Big Tex Fried Foods

Lobster poshes up State Fair of Texas 2015 Big Tex Choice Awards

The finalists have been revealed in the 2015 Big Tex Choice Awards, the annual, over-the-top food contest at the State Fair of Texas. This year, alligator, lobster, and buffalo make their debut.

There were 51 entries in the first round, and that has been narrowed down to eight finalists. A panel of judges — Dallas Mavericks’ Devin Harris, Big Game Sunday co-host Drew Pearson, TV host Dan Rodo, chef John Tesar, and Dallas city council member Tiffinni Young — will pick the winners on August 30, along with one non-celebrity chosen via random drawing.

The following finalists will compete for the titles of Best Tasting and Most Creative:

Chicken Fried Lobster with Champagne Gravy by Abel Gonzales
This is a first for the Big Tex Choice Awards: lobster. An entire lobster tail is breaded, deep fried, and served with a sauce combining lemon butter and champagne gravy. It has the lavishness of a lobster dinner and the fried factor of a traditional fair food.

Cowboy Corn Crunch by Isaac Rousso
The Cowboy Corn Crunch blends savory and spice, with sweet corn, minced jalapeño, cream cheese, and a hint of smoky bacon. The tot is fried to a golden brown and served in a unique palm leaf cone.

Deep Fried Alligator’s Egg Nest by Cassy Jones
Alligator makes its Big Tex Choice Awards debut. This dish blends alligator meat with Monterey Jack cheese, chopped jalapeños, onions, and garlic. The mixture is rolled in bread crumbs, fried to a golden brown, and served atop a nest of shoestring potatoes and drizzled with a chipotle sauce.

Fernie’s Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly by Christi Erpillo
Golden-baked bread swirled with cinnamon is flattened and filled with moist carrot cake, raisins, and julienned carrots. It's rolled with a light coating of cream cheese then breaded in a mixture of panko, graham crackers, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Drizzled with cream cheese frosting and dusted with powdered sugar, it is served with caramel and a caramel macchiato cream sauce.

Fried Beer-Battered Buffalo by James Barrera
Buffalo meat is another first on list this year. Lean, mesquite-smoked ground buffalo is rolled in Pequin chili pepper. The meat is crusted in crushed Corn Nuts and dipped in a batter made from Shiner Bock beer. Lightly dusted with bacon bits and served with a chipotle cream sauce.

Lone Star Pork Handle by Justin Martinez
Bone-in pork chop is marinated, then dipped in batter made with Lone Star Beer. The seasoned pork chop is smothered in toasted bread crumbs and deep fried until brown, then finished off with a coat of bourbon barbecue glaze. The bone serves as a handle.

Pretzel-Crusted Pollo Queso by Allan Weiss
Shredded chicken is combined with cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, cilantro, and Sriracha sauce. It is then rolled into a ball, crusted with a crispy pretzel breading, then deep fried. It is served with a jalapeño ranch dipping sauce.

Smoky Bacon Margarita by Isaac Rousso
This alcoholic drink takes the smokiness of bacon and infuses it into the citrus flavor of a frozen lime margarita. Finished off with bacon crumbles, it is served in a collectible souvenir cup.

Chicken-fried lobster poshes up the fried food contest.

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Opening News

Restaurant opening spree in Dallas sees 7 newcomers in one week

Kayla Enright

Le Bistrot Bar Sardine

Dallas is brimming with an unexpected bounty of openings this week. Who would have thought? From sweet crepes and rolled ice cream to a unique dual-restaurant in Frisco, these are the absolute newest places to check out, all in time for the holidays. (And if you want more ideas on where to take your out-of-town guests, we have that list right here.)

Here are the hottest brand new restaurants around Dallas:

Cream and Crepes
This Richardson-based creperie has opened a location in the Shops at Turtle Creek Village, at 3858 Oak Lawn Ave #405. The shop, which first opened in 2016, specializes in creative crepes, rolled ice cream, and ice cream scoops. Flavors include Biscoff cookie butter, berry cheesecake, dulce de leche, and mango banana. They do the once-trendy rolled ice cream, in 10 flavors, ranging from brownie melt to spicy mango, plus classic scoops and pints, vegan ice cream, and milkshakes.

Donatos Pizza
Ohio-based pizza chain opened in Flower Mound at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160 on December 17. Known for their edge-to-edge toppings that stretch to the crusts, their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza, including veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. There are also oven-baked wings, meatball subs, Italian cold cut sandwiches, appetizers, and salads.

Elephant Indian Bar and Grill
Indian restaurant opens on December 20 in a legendary spot in the former Buzzbrews space at 4154 N. Central Expwy., which closed in 2023. It's another concept from chef Praveen Prasanan, who also owns of Shiva’s Bar and Grill. The menu includes Indian classics, Indo-Chinese fusion, and vegetarian dishes, including chicken tikka masala, butter masala, tandoori, and a variety of biryani. Prasanan says, “it seemed to be a great location, so I picked it up.”

Keke's Breakfast Cafe
Fast-growing chain that's a sibling to Denny's just made its big Texas debut on December 10 in the Lincoln Park center at 7700 W Northwest Hwy. #600, across from NorthPark Center. They're open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch with pancakes, waffles, omelets, and an assortment of stuffed French toasts, plus sandwiches, wraps, and salads for lunch. This is the first of five new cafes coming to DFW.

Le Bistrot Bar Sardine
Parisian bistro concept from Vandelay Hospitality opens on December 20 at 6805 Snider Plaza with a menu of small plates and dishes that showcase chef Elliot Azoulay's mastery of French cooking techniques: escargot, salmon tartare, and scallops with leeks and Osestra beurre blanc. Their goal: to transport diners to the cobblestone streets of Paris.

Mudbugs and Revel Grill
Frisco seafood boil restaurant Mudbugs, which closed in November, reopens on December 20 as a dual-concept with Revel Grill at 9305 Preston Rd. On the Mudbugs side, they'll have Cajun seafood eats — gumbo, po'boys, snow crab boil, shrimp etouffe, oysters, crawfish. On the Revel Grill side, they'll have burgers, quesadillas, and wings. They'll also feature live music, sports, and bar bites.

Seager & Sons
Retro-leaning restaurant just opened at the Boardwalk at Granite Park, at 5864 SH-121 #106 in Plano with a nostalgic '70s theme including decorative elements like vintage records, guitars, and lo-fi stereos. The menu features pizza and fried chicken, plus fun specials like cacio e pepe fritters. A full bar includes cocktails and their own craft beer. Seager & Sons is from 33 Restaurant Group, who also own Union Bear, The Yard, and Suburban Yacht Club.

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