State Fair News

2021 State Fair of Texas returns with batch of surprisingly trendy foods

These egg rolls are from a vendor that's new to the fair.

State Fair of Texas

The day draws near for the 2021 "back to normal" State Fair of Texas — which this year arrives on September 24 — and it'll open with a list of new snacks, created by the fair's concessionaires.

These are in addition to the previously-announced winners of Big Tex Choice Awards and include buzzy dishes like egg rolls, decadent mac & cheese, and food on a stick.

There are a few new vendors bringing a fresh take, and some of the dishes incorporate hot foodie trends like quesobirria.

The fair folks have thoughtfully created an entire page for reference under BigTex.com/newfoods, which also includes a map on where to find them.

Here's the list of 2021 new foods:

Bacon Jam Corn Bombs
Warm bacon jam ladled over hushpuppies, drizzled with ranch, and topped with candied jalapeños.

Bag of Eggrolls
A new vendor at the Fair this year, Crunchies Eggrolls and More brings a bag of eggrolls to the Fair, and the taste is Texas-sized. Fairgoers will receive a variety of tasty eggrolls in a bag, consisting of mac and cheese, pizza, original, and samosa egg rolls.

Big Tex Bowl
Mac & cheese made with cavatappi noodles and a three-cheese sauce, topped wth smoked brisket, cheddar, French fried onions, chives, bacon, candied jalapeños, and a BBQ cream sauce.

Bucket of Fries
Loaded cheese fries topped with beef and bacon, served in a portable bucket, perfect to stroll around the fairgrounds with.

Chicken on a Stick – Combo #4
A new vendor at the Fair this year, Chans Chicken on a Stick brings the sharable Combo #4 to the new food list. Vegetable rice is combined with lo-mein, then finished with a pork egg roll and teriyaki-glazed chicken on a stick.

Country Fried Shrimp Grits
Grits are infused with shrimp and cheese, formed into squares, battered, and fried, then covered with shrimp and crawfish sauce.

Dallas Hot Birddog
Spicy corndog from State Fair staple Fletcher's has a smoked turkey frank in a fiery batter, deep fried, topped with mac & cheese, fried jalapeños, and drizzled with Cholula.

Deep Fried Pancakes
Individual bite-size pancakes with choice of maple butter, blueberry sauce, or pecan butter syrup.

Deep Fried PB & Razbrûlée
Deep-fried peanut butter sandwich pocket is topped with vanilla creme and turbinado sugar, broiled and caramelized to a hard-shell top, with mixed berries on top.

Deep Fried Peach Cobbler Soul Rolls
Spiced peaches are rolled into an egg roll and deep-fried, topped with cinnamon sugar, and served with ice cream.

Deep Fried Shrimp Étouffée
Deep-fried dumpling filled with rice and shrimp smothered in onion, celery, tomatoes, green peppers, and cheese, served with creole mustard or chipotle ranch.

Deep Fried Toffee
Milk chocolate toffee square is wrapped in a flaky biscuit bite, then deep-fried.

Fried Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
Sweet and savory pudding layers bread with shredded cheese, sprinkled over a piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar) syrup with raisins, then baked, then battered and fried, then crowned with whipped topping and dulce de leche.

Frozen Ranch Water
Wine-based tequila version of the popular cocktail with Topo Chico and lime is frozen; flavored toppers include passion fruit, paloma, raspberry, and watermelon.

Gobble Balls
Entry from Dallas restaurant Ferris Wheeler's BBQ starts with smoked turkey nuggets that are breaded and deep-fried.

Helmut's Strudel
Flaky layers of pastry wrapped around apple, cherry, and cheese fillings.

Lobster Corn Dog
Breaded lobster cake is coated in cornbread batter and fried. Serve with remoulade dip.

Quesabirria, with Consomé
Shredded steak is mixed with cheese, stuffed in corn or flour tortilla, then grilled until crisp, with side of consommé for dipping.

The Realest Cheesesteak
South Dallas staple SouthSide Steaks & Cakes makes its Fair debut with a large cheesesteak combining steak with three cheeses, chicken, onion, bell pepper, and banana peppers on a French hoagie bun.

Southern Fried Lemon Ice Box Pie Balls
A pie ball, hand wrapped in a pâte sucrée dough, is infused with graham crackers, lemon zest, and brown sugar; filled with lemon ice box pie filling; battered in chicken fry; and fried. Topped with Chantilly cream, graham cracker crumble, lemon zest, and edible gold glitter.

Texas BBQ Brisket Banh Mi
Vietnamese baguette is topped with chopped smoked brisket, BBQ sauce, cilantro, cucumber, pickled daikon radish and carrots, with honey siracha aioli, hoisin sauce, and jalapeño slices on the side.

Texas Easter Eggs
Meat, cheese, and peppers are formed into an egg shape, decorated with an Easter colored ranch sauce, breaded, and deep fried. Served in our special Texas Easter Egg carton.

Texas Fried Fritos Pie
Chili and sharp cheddar are encased corn chips, then battered and fried.

Texas Fried Surf and Turf
Rolls of filet mignon medallions are filled with chunks of langostino lobster and jalapeño, then wrapped with bacon and fried until the steak is medium-well. Two to an order, served with tempura fried asparagus and drizzled with horseradish hollandaise.

Twice-Fried Albondigas (Mexican Meatballs)
Spiced beef is rolled with lightly browned rice and chopped vegetables, deep-fried, then battered and rolled in bread crumbs and fried again. Served on tomato sauce with a drizzle of Crema Mexicana.

state-fair

Restaurant closure

Beloved Bishop Arts Japanese restaurant Zen Sushi closes after 20 years

Zen Sushi/Facebook

After two decades Zen exits Bishop Arts

From the ever-evolving Bishop Arts District in Dallas comes news of another longtime restaurant closing: Zen Sushi, which served modern Japanese fare at 380 W. 7th St. in Oak Cliff for 20 years, shuttered without fanfare following Halloween dinner.

D Magazine was the first to report the closure.

Zen Sushi owner and chef Michelle Carpenter earned a national reputation after opening the restaurant in 2007. She was Dallas' first female sushi chef, the first woman to own and operate a sushi restaurant in the city, and one of the first to offer vegan sushi, years before plant-based dining became a major trend.

In a 2013 Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussion on Reddit, she also said that she invented the popular caterpillar roll — an eel and cucumber-stuffed roll topped with avocado. In the thread, she defended the less traditional approach, saying:

I have to pay the rent. I try to offer something for everyone, for varying levels and preferences. I personally don't like it, but [salmon and cream cheese] is a best-selling roll. There is place for the Philly Roll. I met the Master Itamae that invented this roll, and he is the much more traditional than I am. But he understood his audience and it took me a while to understand my audience."

Carpenter trained for years in San Diego beginning in the 1980s to become an itamae, or master sushi chef, and helped to pioneer the New American Japanese food movement by integrating Texas flavors into her sushi, rolls, and cuisine, as CultureMap has reported.

In 2023, while still operating Zen, Carpenter opened Restaurant Beatrice in Oak Cliff, taking over a beautifully repurposed old home and drawing on the Cajun side of her ancestry for the menu. Restaurant Beatrice was named a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category, just nine months after opening.

In June 2026, Carpenter closed the acclaimed Beatrice primarily because she was suffering a brain tumor. "I can’t do recovery and run Beatrice," she said then. She didn't want to give anything less than 100 percent to her work.

Zen Sushi remained open at that time, CultureMap reported.

In a November 5 story, D Magazine says Zen's closing also is largely related to Carpenter's recovery from brain tumor removal surgery. She is about 80 percent of the way through her recovery, and her condition has improved, according to the magazine. Still, Carpenter opted not to renew her lease this month. She wasn't forced out and could have stayed, but after 20 years, she felt it was a "natural conclusion." She also felt it was better to prioritize her recovery.

And that choice could leave the door open for more culinary achievements. Notes D, "Carpenter has an idea in mind for what she calls a 'legacy' restaurant to open when she is operating at 100 percent ... 'I’ve got one more restaurant in me, and this is beyond Beatrice and Zen.'"

bishop arts closings japanese cuisine oak cliff oak cliff happenings restaurant closure zen sushi zen sushi closure