As excitement ramps up for the 2025 State Fair of Texas, the staff of the Richland Chronicle got a taste of what this year’s Big Tex award frontrunners.
From cornbread donuts to Pop Rocks lemonade, the fair offers a tasty and unique menu. The whole family is sure to find something to snack or sip on this fall.
Starting with the cornbread donut. Gracie Whitley of Milton’s Concessions spoke about what they have to offer at this year’s fair. “The original one we call ‘Okay Honey’ and the loaded one is called ‘Cornfetti’. Trying this twist on your average donut, I was a bit taken aback. The cream cheese frosting seems to overwhelm the donut and mask the cornbread taste. It had a soft texture, with hints of cornbread. It was more like a cake. Overall, this item was not bad. However, it did not meet my expectations. I give it a C-.
Next, we have the Bacon Jam Cannoli. As someone who has never tried any cannoli, this was certainly a startling introduction to one. This item had a crunchy shell, filled with a sweet cream, and topped with bacon. While it would not be my first choice, it was not bad. My favorite part was the balance of soft and crunchy. Overall, I would not purchase and rate it a C+. Joey Rousso, with Rousso Concessions, the Bacon Jam Cannoli’s creators, said his team is building a reputation for itself. “We are known for having fun, unique items but also doing the trend.” Rousso’s served the popular bacon covered cotton candy at last year’s fair.
For me, the highlight of the Rousso menu was the Bacon Jam Wagyu Sliders. This was definitely my favorite item by far. This slider has wagyu beef cooked to perfection, a sweet bacon jam, and creamy cheese, all on a soft bun. In contrast to the cannoli, this perfection of a slider might be my favorite food item I have ever reviewed. Yes, it was that good. So good I went back for seconds. It is not a surprise my rating for this is an A+. If I could rate it higher, I would.
A highly anticipated item of this year’s fair is the popular Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup. I must admit this was what I was most excited about before tasting. This food option offered your classic Dubai chocolate ingredients of chocolate, pistachio cream, kataifi, and pistachio crumble all layered within juicy strawberries. The balance between creamy, crunchy, and juicy made this an excellent bite. After devouring this lovely treat, I spoke to Kelly Villarreal, vendor of Chocolate Strawberry Cup. “We have our chocolate taps that have free flowing Belgian-style chocolate. We also have chocolate strawberries and cream”. After trying the Dubai Chocolate Strawberries, I am excited to go back and try the Chocolate Strawberries and Cream as well. Overall, I rate this A-.
Lastly, I could not end my visit without trying a unique drink. The Yabba Dabba Doo Dirty Sprite is an interesting mashup of items that I would not have thought to put together myself. It might have had a Sprite base, but it did not taste like Sprite. And no wonder, with the addition of green apple syrup, strawberry syrup, fresh mangos, fresh strawberries, coconut cream, Skittles, Lemonheads, and finally (yes there’s more) topped with whipped cream, pineapple, chewy candy ropes, and Fruity Pebbles. To top everything off, this drink is served in a glass in the shape of a boot. To answer what you all are probably thinking, yes, it was very sweet. I consider myself to be a sweet treat fanatic, but this was almost too much. I did like it. However, there were too many flavors to distinctly describe what this drink tasted like. I would describe it as an overly sweet fruit punch. Overall, I rate this final item a B-.
Grade: B-
