Opposite the Dorton Arena there's an entrance to the Jim Graham Building. Leading down the driveway to that entrance are a couple of food booths and a handwashing station. The booth next to the handwashing station and closest to the building sells Apple Fries. It's is in its first year at the Fair.
The concept around apple fries is simple; Granny Smith apples are cut up like fries, dipped in batter, fried, and dusted with cinnamon sugar. And served in a bowl because I suppose they'd be pretty hard to kebob.
Apparently they're doing brisk business; my friend Kyle and I had to wait for a fresh batch of 'fries to be made up. It was worth it; hot apple-y fries! We took them over to the lawn at Dorton Arena so we could listen to the band and taste test at the same time.
Kyle took a couple and I took a couple. We chewed thoughtfully to the strains of Tequila. "French toast," he said finally. "It reminds me of French toast."
"That's funny," I said. "It reminds me of apple pancakes, only with way more apples and way less pancakes." A ratio I could live with, I thought, reaching for another.
We argued about it back and forth until we agreed that while the taste was very similar to apple pancakes, the texture was much closer to French toast -- the apples were firm and not-quite-crunchy, unlike the more-mushy texture of apples in pancakes.
By that time the bowl was empty. We had scarfed the apple fries. They were very good -- fresh, hot, with a nice but not excessive amount of cinnamon and sugar on top. Not the most exotic food in the world, but tasty and satisfying .
