Front Burner restaurants are known for innovation. They were some of the first in Texas to debut curbside meal kits (complete with toilet paper) during the early stages of the COVID-19 quarantine.
Since the State Fair of Texas has been canceled this year, select Front Burner restaurants are running fair-inspired curbside kits from Sept. 15 – Oct. 20. If you're missing fried Oreos, funnel cake, and that incomparable taste of a turkey leg, Front Burner has what you're looking for.
Front Burner is often credited for jumpstarting Plano’s restaurant scene after opening conceptual, chef-driven restaurants like Sixty Vines and Whiskey Cake in Plano in a time when they had very little competition from anyone but TGI Fridays. It was based on the idea that people who lived north of President George Bush Highway shouldn’t have to travel to Uptown Dallas to get a gastropub atmosphere, craft cocktails, and a chef-driven menu.
In a 2018 interview, founders Randy DeWitt and Jack Gibbons, who both live in Plano, admitted that part of their inspiration for their business model and concepts was selfish: they want cool places to eat and hang out in their own city.
The idea for their new state fair-inspired menus is similar: it’s based on the idea that people shouldn’t have to wait until 2021 to get their funnel cake fix.
Haywire and The Ranch at Las Colinas are both offering country-fried mesquite-smoked rib kits that include with fried, mesquite-smoked ribs, and mac n’ cheese, and grilled cheddar jalapeño sausage. The finishing touch is an optional add-on: Oreo Fried Pies, Oreo icing filling and crushed Oreo cookies.
In Addison, Ida Claire’s Southern Fare Kit features Andouille sausage corn dogs, a new recipe that puts a Southern twist on a fair staple, and beignets. Peach cobbler waffle cones with bourbon buttercream can be added to any order.
Two stalls at Legacy Hall, Plano’s biggest and most hyped food hall, are offering fair-inspired items too. Son of a Butcher will offer a funnel cake milkshake, and Brisket Love will have smoked turkey legs.
“Front Burner is all about creating memorable experiences,” said Front Burner CEO Jack Gibbons. “The Texas State Fair has been a special tradition for Texans since 1886, so we wanted to do our part in keeping the spirit alive with one of the fair’s most popular attractions – food. Our teams came up with these kits that layer conventional fair foods with each brands’ own flavors and styles to offer something truly unforgettable for our guests to delight in safely at home.”
Haywire and The Ranch’s Rib Kit
$65, feeds four
- 20 Country Fried Mesquite Ribs
- 10 Grilled Cheddar Jalapeño Sausage
- 4 Pieces Cornbread
- Cadi Mac & Cheese
- Creamy Napa Slaw
- Extra TX Whiskey BBQ Sauce
- Optional: add Oreo Fried Pies, $5 each
Ida Claire’s Southern Fare Kit
$40, feeds four
- Andouille sausage corn dogs
- Grilled corn
- Beignets
- Red beans and rice
- Optional: add peach cobbler waffle cones with bourbon buttercream, $5