State Fair News

State Fair of Texas adds serious gourmet treats from Dallas restaurants

A well made empanada is impossible to resist.

Chimichurri

The 2022 State Fair of Texas is about to commence, with opening day on September 30, and discounts galore.

On the foodie front, for the first time, they've added seven new food stands from some notable Dallas restaurants.

These are above and beyond the usual concessionaires, and also have nothing to do with the Big Tex awards (which this year include a Fried Charcuterie Board and a sweet called Peanut Butter Paradise).

No, these are serious gourmet goodies that range from irresistible empanadas to gourmet soft-serve ice cream to Neapolitan pizza topped with BBQ.

These are the seven brand-new vendors joining the lineup at the 2022 State Fair of Texas:

Empanadas and fries from Chimichurri & Milagro Taco Cantina
Award-winning chef Jesus Carmona’s new stand will be serving dishes from his two Dallas restaurants, Chimichurri and Milagro Taco Cantina. He'll be doing two types of empanadas, plus a campeona taco, a burrito Texano, and mole fries, drizzled with mole sauce, crema fresca, and cotija cheese. Carmona was nominated for Rising Star Chef in CultureMap’s 2018 Tastemaker Awards and appeared on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.

Candy pickles from Di-Licious Candies Pickles Factory
Known as the “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” of pickles, the family-owned and -operated Di-Licious Candies Pickles Factory is the “first original candy pickle factory in the entire world” and has more than 250 flavors of candy pickles. Featured dishes include their signature chamoy candy pickle along with candy pickles in a cup, Rainbow Brite candy pickle sundae, and cotton candy pickle roll crunch.

Pumpkin spice cheesecake on a stick from Drizzle Cheesecakes
Olympic athlete Stephen El Gidi and his partner Walid founded Drizzle Cheesecakes in 2018. Their business has made appearances across North America from southwestern Ontario to our neighbors at Six Flags Over Texas’ Holiday in the Park. Drizzle’s New York-style cheesecake on a stick is dipped in magic-shell Belgian chocolate and rolled in a variety of toppings including crushed Oreos, red velvet cake, strawberry crumble, and more. Their stand will feature specialty flavors developed just for the State Fair of Texas including pumpkin spice cheesecake.

Loaded queso fries by Enjoy Foods
Founded in 2012, Enjoy Foods started out as a gourmet kitchen store in Rockwall from owners Dwaina Morris and her husband They'll be serving loaded queso fries, loaded queso nachos, fried chicken tacos, root beer floats, brownie sundaes, daiquiris, and fried jalapeños. One extra-unique item is their adult-infused jumbo Texas pickle infused with daiquiri mix.

Gourmet soft-serve ice cream by Once Upon a Cone
Once Upon a Cone has been soft-serving delicious ice cream treats all over Texas for the past 12 years. They do premium vanilla, chocolate, and swirled soft-serve ice cream along with specialty sundaes, shakes, floats, and malts. Their dipped cones are available in chocolate, cherry, butterscotch, and birthday cake flavors.

Nashville hot chicken by Palmer’s Hot Chicken Dallas
The Nashville Hot Chicken restaurant concept from Dallas native Palmer Fortune and his partner and chef Mills Garwood will serve the Motherclucker sandwich, a fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese and pickles; jumbo tenders; banana pudding; and tots, plain or smothered in pimento cheese queso). Plus their Frosé wine slushy made with pureed strawberries, hibiscus, and lime.

Neapolitan-style burnt ends pizza by Texapolitan Pizza
Stephan Nedwetzky of Pit Commander Barbecue is using barbecue as the topping on his favorite type of pizza, Neapolitan. Each pizza is made from 00 flour imported from Italy and needs only 90 seconds in the 900-1,000-degree stone oven to reach thin, crispy perfection. Four personal-sized pizza pies will include margherita, pepperoni, cheese, and smoked pork belly burnt ends. That one consists of red sauce, mozzarella, smoked pork belly burnt ends, jalapeños, cotija cheese, and Pit Commander Barbecue Sweet Heat BBQ sauce.

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Stadium Food News

Dallas' American Airlines Center intros new menu with fancy pizza

AAC

American Airlines Center is debuting a new menu.

Amerian Airlines Center has unveiled a new food menu in time for the 2024-2025 season that includes pizza and chicken from some high-end names.

According to a release, the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars have partnered with Levy, American Airlines Center’s hospitality partner, and 50 Eggs Hospitality Group to upgrade the food experience.

Patrick Dumont, governor of the Mavericks says in a statement that "these enhancements are the beginning of our effort to reimagine the experience at American Airlines Center," while Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts says that “championship-level teams on the ice and on the court go well with championship-level food."

Upgrading menus has been a trend at sports venues in recent years, one that AAC has not followed until now, says John Kunkel, founder of 50 Eggs Hospitality Group, who helped introduce the menu at an event at the arena on October 11.

"The arena here has been so focused on winning and excellence in their teams, the food was really just never a focus," Kunkel says. "When new ownership came in, we looked around at other stadiums coming alive and revamping menus, and wanted to continue to provide a great experience for the fans and keep pushing things. Particularly with new ownership having such an understanding and long background in hospitality and luxury hotels and restaurants, they knew immediately what they wanted to do. We had been partners on other projects for years, so it was a natural progression to get into."

Highlights include:

Chicken tenders: 50 Eggs Hospitality (Yardbird, Chica, Wakuda), will roll out chicken tenders from their popular Spring Chicken restaurant. The group has been instrumental in developing the vision for the new elevated menu alongside Levy and the American Airlines Center.

Pizza: 50 Eggs brought in Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria, from award-winning Denver-based chef Frank Bonanno (Mizuna, Luca, French 75, Osteria Marco, Salita Vesper Lounge) to do a freshly spun and hand-stretched pizza available in cheese and pepperoni, at Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria throughout the arena.

"Across the country, chicken fingers and pizza are the number one seller in every stadium," Kunkel says. "Doesn't matter if you've got sushi or Middle East — it doesn't matter, people love those two items. So we put a big focus on trying to make those the best we could. In this cse, all Italian imported ingredients and amazing pizza prepared by an award winning chef."

Other upgrades include a Texas-sized Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, Niman Ranch hot dogs, jumbo pretzels, dulce de leche churros, street tacos, a smash burger, and BBQ.

The new menu rolls out Saturday October 12 at the Dallas Stars’ regular season home opener against the New York Islanders.

The 2024-25 American Airlines Center signature food menu:

Bonanno Brothers Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza
Chef Frank Bonnano will use ingredients such as Caputo 00 flour, Italian mozzarella and parmesan, Burke pepperoni, and fresh full red tomato sauce for a new take on pizza, the most popular food item ordered at American Airlines Center.

Chicken Tenders by Spring Chicken
Hand-breaded fresh chicken tenderloins created in collaboration with the James Beard award-winning recipe from 50 Eggs Hospitality's Yardbird restaurant.

All-Beef Hot Dog
Niman Ranch all-beef hot dogs are smoked over hickory wood without added nitrates or nitrites, served on brioche buns baked by Signature Baking Company.

Zavala’s BBQ
Consistently ranked as one of the best BBQ joints in the DFW area, Zavala’s will bring brisket, sausage, ribs, and more.

Artisan Soft Pretzels
Handmade on-site using an authentic Amish recipe, these premium soft pretzels from Ben’s Pretzels are light, fluffy, and lightly salted with an imported German pretzel salt. All pretzels are egg-, dairy-, and nut-free.

Dulce de Leche Churros
Created in collaboration with local business The Churro Factory, these treats will have the perfect blend of crispy, golden dough and rich, creamy sweetness.

Texas-Sized Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
A Texas-sized rendition of the Philadelphia classic, the sandwich will include all-natural black angus beef from 44 Farms, a Cameron, Texas, family-owned operation with more than 100 years of experience providing a delicious, wholesome, and enjoyable eating experience. The sandwiches will be served with white American cheese and provolone cheese, sautéed white onions, and wrapped in a signature baking fresh French baguette from Signature Baking Company.

Street Tacos
Using corn tortillas from La Norteña Tortillas, fans can choose from three different options:

Carne Asada: Carne asada, cilantro-onions, avocado salsa
Chicken Carnitas Taco: Chicken carnitas, cilantro-onions, tomatillo salsa
Tacos al Pastor: Shaved pastor meat, cilantro-onions, grilled pineapple, salsa taquera

Smash Burger
The burger has been reimagined with a custom beef blend from Buckhead Meat Co. and includes American cheese, Levy secret sauce, and bread and butter pickles on a brioche bun from Signature Baking Company.