State Fair News

State Fair of Texas Big Tex Awards are back with 2023 list of fried foods

Egg rolls from the State Fair of Texas.

State Fair of Texas

The fried foods are back: The State Fair of Texas has begun the first round of the 2023 version of the Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, a contest among vendors who submit dishes and compete for awards.

According to a release, this year drew 57 entries represented by 37 concessionaires, and 36 semi-finalists were chosen. All competitors must have at least one year of experience as a concessionaire at the State Fair of Texas to enter the competition.

The semi-finalist round is chosen based entirely on name, photo, and description — no tasting.

Tasting only takes place in the next round, when mysterious judges choose 10 finalists who will compete in the final round. So many rounds and finalists and judging, yeesh, but it all ends up with three winners, selected at a ceremony in late August, date TBA.

SAVORY
Butchers Block. Macaroni & cheese topped with brisket, fried chicken, candied bacon, jalapeño peppers, sausage on the side, drizzled with brown sugar chipotle sauce.

Cornbread Sausage Bombs. Sausage slices topped with pimento cheese and jalapeño, dipped in cornbread batter. and fried. Served with jalapeño ranch dipping sauce.

Creole Etouffee Beignets. Etouffee — shrimp, sausage, rice — dipped in beignet batter, fried, and topped with powdered sugar.

Deep Fried Birria Bomb. Traditional flavors of Mexican birria and South American papa rellena. Birria, Oaxaca cheese, and mashed potatoes are rolled into a ball, dipped in batter and fried, then topped with poblano ranch.

Deep Fried Pho. Pho - noodles, beef, bean sprouts, and broth - rolled up and fried.

Surf & Turf Empanada. Lobster, crab, chorizo, and corn wrapped in corn masa pastry and fried.

Fried Sushi Bombs. Sushi rice, imitation crab, and salmon baked, then rolled in panko breadcrumbs and fried.

Cheesy Crab Tater Bites. Crab, potato, and cheese formed into tater bites, fried, and topped with cheesy Cajun crawfish sauce.

Fried Monte Qristo. Sandwich with brisket, American cheese, smoked turkey, and Swiss, fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Served in a recyclable paper tray with raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce. This should win because they specifically mention the recyclable paper tray.

Fried Texas BBQ Shotgun Shells. Roll-on-a-stick with brisket, Velveeta, and cream cheese, rolled in a pasta sheet, wrapped in bacon, and rolled in jalapeño breadcrumbs.

Loaded Fries Pizza. Pizza topped with ranch dressing, mozzarella, salted French fries, cheddar cheese, and bacon.

OX'cellent Soul Roll. Oxtails chunks and crumbled cornbread are rolled into a spring roll and fried.

Raspberry Chipotle Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese. Grilled cheese sandwich on white bread with cheddar cheese plus a layer of bacon-wrapped jalapeños filled with cream cheese & raspberry chipotle jam.

Taki Ramen Tostada. Mexican-Asian fusion dish features fried ramen noodle cake topped with taco meat, Asian sesame seed slaw, queso blanco, and crumbled Takis.

Texas Thai Up. Pork and beef battered and rolled in pad thai noodles, then fried.

The Balboa. Pizza sandwich with pepperoni, capicola, soppressata, provolone, tomato, banana pepper, artichokes, onions, black olives, mushrooms, arugula, and balsamic.

Tomato-Tomahto Potato-Potatho Slyder. Two-ounce burger patty with provolone, sautéed bell peppers, pickles, and lettuce on fried green tomatoes with queso, on a bed of seasoned potato.

The Triple C. A twist on chicken & waffles with Nashville hot tenders and mac & cheese served in a waffle cone.

Fried Turkey Ribs. With stuffing-seasoned fries, gravy, and salsa.

SWEET
Biscoff Delight. New York-style cheesecake coated with Belgian chocolate, crushed Biscoff cookies, drizzled with Lotus Biscoff spread AKA cookie butter, and topped with a Biscoff cookie.

Bourbon Banana Caramel Sopapillas. Sopapillas topped with vanilla-caramel-infused bananas, bourbon syrup, candied pecans, mascarpone cheese, crumbled Nilla Wafers.

Churreos. Mini churros tossed in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with chocolate syrup, cream cheese icing, and crushed Oreos.

Cotton Candyrita. Cotton candy-infused margarita topped with cotton candy.

Fried Honey Butter Brisket Swirls. In the spirit of Little Debbie® Pecan Spinwheeels and homemade cinnamon rolls, layered with chopped brisket, fried and glazed with honey butter sauce.

Fried Texas Oatmeal Pie. Oatmeal cream pie in Dr Pepper flavored pancake batter and fried, then drizzled with Big Red Soda reduction and marshmallow sauce.

Fried Vietnamese Coffee. Coffee-infused cake rolled into a ball, battered, and fried, served with condensed milk.

Fried Candy Pecan Bacon Bread Pudding. Fried bread pudding morsels with cinnamon sugar, candied pecans, bacon, praline sauce, and salted caramel bourbon sauce.

Fried Cherry Pie in the Sky. Fried cherry tart topped with butter almond shortbread crumble, vanilla ice cream, cherry preserves, whipped cream, and garnished with dark sweet cherries.

Fried Fireball Shot. Fried angel food cake with a shot of Fireball Cinnamon.

Fried Piña Colada. Cake balls with rum cake, pineapple, and creme de coconut, dusted in a sweet crumble and fried, then decorated with a piña colada-inspired buttercream, sprinkles, and sugar glitter.

Not'Cho Average Nachos. Fried wonton filled with cherry or apple, with cinnamon sugar, brownie crumbs, strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, citrus glaze, and chocolate sauce, served with a cajeta-filled churro stick.

Rest in Heavenly Peach. Grilled angel food cake with peach pie filling and whipped cream.

Strawberry Chicks-On-the-Stick. Four seasoned wings are dipped in funnel cake batter and fried, spiraled on a stick infused with strawberries, topped with whipped cream and strawberry syrup.

Sweet Encanto. Waffle sweetened with caramel dulce de leche, specialty cream with strawberry, kiwi, peach, and shredded coconut, topped with raspberry jam, and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.

Fruity Pebble Pickle. Dill pickle wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up and Fruit by the Foot, drizzled in sugar syrup, coated in Fruity Pebbles, drizzled with strawberry snow cone syrup.

Trail-Ade. Lemonade with fruit, cucumbers, and mint. Nonalcoholic cocktail is served in a souvenir cowboy boot cup.

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What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

Courtesy

1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like the rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and the brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space that dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with a menu of wood-fired dishes, Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.) The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long.

Jashan
Indian ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, Jahsan also offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — but not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique: They have a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and are a little less sweet than traditional American doughnuts. Many of their doughnuts have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry, just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but the Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but the Yearby's in Pilot Point also earned a slot on Texas Monthly’s 50 Best list for 2025.

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