Q&A WITH THE MIDWAY GOURMENT

Bites and bliss: Exploring the Rodeo carnival's best eats

Bites and bliss: Exploring the Rodeo carnival's best eats
Dominic Palmieri is the Midway Gourmet. Photo by Brandon Strange.

Each year, I have one day circled on my calendar. That’s when Dominic Palmieri, the “Midway Gourmet,” takes me and my merry band of taste testers on a lap around Restaurant Row on the Carnival grounds at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Palmieri was in rare form last week, treating us to the stories behind more than a dozen new items guaranteed to make your eyes roll and tummy squeal with delight. Next year I’m bringing a cot for a mid-tour nap.

This year my roster of taste-testers consisted of Andrew Hoffman (15th year on the job — nepotism has its rewards), Matthew Clemens (eight years), Andrew and Nikki Hardee (four and two years). Nikki is still on probation, and I’ve got to be honest, it doesn’t look good for her – excessive use of napkins.

But before the pig-out begins, here’s a fast Q&A with the man responsible for ensuring that each turkey leg is cooked to perfection and each deep-fried Twinkie makes you give self-control the night off.

CultureMap: How many years have you and Ray Cammack Shows been with the Carnival at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo?
Dominic Palmieri: Ray Cammack Shows has run the Carnival for 31 years, the same period I’ve been here with my food booths.

CM: What’s the latest trend for food at the Carnival?
DP: For the past few years, spicy was the rage. Now it’s spicy and sour. We’re seeing a lot of pickles. We’re seeing a lot of things with sour candy. Even some of our seasonings are sour, like tajin, which is very much a chili-lime seasoning. It was all about bacon five years ago. Then spicy had a really good run. Now we’re seeing a crossover into sour. For example, we have a Pickle Split that is just like a banana split except we slice a pickle in half lengthwise instead of a banana. We also have a Hot Cheetos Pickle Pizza.

CM: Do you have to take generational tastes into account when you develop a new product? For example, a younger person might be willing to try pickles on a pizza while veteran pizza fans might be aghast at the thought. Put me down for aghast.

DP: Yes, and the reason young people are willing to try pickles on pizza, and like it, is because of FOMO, the fear of missing out. They're seeing our new food selections on their Instagram and their social media. They see 3,000 people talking about it on social media. They know what we have and where to find it. Young people don’t have to come to the Rodeo and go searching for the Pickle Split. Social media has given us a greater upper hand to bring these wild and wacky food items to the masses.

CM: The popularity of the Food Network and the Cooking Channel has created a boom in food awareness. Has that put pressure on you to come up with more creative products?
DP: Absolutely and I’ll give you an example. Carnival Eats has been one of the top shows on the Cooking Channel for 13 years now, a full generation of Rodeo goers. It’s shown all of the amazing foods that you can get when you come to the Rodeo. What Food Network has done is expose people to new types of foods that they've never seen before. It piques their interest and they say 'wow, I've got to go to the Rodeo and try that.'

CM: When do you start preparing for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo?

DP: We start thinking about the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in July each year. The media is part of the preparation process. I start getting phone calls from reporters in Houston around October asking me what’s the new deep-fried treat, what’s the next trend? Everybody wants the big scoop.

CM: Every time I pass a restaurant I see a big “Help Wanted” sign in the window. Are you getting enough workers to staff the Carnival this year?
DP: We did have some difficulty last year. But the economic reality has changed. Many people are now living paycheck to paycheck. So we have had a tremendous number of people coming to us looking for work. They need hours. They want extra money. They’re willing to work. We actually have more employees than we've ever had at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year.

CM: You’ve maintained your requirements for employment?
DP: Yes, we do drug testing and background checks. We have a policy with respect to uniforms, piercings, tattoos that are visible, and more. We stick to those guidelines because that is our company’s culture and we don’t stray from that.

CM: When it comes to food prices, what goes up doesn’t necessarily come down. I almost fainted when you told me that you’ve lowered the price of turkey legs this year.
DP: Last year, $21. This year, $20! We just happened to get very lucky when we put in our order for turkey legs this year.

We order seven tractor trailers full of turkey legs, by the way. We saw a decrease in price and we’re passing that along to the customer. We feel it’s in the best interest of the customer and to our brand. If there’s a savings we can pass along, we will do it. We still expect to maintain a certain level of profitability. If we didn’t, we wouldn't be able to come back year after year. Our priorities will always be safety, quality and customer service, in that order.

CM: Deep-fried, marshmallow-covered frogs legs may come and go, but corn dogs are forever. What’s the Mount Rushmore of food items at the Rodeo?
DP: Corn dogs, turkey legs, sausage on a stick, funnel cakes, and deep-fried Oreos. (That’s five things, but are you here to eat or do math homework?)

CM: Not to get all gushy, but your Nashville Hot Chicken and Tater Tots is the single best thing I’ve ever eaten outdoors. Man, those tots! Did you notice everybody’s hands digging into those tots? Talk to me.
DP: We had Nashville Hot Chicken last year but this year we’re pairing it with garlic tater tots. We created a garlicy butter, slightly spicy sauce that we toss the tater tots in. It gives the tater tots a completely different dimension and texture. And then we toss some pickles on top to cut the heat.

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The competition level is about to rise. Composite Getty Image.

The Astros closed out their latest road trip with a winning record, a feat made more impressive considering the turbulence at the back of the rotation. Brandon Walter and Ryan Gusto both endured rough outings, with Walter in particular getting tagged hard. Still, Houston salvaged the finale, thanks largely to Mauricio Dubón’s breakout performance. The utilityman launched two home runs to power an offense that’s quietly been heating up for weeks.

But even with a solid finish, not everything is trending upward.

Josh Hader, who’s been one of the game’s most reliable closers this season, has begun to show signs of vulnerability. He’s allowed a home run in three of his last six outings. While his overall numbers remain strong, the long ball—a problem that plagued him last year—is starting to creep back into the picture.

As the Astros return home, the schedule offers no breather. They’ll face the Phillies and Cubs before a brief trip to Colorado to take on the struggling Rockies. After that comes a marquee series against the defending champion Dodgers in Los Angeles. With three of their next four opponents being legitimate World Series threats, the coming stretch looms large.

Can the bats keep pace?

If the last month is any indication, the Astros have reason to feel optimistic. Christian Walker has started to show signs of life after a quiet start to the season, hitting .260 with a .762 OPS and five home runs over the past 30 days. José Altuve has been scorching with a .302 average and .901 OPS in that span, while Jeremy Peña has taken things to another level, batting .384 with a 1.009 OPS.

As a team, the Astros rank 7th in OPS, 5th in runs, 3rd in batting average, and 7th in home runs over the last 30 days. It’s a surge that’s come at the right time—and one they’ll need to sustain.

The injury picture is also starting to shift in Houston’s favor.

Joe Espada told The Athletic's Chandler Rome that Christian Javier recently threw a live batting practice session, touching 95 mph as he continues his return from Tommy John surgery. JP France has thrown multiple live BPs and could be ready to help if things continue to progress with his shoulder. Luis Garcia, however, remains further away despite undergoing surgery more than two years ago. He's expected to throw a live BP this week.

Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) should be able to return in August, and Lance McCullers has resumed throwing and is currently on the 15-day IL with a foot sprain.

The Astros are winning. The offense is rolling. The reinforcements are on the way. But with a brutal stretch looming, the team’s margin for error is about to be put to the test.

There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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