New food featured at the Puyallup Fair

By Kristin Kendle on September 4, 2012

People venture to the Puyallup Fair for many reasons-rides, shows, competitions, tradition. But no one can deny the draw of greasy, buttery, and well-sugared fair food. This year brings a number of new sinful treats to the fair. New treats designed to up the ante on how naughty fair food can be, while simultaneously luring you in.

Some new treats are simple, like the Slush Creams and Flavor Burst Ice Cream at Nouvelle (near the Beef Barn). Apples make a fine showing among the new foods across the board. Nouvelle has an Apple Wallup-sweet dough baked with apples, cinnamon, and other toppings. The International Village Dessert Bar will offer Cinnamon and Carmel Apple Fries complete with all manner of sinful toppings. And Marcoe's Carmel Apples is debuting a number of new apple treats from the Tuxedo apple (white chocolate and chocolate chips) to the Peanut Butter Fudge Apple to the perhaps most anticipated Bacon Apple (a caramel apple rolled in real bacon pieces).

The Sausage Shack just outside the southeast corner of Showplex is also offering homage to baconkind with bacon wrapped hot dogs and sausages.

Fried food is one of the biggest draws at fairs across the country, and Puyallup Fair is no exception. While many food booths offer fried items, Totally Fried close to the Gold Gate has got you covered whether you seek fried Twinkies or fried mac and cheese. This year, new items include fried chocolate cake, bubble gum, PBJ, salsa fritters, buffalo chicken, artichoke hearts, and lemonade (heavy cream infused with lemonade).

Every year, the fair fried food lineup tries to top itself. How do they decide where to go next?

"We just look at all possibilities and then try it, alter our approach and keep trying until we fell it is right. Several items never make it as we just do not feel they are something that would put a grin on a customer's face," says Ben Hilberg, president of Premier Services Group, which operates Totally Fried.

All Totally Fried's items are fried in trans-fat-free oil, too. Hilberg says none of their items have a greasy flavor as a result.

The fair also welcomes a completely new restaurant-Lady Luck's Cow Girl Up, run by Tacoma's Lady Luck's restaurant chef Danny Sluff. The restaurant will be located near the south skyride station and is taking over the former Howard's Hitching Post.

"We've introduced some things that the fair's never had before," says Chef Danny. "One big thing is that we're doing a 10-ounce rib eye steak dinner, char grilled to order. We're serving it with baked beans, coleslaw, French fries, and garlic fries. Also something new to the fair is that we're doing actual sit-down service. You can come into the cantina if you're 21 or older and actually get service."

Lady Luck's will also have garlic parmesan fries, burgers and a veggie sandwich on pretzel bread, nachos, and more. Pretzel bread has never before made an appearance at the fair either. They will be serving food at the first week of the rodeo, too. On the menu at the rodeo? Rocky Mountain Oysters, aka bull testicles.

But perhaps the most exciting addition to both Lady Luck's and the fair is an ooey, gooey sweet potato treat-a waffle cone stuffed with sweet potato fries.

"I topped it off with a warm marshmallow fluff and finish it off with a drizzle of caramel sauce. The combination really really works together. You eat it like an ice cream cone, you don't pick the fries out. It stays together really well and, yeah, it's sinful," says chef Danny.