Aaaah...the calm before the storm...
Bert and I perused the different booths before deciding on our first "snack" of the day...
which would be fried clams.
The clams come with fries, which I thought would be French fries but the lady said it could be any kind of fries they had so I chose sweet potato.
Too bad the clams don't just come by itself. Notice the wierd pricing. It's so they can have an even number when they ring you up with tax, so my clams & chips plate came to $12.
Dips were ketchup, ranch, and tartar sauce.
The kids liked the fries more than the clams, so more for me and Bert I say.
I brought something healthy from home (because you are allowed to bring food)...Kale salad with shredded carrots, pineapple pieces, cucumber, yellow grape tomatoes, dried cranberries and yellow raisins with a light citrus dressing (olive oil, orange juice, salt & pepper). Bert and I shared the salad that morning...
We also met up with Cathy of mmm-Yoso. She gave us a coupon book, which we used at Grinders...
This is the booth that makes one of the fair's newest and healthy (kind of) additions, the Cauliflower Sandwich.
We just HAD to.
Free drink for Bert...
Compared to the Artichoke sandwich from Roxie's which we have enjoyed for two years straight, this one was much better! The cauliflower florets were lightly roasted and were soft enough to bite. I initially was leary of how the cauliflower would be prepared and this was pretty good.
The sandwich also had the bitterness of arugula ad sweetness from the thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and honey. The sandwich's healthiness was counteracted by the melted Jack cheese and the buttered toasted wheat roll. Whoever thought of this should be given a pat on his/her back for offering something other than breaded and fried crap topped with cheese or whipped cream or bacon.
We really liked this sandwich and I would get it again if offered at the fair next year. i think this can easily be recreated at home too...
Later that day, Bert wanted something fried but plain...
So we got the seasoned fries at Pink's (known for their hot dogs named after movie stars).
Sorry, but I don't think Jason Sedeikis is worthy of a name card. Where's James Dean or Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro?
The fries had some sort of coating on them giving them a nice and satisfying crunch.
Tiny peppers were also on hand but being the lightweights that we are, only got one each.
Another snack that Bert and I indulged in was the Kettle Corn...
This was the small which went for $5.
Our last snack that afternoo was at this booth, one that we've never tried before.
We had a coupon for a free drink with the purchase of an item here.
I've always been curious about the Indian Fry Bread. It reminds me of Hungarian langos (another type of fried bread) that we tried once at the International Food Fair at Balboa Park. There were several choices for toppings; this was the Buffalo Chicken (Bert's choice).
I wasn't too keen on the sauce as it was too vinegary. I ended up eating more of the edges, ha ha.
Later on, the kids walked by our table in the shade and joined us. TC bought some sweet potato fries from the same booth we got the clams earlier. Her friend had a bag of kettle corn and some cotton candy that they shared earlier that day.
By this time, all of our frozen waters from home were already gone. I wanted something cold for me ad Bert...
so we got the Mocha Freeze (totally overpriced at $5.50)...
Price be damned, it was refreshing and I needed some caffeine!
The kids had a great time on the rides and despite getting hassled and teased by vendors who thought they were a "couple", they had a blast. Her friend won a small stuffed dog because his dad said to win a "big prize" for him. TC took a photo of the prize but positioned the camera in a way that it made the dog look almost as big as her friend. It was kind of funny how it came out.
There are still several more weeks left of the fair!
We didn't go crazy this year with the fair food. This was the first time we didn't get a funnel cake as well. The cauliflower sandwich was one of the best food highlights for us and it's something we would try again. We didn't try the fried chicken skins (Kirbie reported that the fat wasn't even rendered off and that the skins were soggy) or that horrible bacon wrapped churro that was injected with Jack Daniels, then fried, drawn and quartered, blah-di-blah-di-blah. We'll wait 'til next year to try something more off the wall.
Official Website - www.sdfair.com
Previous SD Fair posts:
2010
2011
2012
2013
Until next year!!!
9 comments:
It still looks like you guys managed to try quite a bit of food! Mocha freeze was on our radar and we kept debating about it but didnt get it at the end.
As curious as we were about some of the wierd stuff, we just couldn't stomach it as we have in the past...I still remember the fiasco of the bacon cotton candy, haha. The Mocha Freeze was pretty good though!
Great roundup and photos- the food selections are outrageous, overwhelming and sometimes expensive; it adds up when you spend the day here. I really liked the cauliflower sandwich a lot and yes, (a bit) more than the artichoke sandwich.
Thanks Cathy. Food at fairs are always going to be overpriced but we tried to choose wisely with the sandwich, which we loved. Glad you liked it too! :)
Oops,this is actually CC but using Bert's account since it's on his laptop. That's an old "joke" picture of him by the way.
The cauliflower sandwich looks really good. How much was it? Do you think it'll be offered again next year? I've always seen the Indian Fry bread but it was always on our walk outta the fair (when we're too full to eat anything else). Was your fry bread made fresh to order? It looks delicious.
hi faye - the cauliflower sandwich was about $10. i hope they offer it again next year. the fry bread was made fresh to order. my husband said the sauce just soaked up into it and made it soggy. :( i would have preferred it better plain.
I'm going to the fair today! I might try the cauliflower sandwich. We'll see how I feel when I get there :) Nice roundup (with this post and the non-food post!). I didn't really get to try regular fair food last year so I'm happy to be going twice this year!
hi mary - i sure hope you get to try that cauliflower sandwich! it tastes better than it sounds. thanks for your kind words about this post and the other non-food post. i'm such a nerd and really love looking at all the collections and everything. hope you guys had fun at the bacon event. :)
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