10 November 24–30, 2022 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Return to Paradise Southside Steaks and Cakes Reopens with Fair Winner on Menu by Paige Weaver A fter taking a break to be cool concessionaires at the State Fair of Texas, the owners of Southside Steaks & Cakes have reopened their sunny South Dallas restaurant on Al Lipscomb Way. “Our customers have been coming in tell- ing us they missed us, and they are so ex- cited that we are back,” says co-owner Nicole Sternes. The shutdown wasn’t in vain. After only their second year as concessionaires, Sternes and her husband, Chris Easter, were Big Tex Choice Award winners of the coveted best sweet prize for their cre- ation Peanut Butter Paradise. When you have a significant win like that, winners have to make big plans and tough deci- sions. “The first year we closed down we wanted our staff to experience the fair and we didn’t have enough staff to do both, and this year it was the same issue. We needed even more staff with us being award win- ners,” explains Sternes. But now, in early November, it was time to open back up. “We’ve had some new customers come in. They heard about us from the fair,” Sternes says. “It’s been 75 percent new customers,” Easter adds. “We didn’t lose because we closed down. Since we opened back up this week, it’s been mostly new customers, and our sales are higher.” The couple jokingly calls their restau- rant the “Trap House” because they say their food is addictive. Southside Steaks & Cakes does a Texas take on the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Theirs has jalape- ños, bell peppers, banana peppers, onions and melted cheese on top of sliced beef or chicken with a side of fries. It can be made as a sandwich, wrap or quesadilla. The cheesesteak menu is called the “Cheesesteak Trap Menu,” with names that play on the colloquialisms of trap house cul- ture. You can get a Nickel Bag, which is a sandwich with fries, a dime sack, a small sandwich with chicken or steak and four wings with one of 18 sauce options. Or why not get the Pre-Rolled Blunt, a cheesesteak in a wrap? They have introduced some of their fair favorites as well. “Before, we only had the J Drink, which is our signature fruit drink for any customer. But this time, we brought back daiquiris, which we sold at the fair for our older cus- tomersm” Sternes says. And if you didn’t get enough or didn’t get to taste the award-winning Peanut Butter Paradise at the fair, fear not — it’s on the menu too. So now you can unwind with a daiquiri, a Dime Bag with some wings and a bite of paradise. “Here, you can get a fried honey bun, you can get a fried cinnamon roll, fried Reeses, fried funnel cake with toppings. Fried every- thing,” says Sternes. The owners want customers to try more than just their desserts though, and will soon have a new specialty sandwich each month. Southside is also working on new amenities like online ordering and has re- cently eliminated call-in orders because it was too hard to manage. The menu is streamlined as well. Sternes and Easter took cues from major restaurant chains such as Raising Canes and Chick-fil-A, which have a limited menu but heavy and continuous traffic. Don’t worry if you don’t see a menu item you pre- viously ordered and loved: You can still or- der it, which is one of the perks of being a customer before learning about their food from the fair. And while you can skip the long lines you’d find at the fair, that doesn’t necessarily mean there might not be a bit of a wait, as everything is made to order. “We sell fresh food, not fast food,” Sternes boasts. “We look at how can we make it more comfortable for the customers. We have games for people, dominos, check- ers and cards. So, people don’t care as much about the wait.” ▼ Drinking Get Lit LocaL craft beers for the hoLidays can make your days merry and bright. by Jack MoRaglia I t’s beginning to look a lot like ... the way Texas looks all year round, but a little chillier. But as we move toward Thanks- giving and big family gatherings, there are plenty of Texas beers to try that satisfy the spirit of the holidays. And take the edge off. Here are some local craft beers we’re look- ing forward to. Tupps brewery, Ugly Sweater Spiced amber ale 721 Anderson St., McKinney This beer is a spiced amber ale in a series of festive cans that will put you in the holiday spirit. Made at Tupps Brewery in McKinney, the beer is light in color and has a 5.4% ABV. Tupps describes it as “light enough to knock a few back, but spiced with the flavors of winter.” The more of them you have, the less ugly your sweater is. You can use this map to find Tupps in area retailers. Deep ellum brewing Company, Deep Winter golden Porter 2823 St. Louis St. (Deep Ellum) DEBC’s Deep Winter Golder Porter is made with cocoa nibs and coffee to create a me- dium-bodied, chocolatey brew. Despite the chocolate, coffee and porter style, this beer has a medium, golden color. “Our Golden Porter is as confusing as driving in Texas during the winter,” reads the beer’s descrip- tion. “No dark colors or ashy flavors, but plenty of sweetness and roast.” This beer in available only from November through Feb- ruary, but should be on retail shelves. rahr & Sons brewing Co., angry Santa Spiced London ale 701 Galveston Ave., Fort Worth The Angry Santa Spiced London Ale is an English dark ale brewed with mulling spices, creating notes of vanilla, cinnamon and honey. Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. brews this beer, along with its cousin, the Drunken Santa, which is a barrel-aged version that bumps the ABV from 8% to 9%. Sweet and malty, the Angry Santa tastes like a drunk gingerbread cookie. Use Rahr’s beer finder to track some down. Community beer Co., Snickerdoodle ale 3110 Commonwealth Dr. If the Angry Santa tastes like a gingerbread cookie, I bet you can guess what type of cookie this beer tastes like. Community Beer Co. uses heirloom English Marris Otter malted barley to brew its Snicker Doodle Ale with a bready, malt-forward flavor. Vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks are also Kathy Tran Southside Steaks and Cakes state fair dessert winner Peanut Butter Paradise. | City of Ate | ▼ Dish >> p12 ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS JANUARY 9TH HOUSE OF BLUES www.dallasobserver.com/signup go to WEEKLY EMAIL D SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY EMAIL LIST for feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more!