I’m not sure I understand the competition to come up with the next best fried thing, and I’m not here to judge (I’m responsible for my extra poundage – no one else), but every year, when the State Fair of Texas announces its list of fried food finalists, my ears perk up. I am excited to know what’s being tossed into the vat next. "Corny" dogs, like these shown during an eating contest, make a regular appearance on State Fair of Texas concession menus. (Photo courtesy State Fair of Texas) They never disappoint, at least not in terms of generating a buzz. So ...

The chopstick wrapper may say "good luck," but you won't need it at Sushi-A-Go-Go. From left: Dynamite Roll and Sunshine Roll. I’ve been curious to try Sushi-A-Go-Go in Austin ever since its mention in Nov. ‘09’s TH Taste on Dining Trailerside . Sushi from a trailer? As stated in the article, Sushi-A-Go-Go has since moved from Manor Rd. There are now two locations: 4001 Medical Pkwy. (in the Shell parking lot) and 801 Barton Springs Rd., which opened in May. Sushi-A-Go-Go offers a voluminous menu of sushi rolls plus shu-mai (shrimp dumplings) and mochi ice cream. ...

The chopstick wrapper may say "good luck," but you won't need it at Sushi-A-Go-Go. From left: Dynamite Roll and Sunshine Roll. I’ve been curious to try Sushi-A-Go-Go in Austin ever since its mention in Nov. ‘09’s TH Taste on Dining Trailerside . Sushi from a trailer? As stated in the article, Sushi-A-Go-Go has since moved from Manor Rd. There are now two locations: 4001 Medical Pkwy. (in the Shell parking lot) and 801 Barton Springs Rd., which opened in May. Sushi-A-Go-Go offers a voluminous menu of sushi rolls plus shu-mai (shrimp dumplings) and mochi ice cream. ...

After a day of packing up my daughter’s belongings at Austin College in Sherman for the return trip home to the city of Austin, we decided to have dinner in Denison , and Devolli’s was recommended by one of her friends. Devolli’s, in downtown Denison (home to the town’s flourishing arts district, see TH March 2008 ), serves Italian food favorites, including several types of parmigianas. I had sausage parmigiana, served over spaghetti which was subtly spiced and garlicked. I had a craving for basic Italian fare, and this entrée hit the spot. An added ...

Lucky enough to personally experience and thoroughly enjoy the thrills surrounding the Sunday final round of the PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitatational at Colonial in Fort Worth. Winner Zach Johnson shot a tournament record 21 under par 259! Among his 6 other tour titles are the 2007 Masters in Augusta and San Antonio’s Valero Texas Open in 2008 and 2009. The historic country club, golf course, surrounding FW neighborhoods and TCU campus were perfectly gorgeous. The Colonial staff’s hospitality is consistently first rate. And, the highly competitive field of top players ...

Lots to enjoy in the Lamar County seat of Paris. This northeast Texas community is proud of its Eiffel Tower replica at the Love Civic Center, the historical museum in Heritage Park, the Sam Bell Maxey State Historic Site, the Plaza Theatre, the Paris Municipal Band’s summer concert series at the Grecian Peristyle in Bywaters Park, Culbertson Fountain, the 1914 Santa Fe/Frisco Union Station Railroad Depot, the tree-lined Trail de Paris, July 17th’s annual Tour de Paris bicycle event, and the city’s new Trolley de Paris (see photo), among many other attractions. For ...

The border is beautiful, indeed. Miss Texas, Kelsey Elizabeth Moore, and Miss New Mexico, Rosanne Aguilar, both students at the University of Texas at El Paso, will be contestants for the Miss USA title this Sunday May 16 in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Moore is a UTEP sophomore volleyball team member from El Paso majoring in general studies. Aguilar, from Las Cruces, is a UTEP senior majoring in biology. The winner of Sunday’s event represents the U.S. in the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant.

Thrilled to finally see and hear Michael Ramos’ band Charanga Cakewalk at Austin City Hall’s outdoor Live from the Plaza series over the lunch hour today. Their music is a seductive, original recipe of Cuba, Colombia, and TexMex, with some Steve Jordan-style accordion and Augustus Pablo-style melodica by Ramos swirled into the mix. Guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards combined with congas, assorted percussive elements, and Ramos’ lead on several instruments merged cumbia, samba, son, cha cha cha, norteno, and merengue, and got the crowd happily swaying on a warm humid day ...

Texas Highways’ exhibit of vibrant wildflower photographs from the April issue is up and ready for enjoyment in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center ’s McDermott Learning Center. Cosponsored by TH, the Wildflower Center, and Canon, The Serendipity of Wildflowers 2010 features 20-plus bloom close-ups and spring scenes by such notable photographers as Richard Reynolds, Joe Lowery, and Wyman Meinzer, and coincides with the Center’s celebration of National Wildflower Week (May 3-9). In addition to the gorgeous gardens, other Center highlights this month include a show of ...

Photo by Greg Quinn Enjoyed the wonderful spring weather by taking in a Texas-Oklahoma State Big 12 baseball game at UT’s impressively renovated UFCU Disch-Falk Field and Southland Conference baseball between Texas State and Northwestern State on campus in San Marcos at the Bobcats’ nice new stadium. The biggest hit may have been discovering Herbert’s Taco Hut on Riverside Drive in San Marcos. Primo Tex Mex! Herbert’s Special of 1 crispy taco, 1 bean and cheese chalupa, and 1 enchilada (beef, cheese, or chicken), along with rice, beans, guacamole, and tortillas is ...

I spent a rainy Saturday evening in Dallas with my sister, Joan and my daughter, Lucy strolling the Bishop Arts District . Despite the soggy weather, we were able to explore many of the shops covered in the February TH feature on Bishop Arts , and then some. With its mix of modern and vintage retail wares, casual cafés and upscale restaurants, and friendly, relaxed ambiance, the Bishop Arts District felt more like Austin to us than Dallas. But even while seeing the magazine’s feature in production, I didn’t realize how much the area has grown in the number of stores and ...

Head for Cisco (between Abilene and Fort Worth) and the Cisco College campus later this month, April 23-25, for the Cisco Folklife Festival. Activities include a Lions Club barbecue dinner, the Cisco College fine arts department’s spring concert, a golf scramble at the Cisco Country Club, sidewalk art, pioneer demonstrations, live music, arts & crafts, a tractor pull, car show, and lots of great food, including the festival’s famous cinnamon rolls (at right). For more information, call the chamber of commerce at 254/442-2537; www.ciscotx.com.

I’m hardly a wine connoisseur—when I’ve done blind tastings in the past, invariably I’ve preferred the least expensive wines—but when friends suggested we meet Sunday afternoon for drinks at Crú, a wine bar in Austin’s Domain shopping center, I was up for the experience. I figured at the very least it would offer a quiet place to talk. I’ve grown tired of trying to communicate, much less connect, in noisy restaurants and clubs. And I was right—the atmosphere was definitely conducive to conversation. One of my friends commented that the ...

Every March, when the SXSW Music Conference comes to Austin, capping off a week of the SXSW Interactive and Film Conferences, the city embraces, and braces for the hordes of attendees and massive traffic snarls in and around downtown. At Texas Highways, with our offices just a stone’s throw from the epicenter of downtown, where the conference takes place, and South Congress Avenue, where many free music events occur, we feel the effects of the SXSW tsunami, from press releases touting SXSW-related events to courier delays from our prepress vendor due to the gridlock. Music from the ...