If it's fried, it must be at the Big E

Today we made the pilgrimage to The Big E, the multi-state state fair in Western Mass, to do two things:

1) Eat disgusting fried food
2) Check out the farm animals

Let's take them in reverse order.

Cows!



Sheep!



Woolly and naked sheep!



Mexican wrestler sheep!



Just-back-from-jazzercise sheep!



Real Sheep of Beverly Hills!



Okay, enough of that. Now to the food.

One of my goals was to find a place selling deep-fried butter, which debuted at the Texas State Fair in 2009, hit Iowa earlier this year and finally (finally!) showed up on the East Coast.

Butter? Meh! How about this?



It was a tough decision, but we opted for the butter and the Kool-Aid.



The latter, it turned out, would be easy to replicate at home: the secret ingredient is Kool-Aid powder in the batter, with a generous amount shaken like sugar over the dough while it's still hot. Inside, they're a stunning color not found in nature.



And they were pretty good; the slightly tart flavor of the drink powder gave a nice contrast to the sweet dough.

And then to the other. The secret is to freeze the pats of butter so that they don't immediately soak into the dough. There's a pool of hot, cinnamon-sugary butter inside each ball, which means you have to eat them very carefully.



I liked the butter better; The Boy had expected a more salty, savory taste, so preferred the hot pink variety. Neither of us felt the need to eat anything else for a while.

After a couple of hours of sheep/cow/piglet/chicken/goat-gazing, however, we were ready for more. In particular, I had my eye on something I'd seen advertised in previous years but never tried: the Craz-E Burger.

All I knew was that you could buy t-shirts that said something like, "I finished the Craz-E burger!" which led me to assume it was either so huge, or so rich, or so labor-intensive to devour that the few who did so were hailed as champions.

Now I realize that it's because the Craz-E burger is crap.

Thing is, when I think "bacon-cheeseburger inside a doughnut," I imagine a hot, fragrant Krispy Kreme, fresh out of the oven, glistening with melted sugar, enveloping a patty of sirloin, cooked medium. The cheese is melting onto the meat; the bacon is crisp. The flavors dance together, varying levels of sweetness and saltiness playing off each other, creating a perfectly balanced whole.

This is what we got.





The doughnut was cold, the meat was gray, the cheese probably didn't even possess the capacity to melt. And yes, maybe I shouldn't have expected more from something served up at a state fair, but still. It was sad.

Thank goodness happiness was close by.





Hot, salty, with a crisp batter and perfectly soft cheese.

Then, as we have on previous visits, we headed to the houses of the individual New England states for dessert: rich, eggy Finnish pancakes with blueberry sauce;



and fresh raspberries.



And then, just because: a piece of bacon covered in dark chocolate. That's how you do the sweet-salty thing.



All in all, a fun trip, though not one we need to make again for another couple of years. The attractions were pretty much the same as on our previous visit (we later realized we'd taken photos of the exact same food stalls in 2009 as we did in 2011), and state-fair-food trends move so gradually that we're not likely to miss out on the next deep-fried delicacy if we skip a season.

Though I can't say the same about the spring line of sheep fashion ...

Tasty Burger is tasty

Over the summer, my colleagues and I have been monitoring two developments close to our office: a careful stack of fire-engine-red cans that promises to become a Cougar Puma City; and the transformation of an overlooked gas station into Tasty Burger.

One of them has finally opened.

And because some of us have friends in high places, our office got a delivery of Free Burger coupons.



Note that Eric is particularly excited by this.

It's strange how you can walk past a building a million times, but only become aware of its existence once its purpose changes. How could you miss this now?





The Pulp Fiction theme is carried indoors (and to the menu, which includes a Big Kahuna burger.)



For once, I wasn't the only one shooting the food.



I can't tell, but from the timing this might have been for the Boston Phoenix review of Tasty Burger.

We sat outside and ordered: shakes, onion rings, fries, plus cheeseburgers all round.

Would the burger look anything like the one on the coupon?



Um, no. But still:



Sometimes a burger means a dry bun, obtrusive salad, and overwhelming meat. This was not that; this was meat and cheese and lettuce and tomato and bread forming a single entity of soft, warm, salty, comforting juiciness.



Sure, it's not pretty. But where would we be if we only paid attention to pretty things?

The onion rings were a delicate tangle of sweet batter. The fries were thick and soft inside. Next time, I'm getting them with sausage gravy.



Meanwhile, there's still no opening date for Puma City; the friendly security guards have said late summer/September/October.

And Tasty Burger's big sister across the street, Citizen Pub and Oyster Bar, is finally due to debut in a couple of weeks.

So there'll be more chances to pick up something tasty.

Things we ate at the Big E

We went to the Big E in Springfield, partly so I could get my annual fix of sheep and goats, partly so we could check out the terrifying midway rides, and partly because it was a beautiful day.

But mostly, we went to eat.

First, the things we did not eat:













Look! Fresh (deep-fried) vegetables!









Because when I think martinis and sushi, I think state fair.



The "Craz-E Burger" appeared to be the culinary apogee of this year's Big E; there were regular PA announcements reminding people of its existence, and souvenir t-shirts (doubtless only available in sizes L, XL, XXL) proclaiming that the wearer had survived the experience of consuming one.

I admit that I was tempted; I could hear it calling me out ("C'mon, what's the matter? Afraid you can't do it?"). But sanity won out.

And now to the things we did eat.

Corn dog, with a satisfyingly sweet coating and a perfectly done dog:



Mac and cheese, made with Massachusetts's own Granville Cheddar (could have done with more sauce and less pasta, but the cheese was great):



Completely delicious deep-fried cheese curds, with a slight crunch to the batter and a gooey interior:



This made The Boy very happy.



Then we switched to the sweet stuff, beginning with 28 donuts.



Okay, they were only small. But they still filled a bag:



Next, the very necessary flan-like Finnish pancakes, served with blueberry sauce:



Followed by fresh Massachusetts raspberries (see, that's two items with fruit!):



A small helping of lovely creamy rice pudding, courtesy of Down Home Rice Pudding (they also do chocolate and tapioca):



And then — oh, and then — the best thing of all. The food item we'd neglected to try on our previous Big E visit, and subsequently thought about for the next two years.



The deep-fried Oreo.



How to describe? It was like an Oreo with the bass turned up. Soft, warm, sweet; like a hug topped with powdered sugar. Highly recommended.

So the Big E was a resounding success as far as our desire to eat copious amounts of fried loveliness was concerned. We drove home with the smell of cooking grease clinging to our clothes, feeling disgusted with ourselves, and vowing to eat salad the rest of the week.

And debating whether to buy some Oreos. And a deep-fat fryer.

Restaurant Week: Lunch at L'Espalier

Q: What's better than going to L'Espalier for lunch?

A: Going to L'Espalier for lunch during Restaurant Week. Three courses: $20.09.

Q: What's better (or perhaps worse) than having to read a long, rambling post about how well crafted, beautifully plated and generally delicious the food was?

A: Having to look at a whole bunch of photos. (Sorry.)

To begin, a salad of spring greens with rhubarb vinaigrette and Three Sisters cheddar:



And a light, sweet Vidalia onion soup dotted with licorice sugar (dark and explosive on the tongue)



with a tiny island of light, fluffy parmesan flan, topped with roasted almonds.



Next, pork belly with caraway-roasted potatoes and pickled-ginger sauerkraut.





And, for a little extra, one of the spécialités de la maison: juicy, salty sirloin burger with pulled pork (!), served in a toasted brioche bun with Roaring Forties cheese and slaw ...



The burger came with thick fries that were more like roasted potato (a slight crunch to the outside; light and fluffy inside), and a trio of condiments that included a homemade barbecue sauce and a lovely garlic-truffle ailoi.



For dessert: chocolate brownies with crumbled white chocolate ...



And a mango mousse with macademia nuts.



This is allegedly Restaurant Week for Winter 2009. But as of this dessert, spring has officially begun.