| CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Deep Fried Glory The Big Tex Choice Awards: honey buns, horchata and deep- fried charcuterie. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS O n Aug. 28 a panel gathered in Fair Park to judge 10 fried- food finalists for the 18th an- nual Big Tex Choice Awards. The winners are the cream of the fried crop at the State Fair of Texas, which runs Sept. 30 - Oct. 23. In addition to bragging rights, Big Tex winners usually en- joy long lines at their booths as they’re liter- ally on the map for both foodies and families seeking to eat their weight in fried food. The panel of judges for this year’s event included Brad Batson, co-founder of Kar- back Brewing; Hiawatha Williams, founder and owner of Williams Chicken; Lance Bar- row of CBS Sports; Marisco Trejo of La Ca- sita Bakeshop; “Big Rob” Maiden, one of the Mavs Maniacs; and Bruce Sifford, chairman of the board of directors for the State Fair. This competition started earlier this summer with more than 50 entrants, who were whittled down to 35 semifinalists. Ten items were selected for the finals a few weeks ago. The Big Tex Choice Award for Best Taste - Savory winner went to Tami Nevin-Mayes and Josey Mayes, who appeared on the A&E Network’s Deep Fried Dynasty this year. Their fried charcuterie boards are wonton- wrapped nuggets with fresh mozzarella, sa- lami and green apples tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs. That’s deep fried then topped with goat cheese and a drizzle of hot honey. The Big Tex Choice Award for Best Taste - Sweet went to Cha Cha Chata, a horchata explosion from longtime concessionaires the Garza family. This drinkable dessert starts with the Garza family’s own horchata poured into a cup rimmed with caramel and cinnamon and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. A churro serves as a straw. It’s all topped with crushed candy, a sprinkle of cinnamon galletas de gragega, and deep- fried arroz con leche bites. The Garza family are veterans of the Big Tex awards. They’ve had a booth at the fair for more than 35 years and have made the Big Tex finals four times now, winning twice for Best Taste - Sweet and once for Most Cre- ative. To illustrate the impact of winning, back in 2018, Denise Garza de la Cruz told us that business doubled after receiving an award. The Big Tex Choice Award for Most Creative Lauren Drewes Daniels went to Peanut Butter Paradise by husband and wife team Chris Easter and Nicole Sternes. Easter and Sternes own Southside Steaks and Cakes, a restaurant just 2,000 feet from the fairgrounds. Last year was their first year as a fair concessionaire, and this was their first year to participate in the Big Tex Awards. Peanut Butter Paradise is a deep-fried honey bun stuffed with caramel then topped with creamy peanut butter, Reese’s Pieces, crushed Butterfinger, peanut butter cups, caramel and powdered sugar. Easter and Sternes were startled by this award not just for the prestige and business impact, but for their own history with the fair. “Words can’t explain ... this is the first time my mom can even get into the fair and she’s 75 years old, I’m kind of emotional about that,” Easter said speaking of the fi- nancial barriers many face attending the fair. “When I was able to go to the fair, I wasn’t ever able to get any of the treats. So to actu- ally be on the other side of it it means the world to me. I’m in paradise right now.” “We’ve learned so much, it’s even helped us with our own business. The state fair brings business to our restaurant,” Sternes said. “Last year, we weren’t too concerned about chasing the books, to be honest,” Eas- ter said. “We were trying to learn the system. They just kept telling us, ‘Do not run out of product,’ so that was our main concern. It’s been a great experience.” Not running out of product this year will be an even bigger challenge now that they’ve been given a Big Tex Award. ▼ FOOD NEWS MOVE OVER FOOD I IN DALLAS, DESIGN TAKES CENTER STAGE. BY DESIREE GUTIERREZ n this age of social media, it’s not always the tuna tartare or the braised short ribs that catches a diner’s eye first. It’s not the confit chicken thighs, nor is it a searing tomahawk that creates hype. Today, more than ever, diners desire an Instagram-wor- thy experience at a restaurant to accom- pany their fare. The days of luring customers with interi- ors drowning in heavy tapestry, somber Cha Cha Chata: Best Taste Sweet winner woods and bland upholstery are long gone. Many prefer a well-thought-out concept that creates not just a memorable culinary experience but a picturesque one. And Dallas restaurateurs hear them loud and clear. “Everybody, especially after 2020, wants experiences, whether that’s something expe- riential that a restaurant has like a really cool cocktail, or a really great presentation,” says Alexa Rodarte, director of marketing at Trin- ity Groves. “People want good service, they want to go out, they want to be seen and they want to have fun, even if that means some- thing as simple as going to a restaurant.” Rodarte, whose husband Julian Rodarte is the CEO of Trinity Groves, recently opened the new concept Lexy’s, a 4,700-square-foot “local new American” restaurant that cele- brates femininity and travel and is also a ready-made Instagram story. Designed by Coevál Studio’s John Paul Valverde, Lexy’s ceiling at the entrance is covered in pink roses and greenery, leading to. Moet vending machine. Stacks of designer luggage, a tribute to the Rodartes’ love of travel, serves as the hostess stand. Lavish pink feather chandeliers add playfulness. The star of the show, however, is a Moët vending machine. Influencers and foodies have flocked to the machine to snap Insta- gram and TikTok-worthy footage. Since early August, TikTok videos with the hashtag “LexysDallas” have garnered more than 230,000 views — in less than one month — most showcasing the lavish pink floral design, the Moet vending machine and cocktails. How’s the food, you ask? Who knows? Lexy’s isn’t the only Dallas spot embrac- ing femininity. “There is an underserved market, and that is a female-centric restaurant,” XOXO Dining Room and Garden owner Obi Ibeto says. “The majority of dining decisions are typically made by women. However, most restaurants are designed by men for men. We felt like there needed to be something a little bit different.” For Ibeto, the market gap was jarring. With XOXO, Ibeto pioneered a shift that embraced social media. Unation ranks XOXO, which opened in June 2020, as the most Instagrammable restaurant in Dallas. There is neither a nook nor a cranny of the restaurant that isn’t feed-worthy. In just over two years that restaurant has amassed more than 57,700 followers on its Instagram page and “XOXOdiningroom” has 4,744 posts. “It’s no longer simply about the food — it’s about the experience, and people want to share their experiences,” Ibeto says. “It’s im- portant to us that everything has a backdrop.” XOXO, which takes inspiration from sketch London, an extravagantly pink res- taurant and cocktail lounge in England, is a content creator’s paradise. Pink pours from every corner of the restaurant. Chandeliers hang over booths, while illuminated cherry blossom trees dot the room. “Push for Champagne” buttons, like the Moet vending machine, get plenty of social media play. Graffiti by local contemporary artist Not Travis imparts an edgy appeal. “Everybody is an amateur photographer now. We all inspire each other to take great pictures,” Ibeto says. “When people visit, we find that they go through social media and look at the pictures that they like, and then they try to find that location within the venue.” Like Lexy’s and XOXO, Exxir Hospitali- ty’s Paradiso, Mermaid Bar, Tejas, Casa- blanca and Bar Eden, formerly Botanist, pull from travel for design inspiration. Bar Eden is influenced by the French painter Paul Gaugin. Rich red florals, lush greenery and golden accents pop against creams, whites and browns in the intimate space. Golden-leaf light fixtures crown the bar. “The company is founded on the idea of giving people beautiful experiences,” Exxir CEO Michael Nazerian says. “For us, that means holistically paying attention to the design, on the front end, and then layering in all those other pieces after the fact, which come from the executive chef, beverage di- rector and graphic designer.” Exxir has pulled inspiration from Spain, Morocco and Mexico for its various con- cepts. Tejas, specifically, is a love letter to Mexico City, Nazerian says. However, Exxir’s designs aren’t woven around social media. Creating thoughtful and noteworthy spaces drives the design process. “We make beautiful spaces for people to enjoy and, hopefully, they’ll share it. But, it’s not like we’re trying to create some kind of Instagram thirst trap or something,” Naze- rian says. ▼ FOOD NEWS BIANG BIANG T TRACKING DOWN TEAGU CAFÉ, A HAND-PULLED NOODLE POP-UP. BY HANK VAUGHN homas Gu, the guy behind the TeaGu Café pop-up that most recently was holding residency at the Moge Tee shop in Carrollton, began cooking in college as a way to avoid cafeteria food, and who can blame him? According to a nice write-up in VoyageHouston, he eventually landed in the Houston area as a high school teacher and tennis coach. Food was still foremost in his mind, how- ever. After seeing a YouTube video of >> p22 21 1 dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 SEPTEMBER 8-14, 2022
