16 July 4–10, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Concessionaries, all who have been at the State Fair for at least one year, tinker with creations all year long for a highly coveted spot on the map of the best food at the State Fair (there is literally a map). This year, there were 65 entires from 40 concessionaires. Judges selected 24 semifinalists: 10 savory and 14 sweet. These contenders will meet later in the summer for a live taste test by celebrity judges. Three concoctions will be crowned: Best Taste – Savory, Best Taste – Sweet and Most Creative. Here are the semifinalists. SAVORY Deep Fried Crispy Vietnamese Crepes A crepe is filled with savory meat, shrimp and fresh vegetables, rolled and dipped in a crepe batter infused with hints of coconut, then fried. These banh xeo [bahnSAY-oh] are served with crisp lettuce, herbs and a dipping sauce. Dominican Dog Dominican queso frito and salami frito are coated and seasoned in corn dog batter and deep fried. The resulting corn dog is drizzled in a secret sauce and served with crushed garlic plantain chips and cilantro. The Drowning Taquitos Hand-rolled tortillas are filled with shredded chicken breast and fried, then served in a cup with a tangy cream sauce, jalapeño, guacamole salsa, shredded lettuce, avocado, tomatillo, pico and Cotija cheese. Fat Bacon Pickle Fries Shut up. So, dill pickles are battered and fried, lightly dusted with a spicy ranch pepper seasoning, then ladled with spicy queso and topped with thick-cut maple caramelized chunks of bacon, sour cream, jalapenos and chives. Hammy Pimento Meltdown We’re here for this. A grilled pimento cheese sandwich is loaded with ham, then dipped and fried. Hippie Chips Wavy potato chips are covered in ranch or blue cheese dressing, onions and bacon bits, and topped with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce. Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers Imagine Nashville hot chicken and pimento cheese rolled into little balls, dipped in pancake batter and fried. Then they’re topped off with a Sriracha honey and a bit of powdered sugar so you can’t decide if it’s hot or cold. Like any hot chick. Oktoberfest Pizza Handmade pizza dough is topped with white cream sauce and blanketed with cheese, thinly sliced German sausage, crispy German potato, sauteed onions, green peppers and, of course, sauerkraut. Texas Fried Burnt End Bombs Burnt ends are balled up with shredded potato, bacon and green onion and fried and served with a raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce. Triple Meat Big Back Snack Big back? This seven-layer concoction has elote, brisket, gouda mac and cheese, a buttermilk biscuit, pork belly burnt ends, a loaded nacho beef brisket link and a maple waffle flavored potato chip. SWEET Beso De Angel A fritter taco base is filled with sweet cream, strawberry preserves, whipped cream, cajeta caramel and sweet condensed milk. Caramel Macchiato Fritters Well, hi there. These are coffee cake balls dipped in a beignet batter topped with whipped cream, caramel and a drizzle of chocolate. All of that is topped off with a shot of espresso. Just needs booze and we got a winner. Cookie Butter Nachos Fried flour tortilla chips are dusted with cinnamon sugar, a scoop of homemade cookie butter cheesecake filling, a dollop of homemade cream cheese icing a caramel sauce. And, of course, crushed Biscoff cookie. Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick A half-inch thick cut of bacon is finished on a grill and dipped in a candy syrup glaze, after which it gets a spin in the cotton candy machine. Think they’ve tested this? Feels messy. Crookies A croissant is cut in half and filled with cookie dough, baked and finished off with syrup. Frozen Limoncello Classic Italian limoncello sorbet. Sounds amazing right now. It’s Bananas ... B-A-N-A-N-A-S A banana shake topped with banana pudding, ‘Nilla wafers, chocolate-covered bananas and a caramel drizzle. LAY’S Potato Chop Drink So, LAY’S potato chips are blended with mango, citrus juices and a kick of hot honey and jalapeño-infused syrup, then a strawberry drizzle. Weird. Feels like a stretch. Nutty Bar-Iasak A classic chocolate-dipped nutty bar is rolled in peanuts, smothered in marshmallow fluff, then toasted and topped with Oreos and strawberry sauce. Oi. Standing on Business Salted caramel ice cream comes in a waffle cone bowl, topped with a dark chocolate cookie from Cookie Society, topped with a deep-fried piece of sweet potato pie, all made into a sundae, which is then topped with french fries and a chicken wing. This is evidently what standing on business is about. Strawberry Pop-Tart Beignetffle A beignet and croissant is cooked into a honeycomb waffle then topped with strawberry filling and drizzled with vanilla. All reminiscent of a classic strawberry Pop- Tart, served on a stick. Texas Sugar Rush Pickles Cotton candy-flavored pickle slices are coated in three classic breakfast cereals layered in cotton candy and topped with ice cream. Tropical Two-Step Punch This tropical fruit punch comes in either an alcoholic or nonalcohoic version. It’s described as “tangy, sweet, tart, sour, salty and spicy.” Whole Bundt of Kisses Well. Here 7UP bundt cake is deep fried and filled with Belgian chocolate and topped with crumbled chocolate chip cookies, miniature Hershey’s kisses crowned with a full-sized Hershey’s on whipped cream and edible silver glitter. ▼ OPENINGS POUR IT ON RAISE A GLASS AT JAQUVAL, BISHOP ARTS’ NEWEST BREWPUB. BY AAREN PRODY I f you rounded up all the beer in Dallas, you could probably fill the Trinity River with it. Maybe even White Rock Lake. Despite how much beer flows through this city, there’s always room for one more. Jaquval Brewing Co. in the Bishop Arts District is the latest with 12 unique beers on tap from stouts to lagers and ales. The nano-brewery works in tandem with the deli next door, Trades Delicatessen, and together they’re the “jack of all trades.” As backed by their merch tote, they’re “Texas’ only beer brewing, meat smoking, bagel making, bread baking, coffee roasting, pub and deli ... Probably”. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting with a relaxed pace, which begs anyone to come and stick around awhile. If you’re not eyeing all the memorabilia and knick-knacks on the walls, you can watch the game or strike up a conversation with the bartenders. You’ll come in for one beer but likely stay for two. The menu focuses on select gastropub plates and does them well, starting with their crispy Brussels sprouts, which is (almost) a dead giveaway that a place is serving some good food. Because anyone who doesn’t like them has never had them made right. No, this is not up for debate. Anyone who is anyone knows about “that char.” If you don’t see something on the menu you like (not likely, but nevertheless possible), you can order any of the items from Trades. There’s also a daily food special from time to time, which is announced on Instagram. A side of fries (of the french variety) is the obvious pairing with the New York pastrami sandwich, traditional French dip and other sandwiches. Otherwise, choose from fish and chips, a pork belly taco board and even a German sausage plate complete with potato salad. Lunch is mainly sandwiches and salads, with a few dips and notable dessert options like tiramisu. Two standouts are “The Bourdain,” Anthony Bourdain’s favorite sandwich: thinly sliced mortadella, provolone, Gruyère, Ddijon and mayo. The other is the triple chocolate cake rated the “best dessert I’ve ever had” by Jason Roberts (guy who loves desserts). Each item on the menu offers something that makes it stand out — like the seasoned hand-cut fries or the “house-smoked pastrami piled high” for no extra charge. There are 12 brews on rotation at any given time, making it easy for novice beer drinkers to piece together a flight. The same goes for anyone passionate about their brews. Jaquval serves high-quality pours in drafts ($7.50), liter mugs ($14) and pitchers ($28). We went with the Doppler Effect, King Kölsch, Habble Habble and Hasselhoff Pils, which were part of the rotating menu. We had a hankering for a sandwich, so we also picked up the skirt steak torta: grilled skirt steak, lettuce, avocado, salsa verde, queso fresco and spicy mayo all stacked between two pieces of traditional Mexican bolillo. Few things top a well-made sandwich, especially one big enough for two to share. Jaquval Brewing Co., 312 W. Seventh St. Daily, noon – 11 p.m. City of Ate from p15 Aaren Prody Jaquval focuses on gastropub plates.
