Fried-way or the Highway: Brent Grabs Lunch at Rochesterfest

Ever since I was a wee lad in this fine city, Rochesterfest has been one of my favorite events.  I hold it in such high regard for two reasons:

1. The food vendors offer all sorts of delectables that you probably haven’t consumed since last year’s fair season.
2. A Rochesterfest button gets you free mini-golf at Putter’s Paradise (now Recreation Lanes Mini-Golf).

I used to play a round of mini-golf about every day during Rochesterfest and it never disappointed.  Plus, my friends and I took it seriously enough that we’d spend about the same amount of time trying to correctly read the ricochet paths off the sidewalls as a PGA golfer would on the 18th green at Augusta.

Yes, I’m proud to say that I’m a grizzled veteran when it comes to Rochesterfest, and I’ve even got the hardware to prove it.

 So, now that I’ve established my street-cred, let’s move on to this year’s fest.

While things like being gainfully employed reduce the number of mini-golf rounds I will play during this year’s Rochesterfest, no obstacle is too large to prevent me from making it down to the food vendors, which is the journey we will be taking today.  So grab some antacids and let’s do this!

Upon rolling up to the vendors this year (located between on Civic Center Drive between Center Street and 2nd Street SE), I was greeted by the soothing sounds of Kubat’s Polka Presentation.  This was an excellent omen, as there is truly no better background music than polka for packing away some fried food.  It just feels right.

So, with my soundtrack in tow, I was off find my nemesis for the day… the meateater, which is served up by Berry Kabob. What is the meateater, you ask?  Well, it’s a protein-packed treat that consists of a brat wrapped with cheese, a hamburger wrapped around the brat and cheese, and two slices of bacon wrapped around the hamburger.  If that weren’t enough, the entire thing is then deep fried to a rich golden brown finish.
This thing is no joke, and since there’s no limit (read: many limits) to the things I would do for my readers, I decided to take one down and present it in photo essay form:

 

After conquering the meateater, it was on to Seafood Langos for some crab fritters (At this point, in the spirit of journalistic integrity, I should point out that after the meateater, I will have help in eating the rest of my food items).  The fritters were amazing and reminded me that I should be making the effort to encounter more “frittered” foods in my life.

Knowing that I had just eaten two food items that probably wouldn’t be considered health food, I decided I needed to eat something green to offset them.  After being unable to find some steamed kale, I was able to find a close (read: extremely distant) second.

After the pickle rolled my junk food odometer back to zero, it was time for some dessert.  This prompted me to scoop up a spaghetti sundae from the booth of the same name.

The sundae was absolutely delicious, and watching a spaghetti sundae be made is an experience in itself.  It was like a work of art, but, you know, one that could give you a brain freeze if you ate it too quickly.  I’d have felt guilty eating it if it hadn’t tasted so good.

After the sundae, I began to sense an impending food coma, so I had to hightail it out of vender row.  Thankfully I made it home and on to my couch before it set in.  And when it did, I was off to dreamland while the meateater, crabfritters, pickle, spaghetti sundae, and lemonade frolicked in my stomach.   Mission accomplished!

 

The food vendors will be open through Saturday night, so be sure to pay them a visit to get your recommended daily serving of deep-fry.

Also, Saturday night’s street dance has been “turned up to 11” this year with multi-platinum rockers, Warrant, performing.  The fact that I must miss it due to a family wedding brings a tear to my eye and puts a frown on my face ten miles wide. 

For a list of Rochesterfest Food Vendors, visit: http://www.rochesterfest.com/schedule/vendors.html

For a Rochesterfest Schedule of Events, visit: http://www.rochesterfest.com/schedule/index.html

Coming up in my next post: 
We’ll be heading to Historic Mayowood Mansion, the estate created by Dr. Charles H. Mayo.  I haven’t been there since I was about 12 years old, so I’m very excited to re-learn and report all sorts of fun facts.  2011 is also the 100th Anniversary of the construction of Historic Mayowood Mansion, which is awesome because, like Puff Daddy, I’m all about the Benjamins… baby.  Until next time!

Thursday's on First & 3rd

You know it’s officially summertime in Rochester, Minnesota when the outdoor festivals begin (and when Roscoe’s 4th Street location opens for the season). One of the first festivals out of the gate is Thursdays on First & 3rd.  A weekly outdoor market with over 100 vendors, food, arts and crafts, as well as live entertainment from a variety of artists.

What started more than 10 years ago as a small market of local retailers has grown with ever-increasing popularity into an expanded all day festival that now spills onto historic 3rd Street where you will find a performance stage as well as additional vendors. 

It’s safe to say that Thursdays on First & 3rd is bigger and badder (bad as used in the Michael Jackson sense, which means good) than ever this year, with more space, more venders, more performers, and probably, more buskers willing to play you an obscure Bob Dylan song for a few pence.

They say that “variety is the spice of life”, and if you’re like this swashbuckler, you need a steady dose of different thrown your way when you’re sailing the high seas…   that’s what’s great about Thursdays on First and 3rd, it would take you and your pirate friends all summer to fully plunder its treasures, argh.

Whether you’re hoping to find the locally made arts and crafts, scarf down some food, or do a little afternoon/evening imbibing, be sure to head downtown and explore this event that has maintained it’s traditional market roots while attracting an eclectic array of entertainers.  You won’t regret it, and you may even bump into Optimus Prime.

To meet Optimus, and three unique vendors at Thursdays on First and 3rd, check out my video below… sorry about the extreme shakiness of the video, I promise the quality will improve as we continue to explore Rochester together!

Other highlights of Thursdays on First & 3rd this year:

- The Buckinghams will be performing tonight, June 16th.  The concert is being put on in partnership with Riverside concerts and is part of the Down by the Riverside Concerts Announcement Party, where the lineup for the 2011 Down by the Riverside concert series will be revealed.

- Street Beats, a percussion dance ensemble out of New York City, which features members from Stomp, America’s Best Dance Crew, and many Broadway shows, will be performing on September 1st.

- There will be noontime entertainment on both stages, and a full evening schedule for both stages.  The historic third street stage will feature dance performances from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, and the Peace Plaza stage will feature talents shows, juggling, magicians and more.

For a complete list of performers at Thursdays on First & Third, visit:

http://www.downtownrochestermn.com/news-events/ThursdaysonFirst3rd2011.htm

For a complete list of vendors at Thursdays on First & Third, visit:

http://www.downtownrochestermn.com/news-events/2011TofVendors.htm

Coming up in my next post:

Follow me to the annual celebration of our city, Rochesterfest, as I attempt to devour one of the most interesting new food items I’ve seen at “The Fest” for a long time: THE MEAT EATER, a brat wrapped with cheese, then engulfed in hamburger, and tied up neatly with two slices of bacon before the entire thing is deep fried to a rich golden brown finish. 
And yes… I’ve already located the nearest AED device.