The Observer this week set out to sample all the new fair foods that didn’t make the Big Tex competition finals. Here, our favorites:…

There are probably single-subject food books still to be written. Nobody’s yet taken on cucumbers, walleye or pumpkin preserves. But travel writer Mark Schatzker recently tackled steak, and I’m glad he did. Schatzker’s written a terrifically entertaining romp through red meat that focuses not on the history or politics of…

Rahm Fama, host of the Food Network’s new meat-centric show Meat and Potatoes, wants you to know he’s not fixated on oversized meat – but that’s what brought him to Texas. In an upcoming episode entitled “Oversized Meat,” Fama pays a visit to Fort Worth’s Cowtown Diner to tackle the…

Fried beer has started its march to the sea, with the much-publicized snack scheduled for a second outing at Savannah’s 27th annual Oktoberfest this weekend. “Believe it or not, fried beer will be available,” the Savannah Morning News reported today. Fried beer has not been universally beloved by State Fair…

Animal rights activists may disagree, but beef is delicious. It’s primal and earthy and packed with protein, which is probably why many Americans eat more red meat than they should. But the Texas Beef Council’s aggressively pushing another rationale for red meat consumption: It’s good for you. The organization is…

School lunch reformers this past weekend salivated over a CBS Sunday Morning dispatch from Paris showing schoolchildren munching on ratatouille turnovers and mussels. Fresh, organic, local produce is the norm in French schools, says the city of Dijon’s spokesman Fabian Forni, who’s in town with a cadre of chefs to…

Sports venues are increasingly relying on celebrity chefs to bring glitz to their concession stands, but the American Airlines Center is trying to strike publicity gold by showcasing one very lucky amateur. The venue’s asking local cooks to create a “signature offering” to be offered for sale at Mavs’ and…

For folks who get in the habit of wandering around the Food & Fiber Pavilion and tasting Texas-made snacks during State Fair season, the Dallas Farmers Market Friends group is again offering a way to keep that sampling lifestyle going. The organization is sponsoring its 16th annual Hoedown on Thursday,…

A venerated gin distillery has tapped into the ongoing green tea trend for its latest release, Beefeater 24. After 15 years of making Beefeater gin according to the recipe founder James Burrough pioneered back in the 1870s, master distiller Desmond Payne was given the go-ahead to mix up his own…

City of Ate this week set out to sample all the new fair foods that didn’t make the Big Tex competition finals. Here, part two of our deep-fried review. Check out part one here, and see more food in our opening week slideshow. 1. Chicken BLT It’s a grilled chicken…

Street food purists reviled Taco Bell’s “cantina tacos,” but the tenor of their response hasn’t dissuaded a Texas-based chain from trying out the same shtick. Taco Cabana today announced it will launch street-style tacos on Monday. According to an e-mail from a publicist for the 150-outlet Tex-Mex chain, the grilled…

It’s probably a few months too soon to name the most clichéd dish of 2010, but I’m early voting for watermelon with feta salad. The colorful salad showed up at restaurants across town this summer, gracing the salad page on menus at Pyramid, Dallas Chop House and The Mansion, where…

Even teetotalers have heard about fried beer. But do you know about fried beer batter? While Big Tex competition finalists get most of the glory, there are more than two-dozen new food items being served at the State Fair of Texas this year. Having sampled the also-rans, we can attest…

It’s Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up Week, but it may be difficult for Dallas residents to celebrate it. The program, sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture, is intended to showcase restaurants serving Texas-grown products. To participate, a restaurant must ante up a $25 annual fee and serve a meal this…

“Hey, are they happy we got rid of the rye bread?,” Jack in the Box’s mascot asks a fictional focus group leader in a recent commercial for the chain’s new pastrami sandwich. “Totally,” the researcher assures him. Customers may be pleased with Jack in the Box’s decision to simplify its…

It’s obvious what we’re eating. But with so many local restaurants playing the banchan-and-bulgogi game, it’s a bit harder to figure out where we ate this particular marinated rib eye. Here’s a hint: The tabletop grill is coal-fired. Have at it, barbecue fans…

Diners who’ve doted on the salmon-topped deviled eggs at Neighborhood Services Bar & Grill have had no way of knowing the smoked fish came from TJ’s Seafood Market — a situation TJ’s owner Jon Alexis aims to change. As Alexis announced in a comment appended to Leslie Brenner’s latest restaurant…

Central Market this week kicked off its Celebrate Brewtopia festival, a 12-day celebration of suds featuring cooking classes, dinners and free in-store samplings. But Seth Stewart, beer and wine manager for the Central Market in Plano, says a few beer lovers may shirk at participating. That’s because many beer drinkers…