New this year are these Chicken Pot Pie Pockets! It’s creamy chicken pot pie filling in pastry dough that’s deep-fried to make a portable handpie.
Even more portable? This Frosted Flake Fried Chicken.
Another chicken offering is the Bird Dog, a strip of fried chicken that’s nestled into a hot dog bun and topped accordingly. The Dirty Bird version–which is topped with chili–is new this year.
Also fresh to the fair, it’s a Barbecue Beef Parfait. Check out this serving of baked beans, mashed potatoes, and smoked beef brisket all drowned with barbecue sauce. You can even get it “Arkansas-style” if you add coleslaw.
The Spaghetti and Meatballs Burger, which consists of a meatball patty soaked in marinara sauce and covered in Parmesan and mozzarella cheese with two slices of garlic bread for buns, is mighty misleading. Where’s my pasta!?
There it is! The Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick is a third-time returning champ. It’s a big, beef meatball with spaghetti wound around it that’s battered, deep fried, garnished with Parmesan, and offered up with a side of marinara.
Another meal in a tortilla, these new Thanksgiving Tacos won the fair’s best-tasting and creative categories. It’s smoked turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and dressing all in a flour tortilla. What, no mashed potatoes or vegetables? Wait…it’s the state fair, don’t answer that.
Another new feast option are these Insect Pizzas. For $10 a slice, you can have a plain slice of cheese pizza topped with crickets, scorpions, mealworms, and more.
Also new, these Chocolate Covered Jalapeño Peppers are served cold, but the spice will heat you right up.
Is a regular cinnamon roll too healthy for you? How about this Cinnamon Roll a la Mode? Well, it’s a hot-baked cinnamon roll topped with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
Arkansas State Fair 2017: (continued)
What are these? Nope, not donuts, but Deep-Fried Pineapple Rings. Not sure what they’re garnished with, but I’m betting chocolate and caramel sauce plus some toasted coconut.
Bridging the gap from dessert to dinner, we have S’mores Fries. It’s topped with marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate syrup, and melted marshmallow sauce.
New to the fair, but probably not new to you, is Poutine! It features meatless gravy (!!!) and shredded mozzarella, and it’s $8 for a plate or $10 for a bucket. Speaking of buckets…
Not new but still worth sharing, Grater Taters’ bucket of thinly-sliced and deep-fried potatoes “explode into these cohesive mountains of chips.” It’s $7 for the chips and one topping–chili, cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, and bacon–and $1 for each additional topping.
Want more food in a bucket? How about fries…
…and lemonade? The bucket is $12, and the tanker (100 ounces!) is $20 for a first go, or $6 and $12 (respectively) for a refill.
Human for scale.
Another returning favorite are these Gummi Kebabs. It’s $4 a stick, and the variety looks fantastic.
Last but not least? This Salad on a Stick. It’s $6 for two sticks, each featuring lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and cheese with a drizzle of dressing.
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