State Fair News

Dallas restaurants salute the State Fair with their own funky fare

CBD Provisions is doing fried Oreos.

CBD Provisions

As the State Fair of Texas readies for its 2024 debut, fairgoers are anticipating the dozens of new food items that have been added this year's lineup. But on those days you're not visiting the fair, you can still indulge, since some Dallas restaurants are joining in with their own renditions of State Fair-style food.

Here are restaurants where you can to find State Fair of Texas themed food and beverages with specials running from September 27-October 20. (And we'll be adding more as they come in.)

CBD Provisions restaurant at the Joule Dallas hotel in downtown Dallas has introduced two limited-time Fair-inspired dishes: loaded fries with smoked brisket and bacon; and deep-fried Oreos in cinnamon batter with cream cheese icing.

Chef Point Bar & Restaurant is bringing back their State Fair Bloody Mary, stacked with a turkey leg, corn on the cob, deep-fried PB&J, waffles, and more.

Community Beer Co. released its annual Funnel Cake Ale, a special State Fair-style brew it serves every year during State Fair time. It combines all of the sweet and toasty flavors of a funnel cake in a convenient beer. It was released on August 22 and will be available at both Community Beer on tap and in six-pack cans and at the State Fair of Texas.

Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa has $15 special bites, including The State Fair Poutine volcano salt fries topped with chopped brisket, BBQ sauce, scallions, cheddar cheese, and chopped onion; and blackberry cobbler, with white chocolate cream, cinnamon streusel, and graham cracker.

Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs will not only be at the State Fair of Texas, but it also has a food truck every Friday through Sunday from 11:30 am-7:30 pm at Klyde Warren Park, where it serves all six corny dogs including The Original, Jalapeño and Cheese, the turkey Bird Dog, and a veggie corny dog.

Flying Fish is offering a Larry’s Deep Fried Banana Pudding with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, powder sugar and topped with a vanilla cookie for $8; and alligator queso starting at $9 for a cup.

Lucky's Cafe has an $11 corn dog duo and fries paired with a $6 Cotton Candy Pilsner from Texas Ale Project.

Meddlesome Moth will offer several specials starting at $12 available after 4 pm, including Tex’s Blue Ribbon Feast, which is fried chicken, whipped sweet potatoes and marshmallow, cheddar mac and cheese, braised greens, and cornbread.

Pete's Dueling Piano Bar has a limited-time $14 cotton candy cosmopolitan featuring a lemon-flavored vodka-base, lemon juice, a splash of soda, and cotton candy-infused simple syrup.

Snuffer's is serving $8 chili cheese mini corn dogs topped with house-made chili, onions, cheddar, and jalapeños.

The Statler is all in on the fair: Overeasy will offer guests fried Monte Cristo bites for $16; Scout has funnel cake fries for $8; and Waterproof has a cotton candy cosmopolitan for $12.

UnaVida has a churro banana split, featuring fresh strawberries, Mexican vanilla ice cream, espresso chocolate sauce, brûléed bananas, caramel-filled churros, and fried candied peanuts for $12.

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Diner News

Home-cooking classic Chubby's closes location in southwest Dallas

Chubby's

Biscuits and gravy at Chubby's

A beloved diner near Duncanville in southwest Dallas has closed: Chubby's, famous for its home-cooking cuisine and splendiferous breakfasts, has closed its location at 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd., near I-20 and 67, after 18 years.

In what will be a relief for Chubby's many fans, the original location, at 11331 E. Northwest Hwy., is still open. A manager at the original location confirmed that the Cockrell Hill location had closed, while a spokesperson for the property said the building was up for sale because the owner was "ready to retire."

The location has been on the market since June, but they finally shuttered the restaurant on October 31. It had been at that address since 2008, taking over a space that was formerly Owens Family Restaurant, and originally a Bob Evans Restaurant.

Chubby's was founded by brothers and Greek immigrants John and George Touris, who opened the first location in 1987. Over the years, they opened more locations, winning over fans with their pancakes, omelets, chicken-fried steak, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and more, as well as a few Italian and Greek dishes.

If you know restaurants, you know that Greek restaurateurs usually adhere to a high standard of quality. Stellar signatures, shown in their most tempting light on Instagram, include biscuits & gravy, chicken-fried steak, Greek baked chicken with potato wedges, banana pancakes topped with banana slices and whipped cream, Greek salad, and masterful desserts including multi-layer cakes and baked pies in varieties such as cherry, coconut cream, and the rare chocolate meringue.

As their website explains, John Touris was 16 when he, his brother, and mother left Greece in 1978 and emigrated to Buffalo, New York, where John learned the ropes from his uncle, a restaurant veteran who worked at Towne Restaurant, which helped many Greek immigrants find their way in the U.S.

John moved to Dallas and in 1982 opened his first restaurant, Dough Boys, which eventually evolved into Chubby’s when it moved to its location on Northwest Highway. Together with his brother George, John built Chubby’s into a community cornerstone, expanding to four locations across Plano and Lancaster, which both closed, and this location near Duncanville, which has now closed as well.

Chubby’s is treasured by old-timers as one of a shrinking pool of diner-type places, like Mama's Daughters' Diner, Original Market Diner, Metro Diner, and Norma's Cafe, that offers unpretentious, well-prepared food at a relatively low price.

breakfast closings greek cuisine

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Diner News

Home-cooking classic Chubby's closes location in southwest Dallas