New Food Items to Try at the 2016 OC Fair

OC Fair

88 Fair Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

There are certain signs in Orange County that let you know that summer is in full swing. There's less traffic on the freeways during the morning commute, there's no trace of June Gloom when you wake up in the morning, and of course the OC Fair opens. This year the June Gloom dissipated, I shaved ten minutes off my drive to work, and the fair opened, all in the same week. It was karma's way of making sure that I knew that the calendar had finally made it to mid July.

A lot of you probably like the concerts at the Pacific Amphitheater,  yes they do have Earth, Wind and Fire, UB40, and the B52's coming up during this years run of the fair. Others of you might like the exhibits, which are spread throughout the six exhibit halls on the grounds of the fairgrounds. You might be into all the animals that are here too. I've heard the wallabies are one of the highlights, but for me, the thing that brings me back to the OC Fair every year is the food.

I'm sure this is not shocking to anyone, as this is a restaurant blog, and when you mention that you have been to the fair, the first question someones asks is, "What did you eat?" I'm always amazed at seeing what these talented vendors come up with. Every year I think they would have run out of ideas, but the next year they show up and top themselves once again. We were recently invited to sample some of their newest creations, and of course some of their classic items as well. This is one of the food events that I get really excited for, so let's see what's new at the OC Fair this year.

The food media at this event were exchanging stories about the best items they have ever had at the OC Fair, and Tasti Burger's Chili Relleno Cheeseburger kept coming up as the best thing they have eaten here. Well, Tasti Burgers & Tasti Chips have two new burgers added to their already impressive lineup this year. The Bacon Cheddar Brat Burger is great for people that can't make up their mind as to whether to have a bratwurst or a burger. Why not have both? This burger has a burger patty, which is topped with a bacon and cheddar bratwurst, bacon, sliced cheese, Sriracha bourbon sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a chipotle sauce. This was a very solid burger, with a myriad of favors, each coming through at different spot. This is the burger to beat at the OC Fair this year. The All American Reuben Burger was right on its heels, with its eight ounce beef patty, corned beef, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and two deep fried pickles. This was a good representation of a Reuben, with the fried pickle acting as the kraut on this. It's always a good idea to pair their burgers with their Tasti Chips as well. There are now three varieties to choose from, Classic, Parmesan Garlic, or Cheddar Jalapeno. Tasti Chips are always served hot and crisp, and there's always a line, but well worth the wait.

Chicken Charlie is like the mad scientist of the fair circuit, and this year was no exception. Chicken Charlie probably had my favorite savory item I had on this afternoon, the Bacon Wrapped Chicken Leg. This very manageable chicken leg was easy to handle, had crisp bacon on the outside, and featured some of the most tender and flavorful chicken inside. Really a well done food item. The Chicken and Waffle On A Stick kind of missed the mark for me. Even though it's easy to eat, when it was picked up, the syrup runs down all over your hand. No problems with this flavor wise though. Now things get a little weird. Chicken Charlie gets a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, adds a cheese sauce, then has two versions for you to choose from. The Surf and Turf comes with lobster and steak, while the Black Tide version comes with escargot and caviar. Yes, you read that right, caviar and escargot. I tried both, and felt the surf and turf version was the better of the two, but both were pretty salty. Definitely something you might want to try, just to say you did it.

It's really a shame that I have never made it to Pink's in LA, because I always enjoy their hot dogs at the OC Fair. This year they are premiering two new hot dogs to the crowds at the fair, the first of which is the Lord of the Rings Dog. This simple hot dog comes with some the crispiest onion rings I have had, along with a tangy barbecue sauce. This simply prepared item allowed the high quality hot dog to shine, and I loved the snap of the dog when I bit into it. Heat seekers will want to try out the Daenerys Mother of Doggies. This Game of Thrones inspired hot dog packs some real heat, which is probably why it is named after the mother of the dragons. On this one they use a spicy Polish Dog, then top it with sour cream, kraut, onion, spicy alfalfa sprouts, and drops of Sriracha. This will definitely have you breathing fire like a dragon after consuming this one.

Bacon-A-Fair is definitely a booth that you want to hit up, at least if these two offerings are any indication. The Pepsi Cola Donut Dog is one of the most unusual hot dogs I have ever had. It starts with two glazed donuts used for a bun, then the hot dog, which is marinated in Pepsi, is then joined by peppers and onions, and topped with a Pepsi reduction sauce. It's also served in a half hollowed out Pepsi cup, so your fingers do not get all sticky. I liked the contrasting savory and sweet, yin and yang thing going on here. Neither side really won out, so a balanced taste to this hot dog was achieved. The French Toast Bacon Bombs were another of my favorite items on this afternoon. Little balls of dough are filled with some frozen cream cheese, then wrapped in bacon, fried to a dark brown, and served with whipped cream and maple syrup. These were pretty addicting. I was afraid the cream cheese was going to overpower, but it was subtle. An ultimate brunch item that I hope catches on around at other restaurants.

You either love pickles or you don't. I'd rather not have them, but for the pickle lovers out there, you have to head to Pickle O' Pete's. This will be your Pickle Nirvana, Fried pickles are so yesterday, now it's all about Pickle Fries. Even I kind of liked this version of a fried pickle. The crispy breading and ranch dressing helped me drown out the sometimes overbearing pickle flavor. I did not dare eat the Pickled Cheese on a Stick though. They hollow out a pickle and then stuff it with cream cheese, batter it with a corn batter and fry it. My friend Tom loved this, but I was too chicken to give it a try.

Biggy's is an OC Fair mainstay, and if you love pork, you will be hard pressed not to visit this iconic booth. Pork mania starts with the Bacon Wrapped Pork Belly Dog. A slab of pork belly is impaled with a skewer and then wrapped in more than enough bacon to to cover the whole thing at least two times. This is some hot pork on pork action, and because this is a manageable size, it does not over power like the time I ate a one pound, one hundred percent bacon burger. If the bacon wrapped pork belly seems a little too much for you, then you might want to try the Pork Belly Corn Dog. This eliminates one layer of pork for those who are trying to watch their pork intake.  Even with the one less layer of pork, this was delicious and rich.

My favorite sweet item of the afternoon were these Fried Butter Balls from Fair Fix & Fried A Fair. These racquetball sized orbs of dough came with more than enough butter inside of them, but were not too way over the top. Kind of like a pancake ball when dipped into the provided maple syrup. These can become dangerous when I'm around, because I wouldn't be able to stop inhaling them. A must try at the OC Fair.

There's nothing like a giant sized donut to get food media to audibly gasp when gazing upon its magnificence. This was the case when the S'moreo Texas Donut from Texas Donuts was introduced to us. This glazed bad boy was loaded with marshmallow creme, chocolate sauce, graham cracker and Oreo crumbs. It definitely had the feel of S'more's, without the campfire smell that permeates your clothes after a long night at a bonfire.

When I was driving home after leaving the OC Fair, I was still struck by the way that these vendors come up with new items every single year, and they get more outrageous as the years pass. I was even more struck by the fact that this is some pretty high quality food made in fast time to feed hungry fair goers. I'm definitely not going to try to dupe you all into thinking this is healthy food, but it's the OC Fair after all, and it only comes around once a year, so some debauchery is definitely permitted, and in my case maybe a couple more times during the run of the fair.

The OC Fair runs through August 14th, and they go dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. Fore more information about tickets, concerts, and all other things fair related, head to their very well done website here: http://www.ocfair.com/2016/index.asp

Having a Great Time at the OC Fair Food Showcase

OC Fair Food Showcase

88 Fair Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Unless you have been living under a rock, and have not seen the massive coverage, the OC Fair opened last Friday, (July 11th), and runs until August 10th. That's 23 days, (the OC Fair is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays), of rides, music, demonstrations, carnival games, shopping, exhibits, farm animals, and of course food. All of the other stuff is great, but if you know me, I am excited by the food at the fair. It seems like every year the vendors top themselves. I was very excited to see what they had in store for us this year.

We got to the OC Fair early last Sunday for the OC Fair Food Showcase, where the vendors show off their latest and greatest food concoctions to the OC food media. I had never been to the fair this early in the day, and man it was nice beating the crowds here. Parking was a breeze, the food smelled great, and as an added bonus, when you come to the OC Fair by 11AM on weekends, you get in for a much reduced price of $3, which is a great deal.

Both Katie and I did not eat before this event, and we also had a light dinner the night before, so I was more than ready to eat a lot at this food showcase. First up is Pink's, which is a Hollywood legend since 1939. I have yet to make it to their iconic location in LA, but if these hot dogs are any indication, I'll have to make it their soon. They had three dogs for us to choose from. Their famous Pink's Chili Cheese Snoop Dog, Emeril Bam Dog, (mustard, bacon, jalapenos, onion, cheese, and coleslaw), and the Colonel Klink Kraut Dog, (mustard, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and pastrami). Quite honestly, all of these were very good, but if I had to choose the best one to have, it was the Emeril Dog, which had a lot going on with it. The hot dogs above proclaim that, "Pink's Loves OC", and I think the feeling is definitely mutual.

Anyone can have a regular turkey leg at the fair. There are even bacon wrapped turkey legs to gnaw on, but if you are going to go that far, you might as well go all the way and have a Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Turkey Leg from the Bacon A-Fair booth. This was pretty awesome. I loved the crunchy outside, the bacon added big time flavor, and the turkey was surprisingly moist. Unpredictably, Katie's favorite item of the showcase was the Deep Fried Jack Daniels Churro. No need to be 21 to order this, as the whiskey gets cooked off in the fryer, but the Jack Daniels flavor lingers in this nicely fried churro. Topped with a syrup and whipped cream, this made Katie a very happy girl.

The fantastic Lori Southerland represented two booths at the OC Fair, the first of which was Grantsburgers, and their famous Chile Relleno Pretzel Burger. It was hard limiting myself to just a half of this burger, as it was so good. This double patty burger was blanketed with cheese, plenty of avocado, and a mild chile relleno. A burger that was not dry, and had plenty of big time flavors going on here. If you gotta have a burger at the OC Fair, this is the one to get.

The other booth Lori was promoting was the Tasti Chips booth, which I had never experienced before. Judging from the applause that this booth received, I could only guess that I'm probably the last person to try these chips. I'll not make that mistake again. These Garlic Parmesan Shakers were fried perfectly, and with my love of kettle chips, they were right up my alley.

Now this is fair food to the max. Chicken Charlie's is probably the most prolific booth at the OC Fair. When you hear about crazy, over the top fried creations, it's usually offered at Chicken Charlie's. New this year are the Deep Fried Chicken Skin and the Deep Fried Doritos. I've never been too fond of Doritos, but these were really tasty. Served with a ranch dressing, these were kind of addictive. As for the chicken skin, this is a natural, because the best part of fried chicken is the skin, so why not do away with the chicken? Genius. Probably so bad for you, but the OC Fair only goes on for 23 days, so that leaves 342 days that I won't be eating this fried skin. Pretty good reasoning, huh?

I'd argue that pickles are one of the most polarizing food items around. I had a friend that if there was a pickle on his plate, he would send back the entire plate, because he detested even the pickle juice that much. I like pickles, but could see how they can overpower foods. Pickle lovers will have to hit up the Pickle O' Pete's booth to get their fill of these pickled cucumbers. We tried the Pickle Dog, which can best be described as a hot dog, encased inside a pickle, and then fired in a corn dog batter. This actually worked for me. I liked the contrasting layers, the sweet corn batter, the briny pickle taste, and the beefy hot dog inside. Also from Pickle O' Pete's, we tried the Pickle Chips. These were paired nicely with ranch dressing, which is my favorite way to eat fried pickles.

The charismatic Dominic Palmieri was also showcasing two booths on this day, the first one being the iconic Biggy's Meat Market. The Big Daddy Corndog and the Big Garlic Herbed Chicken on a Sick were spotlighted on this afternoon. This corndog uses a nice sausage inside of it, and they were nice enough to have smaller samples for us to try, even though I ate two of these. The chicken on a stick was very tender, and was probably one of the healthiest things we ate on this day. Dominic was so nice to hold the chicken up, so you could get a feel for how big it really is. I also think he just wanted to be in the picture also.

The other booth Dominic was representing was the Fair Fix and Fried A Fair booth, with gave us another of Katie's favorite items from this afternoon, the Pecan Pie on a Stick. This actually tasted just like you would imagine. The pecan pie filling is sweet and nutty at the same time, then held together by a sweeter than a corn dog batter, then it is dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Not too bad, and I'd really like to see this filling used in a real pecan pie.

This is what I envision heaven to look like. Texas Donuts would get the nod from me, if I had to pick a favorite from this OC Fair Food Showcase. To anyone that knows me, they know I am a donut freak, and these were pretty tasty. The new one this year is the Cherry Pop Rocks Donut, which was overly sweet, but I liked the novelty of eating the Pop Rocks, which I haven't done in about 35 plus years. The Reese's Peanut Butter Donut combined two of my favorite items into one, which is never a bad thing. My favorite donut though was, the Banana Chocolate Cream Donut. This one was topped with sliced bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate, then there was also a Bavarian cream inside. Wow, this blew me away. So good. Texas Donut representative, Vicky Hohnbaum says that the Maple Bacon Donut is their best seller, but I will guess that this banana cream one will give it a run for its money this year.

After our OC Fair Food Showcase was done, we were lead to the center of the fair, and allowed to enter the Legendary Gelato booth. There we were given a cup of some great gelato. It was getting hot, so going inside the booth was great, but was made even better by all the sample tastes we were given. It was hard to pick just one, but I liked the Chocolate Mint the best. Very nice to have something sweet and cool after all that fried food.

 
After our gelato, we cruised around the OC Fair a bit, trying to walk off the effects of all the food we had just consumed. We always like checking out the animals. Plenty of little piglets running around, or as is the case when we were here, they were napping. Also liked checking out the cows, goats and sheep too.

On our way out of the OC Fair, we walked into the Parade of Products Building, so I could get some Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast the next day. These are my favorite cinnamon rolls at the fair, although I am told that I need to try the ones that are outside as well. Luckily, this will not be my last time at the OC Fair this year.

We would like to thank all of the vendors for providing us with so much great food to sample. Everything was fantastic, and you all were so nice to answer all of our goofy questions. I would also like to thank all of our fellow food media friends that went on this culinary journey with us. You all make going to these events so much fun. Lastly, we would like to thank the wonderful Robin Wachner, Communications Director for the OC Fair and Event Center. She put together this OC Fair Food Showcase, and we could not have been happier to attend. Thanks for the invite Robin, it was an awesome day.

The OC Fair runs through August 10th, and for more information, go to their website here: http://ocfair.com/2014/index.asp