Forget the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (at least until this weekend). The Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition, held at Reliant Center on Sunday, served as the culinary kickoff to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
While 4,000 guests grazed through a field food entries from 68 restaurants and caterers, they sipped on vino from the 2013 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, held in November.
Though the wine evaluating was left to the pros, guests served as judges for the foodie part.
The Sunday night cowboys and cowgirls served as judges for the Popular Choice Award, selecting Royer's Round Top Cafe as top winner and Jonathan's The Rub as runner up.
Stand-out dishes were the Mango Caramel from locally-based exotic chocolatier Cacao & Cardamom, which snagged first place in the Two-Stepping Bread/Cheese/Dessert Award as well as the Rookie Award,. The Bread Pudding from Joyce's Seafood and Steaks claimed second place in the dessert competition and was a shoe-in for the Tasty Traditions Award.
As for the meat of the matter, the top Trailblazing Appetizer/Entree Award went to the Barbecue Short Ribs from Killen's BBB, followed by the Mini Pork Crispy Tacos from Molina's Cantina and the Short Rib Sliders with Shaved Ham and Debris offered up by Frank's Americana Revival.
Cacao & Cardamom's Annie Rupani won the Two-Stepping Bread Cheese/Dessert Award as well as the Rookie Award for her Mango Caramel dish.
