P-F13: Design Your Own State Fair of Texas Food (Week 7 NCAA Bonus)
Even though the 2013 iteration of the Texas State Fair came to an end on October 20th, we here at Pickem Dash Football didn't want to miss the chance to review our favorite new food booths.
DEEP FRIED STUFF
Most of you kept with the grand tradition of state fairs and deep fried foods.
BOOTH #22 - The Northmen (ANo): Deep Fried Macaroons.
BOOTH #A6 - Mrs. Carter's Moves (A-C): Fried pork dumpling ... on a stick.
DEEP FRIED STUFF
Most of you kept with the grand tradition of state fairs and deep fried foods.
BOOTH #22 - The Northmen (ANo): Deep Fried Macaroons.
I googled deep fried macaroons, and what do you know, several people have tried doing this. For any of our Houston pickers who are interested in a good macaroon, check out the honey and goat cheese macaroon at Central Market or just about anything at Petite Sweets on Alabama near Kirby. Their bacon jam pancake mini cupcakes are fantastic as well. +3
BOOTH #A6 - Mrs. Carter's Moves (A-C): Fried pork dumpling ... on a stick.
And for those not talented at the chop stick, that is pretty much how they would be eaten. I wish Booth #2 had a sauce with these, but I'll eat a dumpling any day. +3 (and now I'm really craving pork dumplings)
BOOTH #69 - Chicainery (CCa): Chicken fried Erin Andrews ... you're welcome Goon!
Spoiler alert. Barrel Aged Donkey's booth is not serving deep fried Erin Andrews Kolaches this year. I bet Erin Andrews is absolutely delicious with gravy and ketchup. +5
BOOTH #46 - 15 National Championships (CG): Deep Fried Maker's Mark.
Even better was the deep fried Baconized Maker's Mark. Intoxicating. +3
BOOTH #14 - Bevo XIV (DW): Eggs stuffed in scrapple and deep fried. (Yes. Scrapple.)
So there is this scrapple brick thing with eggs stuffed in it and then fried. Who wouldn't give that a try? For those of you who don't know what they are ordering here, Wikipedia describes Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, as traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. +4 Of course I'm down.
BOOTH #39 - Pimp Possee (JB): Crawfish stuffed Twinkies chicken fried on a stick.
Fried Twinkies are old news at state fairs, but savory stuffed and fried. Yessirr. +4
BOOTH #2 - The Velvet Neutral Ground (JC): Deep Fried Cow Patties.
Gross. I didn't go here. +2
BOOTH #4 - Naked Bootleggers (JN): Fried Beer on a Stick.
The problem with this item is that 1) It isn't carbonated, 2) It isn't cold, and 3) it just isn't as good as regular beer. I'll eat anything fried and on a stick once, and I'll eat fried beer on a stick only once. +2
BOOTH 8.5% - Barrel Aged Donkey (KS): Fried bourbon barrel aged stout.
This offering suffered from the same problems as Booth #4, but if you've ever fried a barrel, then you'll know there is something delicious here that can't be ignored. I paired this item with the Chicken Fried Erin Andrews. A+ pairing. +3
BOOTH TRI - The Creekside Purple Sacks (KH): Fried Jalebi.
It looked like an Indian funnel cake. Check it. They don't call them fried funnel cakes though, I'm just saying. +3
BOOTH #28 - AccidentChild (MN): Fried cake, covered in gravy.
Cranberry cake. Smart. And since it is the fair, why not fry it. +3
BOOTH LOS DOS - One Man Wolfpack (MF): Deep fried, T-bone steak breakfast taco, then deep fried again.
The most texican fair item. I put queso on this -- just because. +4
BOOTH #750 - Mad Bomber (KZ): Fried fireball whiskey.
How do you make whiskey a party drink? You spice it with cinnamon. How do you bring the party to the fair? You deep fry it. It's fun and totally gross, but it fits at the state fair. +3
BOOTH #13 - Gig'em! (AP): Deep fried Bevo.
Pass. +2
BACON!!
Some people know that bacon makes things better.
BOOTH #911 - Inconsistent Losers (ANe): Bacon-wrapped Chocolate-dipped Funnel cake.
This could have gone in the fried section, but it was the bacon wrapping that made this dish stand out. Somehow they wrapped the dough (double fried?) in bacon and then covered the whole thing in chocolate. Simple idea. Magical execution. +4
BOOTH #8 - Dirt Burglars (DT): Pretzel stuffed with bacon, wrapped in bacon, dipped in chocolate, drizzled in white chocolate, smothered in whip cream, with hot fudge and sprinkles.
This is best eaten with a double IPA. Good night. +5
BOOTH #93 - 93Bronco (GF): Venibasteak. (An excellent compliment to the Turduckin. Select cuts of venison and steak wrapped around by strips of bacon and (of course) deep fried. Classic state fair food.)
Hmmm. Fried Venibasteak. I was only familiar with grilled venibasteak. The fried version would have gotten 5 points if it was pairing with something sweet like a blackberry chipotle sauce. +4
Healthy Items
At a state fair, healthy is relative. Here are some items that aren't fried or wrapped in bacon.
BOOTH #2009 - Beelzebubbles (CCo): Frozen Menudo on a stick. With Hominy. Salty Limon on the side to garnish for taste.
I wanted to like this, but you have to like cold soup to enjoy frozen menudo. Or savory popsicles. +5 for originality.
BOOTH OO - Mississippi Mudpuppies (DR): Blonde with a great big pair of ... dark brown eyes. Holding a slice of pie.
This was a *really* popular booth, and I couldn't tell if anything was actually for sale. All I could tell was that nothing was happening for me here. +3
BOOTH #* - Ferments-A-Lot (GN): Longhorn meat and longhorn cheddar cheese kolaches with free dirt cake samples.
Get it? +3
BOOTH #21 - Yazoo Meat Muffins (KP): 21 ounce t- bone steak marinated with Texas style spice rub...medium to rare of course.
You can question the technique (marinated or rubbed?), but you can't question the flavor. Yum. I paired this with Booth #46's fried Maker's Mark. +3
And The Winner Is ...
BOOTH #1 - Double D (DD): Deep fried has been all the rage for a few years but after a while everything looks and tastes about the same after being dunked in a vat of boiling pig fat and flash fried.
In the spirit of Texas we're going to build a miniature electric chair and strap a live chicken wearing sooner shirt and every time the sooners score or the longhorns fumble we're going to give a jolt.
At the end of the game we're going to roll it in powdered sugar and beer and call it Chair Fried Brown Mack Chicken.
+6
BOOTH #69 - Chicainery (CCa): Chicken fried Erin Andrews ... you're welcome Goon!
Spoiler alert. Barrel Aged Donkey's booth is not serving deep fried Erin Andrews Kolaches this year. I bet Erin Andrews is absolutely delicious with gravy and ketchup. +5
BOOTH #46 - 15 National Championships (CG): Deep Fried Maker's Mark.
Even better was the deep fried Baconized Maker's Mark. Intoxicating. +3
BOOTH #14 - Bevo XIV (DW): Eggs stuffed in scrapple and deep fried. (Yes. Scrapple.)
So there is this scrapple brick thing with eggs stuffed in it and then fried. Who wouldn't give that a try? For those of you who don't know what they are ordering here, Wikipedia describes Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, as traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. +4 Of course I'm down.
BOOTH #39 - Pimp Possee (JB): Crawfish stuffed Twinkies chicken fried on a stick.
Fried Twinkies are old news at state fairs, but savory stuffed and fried. Yessirr. +4
BOOTH #2 - The Velvet Neutral Ground (JC): Deep Fried Cow Patties.
Gross. I didn't go here. +2
BOOTH #4 - Naked Bootleggers (JN): Fried Beer on a Stick.
The problem with this item is that 1) It isn't carbonated, 2) It isn't cold, and 3) it just isn't as good as regular beer. I'll eat anything fried and on a stick once, and I'll eat fried beer on a stick only once. +2
BOOTH 8.5% - Barrel Aged Donkey (KS): Fried bourbon barrel aged stout.
This offering suffered from the same problems as Booth #4, but if you've ever fried a barrel, then you'll know there is something delicious here that can't be ignored. I paired this item with the Chicken Fried Erin Andrews. A+ pairing. +3
BOOTH TRI - The Creekside Purple Sacks (KH): Fried Jalebi.
It looked like an Indian funnel cake. Check it. They don't call them fried funnel cakes though, I'm just saying. +3
BOOTH #28 - AccidentChild (MN): Fried cake, covered in gravy.
Cranberry cake. Smart. And since it is the fair, why not fry it. +3
BOOTH LOS DOS - One Man Wolfpack (MF): Deep fried, T-bone steak breakfast taco, then deep fried again.
The most texican fair item. I put queso on this -- just because. +4
BOOTH #750 - Mad Bomber (KZ): Fried fireball whiskey.
How do you make whiskey a party drink? You spice it with cinnamon. How do you bring the party to the fair? You deep fry it. It's fun and totally gross, but it fits at the state fair. +3
BOOTH #13 - Gig'em! (AP): Deep fried Bevo.
Pass. +2
BACON!!
Some people know that bacon makes things better.
BOOTH #911 - Inconsistent Losers (ANe): Bacon-wrapped Chocolate-dipped Funnel cake.
This could have gone in the fried section, but it was the bacon wrapping that made this dish stand out. Somehow they wrapped the dough (double fried?) in bacon and then covered the whole thing in chocolate. Simple idea. Magical execution. +4
BOOTH #8 - Dirt Burglars (DT): Pretzel stuffed with bacon, wrapped in bacon, dipped in chocolate, drizzled in white chocolate, smothered in whip cream, with hot fudge and sprinkles.
This is best eaten with a double IPA. Good night. +5
BOOTH #93 - 93Bronco (GF): Venibasteak. (An excellent compliment to the Turduckin. Select cuts of venison and steak wrapped around by strips of bacon and (of course) deep fried. Classic state fair food.)
Hmmm. Fried Venibasteak. I was only familiar with grilled venibasteak. The fried version would have gotten 5 points if it was pairing with something sweet like a blackberry chipotle sauce. +4
Healthy Items
At a state fair, healthy is relative. Here are some items that aren't fried or wrapped in bacon.
BOOTH #2009 - Beelzebubbles (CCo): Frozen Menudo on a stick. With Hominy. Salty Limon on the side to garnish for taste.
I wanted to like this, but you have to like cold soup to enjoy frozen menudo. Or savory popsicles. +5 for originality.
BOOTH OO - Mississippi Mudpuppies (DR): Blonde with a great big pair of ... dark brown eyes. Holding a slice of pie.
This was a *really* popular booth, and I couldn't tell if anything was actually for sale. All I could tell was that nothing was happening for me here. +3
BOOTH #* - Ferments-A-Lot (GN): Longhorn meat and longhorn cheddar cheese kolaches with free dirt cake samples.
Get it? +3
BOOTH #21 - Yazoo Meat Muffins (KP): 21 ounce t- bone steak marinated with Texas style spice rub...medium to rare of course.
You can question the technique (marinated or rubbed?), but you can't question the flavor. Yum. I paired this with Booth #46's fried Maker's Mark. +3
And The Winner Is ...
BOOTH #1 - Double D (DD): Deep fried has been all the rage for a few years but after a while everything looks and tastes about the same after being dunked in a vat of boiling pig fat and flash fried.
In the spirit of Texas we're going to build a miniature electric chair and strap a live chicken wearing sooner shirt and every time the sooners score or the longhorns fumble we're going to give a jolt.
At the end of the game we're going to roll it in powdered sugar and beer and call it Chair Fried Brown Mack Chicken.
+6
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| Good job. Good effort. Good picking. |
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