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    State Fair Food Winners

    Craft beer scores righteous win at State Fair of Texas 2014 Big Tex Choice Awards

    Teresa Gubbins
    Sep 1, 2014 | 11:19 am

    After a timely critique by a panel of first-time judges, the State Fair of Texas has announced the winners of the 2014 Big Tex Choice Awards, and its outcome will not surprise craft beer fans one bit: Funnel cake ale won first prize for Most Creative.

    Justin Martinez created the brew in a collaboration with Dallas brewery Community Beer Company. Hoo-rah craft beer.

    Winner for Best Taste went to the fried Gulf shrimp boil, created by competitor Clint Probst.

    This year's contest saw a number of groundbreaking moves, with judges culled from the top tier of foodie blogger circles: 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. The emcee was also a newbie: Hawkeye from 96.3 KSCS.

    The judging panel also included for the first time a regular-person judge, one Tim Bennett, who won the "Why I Should Be a Judge Contest" by submitting a video (seen here), which was screened during the contest's opening ceremonies. Also for the first time, people were allowed to buy tickets to attend the judging; approximately 300 people were in attendance.

    And last but not least, it was the first time a beer was submitted as an entry. Beer has made an appearance previously, in 2010, when an entry called fried beer won for Most Creative. That was a novelty item with beer enclosed in a ravioli-type snack that was fried.

    The judges were served the funnel cake ale first, with much tittering accompanying the idea of a beer being served at 10:20 am. Next came the chicken-fried baked potato; the combination of bacon and cheese enticed the judges.

    That was followed by fried Gulf shrimp boil, which earned lots of instantaneous raves, and "breakfast for dinner," a kooky melange of breakfast items inside a tortilla.

    From there it was on to the sweet: Texas bluebonnet, a sweet muffin-scone with blueberries and cream cheese, and fried sweet Texas, with pie crust, pecan and buttermilk pies, and peach cobbler.

    Wisely, they saved hot and spicy for the finish, with Texas tacos followed by fried Sriracha balls. No one's palate could recover from that combination of chicken, chilies and Sriracha.

    To fill the time while the judges judged, they announced two people's choice awards, with first and second prizes going to fried bacon cinnamon roll and fried peaches and cream.

    This year's finalists hit on big foodie trends such as tacos, craft beer and Sriracha sauce. The State Fair's official descriptions are as follows:

    Chicken Fried Loaded Baked Potato
    The inside of a baked potato, mixed with butter, bacon and cheddar cheese, gets a spicy battered coating 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 10-inch flour tortilla stuffed with eight breakfast items — scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, ham, onion, cheddar cheese and gooey cinnamon roll bits — is deep fried and served with creamy country gravy, salsa and a pico-queso dip.

    Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet
    A blueberry muffin scone-style batter, stuffed with cream cheese, blueberries and white chocolate chips, is baked and deep fried. Topped with whipped cream, white chocolate chips, powdered sugar, blueberries and blueberry glaze.

    Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil
    Baby Gulf shrimp, diced red potatoes and onion are rolled into a ball around a cocktail shrimp, dusted with fish fry and fried. Served with remoulade sauce.

    Fried Sriracha Balls
    A mixture of shredded chicken, corn, green chilies, tomatoes and Sriracha gets rolled into balls, coated with tortilla chips and fried.

    Fried Sweet Texas
    Pie dough, pecan pie, peach cobbler and buttermilk pie are all deep fried, then served with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.

    Original State Fair Brew – Funnel Cake Ale
    English-style summer ale with flavors of toast, sweetness and vanilla — all flavors you find in a funnel cake.

    Twisted Texas Tacos
    Beef brisket coated in a barbecue-spiced buttermilk batter and deep fried is served in a flour tortilla, with Mexican cheese, okra and tri-color slaw. It comes with a side of chili and country gravy.

    Behold funnelcake ale, winner of the State Fair of Texas Big Tex choice awards.

    State Fair of Texas, Community Brewing, ale
      
    Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas
    Behold funnelcake ale, winner of the State Fair of Texas Big Tex choice awards.
    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    Roundup Time

    Dallas restaurants heat up new summer menus in this roundup of news

    Raven Jordan
    Jun 17, 2025 | 6:39 pm
    Mirador whipped fet
    Mirador
    Whipped feta at Mirador

    Mid-June means it's time for a roundup of restaurant news around Dallas, and this one is perfect for people craving something new. Everyone's doing new menus and dishes, from a fancy lobster roll and wine pairing to a new ranch dip at one of America's most popular chains.

    Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news right now:

    Al Biernat's has a new special 3-course dinner at its Al Biernat’s North location, available on weekend nights only from Friday-Sunday, featuring dishes like grilled pear soup, snapper, short rib, steak frites, and Al’s Famous coconut cream pie, for the bargain price of $55.

    Mirador in downtown Dallas has a new summer menu for brunch and lunch featuring $18 seasonal crudo, $14 heirloom tomato salad, $11 chocolate donut, and a $18 Foie-ffle with buttermilk waffle, duck confit, cultured butter.

    The Porch has a new summer menu with $30 wood-fired salmon, $16 pork belly burnt ends, and $38 shrimp & grits. Plus, there are $10 "inflation-free" cocktails featuring a margarita and hibiscus hybrid.

    Te Deseo in the Harwood District has a new menu at their La Terraza rooftop with corn soup, salsas flight with three salsas, cheese and chicken stuffed arepas, tacos, ceviche, and churros. Dishes range from $9 for an appetizer to $29 for fajitas.

    Elm Street Cask & Kitchen in downtown Dallas has a new summer menu with $34 blackened redfish, $14 Gulf shrimp ceviche, $34 chargrilled pork chops, and lighter bites like $14 watermelon & feta skewers.

    Winsome Prime the steakhouse at Trinity Groves has a new weekend brunch with $17 spinach-artichoke dip, $25 six-ounce Kobe burger, $46 oxtail hash, and $47 lobster Benedict. Hours are Saturday-Sunday from 11 am-4 pm.

    Culpepper Cattle Co. has a new Sunday brunch buffet for $28 with omelets, chicken fried steak, cheddar grits, monkey bread, biscuits & gravy, chicken tenders, pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks, migas, tacos, plus $5 mimosas and $8 build-your-own bloody Mary bar.

    Eddie V's has a new special pairing a lobster roll and wine for $38, with choice from Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay, Whispering Angel Rosé, or Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir. Available at both Plano and Fort Worth locations until July 25.

    Jinya Ramen Bar has new summer chef specials: tan tan men noodles in a chilled chicken broth, topped with pork and bok choy for $17; and buffalo cauliflower with ranch for $8. Available through August 31.

    Tacodeli is bringing back the salmon pistachio taco, with includes salmon wrapped in a pistachio crust, pistachio salsa + spicy habanero escabeche, and a sprinkle of pistachios for $6.50.

    Fish City Grill has a new "handhelds" menu of tacos and sandwiches, starting at $14, including fishwich with beer-battered cod, honey chipotle shrimp tacos, lobster & shrimp grilled cheese, shrimp po’boy, and bacon cheeseburger.

    Dog Haus, the hot dog restaurant and biergarten, has teamed with chef Josh Elkin for an Aloha Soopah Slider featuring fried Spam, tater tots, chili crunch, furikake, eggs, and maple sriracha on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls. Available for $8 through July 21.

    Culinary Dropout is celebrating its one-year anniversary in the Design District with new summer dishes, zero-proof sips, and frozen cocktails. There are two-for-one sushi rolls, whipped feta and tahini dip, strawberry spinach salad, short rib, and cocktails like Pancho's Paloma and the Irish Goodbye with whiskey, Borghetti Italian liqueur, cold brew, and cinnamon cold foam.

    Barcelona, the Knox-Henderson wine bar, has a menu designed for patio dining that includes asparagus a la plancha with charred lemon; corn zucchini buñuelos with dill and citrus; burrata topped with onion pesto and blistered tomatoes; or a whole roasted branzino served with salsa verde, potatoes, and lemon.

    Corner Bakery is offering low priced sandwiches such as ham and Swiss, bacon & egg, and chicken salad sandwich for $4 and $5. The sandwiches are typically $8-$10.

    Bellagreen has six new limited-time dishes including cucumber & avocado gazpacho, watermelon salad, falafel burger, and lemon crumble bar. Priced at $5-$20. Available through the end of August.

    First Watch has a new summer brunch with blueberry lemon cornbread, elote breakfast burrito, shrimp & grits, and strawberry tres leches French toast with spiced gingerbread cookie crumbles. A new summer drink is the Watermelon Wake-Up with watermelon, pineapple, lime, and mint. Available through August 11.

    MilkShake Factory, the Grapevine dessert shop, has added the buzzy Dubai-style chocolate bar with pistachio crème and toasted kataifi wrapped in milk chocolate for $6. They have also added a limited-time strawberry pretzel pie shake withstrawberries, salty pretzels, and frosting, topped with whipped cream and a strawberry for $10, available through July 27.

    Menchie's frozen dessert chain has partnered with Hi-Chew candy for a limited-edition flavor: Hi-Chew Blue Hawaii Tropical Candy. The flavor combines citrus and pineapple in a creamy frozen dessert, available through June 31.

    Bahama Buck's has a limited-edition lineup of Bomb Pop shaved ice and sodas. Flavors include Watermelon Bomb Pop Sno topped with sprinkles and a Watermelon Bomb Jr., Bomb Pop Cherry Bahama Soda, Bomb Pop Lime Bahama Soda, and Bomb Pop Blue Raspberry Bahama Soda. Available at Dallas locations from June 26-July 6.

    Einstein Bros. Bagels, the fast-casual bagel chain, has morning mocktails in fruity flavors like Bros. Bay Breeze with cranberry, lemonade & passion fruit; Passion Fruit Sunrise with OJ, lemonade, & passion fruit; and an Energy Spritz made with Monster Energy. Starting June 18.

    Duro Hospitality and Socorro Tequila have launched Socorro Tequila Joven Duro Edition, a collaboration that brings an exclusive tequila experience to all Duro Hospitality concepts. Cocktails include “El Martini” at Mister Charles with Makrut Lime and Cointreau; the “Sandro Pertini” at The Charles with mezcal, Campari, and lime; and the “Tio Rosso” at El Carlos Elegante with grapefruit soda and rosemary.

    Taco Bell has new chicken strips for a limited time. They come solo, in tacos, or in a burrito. The chain keeps dabbling in chicken: They launched chicken nuggets with a tortilla chip breading in 2024, then brought them back again in 2025. The chicken strips are marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and coated with tortilla chip breadcrumbs and can be ordered with choice of spicy ranchero or avocado ranch. The taco features one chicken strip, purple cabbage, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheddar on a tortilla. The burrito has all the same ingredients, but two chicken strips instead of one. Items are $3-$6.

    Chipotle is launching adobo ranch, the chain's first new dip in five years since queso blanco. the sauce features adobo pepper, sour cream and a blend of herbs and spices. Available starting June 17.

    7-Eleven, Inc. has a new Spicy Hot Link Sausage featuring a slow-smoked, paprika-packed sausage. They've also launched a summer Craveables Value Menu with 5 bone-in wings for $5 and a glazed doughnut for $1.

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