Gold Buckle Winners

Fried jambalaya rolls, fried cupcakes, and more take top honors at rodeo's carnival food contest

Bonfire funnel cake took the prize for Most Creative.

Photo by Eric Sandler

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s celebration of its more decadent eats has new champions. The Gold Buckle Foodie Award winners have been crowned for 2022.

Now in its 13th year, the awards recognize the best bites sold on the rodeo grounds by vendors that range from corporate giants like Landry’s-owned Saltgrass Steakhouse to the sort of small, family-owned businesses that took a major hit when the rodeo closed early in 2020 and canceled 2021.

An online vote picked the finalists in each category, which may explain why some vendors had multiple entrants. A panel of judges that included media, influencers (including culinary creator Matt Pittman of the Meat Church Instagram feed), and some high profile Houston chefs — Aaron Bludorn (Bludorn), Dawn Burrell (Top Chef, Late August), Evelyn Garcia (Top Chef, Kin), Suu Khin (Masterchef), and Joseph Manglicmot (Masterchef) — picked the winners.

The categories are: Classic Fair Food, Most Creative Food, Best Food-on-a-Stick, Best Fried Food, Best New Flavor, and Best Dessert.

The creativity on display certainly impressed the judges. A stuffed turkey leg, a Monte Cristo sandwich, and a s’mores-funnel cake mashup that was flamed to order all had people reaching for their phones. More conventional eats like a chicken tender basket and steak-on-a-stick also drew attention.

While a Bacon Mac and Cheese egg roll may look exciting on Instagram, it’s worth keeping in mind that these dishes represent a relatively small fraction of the food consumed on the rodeo grounds. After all, as CultureMap columnist Ken Hoffman once pointed out, turkey legs and corn dogs are still the top sellers.

If nothing else, the awards remind rodeo visitors to explore the grounds and find something new to feast on. Go forth and eat.

Classic Fair Food
1st: Harlon's All Meat Stuffed Potato - Harlon's BBQ
2nd: Pulled Pork Baked Potato - Saltgrass Steak House
3rd: Brisket Cheese Fries - Spring Country Kitchen

Most Creative Food
1st: The Bonfire Funnel Cake - CornDog With No Name
2nd: Harlon’s Stuffed Turkey Leg - Harlon's BBQ
3rd: Steak Salad - Saltgrass Steak House

Best Food-on-a-Stick
1st: The Berry Racer Caramel Apple - Munch-oes Bakery
2nd: Beef K-BOB on a stick - Saltgrass Steak House
3rd: The Spice Corn Dog - CornDog With No Name

Best Fried Food
1st: Deep Fried Jambalaya Roll - Cajun Cowboy
2nd: Funnel Cake Monte Cristo Basket - Sill Concessions
3rd: Chicken Tender Basket - Holmes Smokehouse

Best New Flavor
1st: Bacon Mac & Cheese Egg Roll - The Finer Diner
2nd: Brisket Bacon Melt - Spring Country Kitchen
3rd: Island Slaw - Island Noodles

Best Dessert
1st: Fried Red Velvet Cupcake - Sills Funnel Cakes
2nd: Chocolate Turtle Cookie Sandwich - Munch-oes Bakery
3rd: Yellow Rose Funnel Cake - CornDog With No Name

news-you-can-eat rodeo awards

when I dip, you dip

Heights restaurant's new lunch service will only offer 1 sandwich

Courtesy of La Lucha

La Lucha will begin serving French dips on Friday, June 12.

If a sandwich hall of fame existed, one of its plaques would surely be devoted to the French dip. Its combination of thinly-sliced beef, tangy horseradish sauce, and a savory au jus is a winning formula.

Beginning Friday, June 12, Heights restaurant La Lucha will be showcasing two takes on the venerable sandwich when it starts serving them for its new Friday-only lunch service, which will be held from 11 am-2 pm. To be clear, the two sandwiches (plus fries) will be the only menu items available at lunch — apologies to anyone hoping to ease into the weekend with La Lucha staples like fried chicken or the pharmacy burger.

The two sandwich choices are: a West Coast style French dip that’s just shaved meat and au jus or an East Coast style that adds provolone and caramelized onions. Both are served with horseradish aioli on bread from Houston’s Royal Bakery that “gets crispy and delicious,” according to executive chef Bobby Matos.

The meat is the same prime rib that newly opened steak joint Star Rover, La Lucha’s sister restaurant, serves as part of its viral, “I ate the 76’er” eating challenge. Priced at $26, the sandwich offers a healthy seven ounces of thinly-sliced beef.

“They’ve done this at Little Sparrow in Atlanta but for late night. It’s been a huge success and people are digging it,” Matos explains about the motivation to introduce the offering.

Limiting the menu to two variations of the same sandwich, fries, and beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — allows La Lucha to offer its Friday lunch service more easily than if Matos had to staff the kitchen to parepare its full menu.

“It’s just bringing more people to the Heights and giving them a chance to get to know our restaurants,” Matos adds. “There are still people who don’t know about La Lucha, and it’s been eight years.”

Although Matos moved to Texas from California, he says he prefers the East Coast French dip. “I want cheese and onions on mine. I like cheese on French dips,” he says.

news-you-can-eat