LA County Fair Foodie report – decadent delights

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photos: we heart this and sherrishera

When I found out I was awarded the title of LA County Fair’s “Official Fair Foodie” there was one type of food I was most excited for; the decadent variety. Things dipped in chocolate. Things battered and fried. Maybe even things served on a stick. These are what fair dreams are made of. Let’s explore the best splurges that the LA County Fair has to offer, shall we?

Deep Fried Delectables
There are two new items added to the all-star deep fried line up, both are brought to you by the fry master himself, Chicken Charlie (a legend in the California Fair circuit). First, debuting at the LA County Fair is the Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly. Let me tell you, heat does something magical to a PB&J. The already soft and gooey center becoming even softer and gooier. The addition of a sweet batter only adding to the yum. Here’s a tip: this is delicious, but very rich. I do suggest you share with friend. The beauty of that? You get to try more than one fried treat! It’s always good to have a tasting partner…

My favorite new fried item? The Deep Fried Klondike Bar. Warm on the outside, but the fun begins when your fork pierces the chocolate shell to revel the vanilla ice cream (which surprisingly isn’t melted, thanks to an extra cold temperature pre-frying). This is a must-try.

But don’t overlook the Deep Fried Oreos (shown above), now in their 8th year at LA County Fair. Before almost every taping during two days of TV segments, a tray of fried goodness would appear for the newscaster and myself to eat on air. We’d take a bite or two, the camera would stop rolling, and then everyone (fair reps and news crews alike) would pounce on the tray. The Deep Fried Oreos were consistently the treats that disappeared first. Take a tip from the pros, you want to try these.

Eating a chocolate-covered, bacon-wrapped Oreo on NBC’s 6am segment

If you can dip it in Chocolate, why wouldn’t you?
Speaking of Oreos, the item to cause the biggest stir at this year’s LA County Fair was the chocolate-covered, bacon-wrapped Oreos. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you let that sink in for a moment. The sweetness of the chocolate and the saltiness of the bacon, combined with the crunch of the cookie makes this a can’t miss treat. I promise.

And I learned a very valuable lesson at this year’s LA County Fair: if you can eat it, it can be covered in chocolate. The most unexpected option; pickles. I just couldn’t do it, please don’t strip me of my title! The downside to this realization? I’m having a hard time not dreaming of all my food chocolate covered. As I eat my cereal in the morning, I can’t help but think those lil’ flakes would really benefit from a chocolate dip. But it gets a bit weird when I get to my evening salad.

Feeling full? There’s way more to do then just eat!

The Attraction You Can’t Miss…
Shopping! Did you know that food and shopping are the top two reasons people visit the LA County Fair? It’s true, with over 600 vendors there’s very little that the fair doesn’t offer. There are five air conditioned pavilions in the Shopping Place, and they are a fabulous way to get a retreat from the heat.

Personally, I’m a fool for anyone selling something via headset and demonstration (like Danny above, slicing and dicing up a storm). You can find all the favorite “as seen on TV” items, plus so much more.

A few stops I always make:

-JR Watkins vendors for their dip mixes (Tomato and Horseradish is my favorite).
-A spin around at least a few of the jewelry vendors to stock up on costume pieces.
-It’s not a fair if I don’t leave with a shammy or a mop.

Here’s a tip: there’s a shopping shuttle at this year’s LA County Fair! It goes from the Shopping Place direct to the Yellow Gate parking lot. So, rest assured that it’s easy to store your treasures in the car while you explore the rest of the fair. If you plan to power shop, park near the Yellow Gate.

And, no LA County Fair post is complete without a couple obligatory animal pics!

For more information, check out the official sitesee you at the LA County Fair!

Stef is many things. Amongst them: co-editor of we heart this, fair-lover, graphic designer, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie.

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

18 Comments

  1. Is it wrong that I’m craving a Deep Fried Klondike Bar at the crack of dawn? You are a very bad influence, @stef. Thank you!

    Any chance you’ll be posting video clips? I know we’d all love to see you in Fair Foodie action!

  2. I really really want a chocolate dipped pickle! Does anyone else eat something sweet right after eating something salty? I do it all the time. And I love when the two are combined (kettle corn, sea salt & chocolate, choco covered pretzels, etc.)!

    Okay, now back to my boring bowl of Cheerios. Thanks @stef :)

  3. Why is it that everything taste so much better fried? I saw on the local news here they were doing a fried food contest for the Texas State Fair and this year they are going to have Fried Frito Pie! Yum! I haven’t tried a fried oreo but they sure sound delish. My all time favorite is a fried twinkie with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Craving some fried food now!

  4. Who does not love a County Fair? I believe you stef, I so want to try a Deep Fried Oreo! @stef and @tyna must have had the time of their lives! Oh, the animals are adorable – bet you wanted to take some home! LOL! Now, I’m having breakfast, and it’s not what you guys had! Joe’s O’s are just not looking too good now!

  5. Okay, now I want a deep fried Oreos and a baby goat. The baby goat is just for petting, though. Not for eating. Deep fried baby goat just seems wrong…

  6. Deep Fried Klondike Bar!?! I’m pretty excited by this. I’m hoping that my hometown fair will offer them next week! And I LOVE Deep Fried Oreos, but they’re so rich – I usually split my order with someone else. Deep Fried Veggies are also a fair favorite, though not as unique as the others. The choco-pickles I’m not so into…I’m more of a Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt person when it comes to my sweet/salty fixes.

  7. I’m right there with you @turboterp – I want something sweet and fried right now!And sweet with a little salt is the way to go @amandabear – I love how sea salt is being used on so many sweets now.

    @Tiffany – mmm, Fried Frito Pie…wait, what’s a Frito Pie? Can’t wait to hear the answer!

    Oh and @krista – let me know when you get your goat – I’ll move nest door with my baby yak and they can be friends!

  8. @Tyna what do you mean what’s a Frito pie? Time to enlighten you :) I grew up eating these at Little League baseball games. Maybe they are a Texas thing? Take some Fritos, pour chili on top and then lots of shredded cheddar cheese. I think my Elementary school even served Frito pie for lunch. Very yummy. It’s the only way I eat chili.

  9. I’m with you all…must know what the deep fried Frito pie is! I had the deep fried oreos for the first time at the Fair and I couldn’t believe how much I LOVED them. I thought it would be gross. I hoped actually. But @Stef is right…something about heating things up…!!

  10. Ooooooo deep fried oreos…..oh my god. That sounds like a bad idea in the sense that it sounds so good I would not be able to resist eating a ton of them.

    @tiffany- deep fried frito pie?! Awesome. I still have to try regular Frito Pie some time. When I was down in Texas for SxSW my bf kept telling me, “you have to try the frito pie!” so we went hunting around the food vendors for Frito Pie but we couldn’t find any!

  11. My heart aches for every one of you who has not experienced the bliss that is Frito Pie.
    Then again, y’all get deep-fried Klondike bars…I mean, that’s just not FAIR… (Heh…not fair at the Fair…okay, sorry.)

    I shall think of you as I am eating a Frito Pie at the Texas State Fair and adding at least 15 more points to my cholesterol count.

  12. @turboterp – I’m working on getting a little clip reel for the site!

    And Frito pie is awesome! A guy I dated a million years ago in New Orleans made it for me once. I was totally disgusted as he was making it, but one bite and all that changed. Yum, now I want Fritos for breakfast.

  13. @tyna —-awwwww, I bet my baby goat and your baby yak would be bff’s!!!
    Also, if you have a Sonic near you, you can try Frito Pie there–they sell it. Can you say “wrongly good”???

  14. Oh man, I wish I lived on the West coast! I mean, don’t get me wrong, we have the Big E, but it doesn’t even seem to compare to the size of the LA County Fair.

    Now I think I need to try and make a deep fried Klondike bar…

  15. @stef, it looks like you’ve been having so much fun with this gig! I don’t know if it’s PMS or what, but I swear I want to rip that deep-fried goodness right off my computer screen right now and shove it right in my mouth! Haha!

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