The Texas State Fair !

Long overdue greetings !  I've been in Texas !  And doing things like eating at...

The Texas State Fair!

Last year, Diana and I went and gorged ourselves on many a fried delight there.  This year, Carrie and I reveled in much of the same, so this post combines both this year and last year's eats, showcasing the many fried wonders available at the biggest state fair in the country (I am so proud!). 

Last year's winner of the best taste competition was fried frito pie, and it was indeed my favorite then, and I must say I still feel the same today (I mean it - I ate it twice this year!).

 

Each bite sized bundle of chili goodness is dipped in a batter of ground Fritos and deep-fried.  It tastes exactly like a Frito pie should, comforting, salty, crunchy and just plain delicious.  The serving size is not nearly big enough - I could eat buckets.

 

The fried lemonade, huge fluffy fried spheres served in a plastic cup and drizzled with a tart but sweet lemony glaze, was my surprise second favorite dish.

 

Moist and soft, fried lemonade essentially tastes like a "good lemony doughnut," as described by Carrie, and is refreshing among the other heavier, rich fried wares at the fair.  This treat is a good "in-between snacks" snack, because you must snack continually when you attend the fair.

 

Consistent crowd favorite, and true fair tradition, Fletcher's corny dogs.  Solid.  Diana's is the perfectly drizzled one at the right.  

 

Carrie's eyes lit up at the prospect of fried mac 'n cheese at one of the stands.  We asked the booth representative whether it was worth it, to which she replied, "Oh, it good," and her voice dropped in just the right spot of good, sp we knew she meant it, and we knew we had to have it.

It was good.  Crispy, not oily and full of pure melted cheesy goodness.  Ultimate comfort food.  You can see Carrie's relaxed flip flops in the background there - see how comfortable she felt while eating?

 

After seeing such an assortment of fantastic fried foods so far, you might be inclined to say, "Anything fried is good, Han!," but let's just pause at the moment Diana and I realized that was not true...

...the moment we decided to order fried beer.

 

Fried beer turned out to be cold, crinkly edged ravioli blobs filled with an oily beer liquid.  The whole thing tasted terrible - rancid and gross.  We shared the remaining pieces with some strangers nearby, to which they said, "Man, I like beer, but this is disgusting." 

So let's go back to things that should be fried!  A new item this year from the Crispies booth in the Midway was fried cakeballs!

 

Three large puffs to an order, the cakeballs came with option of vanilla or chocolate, but in our haste, we forgot to specify and were given three vanilla cakeballs.

As you might imagine, this one was solid, sufficiently sweet and moist from the mixed icing-cake interior.  Carrie called it quits at one, since we were reaching sugary overload, so I took one for the team and polished off the other two.  Sometimes, you do what you gotta do!

 

Last year, Diana ate these fried chocolate balls, but man, I cannot remember what the name was - hopefully Diana can jog my memory.  The grape in the center just throws me off, but otherwise I am pretty sure it was beyond decadent.  The fried cookie dough is a much better option if you're looking for a semi-chocolatey goo to hit the sweet spot.

 

I think Diana's other favorite from last year was the fried peaches 'n cream from the Food Court pavilion. Firm but fleshy peaches are coated in a golden brown batter, dusted in powdered sugar and served alongside more peaches. 

 

The combination of the cinnamony vanilla sauce with the crunch of the hot peaches is a match made in fried food heaven. 

This entire post makes my heart hurt a little, but it's all good fun since it is just once a year, right?  Yeehaw! :)