Well, we did it. We had our day at the New York State Fair. Excuse my slip. I mean the Great New York State Fair. It was hot, crowded, and slow to get around, but it was still great! What’s not to love about the fair?
Painted horses, spinning round and round, up and down.
Crazy wind men, mesmerizing as they flap through the air.
Time to smell the roses (or other assorted potted plants).
Shopping, shopping, shopping.
The annual sand sculpture…
…and the sand sculptor, hard at work.
The ferris wheel, glowing in the clear evening sky.
Buildings full of prize-winning cows and rabbits, horse shows, butter sculptures, giraffe-feeding, and free Styx concerts. These are all valid reasons for attending the fair. But there’s one main draw for me. Fair food!
Gyros, oozing with Tzatziki Sauce.
Corn dogs, a sweet and savory meal on a stick.
Chocolate-Vanilla Twist Ice Cream, a sweet treat for my sweet kids.
But, I didn’t eat a gyro, or a corn dog, or ice cream. And I didn’t eat the bloomin’ onion, salty butterfly fries smothered with cheese, or fried dough sprinkled in sugar, all of which my family enjoyed. I was saving myself, exercising my most remarkable fair day self-control ever, for this year’s grand-daddy of fair food offerings; Nick Tahou’s Garbage Plate.
Nick Tahou’s is a well-known Rochester, New York joint, famous for its greasy, sloppy, and delicious Garbage Plate. My college days are marked by more than a few 3 a.m. garbage plates. I hadn’t had once since, until our fair day, that is. Boy, did it bring back memories!
The Garbage Plate. A messy mound of deliciousness. Bed of french fries and macaroni salad, topped with two, hot cheeseburgers, then smothered with Tahou’s signature, greasy-beefy hot sauce, chopped onions, and mustard. Other options include hamburger, white or red hot dogs, Italian sausage, or chicken tenders for the meats and baked beans or home fries for the sides.
This year is the first year that Nick Tahou’s has made an appearance at the fair and I certainly hope it’s not the last!
Here piggy, piggy.
Some time later in the evening we found our hunger again. This time, a huge ear of sweet, roasted corn on the cob, brushed with cajun butter, satisfied my cravings.
A creepy clown lured us towards his fried dough van…
…where he tempted us with Funnel Cakes and powdered sugar.
The grand finale of the evening came in the form of twinkie, dipped in batter and deep-fried, until the outside took on a crispy golden brown and the inner cake and cream blended together to create a deep-fried twinkie heaven.
Until next year, dear fair…
In other news…
I’m currently the proud owner of my first domain. You can now find The Gourmand Mom by going to http://www.thegourmandmom.com, which will take you right back here to this site!
And…
I’ve set up an email account specifically for The Gourmand Mom, so to contact me with any questions, comments, or feedback about this blog, you can email: thegourmandmom [at] yahoo [dot] com
The Gourmand Mom 
did you enter any of your delicacies in the bake off?
no… i always forget about it until it’s too late! maybe next year!
Looks like you had a great day… your boys are too cute!
Thank you so much! We did have a great day!
Whew! That Garbage Plate looks like quite the meal. Wow!
Sounds like a fun time!
I just stumbled on your fun blog. You take amazing pictures!
Why thank you so much!!