15 OctOber 10 - 16, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents On a Roll From pizza to beer to coffee, Vector Brew- ing ventures to do even more things right with its new breakfast menu. Hint: it succeeds. BY DANIELLE BELLER V ector Brewing has added breakfast to its roster, so we stopped by the Lake High- lands favorite to try some of its new items (and now, we kind of want to move in). While there, we couldn’t help but grab a couple of iced lattes ($4.75). As always, Vec- tor Brewing served up a great one – in a fun glass, no less. As unabashedly in love with lavender lattes as we are, there’s something different about the lavender syrup here. It has an even stronger botanical flavor than most others we have tried, which we really loved. Next time, we’ll be trying the hot honey latte, which is one of its seasonal drinks for fall. Alongside our coffee, we nabbed a cinna- mon roll made by local bakery Salt Sweets to munch on while waiting for our savory dishes. Texas native singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves, who loves the Madonna Inn’s pink champagne cake, once said she “lives for [that] confection.” And now, we live for this one. In stories of old, many of us may have heard of characters making deals with clandestine figures to trade their souls for abilities beyond that of mortal men, and we just have to ask, is the baker behind Salt Sweets OK? Because their cinnamon roll skills are unmatched enough that we wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of sorcery behind them. We’re not sure a cinnamon roll has ever left us speechless before. It was giant, especially for only $4, with a rich, buttery icing. The entire thing tasted like a cinnamon roll’s much-coveted center. Somehow, it wasn’t too sweet. Perfection. Cinnamon rolls (that may or may not be made by the gods) aside, we also ordered some chilaquiles and a fried chicken break- fast sandwich that the brewery calls the “Fowl Habit.” First up were the chilaquiles ($8), topped with heaps of cotija cheese and slices of avo- cado that make for a perfect backdrop against a crunchy chip. The chips were thin and crispy, which we always appreciate, and the sauce was so flavorful without being too spicy or acidic, which can be difficult to achieve. Just a good, solid, bright and fresh flavor throughout. We will say because the chips come pretty drenched in the sauce, they can get a little bit soggy fairly quickly, but that’s the only potential downside we noted with this dish. And because it was pretty delicious, it was eaten quickly. The sauce might’ve been our favorite part of this dish, and the portion was huge, especially for only $8. The break- fast here is a total steal. Next, we tried the Fowl Habit. This cre- ation features a juicy chicken breast fried to perfection with a thin, crispy and flavorful batter. Sandwiched between slices of a jala- peño cheddar biscuit that’s almost absurd in size (we’re not complaining), it’s drenched in hot honey and topped with sausage gravy. It would probably be the hangover anti- dote of dreams, and not a day has passed since our visit that we haven’t thought about that biscuit. With the perfect amount of sliced jalapeños and cheddar cheese throughout, it wasn’t crumbly or dry in the slightest. Against the backdrop of the jalapeños, the sweetness of the honey hit just right. Ringing in at only $7, it outshines any cult favorite fast food breakfast biscuit. Whataburger honey but- ter chicken biscuit? We hardly know her. (We feel the need to disclaim that, jokes aside, there is room for all fried chicken biscuit sandwiches here). How fresh everything was is made very clear by the heaps of flavors found in every- thing we tried, and we can hardly fathom how all of its breakfast items are less than $10. Aside from our note that if you don’t eat the chilaquiles fast enough, you could end up with soggy chips, we’d only complain that because the fried chicken on the Fowl Habit was so good, we only wish it came in a basket of chicken strips. The Southerner in us just knows it would be the perfect vehicle for ranch. All of our shameless fan-girling aside, we also overheard the (very nice and on top of everything) staff talking about The Great British Bake Off, which we love to hear. From the execution of its menu to its staff’s choice in wholesome cooking shows, the level of taste is made clear throughout. Referred to as “the original bad boy of cooking” by The Independent, Michelin- starred chef Marco Pierre White wrote in his memoir, “Perfection is lots of little things done well.” We’ll never stop being happy to report on places that serve $7 biscuit sand- wiches that remind us of this quote. Vector Brewing serves breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. So, go get you a cinnamon roll. Vector Brewing + Pizza + Coffee, 9850 Walnut Hill Lane, No. 405. Tuesday – Satur- day, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.; closed Monday. ▼ STATE FAIR SOME PIG SORRY BIG TEX, BIG PIG IS THE REAL HERO OF THE STATE FAIR. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS L azing the days away at the State Fair of Texas is a very unbothered 1,000-pound Yorkshire boar named Boris. In a small pen next to the swine barn behind the Cotton Bowl, this mild-man- nered, snooze-prone pig is a steadfast mas- cot for the livestock side of the fair. He doesn’t do much but lie there, which is, frankly, the biggest attraction of all. A fan keeps a cool breeze going, and his bed of hay provides a soft place for endless hours of naps in the shade. Fairgoers are continuously amazed at all Boris has to offer, just sleeping. Some children run to their parents. Adults gasp. Perhaps file this under IYKYK. If you don’t, well, you’ll just have to go see for yourself. About a week before the fair opened this year, we grabbed a few minutes with Daryl Real, senior vice president of livestock at the State Fair of Texas. We wanted to glean in- sight into the most-whispered-about char- acter on the fairgrounds. We wanted to know more about the life of Boris: It’s about 10 days until the fair opens. How are things going for you as VP of livestock? Every day is just a little busier, and the fi- nal week before the fair is just crazy because everything’s coming together. You’re trying to get all the spit shine on and ready to go. What kind of pig is Boris? Boris is a little bit like James Bond. There’s someone else always playing Boris. Like how sometimes 007 was Sean Connery. There’s been lots of 007s over the years. Bo- ris is a stage name. But this year Boris will be a Yorkshire boar and he’ll weigh right at about 1,000 pounds. And he’s four years old — in his prime. Is this State Fair of Texas spy always at the entrance of the swine barn? Yes, ma’am. Is there a reason y’all set him there? Is he an attraction? He’s definitely an attraction. I mean, we have people every year that come in and they ask “Hey, where’s that big pig at? I want to see Big Pig.” He’s actually more talked about than Big Tex, but I’d never tell him that. So, what does Boris eat in a day? Boris can eat 20 pounds of feed in a day, which is typically corn- and soybean meal- based. So it’ll be mainly ground corn, but have some soybean, and also, his feed is vita- min packed. It’s got everything that he needs, a complete diet. Is he a friendly pig? Do you think he enjoys seeing people? Pigs are actually extremely gregarious animals and they like people. After a little while though, they’re going to go rest. We all like people, and then we want to go be alone. So, if you come up to him while he’s at the fair sometimes he’ll be up and talking to people, he’ll grunt and then other times he’ll be laying down at the back of the pen taking a nap. Sure, everyone’s social battery gets low. And he’s a big pig, and when you’re big, you have to take lots of naps. Do people try to feed him things, like corny dogs? Yes, we actually have a sign that we had made that says “Respect My Space” with a picture of a corn dog with a slash through it. It would actually be awful to try to feed Boris a corny dog ... Yeah, don’t feed him a corny dog. Do people toss things in his pen often? Unfortunately, my employee who has Danielle Beller Guests can enjoy the most heavenly cinnamon rolls from local bakery Salt Sweets. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Lauren Drewes Daniels Boris is a 1,000-pound Yorkshire boar. been working for me for a long time, who loves to take care of Boris, has to clean the pen multiple times a day because somebody always thinks it would be really cool to feed him a funnel cake or a corny dog. Most peo- ple are pretty respectful, though, and there are actually two layers of fencing, so there’s a fence for him and there’s a little buffer fence to keep people back so that they can’t do that as easily. Where does he sleep at night? Does he go somewhere else? No, he stays in that pen during the run of the fair. He has some exercise days ... >> p16
