Special Foodventure #78: LA County Fair (Pomona)

September, and its month full of foodie events, have finally concluded. What better way to wave sayonara than with the grand daddiest of events? No, not AWFF -- the LA County Fair, where for the price of $11 (got a discount through my job) I can have access to all the deep-fried, sugar-coated, cheese-topped, sauce-acccompanied dishes that I care to eat. I even have three dining compadres with me to share the clogged arteries and failing pancreas joy with.

This year we spent a record twelve hours at the fair, exploring pretty much the entire area and sitting down for a few shows too (Chinese acrobats who had a daring new routine this year, a hypnotist performance that was humorous and entrancing, belly dancers who know how to strut their stuff and a over three-hour long of LG Freestyle MotoCross Championship (crazy tricks, yo!) Only downer was that Dynamo, an adorable miniature donkey who looks like a real-life Eeyore with it's resigned, depressed look, isn't there (was told he's now in SeaWorld).

As for the food, there really isn't much to say -- lots of fried, lots of sugar, lots of servings.
Starting the day right to help keep the doctor away, apple fries covered in cinnamon sugar, topped with caramel syrup and whipped cream on the side. I can already hear the dentist's drill, but these were as good as I remembered, particularly the flavor/texture contrast with tart and crisp granny smiths.
The freshly-fried onion blossom with dilly-ranch sauce. As delicious as any battered, freshly-fried-with-grease-still-dripping onion things could get.
Tasti-chips, which were surprisingly not as tasty or crisp as I remembered, particulary at their blandness (I remember from previous years these had a wonderful potato-y flavor, but not this time).
The gianormous six-scoop, two-pint gelato in a 16" waffle cone! I love how they still gave us the little gelato spoons to eat it (that's like asking us to clean the bathtub with a toothbrush!) And yes, this soon became a milkshake but still delicious. But the cone was purely for show, it tasted like stale styrofoam.
Finally, a piece of turd! Ok, not really -- it's dark chocolate covered bacon which tasted like dark chocolate with a salty, chewy interior. I prefer Vosges' interpretation MUCH better, but hey -- only $2 so worth a try.

That's pretty much it for my fair report; it was a day of fun times and guilt-free gorging, but now back to lots of leafy greens and exercise before the holidays come.

Los Angeles County Fair
Fairplex
Pomona
www.lacountyfair.com

For another take on the Fair, here's Chubbypanda's report.