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I distinctly remember my first encounter with deviled eggs. I was at a Penn State football game, probably eight years old. I was nearing double-digit eggs before I realized I’d gone too far. To me the snack will always be a tailgating food, but to bars and restaurants, deviled eggs seem to have become a serious menu item.
I’ve had them at both the original Neighborhood Services and the tavern. Each one was topped differently but both made use of plenty of yellow mustard, a nod to Texas’ love of the bright acidic condiment. And I had them at the Common Table, where chef Mike Smith folds andouille sausage into the mix, tops the eggs with crab meat, and serves them with his own take on acid, a side of hot sauce for dipping.
Cedars Social and the Ranch at Las Colinas have them on their starter menus. As does Horne and Dekker, which adds Tasso ham, bacon & chives. A gastropub’s menu is seemingly not complete without the hors d’oeuvre. I’d kill to find someone willing to make up a version studded with salty anchovies and loaded with green parsley. Curry powder’s a nice addition I rarely see as well.
But mostly I’m left to wonder how this appetizer became so ubiquitous, and whether it deserves the attention it gets. Should deviled eggs really be as popular (and as expensive) as they are, or is this a silly and overworked trend that needs to return to the plastic Tupperware egg-holders of our youth? I’m going with the latter.
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