Taking stock of Stock Show grub

It has become almost as trite to talk about the cinnamon rolls at the Fort Worth Stock Show as it has the weather.

I've heard about the giant iced confections for as long as I can remember and resisted trying them until a midmorning visit last week, when I went to discover other notable foods -- not to mention see the animals; watch my son ride too many rides at the midway; and mosey with the shuffling crowd through the commercial exhibits.

Here's a rundown of our culinary highs and lows, as well as our Best in Show.

Cinnamon roll at Stubby's

Located: In the cattle barns

The chew: A cup of coffee beckoned, and what better food to pair it with than a cinnamon roll? You can get yours plain, but I'm an icing girl so that's what I went with ($4); you can also order it as The Works, with icing and pecans. Warm and flooded with thin, runny icing, the roll wasn't impressive. It was doughy and lacked any kind of discernible crust, and the inside part didn't even have that telltale uptick of cinnamon. The icing was near-sickly sweet. Don't believe the hype -- this one is not worth the calories.

Cowboy hats: 1.5 out of 4

Cowboy burrito at Texas Skillet

Located: Just outside Cattle Barn 4, across from the Moncrief Building

The chew: Nonplussed by our cinnamon-roll experience, we were understandably still hungry. And pseudo-cowboys that we were, we fittingly took a chance on the cowboy burrito ($8.50), stuffed with steak, skillet potatoes and cheese. Kind of like a Mexican take on a cheesesteak, the skillet-makers weren't stingy with the meat or the perfectly cooked potatoes. Shredded cheese melted on top, topped by some salsa from the condiment bar, made for a great burrito. Added fun is watching the cooks make the food on a giant skillet.

Cowboy hats: 4 out of 4 (Best in Show)

Spicy chicken tortilla soup at Soup Shack

Located: Right next door to Texas Skillet

The chew: If the Stock Show encounters a run of dreaded "Stock Show Weather," the Soup Shack is poised for business. It serves both a soup of the day (When I visited, it was broccoli cheddar.) and a spicy chicken tortilla soup ($5). We enjoyed the latter under sun-splashed skies. The soup is served perfectly hot, with shredded cheese on top. It has nice chunks of chicken and big pieces of tomato; the broth, however, registered nothing on my personal spice-o-meter. Tortilla chips were already mixed in the soup, giving them a mushy consistency. It would have been better had a couple of fresh ones been added just before the soup was served.

Cowboy hats: 2.5 out of 4

Chicken quesadilla at La Espuela Mexican Cantina

Located: In the Moncrief Building

The chew: La Espuela, a fast-casual restaurant, has a sit-down option, a nice family-friendly dining room outfitted with flat-screen televisions. But we opted for the to-go window since the kids were fading fast after a morning perusing cattle and riding the carousel. The chicken quesadilla ($8.66 with tax) sounded like a good option among the lighter fare offered, and it was. The tortilla was crispy, and the cheese inside was well melted. The shredded chicken was sparse, but dollops of sour cream and guacamole aided the proceedings.

Cowboy hats: 3 out of 4

Miscellaneous fair foods: corny dog; Tornado Twister; funnel cake (various vendors); and gummy bears from Frontier Fruit & Nut

The chew: Honest, we weren't trying to give ourselves stomachaches. But eating habits die hard at the Stock Show, and that means indulging in corny dogs (for our 4-year-old, who has a burgeoning obsession with them), funnel cake (Who can say no to fried dough and sugar?) and the delicate architectural wonder of fried potatoes, the Tornado Twister. (Have you ever had a bad fried potato?) But the gummy bears didn't impress the kids. Next year, we'll try the peanut butter fudge.