Big E offers preview of fair food

Aug. 26—WEST SPRINGFIELD — Food is always a highlight at the Big E, from the plethora of fried foods to the classic Big E Bakery cream puff, nothing is left off the menu across the 175-acre fairgrounds.

This year, at the annual media tasting near the Carriage House on Thursday, diversity was spotlighted in an array of flavors, from the traditional cream puffs to Lebanese food, to Puerto Rican, to vegan soul food.

"Food itself is entertainment," Big E President and CEO Gene Cassidy said. "These folks come out and create amazing restaurant quality food. If you roll back the clock 20 years and you thought about what you ate on the fairgrounds, it doesn't compare to what we see here on display. We have a lot of healthy opportunities ... and obviously all fried what you can imagine.

"We tried something interesting last year," Cassidy said. "We sent out a survey and we asked our fair-going patrons what they would like to see on the fairgrounds and one of the things was a vegan dish, which is not really well known in the fair industry. But we found one and brought them in."

Here are some of the vendors spotlighted on Thursday and what they offered.

THE BIG E BAKERY

Big E Chocolate Cream Puffs

Location: New England Center, the Food Court, and The Avenue ShowPlace

The Big E Bakery is a staple at the fairgrounds with its classic cream puffs. This year, they've gone dark and decadent with a new chocolate cream puff.

EJ Dean, purveyor of the bakery, said, "It's decadent sweet and delicious."

But if the chocolate cream puff isn't enough chocolate, there is the Chocoholic, which is a chocolate cream puff topped with a chocolate ganache.

STORROWTON TAVERN SOUP SHACK

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie in a Bread Bowl

Location: Avenue of States

Storrowton Tavern has taken its classic chicken pot pie, and is now serving the hearty classic filled with generous chunks of carrots, celery, and chicken in a bread bowl.

"It's a fall classic," said Chef Antoine Alston. "It's a hearty stick-to-your-ribs meal. It's something that we always have, but we've never put it in a bread bowl."

V-ONE VODKA

V-One Double Espresso Vodka Martini

Location: New England Avenue

The Hadley, Massachusetts, vodka makers introduced their Double Espresso Vodka this year. Though labeled double espresso, the espresso flavor doesn't overpower the palate in V-One's Espresso Martini, giving it a smooth, creamy flavor.

"It came out two months ago," owner Paul Kozub said. "The espresso martini is the top martini in the United States and we're featuring it this year. We're made with real Arabica beans infused in there. We're 100% coffee."

THE PLACE 2 BE

Cotton Candy and Maple Vanilla milkshakes

Location: The Front Porch

Maybe the most decadent new item on the menu this year at the Big E is The Place 2 Be's Cotton Candy and Maple Vanilla milkshakes.

Their gooey mix of savory and sweet concoctions will be a marvel for sweet tooths at the fair.

The Cotton Candy Milkshake is topped with buttercream, cotton candy cheesecake, cotton candy, cotton candy bites, and raspberry drizzle.

The Maple Vanilla Milkshake is topped with butter pecan syrup, chicken and waffles, and buttercream with butter pecan drizzle.

They also come topped with a little rubber duck.

"We try to push the envelope and bring something different to the Big E," culinary director Xavier Santiago said.

VILLA OF LEBANON

Variety of Lebanese food

Location: Young Building

This is the first year the Villa of Lebanon restaurant of South Windsor has attended the Big E, and they have brought a veritable smorgasbord with them. On the menu will include mixed tapas including house-made baklava, Syrian bread, grape leaves, fava bean salad, smoked eggplant baba ganoush, Mediterranean blend salad, chick pea salad, and hummus.

"Everything is house made with fresh farm- to-table herbs," Mila Alhusseini said.

TWO WEEKS NOTICE BREWING COMPANY

West Side Big Slide IPA and Weekend Warrior Lager

Location: Local Brewers Showcase

West Springfield brewery Two Weeks Notice Brewing Company is making its Big E premiere as well, spotlighting two of their beers, the West Side Big Slide IPA and the Weekend Warrior lager.

The West Side Big Slide IPA is a flagship brew featuring notes of pineapple and melon said assistant brewer Jeremy Leary.

Owners Mark Avery said the Weekend Warrior is a Mexican-style lager that is an easy drinking beer for people who aren't fans of IPAs.

SOULFULLY VEGAN

Soulful Burger and Spicy PB&J Burger

Location: The Front Porch

SoulFully Vegan is making its Big E premiere this year with a spicy blast of vegan soul food.

Their spicy PB&J burger is a robust blend of sweet, salty, and savory on a vegan burger patty that has a texture reminiscent to a sausage patty.

"Our spicy PB&J is one of our best sellers," said Allison Vaughan, who owns SoulFully with her husband, Calvin.

The Soulful Burger, she said, has a bit of a bite to it but has sweet plantains on it that complements the heat.

"We are the first vegan food truck in the history of the Big E," she said. "We're very proud of that."

SASSY SWEET POTATOES

Sweet Potato Tacos and The Cape Codder

Location: East Road

Sassy's Sweet Potatoes is featuring a mix of traditional and a Mexican twist to the classic sweet potato.

They have the Cape Codder, a traditional roasted sweet potato with homemade cranberry orange compote with pecans, and Sweet Potato Tacos, with cilantro lime rice, sweet potato root vegetable mash, and non-dairy Mexican street corn.

LAS KANGRIS

Arroz Con Grandules and Pernil al Horno

Location: Young Building

For some authentic Puerto Rican food, visit Las Kangris, where you can get arroz con gandules — rice with pigeon peas — and pernil al horno — baked pork shank.

"This is our first year," said co-owner Daleris Torrales.

"This is very traditional Puerto Rican food," Torrales said, seasoned with authentic flavors like sofrito, garlic, and cilantro.

HARPOON BEER HALL

Various fully loaded pretzels and triple decker grilled cheese

Location: New England Avenue

Harpoon Beer Hall is featuring a variety of delicious pretzel twists this year, and a gooey, buttery, cheesy triple decker grilled cheese sandwich.

Emily Potter, marketing coordinator for Bean Restaurant Group that has partnered with Harpoon, said featured pretzels include a pizza loaded pretzel, the Sweetie Pie with cinnamon and sugar, the Plain Jane, and the Big Dill with bacon cheese and pickles.

"You got to go big or go home," Potter said about the triple decker grilled cheese. "But we wanted everybody to have the comfort foods that they like and the flavors that they love in a new fair festive way."

CHA FEO

Passionfruit, Brown Sugar, and Lemon & Life Boba Tea

Location: Young Building

Boba tea has become a cultural crossover hit in the United States over the past few years. The beverage that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s is the featured drink at Cha Feo, which features chewy tapioca balls in the bottom of the drink mixed with any variety of flavors.

"We're the first Asia boba tea store in the Young Building," said Eddie Chan, director and general manager of Cha Feo. "We're bringing six different flavors."

The boba teas that were spotlighted Thursday were the Passionfruit Boba Tea — jasmine green tea with passionfruit jam boba and lychee jelly; the brown sugar boba tea with milk, with boba in brown sugar flavored whole milk; and the lemon and lime boba tea with green tea with lemon and lime juice.

BAKERY ON BREWER

Pumpkin and Apple Bacon fritters

Location: New England Avenue

For those looking for a traditional sugary fried snack, look no further than Bakery on Brewer with their pumpkin fritters rolled in cinnamon sugar, and their apple bacon fritters topped with honey.

"They're phenomenal, you'll really have to try them," Bakery on Brewer owner Angelo Alduini said.

The Big E in West Springfield runs Sept. 16 to Oct. 2. Connecticut Day is Sept. 21. For more information, visit: thebige.com

For coverage of local restaurants, cultural events, music, and an extensive range of Connecticut theater reviews, follow Tim Leininger on Twitter: @Tim_E_Leininger, Facebook: Tim Leininger's Journal Inquirer News page, and Instagram: @One_Mans_Opinion77.