Most people do the State Fair of Texas the same way every year. Say hello to Big Tex, ride the Texas Star, find this year’s fried oddity, grab a corny dog, and head home full and sunburned. That is a perfectly good day. But Fair Park is 277 acres of Art Deco buildings, gardens and museums, and a lot of the best of it sits a few steps off the Midway, where the crowds never seem to look. With the Fair running through October 18, here is where to wander.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Abel Gonzales Jr. is East Dallas, and not in the way people say that about a neighborhood they moved to. Born in Dallas, raised on the east side, and never left. Fair Park sat close enough that the State Fair of Texas was not an annual outing so much as a season the family lived through together, first with his grandparents and parents, every year without a skip.
His father ran a restaurant, which in practice meant a man who worked constantly and rarely stopped for anything. The fair was the exception. That combination, a kitchen at home and a fairground down the road, is most of the explanation for how the rest of this went.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
State Fair of Texas vendor favorites, Abel Gonzales (aka Fried Jesus) and Cassy Jones will make an appearance today (March 23) on The Kelly Clarkson Show to promote A&E’s new hit TV show, “Deep Fried Dynasty”. The pair filmed in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 17 and delighted the Texas-born host and her guests with their fried food creations.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
AG Texican Restaurant and Catering is the newest venture from the creative mind of Abel Gonzales. Featuring Tex-Mex and smoked meats the restaurant is located at 7101 Harry Hines Blvd., where it’s open for breakfast and lunch Monday-Saturday.
Early-bird diners will enjoy a wide variety of breakfast tacos, quesadillas, plus gourmet doughnuts with toppings such as fresh strawberries. Lunch offerings include Tex-Mex classics such as quesadillas with choice of brisket, pork, steak, chicken, grilled veggies, or cheese; gorditas and flautas; tortas and tamales with choice of smoked pork or smoked brisket; and sides such as cilantro rice, bacon-beer beans, and jalapeño potato salad. There’s also a daily special for $10 to $12, with options such as half smoked chicken and smoked ribs.
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by Steven Doyle
We managed to catch up with Abel Gonzales this week. You know him as the State Fair of Texas work horse that has brought us such items fried Coke, fried cookie dough, fried PB&J, fried pineapple, fried jambalaya and so much more, all fried. He is the very definition of the state of the fair with fried foods and has won five Biog Tex Choice Awards with his vivid imagination. He has been labeled as the Fried Jesus.
Gonzales is a Texas boy, having attended Dallas’ Woodrow Wilson high school where is was inducted into their hall of fame, and grew up in his fathers’ kitchen at the legendary A.J. Gonzalez’ Mexican Oven restaurant. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
Abel Gonzales is best known as the fried food king at the State Fair of Texas. You have no doubt had the fried Coke, fried lobster, and even his special brisket tamales during that season. Good chance you have even been to Republic Ranch on Ross Avenue which serves up brisket, chicken fried steak and other comforting dishes (Abel sold this share of that concept to his investors). But is Dallas ready for his latest effort? Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
Today marks the soft opening for Abel Gonzales’ new Republic Ranch located at 3121 Ross Avenue and will be open now from 11am to 2pm for lunches only. The menu was small but beefy enough to satisfy most anyone in your dining group, and the flavors were punchy enough to grab your attention. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
It’s an exciting day in the Dallas food world as we receive word from chef Abel Gonzales, the five time Texas State Fair Big Tex Award winner, about the good news of his restaurant opening. Look for Republic Ranch to open this Spring. The theme will be a continuation of his Texican theme. Think smoked BBQ meets Mexican.
Republic Ranch will be located at 3121 Ross Avenue next to the newly opened tiki bar, Pilinkas. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
