. in November 2022 — the first outside of California at the time it opened. They've since expanded to Houston, opening a location there in March 2024.

Pizzana debuted in Los Angeles in 2017, and stars the expertise of pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, who has appeared on Hulu's "Best in Dough" pizza competition series.

Described as neo-Neopolitan, Pizzana’s dough is fermented for 48 hours and cooked in a wood-burning oven. It has a more crispy crust than traditional Neapolitan, which can sometimes be a little damp for the American palate. Their goal is to create a light, easy-to-digest crust still sturdy enough to pick up with one hand.

Toppings range from traditional such as to Pizzana originals such as Uditi's signature cacio e pepe pizza, making him a trendsetter on that very buzzy pasta and spawning copycat pizzas far and wide.

There's a regular Margherita with San Marzano tomato, fior de latte, and fresh basil leaves, but also Neo-Margherita that's like a Margherita but with an extra "basic crumb" — like a toasty basil grit.

The menu also features antipasti, salads, and desserts. There are two vegan pizzas, and they also offer a gluten-free crust. They have beer, wine, and cocktails with Italian flair including their Sorrento Spritz, Negroni di Napoli, and Limoncello Martini.

The Knox location can be a tight squeeze, especially for their signature "pizza towers" — little swing-out platforms for hot pies to be presented and stacked above the surface of the table — but the new location promises a little more breathing room.

When they made their Dallas debut, Candace Nelson called Dallas "a very special city" that had already been so welcoming to her Sprinkles Cupcakes venture, before righteously boasting that "Pizzana’s menu will satisfy any carb craving and everything on the menu is worth the indulgence.”

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