Check out these stand-out treats at the fair, where fried food and sugar still rule
The California State Fair and Food Festival, as it’s known these days, kicked off Friday at Cal Expo with amusement park rides, agricultural exhibitions and a surprisingly strong concert schedule.
Fear not, though: it’s still home to enough fried indulgences and over-sized sweets to make a cardiologist sweat.
Here’s what stands out from the food and drink options that have been posted on the California State Fair’s website so far. Some of these items are available on the Food Festival Pass, which gets eaters $48 worth of select food items for just $34.
Chamoyada from Lynn’s Hawaiian Shave Ice: Mango shave ice sits between two layers of chamoy (a sweet-and-sour Mexican fruit sauce), all topped with Tajín and a tamarind stick from this Rocklin-based business.
Oreo-stuffed waffle sandwich from Pepe’s Aguas & More: This mega-dessert features a Oreo embedded in a waffle, topped with ice cream, strawberry and chocolate syrup, powdered sugar and whipped cream.
Rainbow grilled cheese from Maddy Moo’s: Stretchy cheese dyed green, blue and purple makes this sandwich stand out at a dairy-oriented booth, along with a side of shoestring fries.
Samosa tacos from Wing Mahal: Two housemade samosas are placed in tortillas, covered in a Punjabi-inspired barbecue sauce or tikka masala, then topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and Parmesan cheese. Everything is organic at Wing Mahal, which has a brick-and-mortar Indian fusion restaurant just down Exposition Boulevard from the State Fair.
Caramel apple cinnamon roll sundae from Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls: A classic hot cinnamon roll gets smothered in cinnamon apple slices, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce and walnuts at this longtime stand based out of Madera County.
What I’m Eating
Camon Lee was just 22 when he founded Silver Sake, his informal sushi restaurant in Carmichael’s Marconi & Walnut Shopping Center (he also owns Sushi Kakogan in Rocklin). Nearly 21 years later, it’s predominantly staffed by the next generation, a group of outgoing young friends who eat and drink at Silver Sake even on their days off.
Speaking of drinking ... Friday nights are a true party atmosphere, with sake shots being poured throughout and generally slow service. It’s more family-friendly on other nights — kids even eat free on Mondays — though 22-ounce Japanese beers are still discounted to $5 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Silver Sake isn’t trying to hide its food behind alcohol, though. Salmon and yellowtail nigiri ($7 and $8, respectively, for two pieces of each) were surprisingly flavorful, and the soft-shell crab ($16) appetizer put a crunchy tempura shell around the creamy seafood flown in from Maine.
The pepperfin ($16 for four ounces of albacore, $23 for 6.5 ounces with avocado and fried jalapeños or $28 for chef’s choice of fish) is Silver Sake’s best-known item. Fish comes swimming atop shredded daikon in a smoky ponzu/chili oil sauce, as tasty as it is pretty.
Most non-veggie rolls come with tempura shrimp in the center, and the tango roll ($23) might be the best of the bunch. Decadent and full of contrast, it was filled with spicy tuna and snow crab as well and topped with hearty chunks of barbecued albacore in a somewhat spicy orange sauce.
Silver Sake
Address: 4949 Marconi Ave., Carmichael.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 12-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Saturday, 5-9 p.m. Sunday.
Phone number: (916) 473-6368.
Website: http://silversakesushi.com/
Drinks: Beer, wine and sake.
Animal-free options: A section of vegetarian and vegan rolls, starter salads and tempura options.
Noise level: Medium-loud to loud during dinner.
Openings & Closings
Junior Restaurant & Lounge will host its grand opening Thursday at 390 N. Sunrise Ave. in Roseville, replacing Fahrenheit 250 BBQ. The two-story concept revolves around globally-inspired burgers, pastas and seafood.
Folsom’s newest Japanese restaurant, Hibachi Town, opened in early July in Broadstone Marketplace (2770 E. Bidwell St., Suite 400). Owners Filiberto and Alexis Martinez were the franchisees for fried chicken spot Nash & Tender, which had previously been in that location.
Vegan gelateria Conscious Creamery is shutting down in North Oak Park, owners Andrea and Kevin Seppinni announced on social media. The Broadway Triangle store will close on July 30 or whenever it runs out of dairy-free gelato.
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