Day 13 at the NYS Fair: 7 things to wolf down once more before they go away until 2025

Geddes, N.Y. — Today is our last chance to soak up the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the New York State Fair. We can take in one last free concert, hang out with farm animals and indulge in food that’s hard to find any other time of the year.

Today’s Menu

I’ve been at the Fair every day and night, and I ate a lot because it’s my job. I write about food and drinks for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Each morning, I’ve been passing suggestions onto you while working here. I’m no expert, and I relied on readers to tell me what’s good. I had several meals and drinks with readers along the way.

Here are seven favorites that I will hunt down again today, just because I won’t be able to eat them again until Aug. 20, 2025.

See you next year.

Peachey’s Donuts: The best time to get one of these coconut cream-covered treats is for breakfast, because that’s pretty much the only time there’s no line. At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a line of 87 people waiting to get these donuts snaked around the corner near the It’s a Utica Thing stand.

“When we first came here (in 2019), we were selling one donut about every 40 minutes,” said owner Sam Peachey. “Things sure have changed. I’m doing my best to keep up.”

Horan’s Irish Egg Rolls on Restaurant Row: Somehow Aaron Horan figured out a way to stuff an entire Reuben sandwich into a spring roll. A couple of these and a cold beer can make for a decent happy hour. The deep-fried corned beef, cheese and kraut is served with a cup of Thousand Island dressing.

Pickle Barrel beef tips: Think of Pickle Barrel as a State Fair steakhouse. This stand from Indiana is a true meat-and-potatoes kind of place, but portable. I’ve tried to replicate this at home over the years, but the broth, mushrooms, onions, potatoes and meat just don’t taste the same. Who am I kidding?

Maple Ice Cream: Syracuse has Byrne Dairy, Gannon’s and plenty of other stands that serve local ice cream. But the maple soft-serve sold at the far west corner of the Horticulture Building is different. The syrup from our own maple trees flavors the end of our summer and eases us into autumn.

It’s a Utica Thing Milano sandwich: The Digristina family from 60 miles down the Thruway sets up one heck of a mobile restaurant at the Fair each year, and they always create something new to serve. This year’s specialty was their Milano sandwich made with homemade Roman-style focaccia bread. The bread surrounds a chicken cutlet with pesto, oven-roasted tomatoes, provolone cheese, a balsamic glaze and a bed of arugula.

Bacon-wrapped scallops: This is a house specialty at Charlie’s Famous Steak Pit in the Colonnade. You have three ingredients in this delight: scallops and bacon and oil. We can easily make this at home, but this grill has been searing pork-covered mollusks for decades. Each bite we take is passing along a little bit of history to our taste buds.

Turkey leg: I can grill my own turkey legs at home, but they can’t compare to those at Porky’s, the second stand on Restaurant Row. These drumsticks weigh 2 pounds, and the skin comes out of the smoker brown and crisp, and the meat stays moist with a pronounce hardwood aroma.

I didn’t include a lot of my favorites here because we can enjoy their food all year long at their brick-and-mortar restaurants. Just so you know, I’m talking about gyros at King David’s and Kiki’s, Bosco’s Potatoes O’Rielly and anything from the Fair Deli on State Fair Boulevard.

Beer of the day: It’s “Run it Back Day” at the Beer Garden. Any prior Beer of the Day still in stock is $1 off.

It’s the last day of the Fair, and if you are still here, you are a hard core collector of those nostalgic feels,” said Erinn McDowell, the chief hoptimist at the Garden. “Go ahead and chase every last bit of what you can capture as you take one last spin around the fairgrounds.”

Pick your last beverage vibe and head off into the sunset. “The Beer Garden will drift into dormancy until we get to greet you again next year,” she said, waving farewell.

» Detailed daily schedule for Monday, Sept. 2

Concerts

» Journey From The Heart, Noon and 4 p.m. at Chevy Court

» Jackyl, 6 p.m. at Suburban Park

Today’s forecast: We could see near-perfect weather on final day.

Fair Basics

Hours: The Fair is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today. Buildings are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Midway is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.

Tickets: Entry to the fair is $8 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.

Parking: Parking will run you $12 per car this year. You can NOT pay with EZ Pass Plus, but you can pay 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. Last call for booze is 8:30 p.m. today.

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Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drinks and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. (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 weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.