Blogging the Fair (early evening)

After seeing many of the best livestock Texas has to offer, we decided to partake in some if their kin, chicken fried style.



Just outside the pig exhibit was a revelation: chicken fried bacon. It was salty, as you can imagine but surprisingly good. The bacon was nicely fried and it was nice and flat. Ranch dressing (out of a pump) was provided, but we passed.



The crispy ends were the best part. Only Oinkus T. Pig (won by Tater Tot on the midway) objected.

Blogging the Fair (late afternoon)

A taste of fall. Fried pumpkin pie. A delicious and creamy and light filling of pumpkin pie mix, topped with whip cream and some powdered sugar (the official garnish of the Fair).



Tater tot proclaimed it as his favorite of the Fair. Worth battling the growing crowd to get to.

Blogging the fair (late afternoon)

Indulging Mrs. CFT and tater tot's love of sweets, we grabbed a basket of fried brownies. The perfect balls were chocolatey and gooey with a nice hint of almond. The balls were drizzles with caramel sauce and chocolate powder.



The trend has been that the little plastic forks are inadequate for cutting (and sharing) the fried goodies. Better to use your hands and get them in single bites.

Blogging the Fair (afternoon)

Working our way to the Texas Hall, and having not eaten in about half an hour, we stopped for water and... French fries. Smothered with chicken wing sauce, these things were addictive. Plus they came in a cone for easy and portable eating.



A 3 napkin dish.

Blogging the Fair (afternoon)

Wandering through the Midway, just past the giant alligators, I found fried tamales. Skeptical but intrigued, I put my 7 tickets down and bit in.



The balls were a bit dry on the outside but moist in the middle. The filling was a spicy riced tamale. It came with seven and that was plenty for a quick fix.

Blogging the Fair

One word: bananarito. A genius combination of bananas wrapped in a fried flat cinnamon churro, topped with a drizzle of chocolate, whip cream and a cherry.

Blogging the Fair

We're visiting the Mecca of fried foods: the Texas State Fair!

First up: the iconic corny dog. Fletchers, of course, although the heavily publicized "foot long" corn dog was tempting.



The corny dog was excellent - hit and slathered with mustard. The outside was crunchy and the inside was fluffy and tender.



A good start.

Happy Junction General Store and Cafe - Garrison, TX

Homeward bound on our trip up and down Texas Highway 59, we came across a place we couldn't help but stop at. Happy Junction perfect road food: right on the highway, home cooking, an assemblage of decorative (Texas) items and, most importantly, chicken fried steak.



The meal began with a really nice salad with home grown tomatoes. The addition of a welcome (if odd) sprinkling of Cheddar cheese made for a nice salty bite. The ranch dressing was brought to us in a bottle (left on the table).



The wait was a few minutes while the cook (perhaps the only person around for miles) fixed up our CFSs. This just gave us time to look around and study the eclectic mix of maps, old beer signs and Texas ephemera. It also gave us the chance to hit the bathroom, located outside in a separate part of the building, apparently built some time after the original structure.



The CFS was of the pre-packages sort, a but gummy and overly salty, but hit the spot nevertheless.



The french fries were excellent. They put a nice seasoned blend on it and they were substantial enough to soak up some of the gravy.

The food was nothing to write home about (the standards for blogging being much lower) but this was the perfect place to end our road trip. We'll stop I'm again when we're back in the neighborhood.