Fried and True: Fair offers up eight great heart-stoppers

I’ll be honest. I love fried food. Ever since I was a kid, finger foods and appetizers have always been on my menu. But as I’ve gotten older and the waistline has started to slowly expand, the golden brown battered cuisine has had to go by the wayside in lieu of vegetable snacks, fruit bowls and lean meats.

But I’m still a sucker for deep-fried delicacies on occasion. So when we were looking for volunteers to write about the top fried foods at the San Diego County Fair, my hand shot up quicker than my cholesterol after “research” for this story.

There are dozens of food vendors that offer fried fare, but the undisputed king of calories is Chicken Charlie’s, based out of Jamul.  Founded by “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian, the stand has been a San Diego County Fair favorite for more than 20 years. What began as just a fried chicken establishment has grown into a nationally-publicized company known for its often bizarre deep-fried delights.

“We started with chicken, but wanted a dessert item, so about 8 years ago came up with deep fried Twinkies,” said Tony Boghosian, Charlie’s brother. “They were really popular, so from there we’ve had to expand and have something new every year.”

Over the years, Chicken Charlie’s has deep fried everything from avocados, to cheesecake, White Castle burgers, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, Oreos, frog legs, and Pepsi cola. New this year is deep fried S’mores.

“We deep fry anything and everything…I’ve lost a couple T-shirts in the process,” Tony said.

Without further ado, here are eight great (with a couple not so great) fried Fair foods:

Deep Fried White Castle Burger ($4.95)
Chicken Charlie’s

If you’ve ever had White Castle burgers, you know how completely addicting they are. Unless, of course, you’re not a fan of…you know…things that are delicious.  You can imagine my childlike giddiness at staring at this golden ball of burger. Harold and Kumar, eat your hearts out! The cheese melted inside the burger, and the bun was soft and warm like it was fresh out of the oven. Sure, your day’s worth of fat is consumed with just one little snack, but it’s well worth it. (Four stars - out of four)

Deep Fried Avacados ($7.95)
Chicken Charlie’s

At first bite, these are actually pretty good. They have a fresh, creaminess to them. But they leave a little something to be desired upon continued eating. The lemon and pesto dipping sauce adds a little bit of flavor. But for the most part, it’s like eating a hot avocado and has the same taste that you soon grow tired of. They come in a basket with about four or five pieces, so I’d suggest going “halfsies” with someone on it, maybe even “thirdsies.”  (Two stars)

Deep Fried Green Beans ($3.50)
Del Mar Diner

Have you ever had green bean casserole? You know those crispy little fried straw pieces that adorn the top? That’s pretty much what these taste like, only without all of the warm, fuzzy Thanksgiving feelings. The deep fried green beans from Del Mar Diner are their (somewhat) healthy alternative to the French fry. Dipped in batter and fried, the beans are the exact same shape, and even come with a ranch dipping sauce (if you swing that way). But there wasn’t anything really special about these…pretty bland. Though on the bright side, they won’t clog your arteries as much as some of the other fried foodstuffs. (One star)

Deep Fried Hot Wings ($7.50)
Chicken Charlie’s

Truth be told, there’s really nothing that separates these from hot wings you’d find in hundreds of restaurants anywhere else in San Diego. Don’t let the term “deep fried” fool you, it’s essentially just a fried chicken wing slathered in buffalo sauce. But you know what? This is America, and buffalo wings are a part of our national fabric and I can’t get enough of them. Good taste in the hot sauce - spicy with a savory flavor, but not “burn your taste-buds off” heat. You could do worse for unhealthy food options at the fair. (Three stars)

See related stories: 2009 San Diego County Fair Guide

Coal miner’s daughter hits the Fair

Eight great things to love about the Fair

OK, we’ve seen the savory fried foods. Now it’s time for the sweet. These babies are the things of your dentist’s happy-go-lucky daydreams.

Deep Fried Oreo ($4.50) & Deep Fried S’more ($4.95)
Chicken Charlie’s

Stellar performance by the good folks at Chicken Charlie’s with these sugary sensations.  Both the Oreo and the S’more keep their shape in the batter thanks to cookie crusts. But what really sets them apart is the “filling.” The Oreo’s cream filling gets warm and sticky while the cookie and fry batter keep it chewy. Same thing with the S’more. The marshmallow and chocolate melt into a gooey mess, but it gets soft and warm. It’s like being around a campfire, only without having to dig your marshmallow out of the ashes. And bugs. Wonderful treats, well worth your time. Give in to sugar! It feels so right. (Four stars)

Deep Fried Snickers ($3.75)
Brander Enterprises

In a word — rich. In two words — too rich. In three words - way too rich! For as perfectly subtle the S’more and Oreo are, the Snickers is just overkill. Full-size Snickers, dipped in FUNNEL CAKE batter, slapped on a stick like a corn dog, and topped with powdered sugar. Really? A chocolate bar and funnel cake wasn’t sweet enough for you? You had to sprinkle sugar on it, like that was going to make it better? All that said, for the sweetest of sweet tooths (sweet teeth?), the Snickers is probably right up your alley. Melted chocolate and nougat are soft and sticky, but the peanuts add a nice crunch contrast in consistency. If you need more energy, save the Red Bull or Rockstar for another time and just put down one of these instead.  Brander also serves a Reese’s whip version of this, which is essentially a chocolate bar (think Three Musketeers) with whipped peanut butter instead of nougat. I would have tried that one as well, but didn’t want to have a sugar crash and be out of commission for the next 5 to 31 hours. (Two stars)

Kookie Cookie Sandwich ($5.95)
Chicken Charlie’s

OK, so this isn’t really a fried food per se, but I was able to sample this as well…This hybrid stepchild of the wildly popular Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich, this concoction features two soft oatmeal raisin cookies, which serve as buns for a white-meat chicken fillet. It’s also slathered in cream cheese and some kind of strawberry sauce. For my money, there’s just too much going on here. I couldn’t really taste the chicken at all, except there was a little bit of saltiness, so it was like eating salty oatmeal cookies. Always fun. I know that there were probably just trying to parlay the success of their previous Krispy Kreme endeavor, but I think Chicken Charlie’s missed the mark with this one. (One star)

So there ya go. If deep fried foods are you’re bag, the San Diego County Fair has you covered. One suggestion: Don’t try them all in the same afternoon. Seriously. It might sound like a good idea, but believe me, it’s not. You’re stomach will thank you.

Eric Yates is deputy managing editor for SDNN.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under 8 great, Food, Lifestyle, Local News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.