By Sandi Masori
DEL MAR, California — We went on Friday to the media night/ opening night of the San Diego County Fair, (which I can’t help myself, but it will always be the Del Mar Fair to me). This year my youngest, Sky, age 11, came with us and had a great time tasting his way through the fair. While we couldn’t keep strictly kosher, we avoided pork, shellfish, and any combinations of meat and dairy. Of course we had to forego any kind of hechsher, and though the portions were large, to eat our way through the fair, we often settled for little tastes.
Instead of me doing the food and fun reviews, this year I turned it over to Sky. We started out by checking out the hat shop right at the beginning of the fair. We didn’t get a photo, but the sequin fedora that Sky found there accompanied us on the rest of our adventures.
Next, of course we had to go to Chicken Charlie’s. This year the new thing was fried filet mignon. Basically that’s chunks of meat battered like fried chicken and then… fried. Sky was so busy eating it that all he could manage to say about it was “Yum”.
Next he went off to Tasti Burger while I waited in line for one of my all-time favorite concession, Australian Battered Potatoes.
Sky had this to say about the sliders from Tasti Burger “It’s well cooked and tastes good”.
This year many of the booths have special “unicorn” themed food. And Australian Battered Potatoes was no exception. So, of course we had to try out the Unicorn potatoes, which were covered in pink ranch dressing with sprinkles. Sky’s eyes lit up when he saw that one and he exclaimed “It’s beautiful, I want it in my belly.” I was skeptical, but it was actually pretty yummy. Owner Carmel Dyer was kind enough to pose with Sky for a photo.
Next up was Eddies Asian Inspired Cuisine where we tried the veggie egg roll. Sky’s thoughts on that? “A large size and a great taste”.
After that we moved over to Texas, Texas Syle BBQ that is. We tried the brisket waffle fries (without the cheese to keep it kosher style). To this he said “The brisket is shockingly good.” I have to agree, the combination just works.
Then we took a little break from the food to go on some rides and play some games. We lost lots of money playing the carnival games, but at the balloon popping booth Sky managed to win a small unicorn, so he didn’t go home empty handed. He also enjoyed the giant slide, the carousel, and especially the fun house.
It was time to venture into dessert. So we stopped at Old Tyme Ice Cream and got, you guessed it, their unicorn offering, which was a unicorn root beer float. What did Sky have to say about that? “The cone makes a nice addition”.
Next up was chocolate chip cookies from Mom’s Bake Shop. Owner Gigi Horowitz, or “mom” posed for a photo with Sky as he enjoyed his cookie. His thoughts on the taste? “MMMMMMM….” and “Nom Nom”.
With all that food in our bellies, we figured it was a perfect time to do more rides. So Sky went on the big giant slide three times. His impression of that? “That is a fast slide, good thing I took my Fedora off”.
It was getting dark and late, so we decided that the ferris wheel would be our last event. Sky’s had this to say “oooooh pretty lights”. It really is a great way to see the whole fair, actually.
As we were leaving I asked Sky his overall impression of the fair this year, to which he replied sleepily, “mmmm…. Unicorns and Potatoes.”
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Masori is a freelance writer based in San Diego.