Texas State Fair and a few spots in Dallas

As a former Chicago-dweller whose culinary horizens were expanded by LTH, I feel obligated to come back and report on the Dallas scene. When I first moved down here the summer of 2007, I thought I was bound to be in a culinary desert for the next four years. I've now concluded that there is hope for Dallas, you just have to look hard to find it. This city isn't yet proud of their neighborhood restaurants the way Chicago is.

First off - the Texas State Fair. I've discovered that the Fair brings about more culinary chat then any other place or event the entire year. They make a sport out of fried foods, and every year a list of the best new fried foods comes out. You might find fried jelly beans, fried smores, fried pb&j, fried latte, fried bananas foster, fried coke, fried guacamole, chicken fried bacon... and the list goes on. In addition to this, the fair claims to be the place where corn dogs originated, and still proudly sells Corney Dogs, which really ARE the best corn dogs I've ever had. Then there are the giant turkey legs, fresh squeezed lemonade, and the usual Fair food.

All in all, if you happen to be in Dallas in the late fall or early summer, you really should stop at the State Fair for a rich cultural experience and some food you'll likely not find anywhere else. For some photos of the Fair and the food, visit here:
http://weblog.xanga.com/papua2001mk/677 ... -food.html

Back to Dallas restaurants. I'm still experimenting and discovering new places, but a safe bet is a the Asian area of Richardson. There's a conglomeration of Vietnamese, Chinese, Meditteranean and Indian restaurants all within a mile or so of each other, so you have endless options based on what you're feeling at the moment. I recommend the Taiwanese Beef Dry Noodle at
Kings Noodle
201 S Greenville Ave
Richardson, TX 75081
(972) 437-0881

They make their own noodles and serve up a wonderfully fragrant and deep broth.

Another safe bet is right across the street at
First Chinese Barbeque
111 S Greenville Ave
Richardson, TX 75081
(972) 680-8216
They are known for their wonton soup, Beef flat noodle, and their BBQ Pork and BBQ Duck. This is a tough one to go wrong on.... everything they serve is delicious. Afterwards you could stop next door at Boba Latte and get any kind of Boba drink you like.

Yet another of my favorites is one street over at:
Afrah Pastries
314 E Main St
Richardson, TX 75081
(972) 234-9898
www.afrah.com

Afrah serves Lebanese food, and also makes their own pastries (great baklava), and gelato (which is amazing).

Supposedly there's also some pretty good pho around the area, but I haven't tried out Vietnamese yet. I'd love any recommendations from other LTHers who have found hope in Dallas!
Kacie