The Monroe County Fair is in full swing, and the smell of fried Oreos, pork tenderloin sandwiches, and sweet lemon shakes fills the air.
Fair food is an iconic part of nearly every county fair, but certain features like corn dogs, kettle corn, and elephant ears are more popular than others. We embarked on a mission to find the weirdest, sweetest, and tastiest foods we could find, and we found some foods you’d never have heard of before. From pickle popsicles to elk burgers, the foods we found were a little unconventional, but still delicious.
Here are Brian and Marissa’s top five favorite foods from the Monroe County Fair.
Best sandwich: Elk burger
Location: Shucker Shack
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Price: $9 (cash only)
If you’ve never tried elk (we definitely haven’t), you’ll have a chance at the Monroe County Fair. Shucker Shack, a Bloomington-based food truck, offers a signature elk burger topped with romaine lettuce, onion, sliced tomatoes, and melted American cheese for $9. The elk itself is tender, almost semi-sweet, with a flavor close to beef and a texture a little like meatloaf. For $9, it’s a fair price. Plus, you can say you’ve eaten elk your whole life.
Our conversation:
Brian: It’s a bit of an unusual taste, but it’s also a normal taste. If it was served to me as a normal hamburger in a cafeteria, I probably wouldn’t flinch.
Marissa: Yeah. I thought moose burgers would be a lot tougher, like deer jerky. This really tasted like a regular burger, so if you’re not a fan of pork tenderloin and want a classic burger, this is a pretty good option.
Brian: Yeah, when I hear “moose,” I imagine something more substantial, but this is a pretty light meal. It’s a nice middle ground for people who come to the fair and want a moderate amount of food, but don’t want to eat anything as heavy as a good ol’ greasy burger.
Weirdest food: Pickle popsicles
Location: 4-H food booth (next to the grandstand)
Price: $1
We walked back and forth through the hall twice, searching for the most eye-catching food we could find, and nothing caught our eye more than the pickle popsicles at the 4-H food booth right in front of the stands. There were a few “cold pickle” options on the other side of the hall, so we half-expected to be handed a frozen pickle on a skewer when we walked in. Instead, we got a fluorescent green pickle juice popsicle with two quarters of a pickle frozen on top. There’s not much to say about the flavor; it’s just frozen pickle juice, so your preference will depend on how well it pairs with pickles. But for only a dollar, I found it to be a fun, cool, refreshing (albeit salty) palate cleanser between meals.
Our conversation:
Brian: I think we’re the first people to order this today.
Marissa: Probably!
Brian: Maybe the first people in history were like, behind my back, “Hey guys, someone actually ordered this.”
Marissa: I love the dynamic of having to start chewing once you get to the point where the pickle is actually on it. It’s a little unsettling, but it definitely adds to the experience.
Brian: It was quite an experience. Probably the most interesting fair food I’ve ever had.
Marissa: I’m not a huge fan of pickles, but these are so light and refreshing compared to deep fried Oreos.
Brian: Yeah, it’s a nice way to take a break from frying. It’s a nice way to cool down.
Best dessert: Ice cream nachos
Location: Sugar Shack
Price: $7
Picking something sweet at the fair is probably the hardest part of the day. We walked past fair staples like fried doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar, gooey cinnamon rolls with a pecan crust, and cotton candy. Ultimately, we have to recommend the Sugar Shack’s ice cream nachos, which are familiar yet fresh for just $7. We chose vanilla, but the Shack also offers chocolate, and we added Oreos and M&Ms as toppings (these are an extra $1). Toppings are plentiful, including chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles, without having to pay extra. The best part about this dish is the circular waffle cone chips that you can dip into the ice cream.
Our conversation:
Brian: I think vanilla is best, especially if you’re adding lots of toppings. Chocolate seems a bit over the top.
Marissa: Eating a cone is a staple of ice cream, but it’s always been a little risky because eating the cone destroys the structure that holds the ice cream in place, so this is an innovative way to achieve the same flavor and texture combination.
Brian: Yes, you can eat waffles and ice cream without worrying about it falling apart or melting. You know what you’re getting. Honestly, it’s really good food. I’m surprised I haven’t seen this before. Every ice cream truck in America should have this.
Best French Fries: Dump Fries
Location: Puppy Shack
Price: $10
No fair day is complete without some form of fries. After considering our options, we opted for the Puppy Shack Dump Fries ($10). Contrary to the name, these fries are a treasure: lightly spiced, thick waffle fries topped with bacon, cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, and sweet and spicy fry sauce. The waffle fries and sauce combination is reminiscent of Chick-fil-A, but with more toppings, making it a staple fair food. Our only complaint was that there weren’t many sliced jalapeños.
Our conversation:
Brian: I think it’s really good. I think the sauce is really great. It was a little sweet and the jalapeños were really good, but there wasn’t too much of them. So I think they could add more jalapeños or just cube them up so it’s more suitable for all groups.
Marissa: I definitely think it should have more jalapeños. It’s pretty messy. So if you don’t want sauce splattered all over your shirt, that might be a factor.
Brian: Yes, I sat down. It might be hard to eat this while walking.
Marissa: This isn’t a walk-and-talk thing.
The best “healthy” foods: fried vegetables
Location: Stand with a poster saying “Fried vegetables”
Price: $12
After the dump fries, we were craving something more nutritious, so we attempted the impossible and looked for something healthy. The fair definitely doesn’t sell fresh fruit or salads, so we lowered our expectations and kept an open mind. We eventually found a stand with a promising poster depicting cartoon vegetables smiling and holding hands. Of course, the vegetables were fried, but they had to be the healthiest thing the fair was friing that day. For $12, this order included slices of broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini, all wrapped in a golden batter.
Our conversation:
Brian: If you had to rank them, how would you rate them?
Marissa: Maybe mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli… and onion rings are onion rings.
Brian: That’s interesting. I would say onion rings. They’re a classic. Then cauliflower, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini. I don’t like zucchini because it’s too thin. I want the zucchini to have a bit of texture.
Marissa: Zucchini is the worst?
Brian: I don’t know. I love zucchini and I love fried zucchini. I guess I just like paper-thin zucchini.
Marissa: Ultimately, I think this is something that should never have been made, and the fact that we live in a world where it exists is probably a bad thing for humanity.
Brian: I don’t know if it’s a good option for everyone. I guess it’s a good option for people who want to feel like they’re vegging out at the fair, but it’s definitely exhausting. Whatever you do, the batter on the fries is really good. It’s very light and crispy and fluffy.
Contact Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com or Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com.
