Fairly Edible: Fair Food Around Tulsa
By: Ben Kimberling
With the Tulsa State Fair being closed due to COVID-19, everyone's favorite part of the fair is nowhere to be found...the food! I went around Tulsa to find the best available fair foods to satisfy the craving of overly-topped and fried food that everyone loves and hates.
Coney Islander - Chili Cheese Dogs
The Tulsa favorite, Coney Islander, is a must go for chili cheese dogs. I decided to go all out when putting toppings on in the state fair fashion, but you can pick and choose whatever you like. The mountain of condiments and toppings, while being a little chaotic, complement the chili and the coney hot dog well. Being a classic fair food, it is very accessible. I went to the Coney Islander off Jenks Main Street. I got these through takeout and the service was very efficient. This cost me 1.89 and 1.59 for a medium soda, which is definitely an improvement from the sometimes pricey fair food truck hot dogs.
Weber’s Superior Root Beer Drive-in - Corn Dogs
Although they may not be the epic, footlong, corn dogs you find at the fair, Weber’s sticks to the classic taste of a good corn dog. They are warm and crispy, and go great with the mustard and classic root beer. Weber’s is located on Peoria, and you can drive-in to a classic style outdoor restaurant. This corn dog cost me $3.25 and then an additional $2 for a classic root beer.
Waffle That - Loaded Fries, Crazy Waffles
Waffle That is not slacking when it comes to overwhelmingly topped and fair-oriented comfort food. I tried two things, their Loaded Fries, and the Cookie Butter Chicken And Waffles. The waffle fries were covered in ranch and hot sauce, and there were also bits and pieces of chicken all throughout. They were delicious, the mixture of hot sauce and ranch just worked well. I had to be careful and eat what I wanted quickly because the fries get soggy understandably quickly.
Next, I tried the Cookie Butter Chicken and Waffles.This was definitely a breakfast fever dream. The waffle at the bottom was alright, but what matters is what was on top. First, a layer of sweet cookie butter sauce and whipped cream that made each bite complete. Then, a few pieces of chicken followed by some bananas. I think the chicken is a great neutralizer with all of the sweet stuff present. The Cookie Butter Chicken and Waffles cost me $12.99, along with the Loaded Fries which cost me $10.99. Waffle That is located up north on M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.
Ramsey’s Steak and Grill - Deep fried oreos, deep fried cheesecake, and funnel cake
From Ramsey’s, I tried the fried cheesecake first. To be honest, I did not like how the palettes mixed with each other. The cheesecake on the inside was warm, which was to be expected, but it still threw me off, and just made things heavier on top of the fact that it was deep fried.The golden layer of fry on the outside was done right, and was the right amount of airy and crispy for something like this.
Second, I tasted the deep fried oreo. I definitely liked this more than the cheesecake. The way the oreo crumbles inside of the fry is just perfect; however, with most fried delicacies like such, the fry taste definitely overpowered the taste of the oreo; Nonetheless, it was alright and I think oreos translate better deep fried than cheesecake.
Last but not least, I tried the funnel cake. Under the mountain of powdered sugar was a light and crispy layer of funnel cake. I enjoyed this funnel cake as it is definitely just like a funnel cake you would get at the fair. The fried cheesecake sampler cost me $6.99, the deep fried oreos cost me $5.99, and the funnel cake was $5.99. Ramsey’s Steak and Grill is located on Sheridan Rd.
Hopefully you found something here that satisfied your crazy fair food needs. I was quite surprised that some of this stuff is readily available in Tulsa.
To learn more about the Tulsa State Fair, go to https://www.tulsastatefair.com/