Sisters Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee of Winter Family Concessions are the team behind two of this year’s biggest dishes at the State Fair of Texas: Fernie’s Hoppin’ John Cake with Jackpot Sauce, this year’s Best Tasting – Savory winner in the Big Tex Choice Awards, and Fernie’s Orange You Glad We…
The State Fair of Texas puts a lot of money and effort behind its now famous Big Tex Choice Awards, where they crown each year’s best, most creative foods. They release the names of the new creations in strategic, well-timed waves. First, in July, we get a laundry list of…
The Garzas are the family behind one of this year’s winning Big Tex Choice Award items at the State Fair of Texas. Their dish, Arroz con Leche (20 coupons), won the Best Taste: Sweet category, making this their first win since they opened their first concession stand in 1984. In…
The State Fair of Texas and fried food go hand in hand. It’s almost sacrilege to attend the fair and not sample the newest, strangest, over-the-top fried items. But if your diet is keeping you from trying some of these quintessential fair foods, it is possible to find non-fried options…
The State Fair of Texas opens today, and there are even more new, gut-busting items in this year’s food lineup. Drinks — both alcoholic and not — are popular this year, each concessionaire trying to outdo the next with their unique, possibly questionable concoctions. Kool-Aid Pickle-Dilly Sangria is one of…
What happens when the space you chose to spread goodwill and a little refreshments suddenly disappears? You take to the road. At least, that’s what Union is doing. Union opened its doors nearly six years ago, offering more than just a space to share coffee. It was also a stage…
Can you smell the scent of deep-fried food in the air? Summer is nearing its end, which signals the start of fair season. Every year we’re treated to a new slate of crazy, sometimes questionable, calorie bombs as concessionaires try to outdo each other with their over-the-top treats. This morning,…
This morning, the State Fair of Texas announced the semifinalists for this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards, a competition pitting vendors against each other to see who has the craziest (and tastiest) new dish for this year’s fair, kicking off Sept. 28 at Fair Park.
In a former auto garage tucked away off Northwest Highway, two longtime friends and veterans of the Dallas coffee industry have created the city’s most forward-thinking coffee shop yet — not in Dallas itself, but in a quiet corner of Richardson. Gorgeous handcrafted wood accents fill the industrial but homey…
The fastest-growing city in the country is about to add another hot spot to its repertoire of eateries and local attractions. The Star, a 91 acre sports and entertainment district in Frisco, will be the home for the latest expansion of Ascension Coffee. Russell Hayward, founder of Ascension, says he…
Fresh brews, tart lemonades and fruity smoothies are all on the menu at this new spot in Carrollton, Texas. What used to be a Starbucks has since been repurposed as a rustic boba tea and coffee bar right on the corner of Frankford and Old Denton. TeaLatte has a nostalgic…
The wood-frame housing of the 5th Street Patio Cafe near historic downtown Frisco conveys the illusion of authenticity to passersby. Owner and chef Kristy McDonald says many people think the restaurant was set in an old, refurbished neighborhood home, but this is not the case. The houses that used to…
One in three Americans does not get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why get more sleep when you can send not-so-healthy amounts of caffeine coursing through your veins? The Dallas-Fort Worth coffee scene is well equipped to accommodate. If you find yourself in need…
The Adolphus’ no-expense-spared renovation has yielded several additions to the downtown Dallas dining scene. The French Room, the storied fine dining destination that had become stale in recent years, found new relevance with a new kitchen, new look and updated menu. (Its bar also has new flair, including a new…
The Adolphus is nearing the end of its two-year renovation, and this week, the downtown hotel is opening its latest new concept: Otto’s Coffee & Fine Foods, a “Viennese-inspired café” in partnership with Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters that “will present a unique-to-market concept for European-inspired coffee and fine foods,” according to…
Urban Alchemy Coffee + Wine Bar is a recent addition to downtown Arlington. It opened in February behind Shipley Do-Nuts, near the University of Texas at Arlington campus. Owner Tony Rutigliano ran the Downtown Arlington Management Corp. for six years, and his work there led him to open Urban Alchemy…
George Coffee + Provisions sits on the square in Old Town Coppell. Owners Laura and Christian Hemberger opened George in July, and they live above the shop with their two sons. Visiting Old Town Coppell, tucked behind a swath of office buildings and warehouses, you almost feel like you’re in…
There’s a new coffee shop on Fitzhugh Avenue that brings something different to the Dallas coffee scene: Australian coffee culture. Step into LDU, and you’ll be greeted by friendly Australian-accented baristas with shorts, Foals T-shirts and tousled hair. It’s a small space, but one that has proven popular with commuters…
We’re all guilty of it: revisiting the same neighborhood coffee shop so frequently, the baristas start your almond milk vanilla cappuccino before you’ve even stepped in the front door. There’s nothing wrong with that — gotta support your local caffeine slingers — but if you’re looking to shake things up…
Last week, the Dallas coffee scene got a tiny new addition: a solar-powered Houndstooth Coffee shop at Walnut Hill Lane and Central Expressway. The cafe is in what are essentially two tiny houses designed by Lake Flato, an Austin/San Antonio company that specializes in sustainable architecture. In the main tiny house…
On a chilly Halloween morning, I approached the new Internet Cafe 2 in Oak Cliff to find the spookiest pumpkin ever sitting on the front steps. Decorated simply in splashes of paint and black marker, it sent shivers down my spine with just three words: “BUT HER EMAILS.” If you’re…
Why I stopped eating food at the State Fair of Texas? Because it’s expensive, that’s why.
