Southern California’s Upcoming Fair Season Celebrates Weird Foods

Fair time

The Orange County Fair is a big deal. The annual outdoor attraction draws over a million annual visitors for rides and broadway games and some of the wackiest food found anywhere in Southern California. This year, LA Times set out to track down some of the weirdest eats around, from lasagna nachos to a peanut butter, jelly, and Sriracha funnel cake. The fair runs until August 12, while up in Los Angeles the LA County Fair kicks off August 31 and runs through September 23 with its own special lineup of novelty foods and dinnertime deals. With attendance down at the fair in recent years, ownership is artificially deflating pricing on some foods to well under $10 for single items and combos, making the fair an attractive and affordable option for folks who like to have fun and eat weird.

Laurent again

Popular French chef Laurent Quenioux is running his pop-up series over at the former Michel Richard location on Melrose for a bit, instead of its usual place in Highland Park. The series will run $84 per person for the dinners, available along several dates in August, but that doesn’t include some fees and a possible wine pairing.

Not again

Another day, another cafe break-in. This time along Melrose at Toasted & Roasted, which had its front door smashed in earlier this week.

New poutine

There’s a new food truck roaming the streets of Los Angeles soon. It’s called Poutine Brothers and, as the name suggests, it’s focusing on the Canadian dish poutine, or fries covered in Wisconsin cheese curds and brown gravy. Look for new stops coming soon.

Whiskey and pig

Barrel & Ashes is doing a pig roast and whiskey tasting on July 28. The Saturday class steps through the basics of tasting booze and cooking pork, and runs $150 a head.

Combos

Paired L.A. is happening October 18 and 19 at LA Center Studios. The event joins craft beer with small bites from a number of well-known chefs including Michael Fiorelli and Bruce Kalman. Tickets are $85 for general admission, and $200 for VIP.

Folia reveal

The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills is running a plant-based Matthew Kenney menu from its Cabana restaurant next to the pool. The limited-time vegan offerings will be available from July 25 through the first week of September under the name Folia. The opening menu is below.