HOUSTON — The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has a Texas-sized menu and it takes a lot of logistics to put that together.
"I’ve personally been working on this event since July of last year," says Dominic Palmieri, the Midway Gourmet for RCS Carnival.
Like everyone else, he’s dealing with supply chain issues.
"When we talk about the volume here at the rodeo, you talk about trailer loads of product. Several trailer loads of turkey legs, trailer loads of french fries, rail cars of potatoes," Palmieri says.
Food items aren't the only challenge. He says paper products are next to impossible to find these days.
"Bear with us a little bit, we’re going to give you the best we possibly can," says Palmieri. "We’ll put it in any container we can possibly find."
While the vessel that food comes in might look a little different, he promises quality, along with some new menu items.
Bacon Wrapped Pork Belly on a Stick: A bacon lover’s dream, with thick cut pork belly, marinated with rosemary, thyme, garlic and special salt seasonings, and then wrapped with 2 feet of extra thick, honey smoked bacon. It’s slow cooked for two hours and then finished over a char grill. Available at Biggy’s II.
Donut Chicken Sandwich: Deep-fried chicken between two fresh glazed donuts. Available at Get Fried.
Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Pickles: An extra thick, crinkle-cut pickle chip, topped with hot melted cheddar cheese and topped again with crushed up Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Available at Biggy’s II.
Hot Cheetos Float Drink: A Crunchy Hot Cheeto-infused soda float, topped with whip cream and topped again with Crunchy Hot Cheetos and Cheeto Dust. Available at Candy Factory.
Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowl: A hollowed-out half pineapple filled with charbroiled chicken, glazed with teriyaki sauce and served with steamy white rice and pineapple chunks, topped with green onions and sesame seeds. Available at Get Fried.
Watermelon Dole Whip Taco: Thick sliced watermelon, filled with Dole whip and served taco style. Available at Nitro Dole Whip Treats.
Yes, there are a couple of new Flamin' Hot Cheetos-themed menu items.
"We put Cheetos on caramel apples. We put Cheetos on the cheese fries. We put Cheetos on your street corn and on the big fresh corn that we have," says Palmieri. "We like it because it’s spicy and has that texture appeal."
Of course, all of it is also super Instagrammable.
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"The funniest thing you’ll see out in front of our stand, you’ll have hundreds of people and they’re all sitting there with their phones, taking a selfie with their food, taking big giant bites," Palmieri says.
The pictures of these new items might make you hungry, but there’s only one way to satisfy that carnival food craving.
"You want to come here to try these foods because they’re only going to be here during rodeo time and then they’re gone," says Palmieri.