All together now: Mmmmmmmm, bacon! Photo from Jeff Cohen and Wayne Sutton.
As we get closer and closer to the Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup, we wanted to give you a little more information on what you can expect at the event beyond lots of tweeting, lots of friends and lots of N.C. State Fair lovers.
Last week we told you about some of the fun artists and entertainers we’ll have out at the first Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup. (Who is joining me in getting a Fail Whale painted on their face?)
If you haven’t joined in on the fun yet, be sure to register for the event here, and come out to the Folk Festival tent on Food Lion Hunger Relief Day Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7 to 9 p.m.
This update is the all-important “deep-fried food sample” edition. Since it wouldn’t be a deep-fried tweetup without some deep-fried food, we made sure to roundup some tasty food samples for our tweeps.
If food is the number one reason people come to the N.C. State Fair and tweeting is the number one reason people come to tweetups, we expect some serious “nom nom nom” tweets out of attendees. (Don’t worry: Sodas and water will also be provided to wash down all of this deep-fried yumminess.)
These four foods are also making their N.C. State Fair debuts this year, so come out and be a part of history in the making:
- Funnel cake fries from N & T Concessions. Just like the perennial Fair favorite, but with a portable twist. Who can resist a cross between powdered sugar goodness and the convenience of a french fry?
- Chicken-fried bacon from Chef Thomas’ Chef’s D’Lites. Just like it sounds, these strips of bacon are covered in batter and deep-fried like chicken-fried steak.
- Buffalo chicken rangoons from Raleigh’s own Woody’s City Market. These bite-sized, deep-fried dumplings (similar to the crab rangoons available in many Chinese restaurants) will be filled with some of Woody’s famous buffalo chicken.
- Chocolate-covered bacon from The Murphy House. Bacon lovers will have to contain themselves, since we’ll have not one, but two twists on the ever-popular bacon. A mix of savory, sweet and salty, chocolate-covered bacon got some rave reviews at our pre-Fair media lunch, but you’ll have to come decide for yourself. (Steph’s Strawberries will also have chocolate-covered bacon for sale on the fairgrounds near the Hobbies and Handicrafts Building.)
We were lucky enough to try out the chocolate-covered bacon, and captured our intern The Bearded Lady’s reaction on the video below. (The deep-fried Ho Hos you see in the video will be available at The Murphy House tent near the Grandstand.) We can’t wait to see you at the tweetup and hear what you think!
You should publish a food map of the fair showing where you can find the various items. 🙂
The chocolate-dipped bacon was, at the most, ehh. It was a limp, chewy piece of wasted time. I could have chocolate-dipped the $5 bill I paid for the bacon and had the same experience. It definitely did not live up to the hype.
After eating it I was struck with, “Is THAT what all the buzz has been about?!” Then I realized that the only place I could find selling this “delicacy” was the State Fair Deli in the Education building. Ohhh… so the people hyping it are the people selling it?! Hmmmm. I’m pretty sure I fell victim to a clever pr and marketing campaign concocted by the NC State Fair themselves. Did the pr trick work? Yep, it got me there hunting out this bizarre chocolate meat-treat. Did it pay off? No way.
Hopefully next year, the nice folks in the State Fair offices will hype and sell something actually worth the trip.
Hey JW,
Although the chocolate-covered bacon is found inside the Commercial and Scott Buildings, it is made and sold by The Murphy House restaurant. They are independent vendors just like all of the ones out on the Midway. Stephanie’s Strawberries, near the Hobbies and Crafts building, also sells the bacon. We’ve been reviewing them because it’s the first time we’ve had the new concoction at the Fair, and there’s been some buzz at other fairs. Hopefully you had a good time beyond the bacon!
You must try the Deep fried corn…Rice’s Roasted Corn, has the best Deep fried corn and is definitely worth the money. It is hearty and delicious!!! You must try it…
DEEP FRIED CORN!!!!!