State Fair News

State Fair of Texas reveals Big Tex Awards finalists with new drinks

State Fair of Texas Dubai fries

SFOT

The fried food finalists are here: The State Fair of Texas has revealed the finalists for the 21st Annual Big Tex Choice Awards presented by Karbach Brewing Company, with new twists for 2025.

The Big Tex Choice Awards is the State Fair's annual competition of concessionaires submitting new festival creations.

This year, the State Fair has changed the formula by adding a new category called Sippers, dedicated to beverages — putting the number of finalists at 15 instead of the 10 that have been the standard since this annual competition was launched in 2005.

The addition of beverages further formalizes the contest's categories of Savory, Sweet, and now Sipper, with five finalists for each. (In earlier years, there was not such a defined line on how many finalists were savory or sweet.) There will also be an award for "Most Creative."

The finalists were chosen from 76 entries, which were then narrowed down to 30 semi-finalists, each evaluated on four criteria: uniqueness, creativity, presentation, and taste. Winners will be crowned on Thursday, August 21.

Regardless of who wins, all semifinalist creations will be sold at the Fair this year.

The State Fair of Texas will run from September 26 to October 19. Find tickets and other information online.

SAVORY

Brisket & Brew Stuffed Pretzels, Glen & Sherri Kusak
Brisket is blended with beer cheese made from cheddar, wrapped in pretzel dough, sprinkled with salt, and baked. They're easy to carry and made for munching as you wander the fairgrounds.

Crab & Mozzarella Arancini, Stefan T. Nedwetzky
Rice ball made of crab, rice, mozzarella cheese, onion, red bell pepper, lemon, black pepper, garlic, coriander, and basil, served with marinara.

Deep Fried Deli Tacos, Brent & Juan Reaves
New York deli meets Dallas taqueria: Pastrami, mashed potatoes, cheese in a corn tortilla, fried and served with a spicy green sauce.

Vietnamese Crunch Dog, The Le Family
Asian twist on corn dog, coated in a crispy mix of panko and bánh mì crumbs, with sriracha mayo and pickled veggies.

Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Egg Sliders, Kendall Williams
Cajun-seasoned Wagyu patty with cheddar and bacon sandwiched between two fried, panko-crusted deviled egg halves, with ketchup-inspired sauce.

SWEET

Candy Lemon Sour Face, Chef Heather J. Perkins
Sweet-and-sour candy-coated lemon.

Chill & Thrill Delight, Tony & Terry Bednar
A twist on Colombia’s famous Salpicon de Frutas featuring a cup of diced mango, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe, and strawberries, soaked in watermelon juice with a splash of lime, topped with shaved mango sorbet.

Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake, Stephen El Gidi
Served in a cup, featuring Belgian chocolate, pistachio spread, kataifi, tahini, chunks of New York-style cheesecake, drizzled with chocolate, pistachio cream, and crushed pistachios.

Rousso’s Dubai Chocolate Funnel Cake Fries, Isaac & Joey Rousso
Funnel cake strips drizzled with chocolate, topped with pistachio cream and knafeh pastry.

Tex’s Toast á la Mode, Michelle & Jayse Edwards
French toast topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel, real maple syrup, and cinnamon cereal crunch for that extra pop.

SIPPER

Coconut Quadruple, Binh Tran & My Vo
Whole fresh, young coconut with a coconut slushy topped with soft-serve coconut ice cream and a sprinkling of coconut flakes.

Cookie Chaos Milkshake, Brad Weiss
Cookie butter milkshake with snickerdoodle chunks, Oreo cookies, Golden Oreo cookies, cookie butter cookie dough, Biscoff cookie, and cookie butter drizzle, with a rim coated in crushed Biscoff cookie pieces.

Hot Honeycomb Lemonade Shake Up, Tom Grace
Lemonade Shake Up with fresh-squeezed lemons, sugar, water, and a good shake has already been been a fair classic, now with honey and fresh jalapeños, rimmed with chamoy and Tajin and topped with a skewer of honeycomb, and optional shot of alcohol.

Nevins Dirty Red Bull Tex-arita, Josey Nevins Mayes & Tami Jo Nevins Mayes
"Dirty Tex-arita" cocktail contains sweet cream liquor, Blue Razz Pop Rocks, Watermelon Red Bull margarita, andBlueberry Red Bull margarita, topped with Pop Rocks, blueberries, and watermelon.

Poppin' Boba Rita, Justin Martinez
Frozen fresh lime juice margarita with wine-infused poppin’ boba pearls in mango or strawberry flavor. Make it "dirty" with a swirl of cold foam, coconut syrup, and a Tajin rim.

These 15 finalists will battle for the four titles on Thursday, August 21, at 2 pm. The Big Tex Choice Awards event is closed to the public but viewers can follow along online on the @StateFairofTX Instagram or Facebook.

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Cocktail buzz

New Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge Marlowe shakes into Uptown Dallas

Rendering courtesy of Duncan Design Group

Rendering of the Marlowe cocktail lounge coming to 2912 McKinney Ave. in the fall.

A cocktail lounge coming to Uptown Dallas this fall will give night owls a new place to hang. Called Marlowe, it will open in September at 2912 McKinney Ave., in a space that most recently housed Theory Nightclub Uptown (which closed in June 2025), and before that, Avenu Lounge and Aura Lounge / Club Babalu.

A release calls Marlowe an "a richly layered hospitality experience where design, food, cocktails, music and service have been conceived to work together as one."

It will be open just Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 pm-2 am.

The project is led by Dallas hospitality entrepreneur Alon Abramov, who has more than a decade of experience developing and operating hospitality concepts, the release says. Thomas Menaitreau is operating partner and general manager, while Kyle Buckelew serves as beverage director and Garrett Swain, also known as DJ Zillamatic, is music programming director.

Marlowe is designed as a place where guests can drop in for drinks and a bite, stay for dinner, or swing by after dinner for a late-night drink, the owners say.

While few menu details are available yet, the food will be prepared without seed oils, they say. Early menu items include charred Matagorda Pearl oysters with garlic-lemon butter and parsley, along with beef skewers served with sumac tahini yogurt.

Buckelew, who led the bar team at just-opened Delilah Dallas, is overseeing the cocktail program. One of the early offerings revealed is an espresso martini made with salted caramel vodka, dulce de leche, espresso, and Demerara syrup.

The interior is designed by Duncan Design Group and takes cues from Art Deco and cinematic design, they say. The space will feature wood-vaulted ceilings, curved architectural elements, tiered seating, antique-mirror and marble bars, brass details, velvet seating, and a central stage. There's also an enclosed glass-and-brass patio with a birdcage-inspired structure. Music will be another major component, with Swain overseeing the programming.

Abramov says the idea for Marlowe started with the guest experience.

“Marlowe started with one question I’ve carried throughout my career: how should a guest feel the moment they walk through the door?” says Abramov in the release. “We’ve approached every decision through that lens. The lighting, music, design, cocktails, service and energy of the room all have to work together. We’re not interested in creating the biggest room — we want to create one of the most memorable, and a place people feel connected to enough to return to again and again.”

Menaitreau, who was born and raised in Strasbourg, France, has worked at Michelin-recognized restaurants including Fiola and Bresca in Washington, D.C., and Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.

“At Marlowe, every element should contribute to how a guest remembers the evening — not individually, but collectively,” Menaitreau says. “Our vision is to pair refinement with warmth and create an atmosphere where excellence feels natural, personal and never overly formal. Ultimately, we want every guest to leave feeling better than when they arrived.”

What is the significance of the name "Marlowe?" The release does not explain the name, and CultureMap has asked. Considering the logo is a penguin, it could possibly be a "Marlowe penguin," referring to the Penguin Classics editions of works by Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. Stand by for an update on the intriguing name.

The exact opening date, full menu, cocktail list, reservations and entertainment programming will be announced in the coming weeks, the owners say say.

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