First of all, I’m pretty sure I would never eat any of this stuff. Okay, I say that while eating tortilla chips at 9 in the morning out of the sack lunch my bartender lovingly packed for me last night (thanks Aaron! Love the litchi-infused vodka) but I’m pretty sure I mean it. I’ve never been one for fair food.
Also I don’t like fairs. Aside from my inherent dislike of people experiencing happiness, once I got lost at the Montgomery County Fair when I was a kid and even though the nice police officers gave me an ice cream in the shape of a frog (according to Doctor Google it was a Good Humor “Fat Frog” but there’s no picture) I had a scary incident where I got too close to some enormous pigs and well…let’s just say I eat bacon out of vengeance now. Delicious, bacon-flavored vengeance.
That being said, I am immeasurably proud to live in a state where the most boring, healthy thing on the menu is chicken-fried bacon. I can’t feel my left arm, but I’m proud.
Deep-fried props to my pal Bingo (who isn’t even IN Texas) for cluing me in.
Food Available at the Texas State Fair:
Chicken Fried Bacon – Thick and peppery Farm Pac® bacon is seasoned, double-dipped in a special batter and breading and deep-fried. Served with a creamy side of ranch or honey mustard sauce. Served at N30 located on Nimitz at MLK. Winner of Best Taste in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Fried Banana Split – A mixture of banana and honey peanut butter is rolled in balls, battered and deep-fried and topped with assorted, delicious fixings, including powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate syrups, chopped peanuts, whipped cream and banana split flavored ice cream bites then fittingly crowned with the traditional cherry. Winner of Most Creative in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich – An American classic with a State Fair twist. Two slices of white bread filled with a blend of American and cheddar cheeses, dipped in an egg and milk batter and lightly coated with panko bread crumbs for extra crispness. Served with a side of shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear and tomato soup dipping sauce. The All American Meal! S Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans – Jelly Belly Beans are rolled in funnel cake batter and fried to a crunch. People can share the treat with friends and try to guess the flavors before biting down.Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Deep Fried S’mores – Marshmallow cream and chocolate chips are sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in a feather-light batter and fried to a golden brown. The campfire-inspired treats are dusted in powdered sugar. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Fire & Ice – A pineapple ring is battered and deep-fried, then topped with banana-flavored whipped cream that’s been frozen in liquid nitrogen. The smoking concoction is ladled with strawberries and syrup. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Fried Chocolate Truffles – A silky-smooth, handmade, dark chocolate truffle is rolled in cocoa powder before being battered and deep-fried. The melting chocolate goodness is dusted in cinnamon, sugar and cocoa powder. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls – Plump fresh strawberries covered in a thick chocolate shell are dipped in a sweet, waffle batter and deep-fried. Dusted with powdered sugar and served on a stick. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.
Fried Pop Rocks Fundae Blast – Ignite your senses with this explosion of Tastes. Fried Ice Cream covered in Hershey’s Syrup and Pop Rocks. Your fuse is a Twizzler rolled in Pop Rocks. While you disarm it, you’ll find an Atomic Fireball inside . . .“Fire in the Bowl”! Stand FW-22 located on Fun Way across from Lost Children Building. (omg, nightmares)
Fried Dinner Roll – A savory dinner roll lusciously filled with cream cheese and covered with a sweet batter, placed on a stick and deep fried to perfection.
Fried Apple iPie – A warm, delicious crispy fried apple pie with just a hint of cinnamon, is smothered in rich vanilla ice cream and topped with an edible iPod “like” mp3 player and whipped cream. Real working souvenir “ear-bud” earphones complete this tasty iPie experience!
Eat up, y’all!
Most of this list is frankly making me a tidge billious, but I could see myself becoming sadly addicted to those chocolate covered strawberry waffle balls. They sound yummy.
I may also need to experiment with a home (and probably not deep-fried) version of the grilled cheese sandwich with the tomato soup dipping sauce. That sounds like serious comfort food you could actually put out for guests.
Comment by Twistie — September 29, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Should I be worried that there’s an entire building set aside for Lost Children?
Comment by Chicklet — September 29, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
FROG ICE CREAMS FOR EVERYBAHDY!
Comment by Plumcake — September 29, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
coming from the south, i cannot believe i am going to say this, but…not everything is better fried. just reading the offerings made me a little bit nauseous, lol.
Comment by spritle — September 29, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
I can’t wait til my Mother Dear finds all the recipes online and then forces me to eat them, like she did the Fried Twinkie.
You and I are very similar, in regards to farm animals. I had two bad experiences with cows and now eat them so they can’t take over the world!
Comment by Ruby Soho — September 29, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
Um, Fernie’s all-American Fried Grilled Cheese sandwich is a croque monsieur without the ham, and about as American as steak tartare, or freedom fries. Also, deep fried chcocolate truffles! Big Tex, why do you want to make the Belgians cry, they invented the waffle you know, why do you hate them? However, fried jelly beans are brilliant, and the first step in that fried banana split sounds good too.
Comment by Sabayon — September 29, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
Even living in the Very Deep South, I draw the line at fried chocolate truffles.
Comment by Hermione — September 29, 2008 @ 10:36 pm
Dear Lord, girl! What on earth were you doing out in in Montgomery County? Raised in East Montgomery Co. here, and I try to avoid the area as much as possible.
Comment by Tellicherry — September 29, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
I am so sad that I’m not going to the Fair this year. How much do I want to eat chicken fried bacon? I even lowered my cholesterol to 183 in preparation for the event. Unfortunately, life conspires against me.
Comment by Elizabeth K — September 29, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
A lover of the Texas State Fair.
I will try all that is fried and give a report on all its awesomeness. Last year’s Fried Cookie Dough was excellent and of course you can never go wrong with the Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly & Banana sandwich.
Comment by DoubleK — September 29, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
DoubleK takes one for the Team! That’s what I like to see!
Tellicherry, I was in Montgomery County, Maryland (was not born a Texan, through no fault of my own)
Comment by Plumcake — September 30, 2008 @ 1:32 am
I was about to ask why you were in Montgomery County as well, until I saw your response…
Hi Tellicherry, I grew up in Montgomery County (and parts of San Jacinto County) too! Now I’m a resident of Austin, like our lovely Bloggeress.
I always loved the County Fairs here in Texas, it was one of the things I looked forward to every Spring. I loved walking along the exhibit hall and seeing people’s crafts and wares, and I loved seeing the animals, riding the rides and most important of all, getting a funnel cake and a corn dog to munch on.
Some of my happiest memories are tied to that setting.
That being said, MYGOD. Chicken Fried Bacon? Lets take a piece of FAT, then deep fry it in more FAT. I feel my arteries tightening as I read!!
Comment by De — September 30, 2008 @ 8:06 am
Fried bacon? Sounds yummy! We went to the WI state fair just to try the fried mac and cheese and it was worth it.
Comment by class-factotum — September 30, 2008 @ 11:51 am
There are foods I do like fried, but I couldn’t see myself eating any of that. I’ll just stick with the cotton candy and lemonade.
Comment by Bree — September 30, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
Zee fairr und Eye… vee arre luvers…
Did you know, in Dallas, they not only let the kids out for “Fair Day” but they give free tickets. I’m not normally one for big crowds, but I think constant exposure to the Fair has made me immune to its overwhelming-ness. My folks used to enter the Canning competition (won 186 ribbons) so they made a huge deal of going more than once a season. Imagine being dragged by your mother through the livestock barns. All SEVEN of them. EVERY YEAR. Wait, why do I like the Fair?
I think all those heart-attacks-on-sticks are newish. All I remember is Jimmy Dean Smoked Sausage on a Stick followed by a giant Cinnamon Roll and some Schwepps skim milk. I don’t do corny dogs, so the Fletcher’s booths held no appeal.
Comment by Deana — October 1, 2008 @ 11:06 am
I’m going next Wednesday. I’m really, *really* looking forward to the fried s’mores.
That said, I usually take only one or two bites of Fair food. It gets really old really fast. Besides, I like to save room for beer. (Shiner!)
Comment by Jo — October 2, 2008 @ 5:38 am
De, were you East or West Montgomery? My mother still lives in the eastern part of the county, though I have long ago moved on to the (beautiful, but now ravaged) shores of Galveston Bay.
Comment by Tellicherry — October 2, 2008 @ 7:43 am
Hey!. I am going to check it, since I saw a comment in another site regarding \”Manolo for the Big Girl!\”. Someone related to white chocolate covered strawberries recipes. Thanks anyway.
Comment by Milka Fhernindez — December 3, 2008 @ 10:35 pm