Advertisement

The return of Cali's Top 10 fair foods

jeff cali, the ada news, okla.
·4 min read

Sep. 21—Cali's Top 10 Favorite Fair Foods list has finally made its return.

This sports editor made his way to the Oklahoma State Fair on Tuesday and sampled numerous fair food nuggets and — after some degree of difficulty — came up with my 10 faves.

1. Meat Candy On A Stick, B-Rays BBQ

I know some of you guys are shocked that my top pick didn't include bacon. But this treat was amazing. It's burnt ends from a brisket perfectly seasoned with barbecue sauce, a sweet glaze and sprinkled with graham cracker crust. Tender and juicy. It's a must-have at the fair this year.

One of the workers told me they have B-Rays restaurants in Newcastle and the Oklahoma City Stockyards.

2. Cheesy Bacon Bombs, The Bacon Habit

Pepper Jack Cheese covered in dough and wrapped in bacon. What's not to love? But this little slice of state fair heaven has a number of items on the menu to please your taste buds. From their famous bacon-wrapped turkey legs to Beer Cheese Bacon Fries to bacon-wrapped hot dogs and even Hawaiian Chicken with Pineapple (although why anyone would ignore the bacon items for chicken is beyond me), you can't go wrong with this fantastic food vendor.

3. Cheese On a Stick, Browns concession

This will always be one of my top fair foods. I can't leave without one. It's just a corn dog with melted American cheese inside. I love them.

4. Deep Fried Ribs, Smokin' Pistols BBQ

Ok, just the coolness of a deep-fried rib won me over. There's no batter or extra coating. They just dunk ribs in a fryer for a few seconds. It's a solid rib and an intriguing fair food item.

5. Hot Wisconsin Cheese

If you like cheese, this is your place. I have two favorites from these guys — the Cheddar Nuggets and Jalapeño White Cheddar. I might give the edge to the latter because I like things with a kick. They also have a new Colby Cheese on a stick. and everything is made to order, hot and fresh.

6. Ghost Pepper Tator Tots, Project Krave

You folks that don't like the spice, don't run for the hills just yet. These tots were the mildest thing with Ghost Pepper I've ever had, but oh so good. They're homemade tots and you can get them loaded with Philly Cheesesteak, Blacked Chicken or Jerk Chicken. They are all served with a fantastic white queso.

Note: I didn't try them, but one of this stand's best sellers is its Apple Pie Churro Bites served with Caramel Sauce.

7. Silver Dollar Cinnamon Rolls

I got the chance to meet with owner Dan Rowlett and he's been serving these sugary, sticky, delicious morsels for 33 years. He has requests for children of all ages to watch his team make the rolls. It's always the longest concession line at the fair. If you haven't tried them in the past 33 years, what are you waiting for?!?

8. Roasted Corn on the Cobb

I know, some of you folks are saying that's too basic to make the cut. But I just love a good roasted ear of corn dipped in butter with salt and pepper. I tried a new topping this year — Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bite Seasoning. It was delicious.

9. Korean Corn Dogs, Chan's Eatery

Ok so I didn't try one of these, but I talked to several fairgoers who were enjoying them and they told me they were great. On the inside is a hot dog wrapped in Mozzarella cheese. They have three different outside coatings — Cinnamon and Sugar, Hot Cheetos and Potatoes. I'd go for the Potato version first if it were me.

10. Waffle-Wrapped Chicken, Waffle Chix

It's described as "Heavenly Waffles Wrapped around Kickin' Chicken. I was surprised at how tasty this was. It's exactly what it sounds like. A waffle wrapped around some chicken.

There were a couple of items worth mentioning that I didn't get to try. Wendie Rutter, a Stonewall High School graduate, said the Steak and Potatoes at the fair are heavenly.

Also, local Facebook stars Chris Watkins and Bodie Thompson offered their fair food favorites. Watkins said go with the Pork Chop sandwich and Thompson pointed me to the Deep Fried Ribs.

Also, much to my disappointment, I didn't run into any outlandish foods such as Scorpion Pizza and Tarantula Tacos. OK, I made that last one up, but they have indeed served Scorpion Pizza in the past.

The fair runs through Sept. 24. So make plans to go and try a few of the above-mentioned items.