▼ Café Carny Crunch Cotton candy burrito, Hot Cheeto wings and 6 other standout foods at the Arizona State Fair. BY ALLISON YOUNG W hen in doubt, put cereal on it. That seems to be the motto of the Arizona State Fair’s food this year, with childhood faves like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cap’n Crunch making appear- ances on everything from chicken sand- wiches to funnel cakes. But even if it’s not coated in Crunch Berries, you can count on the fair to deliver hunger-busting, deep-fried, bacon- wrapped, Cheetos-covered, oversized grub that defies physics. This year, the fair kicked off on September 23 and runs each weekend from Thursday through Sunday until October 30. Here are eight delicacies not to miss at the 2022 fair. The Texas Donut at Texas Donuts ($10) No surprise, Texas Donuts serves Texas- sized doughnuts, as in eight-inch wheels of handmade fried dough. New this year is the Homer Simpson-inspired Ay! Caramba! a double exclamation mark doughnut doused in strawberry Nesquik icing and rainbow sprinkles that’s as spec- tacular to look at as it is to eat. Also making its debut is the Mazapan con Lechera, a raised donut coated in a creamy, sweet condensed milk glaze and topped with bold crumbles of nutty Mazapan and chocolate drizzle. Heck, Homer would love ’em both. Bacon Wrapped Turkey Leg at Bacon A Fair ($30) Bacon A Fair is a food stall that specializes in – you guessed it – bacon-wrapped everything. There’s bacon-wrapped cheese served over garlic butter fries, bacon- wrapped stuffed jalapenos, bacon- wrapped corn dogs, and, biggest of them all, Flinstone-sized smoked turkey legs wrapped in bacon. Wrapped is actually an understatement. An entire pound of the salty pork product is hand-coiled around the drumstick and smoked so all that fatty flavor seeps into the Viking-sized slab of meat. There’s no pretty way to eat it. Just go full beast mode and gnaw away. Cotton Candy Burrito at Funnel Lot ($16) What do you get when you take practically a whole bag of cotton candy, flatten it, stuff it with three sizeable scoops of birthday cake ice cream, and roll it up? A cotton candy burrito, duh! With this picture- perfect, pastel-hued mix of two childhood favorites, it’s not just the nostalgia that will get you. So will the taste. The fluffy, cloudlike texture of the cotton candy paired with the rich, dense ice cream and crunchy Funfetti sprinkles adds up to a creamy-yet-airy sugar bomb that’s well worth detonating. Hot Cheeto Wings at Enzo’s Pizzeria ($11) Enzo’s pizza slices are sizeable, wide wedges puckered with bubbly, broiled cheese, and plenty of pepperoni that easily eclipse the plate. But for a real scene stealer, the Hot Cheeto wings are the way to go. One order gets you a half dozen meaty morsels. They’re not shockingly big, but they are shockingly red. These crispy wings are coated in crimson crumbles of the finger-staining snack, a topping that creates a curious salty-spicy-sour crunch that adds a tongue-tingling finish. The heat Fair-goers enjoy sweets and treats at the Arizona State Fair this fall. won’t burn your mouth off, but the side of creamy ranch is there to cool it down. The Agua Fresca at Agua Fresca ($16) Looking to cool down between rides? Agua Fresca is your place. The festive stall may be small, but it delivers big on refreshment with beehive-shaped jars of colorful, thirst-quenching liquid ready to be ladled and sipped. Bright flavors like mango, cucumber lime, jamaica, horchata, and strawberry with milk are made the old- fashioned way with real fruits and vege- tables, freshly squeezed lime, and cane sugar. No premixes here. Extra points for presentation: The Mexican cooler comes in a mini plastic vitrolero keepsake cup rimmed with sticky and sweet chamoy and chunks of mango on top. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Funnel Cake at Dutchmen’s Funnel Cakes ($15) Getting your funnel cake-fix is a fair must. But what flavor? Dutchmen’s delivers a dizzying array of warm, crisp funnel cakes with toppings like Oreo, Nutella, and The Works, a whipped cream dream with fresh strawberries. But for a triple threat of crunch, caramel, and creamy goodness, go for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s like a bowl of cereal, only instead of a bowl, it’s deep-fried dough, and instead of milk, it’s whipped cream. So, yes, infinitely better. This spit-fired sensation at Flaco’s Tacos makes dang good al pastor. Allison Young Al Pastor Taco Plate at Flaco’s Tacos ($17) Follow the smoke to Flaco’s Tacos, a corner booth surrounded by pecan wood and bags of mesquite charcoal. This Al Pastor is a multi-day affair. Meat is marinated in guajillo chili, lime, dried oregano, and garlic for 24 hours. Then, it’s roasted over pecan wood for five hours before juicy bits of caramelized meat are carved off the rotating horizontal spit and combined with Allison Young Allison Young Sweet dreams are made of cotton candy burritos. grilled pineapple on soft tortillas. Pile your plate with salsas, grilled onions and jala- peños for an epic meal that defies fair food. CaptCrunch Chicken Sandwich at Biggy’s ($14) Massive deep-fried chicken sandwiches are nothing new. But this year’s toppings are. Head to Biggy’s for the CaptCrunch Chicken Sandwich, a mother clucker that not only invites caramel cereal to the party, it’s also doused in a sticky and sweet honey raspberry glaze for a finger-licking finish. This is not the best chicken sandwich of your life. A fresher, more billowy bun would have made all the difference. But the golden nuggets of candy crunch add just the right amount of sweet to the savory. Plus, the cereal that falls out with each monster mouthful turns into dessert. Arizona State Fair September 23 to October 30 (Thursdays through Sundays) Arizona State Fairgrounds 1826 West McDowell Road 602-252-6771 29 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES OCT 6TH–OCT 12TH, 2022
