Day 8 at the NYS Fair: Today’s handpicked menu and schedule

The crowd waiting for Bret Michaels to perform in Chevy Court at the New York State Fair on Tuesday. (Charlie Miller | [email protected])

Geddes, N.Y. — For a somewhat dreary weekday, the Fair vendors slinging food kept busy. The two evening concerts — Bret Michaels and Tyler Hubbard — helped draw 51,464 to the Fair, and those 51,464 folks had to eat and drink somewhere. Lines seemed just as long as last weekend.

Despite short waits, we could still get to try plenty of good grub. That includes boiled nuts and an Italian dinner on a bun.

Let’s have at it.

In a meeting to plan our State Fair coverage, my boss lifted a line from the classic movie “Animal House” as a parental-like suggestion: “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, Charlie.” To which I replied, “Why not? It’s the Fair.” After all, I write about food and drinks for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard, and I rely on readers to tell me what’s good. That’s what I do at the Fair too. If you find something that makes your belly smile, text me at 315-382-1984 and I’ll give it a shot. I might join you for a meal or drink and pick up the tab if I write about it.

Mid-afternoon snack: Think of boiled peanuts as the South’s answer to Central New York’s salt potatoes. Since you can’t find our own salt potatoes at our own State Fair, you might want to shell out $8 for a box of boiled peanuts from Ken’s Hen House in the Pan African Village.

Kevin Henry Sr. has been cooking his southern recipes at festivals and clambakes for 18 years. He finally brought his Hen House to the Fair in 2012, and it’s since grown into a must-stop for Fair foodies. Surprisingly, his boiled Virginia legumes are meant to be a side dish for his chicken, be it fried, curried or jerked.

“They get more popular every year,” Kevin said Tuesday evening. “I thought I had enough peanuts to last me the whole Fair, but I just had to place another whole order to get me through to the end.”

An order of boiled peanuts from Henry's Hen House in the Pan African Village at the New York State Fair. (Charlie Miller | [email protected])

Kevin’s selling himself short by listing boiled peanuts as a side dish. Kind of like salt potatoes. You can fill up on these easily. And get this, boiled peanuts are actually good for you. They have nearly four times the number of antioxidants found in other kinds of peanuts, so we have that going for us.

Whatever you do, don’t attack these like you would a bag of in-shell peanuts at a baseball game. I, like some of you not-so-normal folks out there, chuck the whole nut into my mouth, shell and all. With the boiled peanuts, though, you get a different experience. Kevin bathes these in one cup of salt to every gallon of water overnight. Then they get a good boiling.

When they’re done, somehow they’re not overly salty. They’re OK with the shell on, but you get more of the true peanut flavor if you just drop the shell on the ground. The meat inside is soft ... like a salt potato.

When I order boiled peanuts this afternoon, I’m going to ask for a side of butter.

Late dinner: Fair haters gloat in stereotyping our food. They assume Fair fare must be a simple combination of deep-fried ingredients thrown together in a way that’s easy to carry along as you laugh at the next person with an “I’m With Stupid” t-shirt.

Not the Fair Deli. This stand between the Midway and the Poultry Building packages a full meal into an easy-to-carry cardboard boat. For those of you not from around here, or for the locals who just don’t know, the Fair Deli has a shop a mile west of the Fairgrounds that prepares some the of best sandwiches in the Syracuse area.

The Gotti, for example, is a portable Italian dinner on a roll. It’s a lightly fried chicken cutlet topped with homemade chicken riggies and parmesan cheese on a locally made sub roll.

Three real adults and I tried to share this so-called sandwich ($17), a couple orders of the bocce-ball-sized meatballs and a slice of tiramisu cheesecake from Big Mama’s. We could’ve used a couple oversized guys to help us finish this. Owner Murad Marji questioned my resolve.

“People are buying those like crazy,” he said. “You could’ve gotten a to-go box.”

I did, Murad. What do you think I had for breakfast this morning?

The Gotti from the Fair Deli located across from the Poultry Building at the New York State Fair. (Charlie Miller | [email protected])

Beer of the day: Local businesses love sticking up for each other. Erinn McDowell of the Beer Garden is doing just that today. Her beverage bonanza will be featuring a mix of two local companies. She and her bartenders will be pouring the Middle Ages X Recess Coffee Stout.

Middle Ages and Recess Coffee came together to make this approachable coffee stout.

“I think everyone should try one,” she said. “If people are into the coffee but intimidated by the stout, Recess is on the Fairgrounds just beyond Gate 1.”

>> Detailed daily schedule for Wednesday, Aug. 30

>> The Seven Wonders, 1 p.m. at Chevy Court

>> Chapel Hart, 6 p.m. at Chevy Court

>> Ann Wilson, 8 p.m. at Suburban Park

Tickets: Entry to the fair is $6 for an adult. Seniors 65 and older get in free. So do kids 12 and under. You can buy tickets online in advance. You won’t be able to pay cash for tickets at the gate — you’ll need to purchase them on your phone, or using a kiosk at the gate. Your best bet? Get them ahead of time.The fair is offering a new “frequent fairgoer” ticket this year. It’s $20 and gets you access every day.

Hours: The Fair is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. Buildings are open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. The Midway is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., but it closes at 9 p.m. on Labor Day.

Parking: Parking will run you $10 per car this year, up from $5 in previous years (you can thank New York’s lawmakers for that). You can pay with EZ Pass Plus or with a credit card at entrance to the parking lot. You can also buy parking passes in advance online.

Other rules: Smoking is only allowed outside the gates in designated area. You can bring coolers with food and non-alcoholic drinks. No pets are allowed, unless they are working dogs or in a competition. Visitors must wear a shirt and footwear. Alcohol will not be served after 10:30 p.m. each day.

State Fair newsletter: Stay up-to-date on all New York State Fair news, food, music, schedules and more with our free newsletter.

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Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at [email protected]. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.

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