Chowdown Showdown: Fair Food Edition

Like all fairs, upon your arrival to the you'll be immediately greeted by scents.

The delivers smells galore. Primarily grilling but also livestock.   

Some of that grilling is coming from the Kendall County Pork Producers. For $3.50, the first thing I treated myself to was a pork-burger with cheese. Ooh, was that tasty. The meat was tender and delicious. Think of a mild brat burger.

For the same price, I also checked out a well-done hamburger made the proper way, with beef. Very tender and delicious meat. Though my burger was pre-made and served out of a roaster, the grill flavor was still strong. From the looks of the other offerings, the Kendall-Grundy Beef Association booth is the prime stop for lovers of grilled meats.   

Six dollars buys a funnel cake. I can't believe it but, in hindsight, it was the best funnel cake I've ever had. It was actually the FIRST funnel cake I'd ever had. It had a great blend of soft breadiness and a crisp, delicate crust. And that bad boy was chock full of powdered sugar on top.   

As a Type 1 diabetic, I'm sure my doctor would be thrilled at my dietary choices. But it's a fair. And I take my responsibility of informing Patch readers about food choices very seriously.   

Which is why I'll recommend you stay away from the onion blossom. The booth serving the onion blossom didn't appear to have a name but it was the only one there serving the dish. The breading was way too flimsy and thin, and the onion was limp and flavorless. It came with a 1-ounce cup of ranch.   

If you decide to ignore my advice in the previous paragraph, at least heed this advice - get two cups of ranch right away. You'll need it.   

My beautiful wife Katie had a corn dog. She said it was excellent. She said it tasted just like a corn dog should. I'm not sure how much variation there is in corn dogs with flavors, textures, etc., but she seemed to be thrilled to have eaten it.   

That was all we got to sample. There are a great many more food offerings at this years Kendall County Fair - there was even a booth dedicated solely to Mexican food - and I saw happy-looking people walking away from every booth.   

Given that this is the Chowdown Showdown, however, I have to declare a winner. That winner is Kendall County's own Pork Producers' pork burger. It really was an interesting and unexpected treat.