Advertisement

arts entertainmentState Fair

Ranked: Best and worst foods among the Big Tex Choice finalists at the State Fair of Texas 2019 

Don't spend $100+ on the hot, new foods: Use this list and save your cash for the best State Fair foods.

Ruth's Stuffed Fried Taco Cone is the best new concessions item at the State Fair of Texas this year, among the Big Tex Choice Awards finalists. It's decidedly Texan, with nice spice and moist barbacoa. And it just felt like fair food — the kind of meal you should be eating as you holler "howdy" at Big Tex.

A group of 11 people joined this year's Dallas Morning News State Fair taste test. It's become an annual tradition for us to try the Big Tex Choice Awards finalists and rank them best to worst. Take it from us: You don't need to try all 10 of these items. It'd cost you $107.50, or 215 coupons.

Don't try this at home: Purchasing every Big Tex Choice Awards finalist at the State Fair of...
Don't try this at home: Purchasing every Big Tex Choice Awards finalist at the State Fair of Texas would cost $107.50. Sarah Blaskovich and a team of 10 taste testers did the expensive (and gut-busting) work for you.(Audrey Eads/Staff)

Besides, this list doesn't include other State Fair must-haves, like a Fletcher's corny dog or a Fernie's funnel cake. For details on those, check out 4 essential State Fair of Texas foods.

Among the three winners of the Big Tex Choice Awards this year, the Dallas Morning News team loved two of those. The biggest disappointment was the famed Big Red Chicken Bread, which came in second to last on our list.

Our list includes nine out of the 10 concessions items because we couldn't get our hands on the Southern Fried Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Ball. Their fryers were broken on Opening Day at one location, and we couldn't find the other stand after a frustrating and hot walk all around the fair. It was removed from this list.

Advertisement

Use this handy map to find walking directions to each of the items below.

The best: 1. Ruth's Stuffed Fried Taco Cone

Ruth Hauntz, who is in her eighties and is one of the oldest concessionaires at the State...
Ruth Hauntz, who is in her eighties and is one of the oldest concessionaires at the State Fair of Texas, is selling her Ruth's Stuffed Fried Taco Cone. Don't miss it.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)
News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

What is it? A fried tortilla cone with barbacoa, black beans and cilantro-lime rice

Price: 18 coupons, or $9

Score: 4.32 out of 5

Our opinion: This dish is big on flavor. Concessionaires were generous with the barbacoa, which blends nicely with the spicy beans and rice. It's the kind of dish you could happily order at a restaurant, says senior multiplatform editor Kim Oglethorpe, and it's a treat to find restaurant-quality food at a giant outdoor fair. The price is great, especially when you compare it to other items on this list, like a single cookie for the same price.

Advertisement

2. Fla'Mango Tango

If you're craving dessert at the State Fair of Texas this year, make sure you try the...
If you're craving dessert at the State Fair of Texas this year, make sure you try the Fla'Mango Tango.(Dan Singer/Staff)

What is it? Fried mango with a side of strawberry-mango sorbet

Price: 25 coupons, or $12.50

Score: 3.77 out of 5

Advertisement

Our opinion: What a surprise! Very few of our tasters were jazzed about a fried mango dish, but nearly all of them liked or loved Fla'Mango Tango, even though it comes with a hefty price tag. This is the most refreshing bite of all of the Big Tex Choice Awards finalists. Two tips: Dip the warm fried mango into the cold sorbet. And ask them to hold the whipped cream; you don't want weird, melted whipped cream to ruin that great sorbet.

3. Fernie's Fried Burnt End Burrito

The Fernie's Fried Burnt End Burrito dish is fun and filling.
The Fernie's Fried Burnt End Burrito dish is fun and filling.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

What is it? A burrito with cream cheese, bacon, cheese, jalapeños and burnt ends (smoked by Dallas barbecue restaurant Ferris Wheelers), deep-fried and served with a side of onion rings

Price: 30 coupons, or $15

Score: 3.25 out of 5

Our opinion: The concessions experience at The Funnel Cake Factory, the stand in Big Tex Circle selling Fernie's Fried Burnt End Burrito, is tops: The concessionaires were friendly and fun, and they managed the line better than their competitors. We're surprised this delicious dish was not one of the Big Tex Choice Award winners, because it felt like a quintessential State Fair of Texas dish. I mean, it's barbecue. It's fried. And it's slightly spicy. The only question we have is whether all the meat inside this burrito is actually burnt ends. We missed that luscious, fatty texture of burnt ends — but liked the less-fatty shredded beef we found instead.

4. Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl

The Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl doesn't seem like must-have fair food. But it's flavorful.
The Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl doesn't seem like must-have fair food. But it's flavorful.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

What is it? A bowl of carrots, kale, red bell peppers and other vegetables served with yellow tropical rice and grilled shrimp

Price: 24 coupons, or $12

Score: 3.17 out of 5

Our opinion: Want to watch your waistline at the State Fair of Texas? Order the Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl. But only if you love spice: This dish had tons of heat. Salt, too. Deputy arts & entertainment editor Leslie Snyder noted the toothsome rice and flavorful veggies. And events producer Audrey Eads pointed out that the concessionaires at this stand were putting tons of care into their food — which is great for the consumer but also resulted in long waits.

Advertisement

5. Peanut Butter Cup Snookie

Highland Park Soda Fountain makes the Peanut Butter Cup Snookie.
Highland Park Soda Fountain makes the Peanut Butter Cup Snookie.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

What is it? A peanut butter cookie topped with vanilla ice cream

Price: 18 coupons, or $9

Score: 2.9 out of 5

Our opinion: It's just a cookie, with ice cream. But dang if our team didn't like it. "I feel like this is pretty tried and true," says arts reporter Dan Singer. It's a great option for that one friend who wants to order dessert but won't go for one of the more creative options.

Advertisement

6. Texas Cream Corn Casserole Fritters

Give us that creamed-corn queso and a handful of tortilla chips and we're good.
Give us that creamed-corn queso and a handful of tortilla chips and we're good.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

What is it? Fried balls of corn, sour cream, cheddar cheese and cornbread mix, served with creamed-corn queso on the side

Price: 16 coupons, or $8

Score: 2.85 out of 5

Our opinion: These had so much potential. The fried balls are really more like hush puppies, with a rough, dry texture inside. They aren't like the corn casserole we know and love at Thanksgiving dinner. But! That side of creamed-corn queso is amaizeing, not even sorry about that pun. "I would have never thought to dip a hush puppy in queso," says events producer Linda Kessler. It makes those dry corn fritters so much better.

Advertisement

7. Quick Fried 'Black Gold' Truffles

Food editor Erin Booke isn't a fan of the "Black Gold" Truffles. Too sweet, she says.
Food editor Erin Booke isn't a fan of the "Black Gold" Truffles. Too sweet, she says.(Audrey Eads/Staff)

What is it: A fried ball of crushed chocolate cookies, cream cheese and white chocolate chips

Price: 20 coupons for four, or $10; 18 coupons for three, or $9

Score: 2.73 out of 5

Quick Fried "Black Gold" Truffles are in the Hans Mueller tent.
Quick Fried "Black Gold" Truffles are in the Hans Mueller tent.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

Our opinion: This ultrasweet dish was one of the most polarizing, having received a perfect 5 from one taster and a terrible 1 from two others. You love fudgy brownies? Crazy-sweet cake balls? Get these truffles with a Texified name. Anyone who prefers a less sweet dessert will be overpowered by these. But they're a great option for a group, especially if you're showing off to out-of-towners at the great State Fair. "When I bit into this, I tasted State Fair," Oglethorpe says.

8. Big Red Chicken Bread

We can confirm that Big Red Chicken Bread is adorable.
We can confirm that Big Red Chicken Bread is adorable.(Audrey Eads/Staff)
Advertisement

What is it? A Big Red-infused doughnut topped with a piece of fried chicken

Price: 18 coupons, or $9

Score: 2.05 out of 5

Our opinion: Sigh. We all wanted to love these. They're adorable. But our Opening Day chicken was dry and nearly impossible to pick off the bone. The Big Red-infused doughnut was very sweet, which makes for a nice complement to the salty chicken, except that the chicken wasn't great. And the doughnut on its own was too much. We'll give them this: "I loved the sunglasses," says events producer Norma Cavazos.

The worst: 9. Deep-Fried Bayou Fruit Bites

Under all that whipped cream are pieces of fried fruit.
Under all that whipped cream are pieces of fried fruit.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

What is it? Fried peaches, apples and pears, drizzled with caramel and whipped cream

Price: 20 coupons, or $10

Score: 1.9 out of 5

Our opinion: We didn't know it until we tried it, but hot fruit on a hot day is not good. Perhaps this dish would have been better enjoyed if we were inside an air-conditioned building, where fried apples would remind us of Grandma's cobbler in the crisp autumn months. But it doesn't feel like autumn in Texas, no matter what the calendar says. There are better desserts elsewhere.

Advertisement

Thanks to our esteemed tasters: Erin Booke, Sara Burgos, Norma Cavazos, Audrey Eads, Linda Kessler, Kim Oglethorpe, Britton Peele, Dan Singer, Leslie Snyder and Shannon Sutlief.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.

Going to the fair? We have a State Fair page on dallasnews.com. Find our tips on how to get ticket discounts, where to find cheap drinks and much more.