I traveled to Dallas on the opening day of The State Fair of Texas to sample some of the fried foods they had to offer. Here is the best and worst of what I tasted while I was there.
The food vendors at the State Fair of Texas take a lot of pride in being able to fry any food imaginable. With such a large selection of food available, it’s hard to experience them all, especially if you’re doing it in one day. Well I tackled 13 foods that day with the help of a big appetite and a handful of Tums.
13. Fried Spaghetti and Meatballs
You might ask yourself, how in the heck did they fry spaghetti and meatballs? Well, as with most foods at the fair, they figured out a way to put all of the “dish” in to some round packed-together form. They then battered it, deep fried it, and topped it with parmesan cheese. Outside, it was nice and crunchy, but inside was a less than satisfying mix of, well, spaghetti and meatballs. The sauce was good, but the seasoning in the ball itself was not my thing. I ended up only eating a couple of bites before cutting my losses and moving on to another dish.
Verdict: Avoid – Score: 3/10 – Location: Nimitz Terrace
12. Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich
I wasn’t really expecting anything wildly inventive from a fried grilled cheese sandwich, but I was definitely not impressed with the texture. Maybe because it didn’t have a ton of fried breading, it was just too soft, so it instead felt like eating a sandwich covered in chip crumbs. The only saving grace for this plate was the pickle spear it came with. The good news for the tent that this food was located at is that they served one of my favorite dishes, which I’ll cover a little further down the list.
Verdict: Avoid – Score: 2/10 – Location: Big Tex Circle
11. Fried Oreos
Oreos are delicious on their own, but the tent that served these fried Oreos are on to something with the whole process of frying them. They’re covered in chocolate syrup and powdered sugar, so you’ll be left with a very intense sugar rush after eating them, but the frying process does something interesting to the cookie. The oil and heat makes the hard cookie exterior soften to a paste. I was expecting a crunchy cookie when I bit in to it, but was surprised by the chewy texture. All in all, it wasn’t too bad.
Verdict: Try if you have extra room in your stomach – Score: 5/10 – Location: Close to Embarcadero