State Fair Food

[rooftop1000]

Dont forget Sussex County Fair in NJ ...started yesterday.

I feel I didnt do the food stand justice today though only a slice of pizza, a Gyro, a bag of candied almonds and an ice cream cone all washed down with diet pepsi.

I forgot to have something fried but the onions are just too big.....oh yeah tasted some homemade wines and beer...realy good stout absolutely tasted like coffe with chocolate syrup in it

tracey

[phaelon56]

The NY State fair opens this Thursday. I'm sans digital camera at the moment and won't have luscious photos to share this year but do intend to try the newest offering: deep fried macaroni and cheese. Now THAT'S healthy!

[racheld]

Until last year, we always did the State Fair with the maxim, "You have to have a corn dog for dinner. It's the LAWWWWW!"

THEN, with three houseguests in tow, we wandered into the infestation of FRIED STUFF, seating ourselves at the cleanest dirty table, and sending the men of the party for One of EVERYTHING. They returned with a tenderloin sandwich for each member of the group (not for meeee---I stuck with the corn dog, with no wish for a visit from the Junkfood Police). Also limp, foldy, greasy paper plates holding, in no particular order: A bloomin' onion and some ersatz "ranch" which poured warm and clingy from its little fluty cup; a piled-high plate of swoopy, crisp-fried chips which had been laboriously made in a back room by little old ladies with their newly-acquired vegetable cutters---those little screwblade mechanisms which you insert into the potato, turn and turn, and voila! a corkscrew of starchy delight. A crinkly-lined basket of fried green tomatoes with a cheese dip; a $6.00 smoked turkey leg; a Kielbasa? with a heap of smushy, gloriously-scented grill-fried onions and peppers anointing it and all surfaces around with a yellowish ooze of oil. Five or six ears of margarine-dipped corn, sweating its yellow Summerness onto fingers and cheeks alike; A couple of lemon shakeups, some root beer, and a blessedly-frosty bottle of water for me.

We talked, we laughed, we consumed. We nipped bits of onion, crackles of potato, bites of corndog; we laughed some more, observing the tide of life passing us by in tank tops and tattoos, bulging Bermudas and baby strollers. We ate and savored and downed enough grease to lubricate the 500 lineup.

It was a most UNfortunate evening for me. I spent a restless night, a night of unsavory remembrance of flavors and textures and grease. I swore off any and all fried foods, pledged unswerving loyalty to fruit and salad, and hoped for morning.

So THIS year, with just Hubby and me in attendance, a coolish evening, the pale pink roundness of the August moon lighting our way, we parked in an unaccustomed area, and the first food area we passed was the Cattlemen's Association tent. The glorious smells and the breezeflap of the tent ruffles called us in; I got a place for us at one of the many LONG plastic-covered tables, wiping up the remnants of other people's repasts with a handful of paper towels and a big squirt of the hand-cleaner from the handy machine.

I requested "No grease, please." He returned with two sandwiches: a ribeye for him, with nothing between the bun and its smoky, rare beefiness but a dab of mayo, and a mustard/dill-pickles-only burger for me. He said his was good. Mine was the best burger I have eaten in many a year (other than at home, of course---I'm married to the GrillMaster of all time). The nice thick burger was cooked perfectly, just smoky enough, tender and juicy, with real grillmarks on the sides, nice even stripes--none of those madeup pretend black marks like those places that serve McDonald's in cowboy boots; the bun was fresh and toasty, and the Plochman's yellow and long slices of dill pickle were tongue-achingly sour. Just perfection.

He had also gotten two "sides"--baked beans which sported more softly-cooked onion and chewy bacon than beans, with a good old Southern-sweet sauce. And the crispest, salty fries--just like you'd like them.

He even had a little clear clamshell takeout box with a homemade chocolate cupcake, topped with a glop of passably-tasty vanilla frosting, then the whole thing coated in a poured fudge sauce, which was just on the edge of homemade-grainy, like the recipe on the Hershey's box you used in high school.

We concurred that it was the nicest Fair meal we had ever eaten in all our fifteen years here. The evening was pleasant, the food really delicious, the crowds mostly civil and smiling, and the entertainment factor up in the 9 range. Especially when Garrison Keillor's band cranked up right next door in the arena with a swinging Bob Wills number.

We sat so long listening to one of our favorite entertainments that we got kicked out of the quilts and pickles exhibits at closing time way before we had seen all the handiwork...oh, well. It was a lovely evening. I think the moon conspired to make up for all the mayhem and upset of last year. We had a wonderful time. And coming home was nice, as well, with the windows open and the neon fading into the distance, along with the scents of frying peppers and scorching sugar.

Edited August 25, 2005 by racheld (log)

[rooftop1000]

Now dont get me wrong I love me some deep fried food, but the entrance we went to at the Big E just happened to be next to the Lobster Roll sandwich line....7 bucks. 7 not 10 15 or 20, 7dollars....I cannot say how many I had but I didnt have any french fries hot dogs or fried dough...I did have maple cotton candy and blueberry pie and Rhode Island clams and some local beer and some Ben & Jerrys oh and maybe a lobster roll for the road.

2 more weeks

some time after Varmint's and New Hampshire ....its Springfield bound

http://www.thebige.com/

tracey

[snowangel]

We head to the Great Minnesota Get Together tomorrow. Scroll up to post #41 to find out why I am so excited.

Corn dogs beware!

[dougery]

Mmmmmm.... deep fried scorpions... What state fair offers an assortment of goodies like this? I would die to get my hands on some of these.. or should I say I will die if I did get my hands on some of these?

[Schneier]

The new thing at the Minnesota State Fair this year is spagetti and meatballs on a stick.

No, I didn't try one.

Bruce

[sassybat]

how would spaghetti and meatballs STAY on a stick??

[tryska]

ya gotta dip it in batter to hold it all together, of course.

[snowangel]

Before I get busy and upload my photos and give my report, an unhappy Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick customer showed me what it is. Overcook some spaghetti. Mince it up. Mix it with a mess of ground meat. Shape it into something resembling a large turd. Bread it. Deep fry it. Paint it with crappy "marinara" sauce that more resembled warmed up tomato paste. I advised said unhappy customer to toss it and save valuable State Fair Stomach Food space for something worthy.

[mizducky]

Hee! This whole topic is a riot!

When I lived in Seattle, I made the pilgrimage down to Puyallup for the fair (I believe it represents Western Washington, but everyone always calls it just "The Puyallup" ... learning how to spell and pronounce the town's name properly is a rite of passage for every new Puget Sound resident). The food there didn't really make all that great an impression on me. I do recall enduring the obligatory wait in line for a scone, and was rather underwhelmed.

One of my bosses at Microsoft was from Minnesota, and our whole little department had a running joke with her about the Minnesotan fondness for state-fair food-on-a-stick. Several people found the concept of walleye-on-a-stick endlessly amusing.

There is an actual county fair in Orange County CA--heh, maybe it's me, but somehow the idea of such a supposedly agrarian-oriented event in the OC strikes me as pretty darned funny. I went there once back in 2003, more because Steely Dan was performing in their concert arena than anything else, but Fearless Housemate was feeling his Eye-talian roots and had to have a sausage-and-pepper sandwich, and I'm glad I followed suit because it was a damn fine sandwich, respectably comparable to the ones I'd had at New York's and Boston's Italian saints' day festivals.

[racheld]

Hee! This whole topic is a riot!

I do recall enduring the obligatory wait in line for a scone, and was rather underwhelmed.

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At the MidSouth Fair in Memphis the rolled-out flappy frozen bread dough, plate-sized circles, deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, are called Scones. The same items here at the State Fair are called Elephant Ears.

[phaelon56]

At the MidSouth Fair in Memphis the rolled-out flappy frozen bread dough, plate-sized circles, deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, are called Scones.  The same items here at the State Fair are called Elephant Ears.

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They have so many names... here they call them elephant ears if they're broad and flat but just plain fried dough if they're longer and thinner. We have a local vendor for the long thin variety who's been here for so many years at the Fair that most folks just call fried dough pizza frites (the name of the stand). Not sure about the broad flat ones but at the pizza frites stand I think they use fresh dough not frozen. Down in the NYC area theyy're usually sold as zeppoles (sp?).

Hey - fried mac 'n cheese is pretty damn good! They bake trays of mac 'n cheese in a thin layer - about as thick as a cookie. It's cooked until firm, cooled, cut into small triangular shapes and then coated in bread crumbs before being placed in the deep fryer. The result is akin to the really tasty bite of mac 'n cheese you might get from a pan that has been baked with buttered bread crumbs on top. that bite where you get the crispy bread crumbs contrasting with a bit of the cheese and texture of the macaroni.

Okay - so it's a heart attack on a plate - I split one order with my GF and it was done strictly on a scientific research basis. But if I go back later this week I'm not splitting my order with anyone

[Viola da gamba]

There are a couple of memorable ones from the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair & Exhibition (or am I disqualified being Canadian?!) - perogies on a stick still confuse me, but the mini sausage rolls with extra old cheddar and jalapenos RULE. And of course, all hail the mini doughnut cart.

[rooftop1000]

No State Fairs yet??

No food on a stick? no deep fried things? no frozen chocolate covered fruit flavored cheesecake (actually that was damn good)?

NJ state fair started on the 4th what else do we have out there

tracey

[ronnie_suburban]

No State Fairs yet??

No food on a stick? no deep fried things? no frozen chocolate covered fruit flavored cheesecake (actually that was damn good)?

NJ state fair started on the 4th what else do we have out there

tracey

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I did a 4-H County Fair a couple weeks back . . .

=R=

[Toliver]

We went to the San Diego County Fair (aka the "Del Mar Fair" because it's held every year at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds) about a month and a half ago.

One of the "new" foods this year at the Fair was deep fried avaocado. It tasted like you were eating fried dough. Avocados aren't known for their strong flavor so the flavor of the enveloping fried dough overwhelmed it. It did have an odd crunchy-yet-creamy texture thing happening but it couldn't salvage the experience.

It also came with deep fried tomato slices that were okay. I think tomato slices are better served with breading rather than a deep fried coating.

We had the usual artichoke hearts deep fried in a garlic batter, a falafel burger with salad, a deep pit beef BBQ sandwich, "australian" battered potatoes (half with ranch dressing and the other half cheese sauce...though I prefer malt vinegar "stolen" from the Fish 'n' Chips booth) and a Colossal Burger (two hamburger patties, bacon, cheddar cheese and pastrami...better known as a heart attack on a bun...which is really funny because I think Carl's Jr. sells a similar burger now). We split it all up between everyone in our group so you end up with a taste or a couple bites of each dish without having to eat the entire dish and getting sick of it.

And for dessert, chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, some rolled in chopped peanuts, the rest rolled in crushed Oreos. My niece bought a cinammon roll and "made us" all have a bite of it.

Then there was some fresh-made Kettle Korn purchased on our way out to nibble on the way home.

[emilyr]

Alas, I am going to miss the MO State Fair this year. I only really eat corn dogs when I go to the fair. I love them fresh from the fire and dipped in spicy brown mustard with a cup of fresh squeezed lemonade (only haf the amount of sugar, please)! HEAVEN! My parents are going to see James Taylor at the fair...maybe I'll get them to smuggle me out a dog. But it won't be the same.

I've also been thinking about Wisconsin fair food recently. The summer I worked up there, part of the job was visiting fairs...I know - tough job description! I became thuroughly addicted to cheese curds. Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy. Also, in towns around Indian Reservations, we'd get "Indian Tacos" which were the average taco fillings (seasoned beef or chicken, rice, beans, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) wrapped in an Indian flatbread. One drunken night at one of many beerfests, my co-worker and I decided that the most genius idea would be to run our own Indian Taco cart and go from fair to fair and state to state "spreading the good news."

[rooftop1000]

Thats what life is really about ....people that share food. We hit the Orange County NY Fair last week and all 4 of us got Gyros...it was sad. Tasty but sad.

NJ State Farm Show and Fair this week....wooohooo

tracey

[peanutgirl]

Middlesex County Fair (East Brunswick NJ) started today thru Sunday.

Make sure you get the fresh roasted peanuts on the right hand side as you enter the main gate. Tell my brother I sent you .

[aniraZarina]

CA State Fair starts on Friday!!

One summer long, long ago I worked for Strawberries on a Stick. It was 110F, strawberries were rotting, but we had fun making "lemonade" (cut up some lemons, toss them into some water, add lemonade mix, voila!) and dipping the non-rotten strawberries in chocolate. I haven't tried any of more "out there" on-a-stick offerings, though. I have actually been disappointed with the bizarre food offerings at the CA state fair for the last few years - I couldn't even find funnel cake!! Maybe they'll have some better offerings this year...

[rooftop1000]

Two down and one more to go. Last night was the NJ state farm and horse show or something like. For me it was the cheesesteak, bratwurst, roasted corn, funnel cake fair. All of which were quite tasty. I was getting a little worried when we went to visit the livestock, the pigs were definately getting agitated...I swear I didnt eat any pork yesterday, at all. I could have had pulled pork for lunch at work, but I think I had that a few times already this week....Shhh dont tell the pigs.

3 Weeks till the BIG E in Springfield Mass....got to get my room reservations soon.

tracey

[dianalane]

At the California State Fair in Sacramento there is a Krispy Creme Chicken Sandwich with swiss cheese. The Krispy Creme part has no hole but it's Krispy Creme batter. Haven't been to the fair yet, so I haven't seen it with my own eyes. I heard about it on the local news

[Toliver]

At the California State Fair in Sacramento there is a Krispy Creme Chicken Sandwich with swiss cheese. The Krispy Creme part has no hole but it's Krispy Creme batter.  Haven't been to the fair yet, so I haven't seen it with my own eyes.  I heard about it on the local news 

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I wonder how it compares to the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers.

[ludja]

...

I've also been thinking about Wisconsin fair food recently. The summer I worked up there, part of the job was visiting fairs...I know - tough job description!    I became thuroughly addicted to cheese curds. Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy. Also, in towns around Indian Reservations, we'd get "Indian Tacos" which were the average taco fillings (seasoned beef or chicken, rice, beans, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) wrapped in an Indian flatbread. One drunken night at one of many beerfests, my co-worker and I decided that the most genius idea would be to run our own Indian Taco cart and go from fair to fair and state to state "spreading the good news."

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A friend just returned from a trip to Wisconsin and told me about their visit to the WI State Fair and the giant cream puffs.

Look here for a photo: http://weblog.textdrive.com/images/39.jpg

I want to try cheese curds, regular or fried.

"Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy."

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?