There are plenty of reasons to go to the Warren County A&L Fair - The rides, the games, the lights, the livestock and the people you haven't seen since last year's fair.
And then there is the food.
Fair food occupies a strange little corner of the culinary world. It's supposed to be indulgent. It's supposed to be hot. It's supposed to be something you probably wouldn't make at home on a Tuesday night. Most importantly, it's supposed to be fun.
So this year, I decided to do a little exploring.
Rather than trying to name the "best" food at the fair, I wanted to stop at a few booths, try something, and see what makes each one worth a visit. These aren't rankings, and they're certainly not the final word on what you should eat. They're simply three stops that caught my attention.
Moose Lodge: Chicken Tenders and seasoned fries
Let's start with something familiar. Chicken tenders aren't exactly a revolutionary fair-food concept. But sometimes familiar is exactly what you want.
The Moose Lodge's chicken tenders are hot, fresh and crispy, and that's really what you're looking for when you order a basket of tenders at the fair.
The breading has that satisfying crunch when you bite into it, while the chicken underneath stays tender. There's no need to overcomplicate it. They're good chicken tenders.
And sometimes that's all the recommendation you need.
If you're walking around the fair and looking for something straightforward that the whole family can agree on, the Moose Lodge is an easy stop.
Pearls of Christ: The Pearly Gate Chicken Cone
Then there's the Pearly Gate Chicken Cone from Pearls of Christ. This one caught my attention because it takes the familiar chicken tender and turns it into something a little more interesting.
Inside the cone you'll find mac and cheese alongside honey-dipped chicken tenders, creating a combination that hits both sides of the flavor spectrum.
Sweet and salty. Crispy and creamy.
The honey on the chicken brings sweetness to the dish, while the mac and cheese gives it the richness you expect from classic fair food. Neither one completely overwhelms the other.
It's a surprisingly good balance.
And that's what makes this one stand out. It feels like fair food—messy, indulgent and a little over the top—but there's enough thought behind the combination to make it more than just throwing a few popular foods into the same container.
It's the kind of thing you eat while walking around the fair and think, Why don't I eat chicken and mac and cheese like this more often?
Praters/Legacy Allstars: BBQ Sandwich with Hot Sauce
Of course, no trip through a Warren County fair food lineup would feel complete without BBQ. Praters/Legacy Allstars offers a BBQ sandwich that deserves a stop, particularly if you like your BBQ with a little heat.
The first thing that stood out to me was the bark.
There's plenty of flavor on the outside of the meat, but the BBQ isn't so smoky that the smoke becomes the only thing you taste. That's important. Good BBQ should taste like more than a smoker.
Inside, the meat is juicy, with enough moisture to keep the sandwich from becoming dry without turning it into a pile of mush.
Then comes the hot sauce.
It adds some heat without completely taking over the sandwich. Instead, it works with the meat and the bark, giving the sandwich another layer of flavor.
That's the kind of BBQ I like to find at a fair: something familiar, but done with enough care that you stop for a second and appreciate what's in your hand.
More Than Just Fair Food
The best part about walking through the A&L Fair looking for food is that you don't have to make it complicated. You can grab a basket of crispy chicken tenders. You can try a chicken cone with mac and cheese and honey. You can find a BBQ sandwich and add a little heat.
And there are plenty more booths waiting to be explored.
That's part of what makes fair food so much fun. You get to wander. You get to try something you wouldn't normally order. You get to see what local groups, organizations and vendors are bringing to the table.
So don't take my word for it.
Go hungry, walk around, try something that catches your eye and make your own conclusions.
I'll just keep looking for the next bite worth talking about.