It’s that time of year — high school football, mums, craft fairs and deep-fried everything …
Deep-frying every imaginable edible substance is a practice as connected to our Texas State Fair as Big Tex himself. Indeed, the Big Tex Choice Awards recently resulted in the foreseeable popularity of Deep-Fried Cuban Roll and Fried Thanksgiving Dinner. However, procuring fine fried foods does not necessarily mean trekking to Fair Park or, once you get there, waiting in those long lines the victorious vendors inspire.
Here are a few places right here in the ‘hood at which you can absorb an exorbitant number of totally-worth-it calories in the form of fried crispy golden goodness:
Chile relleno, Mi Cocina: Advocate
1. Chile relleno at Mi Cocina—it isn’t on the menu but Lake Highlands’ Mi Cocina store director Juan “Billy” Aguirre tells us it’s a frequently requested item nonetheless. “It’s a poblano pepper, deep fried and filled with Monterrey cheese and your choice of shredded chicken or ground beef and topped off with ranchero sauce. It also comes with green rice and beans and our famous Mexican coleslaw.” Mi Cocina—7215 Skillman
Fried banana dessert, Pho 95: Advocate
2. Pho 95 is known for it’s, duh, pho, as well as its good Vietnamese subs, but one of its most craveworthy creations — fried bananas — lives on the dessert menu. Go ahead and order some ice cream with it. Pho 95—9780 Walnut
Fried zucchini, Varsity Grill: Yelp
3. Varsity Grill is a sports grill whose proprietor cares deeply about quality.
OK, I am going to sneak a little green vegetable in this post but I promise you won’t taste it, because it is dipped in a golden batter, deep-fried and topped with cheeses or dipped in spicy ranch. The Varsity Grill app menu includes delicious broccoli bites — golden batter surrounding big broccoli florets and cheddar cheese sauce. Then there is the deep-fried zucchini (above). The deep-fried green beans. It admittedly is difficult, during dining indulgences, to choose among the fried broccoli, jalepeno poppers, fried green beans and pickle chips. Oh, yes, the dill-flavored batter puts the pickled chips in my prize category. Varsity Grill—9310 Forest
