Adventures in Fair Food

By now we all know I am a foodie at heart. There really is nothing out there I won't try at least once. 

Whether its Uni (Sea Urchin) or Escaramoles (Ant Eggs), the sky is the limit and nothing culinary scares me.

So when my friend Wendy brought me along as her plus one to the San Diego County Fair Media Party... I was ready to take on even the most adventurous of fair food.  

Fair goers have been introduced to things like fried frog legs, and chocolate covered bacon year after year. However, rumors were circling about a special pickle that is an absolute must have.  Also getting buzz around town, were the likeness of deep fried starbucks, sriracha dogs, and shark tacos. I couldn't wait. 

So here is what my perspective is of these... interesting bites. 

Shark Tacos

We all know I loveeeee me some fish tacos! After all, I live and breathe Mexican food... 

But these tacos had soooo much breading on them, I literally couldn't tell what type of fish I was eating. I kept thinking to myself, are you sure you gave me a SHARK Taco? I decided to move on, and explored the next thing that sounded good... 

Parmesan Garlic Fries

C'mon can you ever go wrong with parmesan and garlic? I thought no, I was wrong. The "fries," were more like chips. Warm, but fried to a dehydrated crisp. They had been robbed of all their potato flavor and it took away from what should have been a delicious garlic parmesan sprinkle. Sad day. Sad potato day indeed. 

Deep Fried Starbucks

Ok. Ok. I will admit.. I am quite the Starbucks afficionado..BUT... these little balls of delight really delivered. They were dusted with cinnamon and sugar and then topped with whipped cream and served in, you guessed it, a Starbucks cup. 

These little balls of heaven resembled Starbucks so much, I wanted to just keep eating. Hands down... they are delicious. They are not what you expect, because I mean... what can you expect deep fried Starbucks to look like? But they managed to merge two of my favorite things. Churros and Starbucks... So I am a fan.

At the same location I also picked up something that jumped out at me right away...

Chocolate Covered Chicharron (Pork Rind)

Yup... you read that right. 

Skeptics, I am here to tell you... you will eat your words.

This chocolate covered crisp was so well balanced and so unorthodox that it quickly became my favorite of the night. 

No, I am not kidding. 

I don't even like chocolate! Yet, I was seriously thrilled that this made the menu. The salty crispiness of the chicharron reminded me of a rice chocolate bar but with a bigger depth of flavor. Trust me on this, you should at least try it! 


Sriracha Corn Dog

We all know Sriracha is as common now as Chipotle was in the 90's... so why not have a Sriracha dog right? I was curious to see how this would be executed and so, I ordered one up with zero apprehension, after all, I love me some spicy food. 

Firstly... the look of it is not that appealing. You are essentially getting a corn dog with Sriracha drizzled on top... Is this really it? Wendy and I kept asking ourselves. While this dog proved that you really can put Sriracha on ANYTHING... the surprise came as I was about 3 bites in and realized that the dog inside, was not just a regular dog but a hot link! ALERT! Someone Hurry! Get me a Margarita! 

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

This is one of those things that can either go really wrong, or really well. Corn when done right can really deliver in the flavor department and can truly be both sweet or savory. 

Although, I wish I could rally behind this idea, seeing as it is imported from Jalisco, Mexico, and the fact that corn is such a huge staple of my cooking and heritage... this ice cream really didn't represent corn the way it should. There was so much cream and sugar, that the actual corn taste was lacking. In fact, it was nearly unrecognizable. 

While this is a great idea, the flavor balance was off for me... but hey, try it, maybe your serving will be better than mine. 




The Pig Trough

I know, I know... it sounds gross.. but trust me.. I was convinced first bite in! Seriously! Crispy Pork Chicharron topped with delicious BBQ Pulled Pork and finished off with Cole Slaw! Man that is good. 

While truthfully, it begs for a bit more presentation the almost nacho like idea of the chicharron made my down-home Mexican self very happy! 

Peanut Butter Deep Fried Pickle

During the process of waiting in an extensive line for the most talked about item this fair season... I saw my great friend, and Discover SD writer, Leslie Hackett. She had just purchased her pickle and was preparing to take her first bite. I was scared. Scared for her. Scared for her taste buds. 

Her first bite was met with a gushing mixture of salty pickle juice and melted peanut butter. Her face was indescribable and before she could be asked any questions by the group around her, she bravely took a second bite noting that she didn't get enough peanut butter in that first bite. 

And there it was... the face of utter dissatisfaction. 

It wasn't what she expected and quickly offered me a bite. For the sake of this blog and my curios palette, I decided to just take a bite. I mean, its a pickle and peanut butter, two flavors I know and love...and YUCK. 

Exactly what you are imagining, is EXACTLY what it tastes like. Two flavors that should NEVER be mixed. Pickle juice, melted peanut butter, crispy batter, what is happening in my mouth right now? Ugh. 

So there you have it... I am sure there are other things I didn't capture, but fortunately the San Diego County Fair will be opening this coming Friday, June 5th and will remain open until the 4th of July. Go to SDFair.com for details or discount tickets, and special events... oh and don't forget the free concerts! 

Have a wonderful rest of your week and please, get out there and start an adventure! 

~Cheers - SLM