Clay County Fair: Bushels of Fun: Fair Food!

I would venture to say the Clay County Fair is the greatest county fair. I know many people, including myself, sometimes prefer the Clay County Fair to the Iowa State Fair, which is indeed a great state fair (I've been to other state fairs so I can compare). My mom, my sister Sarah, and I traveled to Spencer, Iowa, to attend the fair on Monday. It was meant to be a very hot day--99 degrees it was forecasted, but to me, hot is hot and I didn't really mind it too much.

One of the most important things that had to be done at the fair was for Sarah to eat a pork tenderloin. The Iowa pork tenderloin sandwich is apparently something you just can't find in Washington. After browsing the vendors in the commercial buildings, we found this stand outside the Livestock Pavillion:


Town House Tenderloins is a new stand at the Clay County Fair. To the right of the truck, they have a tent set up where they cut, tenderize, bread, and fry the meat fresh right there. These are not prepacked frozen tenderloins!


An egg wash helps the breading stick, and cornmeal in the breading makes it extra crunchy.

Sarah said it was the best she'd had in Iowa this trip (she had three!). Our mom got one too, but they were so large, she shared it will another fellow in line. I'm a vegetarian and I even thought it looked pretty good. It was $7.50 for the sandwich.


My favorite fair "meal" is toasted ravioli. It is breaded and fried ravioli, filled with spinach and artichoke (four cheese or meat are the other options), served with marinara dipping sauce. I did not get a photo, but I've had it every year that I've gone to the Clay County Fair. $7.00 for about seven or eight ravioli.

Some other treats I had:


Cinnamon toasted pecans, still warm. Served in a paper cone. $3.00 for "snack" size. (I'd eaten half already by the time I took this photo.)


Wyman's Spudnuts. Looks like a glazed doughnut, but made with dehydrated potatoes. Airy, but denser than a regular doughnut. A classic. Also one of the least expensive treats you can get at the fair--only $1.50!

More to come on the fair!

Comments

Popular Posts