Mmm Fried Everything: LA County Fair Media Preview 2013

Deep fried bacon-wrapped pickle. Did I catch your attention? How about Krispy Kreme sloppy joe? Yeahhhhhh… *flexes muscles* That’s what The Wife and I encountered and more at the LA County Fair media preview event the other night.

Let’s get this party started. I ran into many of my favorite bloggers (and good NICE people all around). Go visit and bookmark these gals: Jamie – MN girl in LA; Keiunta – Free and For Me; Cynthia – Kinda Silly Mommy; Monique – Curves and Chaos; and Denise – Pearmama.

So Cal Lady Bloggers – LA County Fair

Fry Me, B*tch! (Yep, still on a Breaking Bad streak.)

Our first stop was the famous Chicken Charlie’s – home of the fried everything. The man fries EVERYTHING. I bet if I gave him my shoe, he might consider it. The Wife and I tried the Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe ($7.75) and the Totally Fried Twinkie (chocolate). The Joe is a winner! I would eat this. The Twinkie… um… I would try something else like the Totally Fried Klondike Bar. MmmmMmmm ice cream….

Chicken Charlie’s concoctions: Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe and Totally Fried Bacon-wrapped Pickle

Off-topic: Aw man, I think I have a receding hairline.

Aside from my balding head and the crazy heat in Pomona, The Wife walked to each booth to try out their respective specialties. My favorite has got to be Chipotle BBQ Beef “Dirty” Chips from the Tasti Chips booth. These are potato slices cooked in 100% pure allergen-free peanut oil. Then they’re sprinkled with crack. Just kidding. It’s not crack, but close enough – cheese, chives, bbq beef, and blue cheese crumbles (I skipped the blue cheese). This order is going to run you about $13.76. (Note: I spoke to each vendor about pricing during the event; things may change at Fair opening.)

That’s The Wife in blue trying to decide what to order – Tasti Chips booth

Chipotle BBQ Beef “Dirty” Chips – Tasti Chips booth

If you’re health-conscious, why are you reading this blog post? Actually if you have a gluten allergy, you CAN eat Tasti Chips… just order the plain chips. They are gluten-free. Plain Chips will run you $6.75. If you want to add bacon cheddar cheese or jalapeno cheese, add $2.50. I think either way, it’s a win.

So you’re not a fried person… (what are you doing here?) That’s ok! If you’re still a meat-asaurus, I got you, man. Here is my next favorite food item: BBQ Beef Sundae over at the Texas Style BBQ booth. Oh yeah. BBQ beef plus mashed potatoes, topped with a cherry tomato. As my friend Gerrard Panahon would say, #MariahHand! Lift that hand up and sing it,”Nommmmmmmm!”

This baby is going to run you about $7 (includes tax). Holla at yo’ girl. They also serve a BBQ pork sandwich at $9 and a beef brisket sandwich at $10.

BBQ Beef Sundae – Texas Style BBQ Booth

Next up, The Wife’s favorite food booth – Ten Pound Bun. For real. Ten pounds. They start with a 10-lb loaf of bread. Slice it. Then butter it up, slather it with garlic and top with cheese. And then they ask, “What would you like on top of that?”  The Wife loved his Pepperoni Bun ($7.57) so much, he scarfed it down before I could get a picture of it. (Gah! What kind of blogger is he!?? Wait, he’s not. Figures.)

We went back for seconds. He ordered the Meat Lovers Bun ($8.49) and I ordered the Bacon Nutella Bun ($7.11). Voila.

Bacon Nutella Bun and Meat Lovers Bun – Ten Pound Bun

I skipped the Blooming Onion and cheesy fries because I couldn’t eat any more fried food. This old lady has to train for the Disneyland Half Marathon (in 2 days) – I couldn’t eat that much fried so close to race day. But if you check out the other So Cal Lady Bloggers’ posts, you’ll see they loved their blooming onions.

Fresh Frys booth

Not into eating? Are you on a “liquid” diet?

SkinnyBar (aka. RHONY Bethenny‘s cocktails) will be at the Fair, slinging cocktails… and Skinny Vine wine! Right?! Who knew Bethenny had wine? I didn’t? But then again, I’m not a wine drinker. I am, however, a vodka drinker. SkinnyBar is serving Bethenny’s famous SkinnyGirl Cosmos (vodka & cran); SkinnyGirl Twisted (vodka & iced tea); and SkinnyGirl Margarita (Partida tequila, lime, agave). I tried the SkinnyGirl Twisted, and … I will be coming back for more. That ish is bomb.

SkinnyBar – SkinnyGirl Cocktails

If you’re more of an iced coffee drinker (helloooooo), you can stop by the Cornucopia Cafe for iced coffees, teas, and fruit smoothies! Note – The Wife ordered a mango smoothie and he was not a fan. So order that at your own risk. (That’s what he gets for ordering something “natural.” Hehe.)

Also available is the whole wine tasting experience at the Marketplace. You can sample wines from all over the world. It’ll cost $12 for 5 tastes. You can also buy wine by the glass if you’re so inclined. The LA County Fair even has wine education classes!! Who knew!??

So you ask, “Hey Chris Lam, tell me how much it costs to go to the Fair?” I say, here you go:

• Weekdays: Adults – $12; Children – $8; Seniors – $10
• Weekends: Adults – $19; Children – $12; Seniors – $15

But go to a Ralphs, Walgreens, or Costco for discounts. There are deals out there in So Cal to take advantage of for the LA County Fair.

What are you waiting for?? It’s already started!! The LA County Fair is going on starting today August 30 – September 29. I’ll see you there (again). I’m going to see KE$HA – so holla at me if you see me!!

Big thanks to the LA County Fair team as well as Mary (Along Comes Mary) who let me sub in for her at the event.

Disclosure: This was a media preview event. I ate what I could. All opinions my own and honest.