Deep fried Twinkies. Bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick. Fried butter. Krispy Kreme triple decker cheeseburger. Fried Oreo cookies.
Those crazy culinary concoctions can mean only one thing: The Orange County Fair is back with more decadent dishes to tantalize your tastebuds.
Sure the fair has relatively familiar fare including turkey legs, corn on the cob, and even vegetarian options, but part of the fun of the fair is to step out of your comfort zone and try a treat you might only have once a year.
The theme of this year’s OC Fair is “Find Your Happy,” and that certainly pertains to Fair food.
What made me happy this year is the $5 Taste of the Fair deals, with every Fair food purveyor (there are around 100) offering $5 samples of one of their popular items every day until 4 p.m. Most food booths serve the same taste daily, while a few offer a different weekly taste.
My goal opening weekend was to see how many $5 tastes I could handle until I was full.
To prepare, I went to the OC Fair website (www.OCFair.com) and downloaded a two-page map with a list of all the $5 tastes. I went through the list to find the more unusual items for $5, including ones that had good value and dishes I had not tried at a previous OC Fair.
I narrowed my list to a dozen spots I thought were worth the $5 taste. And since July is National Pickle Month, I looked for menus that featured pickles.
My first stop after entering the fair on opening weekend was Enzo’s Pizza in the Carnival section. They were featuring a $5 taste of a Flamin’ Hot Pickle Pizza, which was basically a cheese pizza with pickles and Hot Cheetos.
The pizza slice was small, but the flavor of the pickles actually paired well with the Cheetos. A decent $5 taste.
Next up was Chicken Charlie’s in the Main Mall. Chicken Charlie is known for deep frying almost anything. The $5 taste was two pieces of fried bacon-wrapped pickles. What doesn’t go better with bacon?
The bacon-wrapped pickles were handed to me fresh out of the fryer. I gingerly bit into one and quickly took a swig from my bottle of water. I let the pickles cool a bit then enjoyed the combination of the savory bacon and sweet pickles. A fun delight, something I’d try only at the Fair.
Next on my list was Biggy’s, a food stand known for big flavors and servings. Biggy’s $5 taste was another pickle-centric dish: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Cheese Pickles.
After a few minutes I was handed my decadent dish, which had a heft to it. The portion was generous, and a pickle lover’s dream: a layer of sliced pickles (maybe two layers) with cheese sauce and crumbled Hot Cheetos on top.
I found a table and sat down; I knew this process was going to take a few minutes. I eagerly shoveled a forkful of pickles, sauce and Cheetos into my mouth and smiled. This is a tasty dish, especially if you relish pickles. I continued eating but eventually stopped, my pickle cravings satiated.
I decided to try one more $5 taste but something in a different direction. I strolled over to the Vegging Out stand and ordered their $5 taste: a plant-based meatball sandwich with fries.
The meatless balls with marinara sauce were decent, but the vegan cheese on top was rather bland. The fries were delicious, perfectly seasoned and slightly crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Leave it to a healthy food stand to cook perfect fries.
In past years my favorite Tasti Chips stand offered a $5 version of their sensational chips, but this year they have something called tater kegs, which I skipped. I’ll be back for my annual Tasti Chips indulgence during a future Fair visit.
I also plan on sample more $5 tastes during a return trek to the fair, including pineapple whip with fruity pebbles, a cream puff at the new Tom’s Puff and Pie stand, a bacon wrapped hot dog, and fried avocado.
Other than Tasti Chips and Chicken Charlie’s, my favorite food at the fair can be found at Chuckwagon BBQ. Their $5 barbecued pork sundae taste is excellent, but their regular menu is a destination for ‘cue lovers.
Advance ticket purchase is required for admission to the OC Fair, which is open Wednesday through Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Guests are encouraged to buy tickets for specific days as some days will sell out. Visit www.ocfair.com/tickets.
OC Fair ticket prices are $13 general admission Wednesday and Thursday and $15 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for seniors 60+ and kids 6-12 are $9 all days. Children 5 and under are free. Parking is $15 for cars and motorcycles and $30 for buses and limos.
