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 CrepesA 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 AngelA 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.
