Do I have any barbecue sauce on my sunglasses?
I had to ask another journalist that question Wednesday morning while taking part in a food tour of the PNEs midway. I couldnt check myself because my fingers, and much of my notebook and pen, were covered in the sticky, red saucethe lifes blood of the barbecue Pit Masters grilling at this years Fair at the PNE.
Only after I inquired about the state of my sunglasses did I realize that the person I asked, whom I had never met before, had barbecue sauce smeared across much of her lower face. Youve got a little there I said, gesturing towards her chin with my one clean pinky finger.
The visit to these barbecue aficionados was the final stop on the tour organized to highlight the more unusual and new food offerings at The Fair this year. I was happy because I had the opportunity to try the barbecued brisket and ribs slow-smoked and lovingly created by North Vancouvers Justin Kyllo and family, whom I had interviewed and written about two days prior. Its a rarity in this job to have the opportunity to follow up a story in such an up-close and personal manner. And the hometown barbecue master delivered what he promised, a sweet and spicy rib slow-cooked and smoked to perfection.
Earlier this year I wrote a travel story about a visit to Morimoto Restaurant in Waikiki in which I described Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as an evil genius for introducing me to his concept of pre-dessert, a dessert served before dessert. But after this food tour I confess there is new evil genius at work and its name is the Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cakes. The kiosk is serving the hottest trend in deep-fried food fair, which this year is the deep-fried Pop-Tart. And just when you thought the concept couldnt get any more trailer trash, after the Pop-Tart is dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried, its sprinkled with Fruity Pebbles cereal, a dollop of whipped cream and topped off with rainbow-coloured sprinkles. I was hoping it would taste as disgusting as it looked, but alas, the deep-fried Pop-Tart was a heavenly bite of gooey, sweetness with just the right amount of texture and crunch thanks to the addition of the multi-coloured cereal. (Ive been watching way too much Food Network.)
Our next taste test included an introduction to the Colossal Blooming Onion at an off-shoot to Jimmys Lunch, which has been serving hamburgers to fair goers since 1929. The fried onions at Jimmys are as iconic to The Fair as the vintage wooden roller coaster, but with a new generation at the helm, a new generation of onion follows. The Blooming Onion is a whole onion cut to resemble a flower, twice-battered and deep fried, served in this case with a chipotle-mayo dipping sauce. One serving at Jimmys has about 1,000 calories. It was at this point in the tour PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance interjected and ensured us all there are many healthy food options at the PNE and the Deep Fried Pop-Tart and Blooming Onion should be considered more of a treat. Yeah, like Im going to the PNE for salad. Besides, youll wear off those calories walking the midway and screaming at the top of your lungs on new rides like the Atmosfear.
Another food kiosk making waves this summer at the PNE is Crazy Dogs, with offerings like the Pepperogi, which combines perogies and pepperoni. I indulged in a bite of the Unroutine Poutine topped with, you guessed it, French fries and gravy. My Courier colleague Megan Stewart went straight for the Mac Cheesey, topped with scratch-made macaroni and cheese, while we ordered the Double Dog Dare Ya to take back to the rest of the newsroom stuck at the office. At two-feet long, the Double Dog boasts a 24-inch sausage topped with chili, bacon, grilled onions and cheese sauce. Of course a pictures worth a thousand words, so the Double Dog can been seen in all its meaty glory as part of a photo gallery of the food tour at vancourier.com.
Twitter: @sthomas10
