Somewhere around Sunday afternoon, Big Tex is going to say goodbye for another year, and the whole city will feel it a little. This is the last weekend of the State Fair, the first weekend that actually feels like fall, and one of those rare stretches on the North Texas calendar where every corner of the Metroplex has something worth leaving the house for. Here’s how to spend it, and where to eat and drink along the way.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Every year around this time, something starts happening to people who grew up in Dallas. They smell a deep fryer that isn’t there yet, or they catch themselves thinking about mustard, and they realize the State Fair is close. A lot of that feeling traces back to one family and one stick of fried dough at Fletcher’s, and the Fair opens next Friday, September 25, so this is as good a week as any to tell the whole story.
It starts in 1938, with two brothers who weren’t cooks at all. Neil and Carl Fletcher were vaudeville performers, sixth-generation showmen who’d spent years touring with a family act called the Madcap Players and performing at Fair Park itself in a show called “The Drunkard.” As that career wound down, fair officials offered them a food booth. Neil later told the Dallas Morning News how the idea came together: “We said, ‘Sure.’ Then, over a bottle of bourbon, we tried to figure out what we could sell there.”
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
The State Fair of Texas picks up a new vendor most years, and this year one of them is making a case for a dish Fair Park has mostly ignored. Tanya Rose runs Pierogizilla LLC, and her booth on the Funway is serving fried pierogies built around her Pennsylvania and Polish background, a food that has fed families in this country for more than a century without ever quite making it onto a State Fair menu before.
Continue readingFiled under Crave
The State Fair of Texas has named its finalists for the 22nd Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Karbach Brewing Company, and the field this year is the biggest it’s ever been. The contest has run since 2005, and past winners, everything from Fried Beer to Fried Peaches and Cream, have gone on to become some of the Fair’s most talked-about foods. A record 77 entries came in from 46 different concessionaires, all of them small business owners with at least two years of experience selling food at the Fair. Every recipe gets submitted with an original name and description, then goes through a blind judging process where a panel evaluates each dish with no idea which vendor made it.
From that original 77, fifteen finalists made the cut, and they’ll compete on Tuesday, August 18, in front of 35 judges, including hometown celebrities, TV personalities, and food experts, for four titles: Best Taste – Savory, Best Taste – Sweet, Best Taste – Sipper, and Most Creative. Judges score each entry on taste, value, creativity, and fairgoer appeal before the winners get crowned. Here’s what’s actually competing this year.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
The State Fair of Texas at Fair Park is a Dallas tradition packed with rides, live music, quirky contests, and—most famously—delicious fair food. While some fried creations can get expensive, there are plenty of affordable ways to enjoy the culinary side of the Fair without blowing your budget.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
All Flying Fish restaurants in Texashonor “Big Tex” and the State Fair of Texas September 26 – October 18 with over-the-top menu specials in addition to the popular seafood menu.
Featured offerings include Grits on a Stick and Gumbo house-made grits deep fried on skewers and served in a bowl of seafood gumbo and Deep Fried Strawberry Key Lime Pie (key lime pie and strawberry coulis, deep fried with cinnamon flour, topped with powdered sugar and served with cinnamon sugar whipped cream).
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by Tanya Fleming
The State Fair of Texas is more than just a place for rides and livestock shows; it’s a food lover’s paradise where innovation meets tradition. This year, I dove into the delicious new offerings that had my taste buds dancing with delight. From savory to sweet, here’s my culinary adventure through the fairgrounds.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
The final countdown to three of the most coveted food titles in all of Texas begins. The State Fair of Texas is proud to present the 19th Annual Big Tex® Choice Awards finalists. On Sunday, August 27, three winners will be crowned in the categories of: “Best Taste – Savory,” “Best Taste – Sweet,” and “Most Creative.” The competition began in early July with an impressive 57 entries represented by 37 concessionaires.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
