The State Fair of Texas has been open for just about a week now. Corny Dogs are of course synonymous with the State Fair -- they’re right up there with Big Tex, the Midway and the pig races.
But what if you are looking to try something new?
KERA Producer Therese Powell and Morning Edition Host Andrew Garcia recruited some friends and family to investigate ways to help you try new food and save some money.
It was Andrew’s and his wife Emily’s first time at the fair, so in addition to being in awe of Big Tex, the Midway and the animal barns, they were also a little overwhelmed by all the food choices.
The group explored the fair on Sunday, but a great way sample a variety of goodies and save money is to go on Thursdays or Thrifty Thursdays. It works like this: every Thursday during the run of the fair participating food vendors offer one of their signature menu items, ranging from mini versions to regular-size items, at a reduced price.
With fair food on our minds, it was off to the Tower Building to begin the sampling. The Texas BBQ Rib Deviled Eggs was first on the list. Chef Kendall Williams told us what inspired her to come up with this fun combo.
“I have a catering company called Pretty Tasty, and my devil eggs are number one on the list,” said Kendall. “I decided to do different varieties, you want people to get something new that they can't get everywhere else--something that will make their mouth go, ‘WOW!’”
Therese’s friend Millicent Holmes was duly impressed with the deviled eggs with a Texas twist.
“That is amazing. And the barbecue is perfect.” It’s a little on the messy side, but it is awesome.”
“It seems like a staple of the State Fair of Texas is to take two different types of things and smash them together, and it seems to work every time,” added Andrew.
The next stop was Tony’s Taco Shop to talk to Terry Bednar about her Deep-Fried Birria Bombs.
“This is mashed potatoes with birria. Birria is pulled beef with jalapeno and on the side, we put a consommé sauce,” said Terry.
The perfect little pockets of deep-fried goodness were a group favorite.
“The meat is super flavorful and it's really good with the sauce on it,” said Andrew’s wife, Emily Garcia.
“You've got cheese, you've got what feels like mashed potatoes, all the things that we love but all in one compact little bomb,” added Millicent. “It is so filling that you definitely get your money's worth. You will feel full like you've had dinner.”
So, with appetizers and dinner in the books, it was time for dessert. We finished things off in the Tower Building with the Deep-Fried Rocky Road Fudge. This item isn’t on the Thrifty Thursday menu, but you get a generous portion and it was more than enough for the five of us to share.
We asked owner Lauren Hays to describe it to us.
“It is Rocky Road fudge on the inside. We're battering it with pancake batter and then we deep fry it. And then once that's done, we take it and we put chocolate syrup on it, sweetened condensed milk, tiny marshmallows and pecans. And of course, we got to top it with powdered sugar because we're at the State Fair of Texas.”
The group had big feelings about this one.
“This is crazy good. It's like rich, but not too rich,” said Andrew. “The ice cream creaminess and the cold cuts through really well. And then right when you think it's out of tasty stuff, you get a bite of the pecans.
“Very tasty, super sweet chocolate--beyond chocolate,” said Tom Holmes. “This is really just delicious and delightful. It's a really, really good dessert.”
So, there you have it, the consensus seems to be no shortage of great food at the State Fair.
You can find more information about the food at the State Fair of Texas and Thrifty Thursday at BigTex.com. And you can find even more events in the North Texas area at Go See DFW.
The Go See DFW calendar is a partnership between KERA and The Dallas Morning News.
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