In Hill showdown, state cheese dip bests Texas’

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from across the country agree: Arkansas cheese dip is superior to Texas queso.

The “Five Families Cheese Dip,” served at Heights Taco & Tamale Co. in Little Rock, already had won the 2016 World Cheese Dip Championship’s “People’s Choice” award. Now it’s the artery-clogging king of Capitol Hill.

Dozens of Senate Republicans participated in Wednesday’s blind taste test, sampling the Tex-Mex and Natural State varieties.

Afterward, they cast their ballots and tallied the votes, handing the victory to Arkansas.

Tasting defeat was Uncle Julio’s, the Dallas restaurant that is renowned for its queso.

Texas’ lawmakers, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, accepted the outcome. No recount is expected.

Wednesday’s proceedings were held out of public view in an ornate room at the Capitol. A picture of President George Washington stared down at the legislators as they made their decision. Cornyn and Cruz were on hand for the taste-off and were gracious in defeat, the Little Rock restaurateurs say. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers was there to congratulate them. Sen. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle, whose wife was expected to give birth at any point, missed the event.

In a joint statement, Boozman and Cotton expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

“We’re happy our colleagues validated what we’ve known all along: Arkansas cheese dip is the best in the United States, and the world. Thank you to Heights Taco & Tamale for coming to Washington and providing the United States Senate with a little taste of Arkansas. Senator Cruz and Senator Cornyn: you’re welcome to cross the state line for some real cheese dip anytime.”

The final tally has not been released.

“Although we won’t reveal the totals, Texas made a good showing and was gracious in defeat,” a Cotton spokesman said.

Scott McGehee and Ben Brainard, who are partners in the restaurant group that owns Heights Taco and Tamale, traveled to Washington for the event, personally delivering 3 gallons of cheese dip.

“We’re elated. We are incredibly proud,” Brainard said after Wednesday’s vote.

McGehee said he never doubted what the outcome would be.

“It was a foregone conclusion before we left the state of Arkansas, so we were not surprised at all. Arkansas cheese dip is on a different level than Texas queso, that mild runny thing that they try to pass off as cheese dip down there.”

The Five Families Cheese Dip was inspired by a collection of five cheese-dip recipes, including two that were created by McGehee’s father.

It includes cumin, chile powder, garlic, tomato, green chili peppers and “a couple of other little secrets that we keep to ourselves,” Brainard said.

Thin jalapeno slices top the dish.

The culinary showdown was sparked by a Nov. 2 Wall Street Journal article that noted the saucy, high-fat rivalry between the two states.

Cotton and U.S. Rep. French Hill of Little Rock tweeted about the writeup, proclaiming their state’s cheesy superiority. Cornyn, taking umbrage, challenged his neighboring lawmakers to a taste-off.

The genesis of cheese dip or “queso,” as the Texans call it, is uncertain. Queso is the Spanish word for “cheese.”

Mexico Chiquito, the 81-year-old central Arkansas restaurant chain, has been credited with inventing the popular dish. But some food historians say its roots stretch back to Texas or Mexico. The World Cheese Dip competition is held in Arkansas.