Indiana State Fair Food Diary
Sunday marked the end of the Fair’s 2011 run. We said our goodbyes until next year … which gives us roughly 365 days to work off the following.
Philly Steak Slider. A respectable $2 version of the $7 original, the four-bite snack featured remarkably tender slices of “prime rib,” with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese sauce.
Gyro. An annual must-eat. Tender lamb and beef inside pillowy pita, with onions, tomatoes, and addictively creamy yogurt sauce.
Hot Wisconsin Cheese. Don’t dilly-dally with anything less than the Super Combo, a basket of gooey mozz, cheddar cubes, and pepper Jack fingers. Consistently one of the best treats at the fair–a line that long can’t be wrong. (Sorry, Dairy Bar!)
Potato Chips on a Stick. A spiral-cut potato fried on a wooden skewer that, disappointingly, managed to be both under- and overcooked.
Deep-fried Twinkie. Dusted with powdered sugar and given a squirt of strawberry jelly, it brought to mind the Little Debbie Stawberry Rolls. Only on a stick, of course. Delicious!
Soybean-rolled Fried Ice Cream. Underwhelming, as expected. And the caramel-covered presentation was no match for the heat of Indiana summer.
Fried Pickle Spears. Fine specimins of the appetizer trend, with a pickle-to-breading ratio like none other.
Steak Tips Dinner, with onions, peppers, fresh mushrooms, and mashed red potatoes. Procured from the “Pickle Barrel” booth, this walking pot roast hit every savory note.
Cinnamon Roll from The Baker Man. A big gooey icon of breakfast baking, judiciously spiced and topped with luscious white icing or sweet pecans, or both–just ask!
Barbecued Pork Sandwich. Sauce was on the tangy side, but not too sweet. A no-frills sandwich on a soft bun that soaks up the sauce, as it should.
Walleye Sandwich. Tucked, appropriately, behind the DNR pavilion, the cheery fish cart that makes these straightforward but hearty sandwiches hand-breads thick walleye filets and doesn’t slather on the tartar sauce unless you ask. Worst part was deciding between this and the catfish nuggets. There’s always next year …
