We tried every South Mississippi Summer Fair local vendor. Here’s what you need to get
I did the hard part for you.
I went to the South Mississippi Summer Fair in Biloxi and ate at every single* food stand on the grounds of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
*OK, not exactly every food stand. But the only ones I skipped were the fair-operated stands with your traditional traveling carnival food.
No, I visited each local vendor and gave something a try so that you can better allocate your stomach space before getting spun into orbit by the Alien Abduction ride.
I know, a man of the people I truly am.
Let’s jump into what the opening night of the Summer Fair had to offer.
We started by grabbing some drinks. My wife got boba tea from Emerald Tea Co. The truck has a deep menu of bobas, tea lattes and energy teas to choose from.
I went next door to Enfruta for my drink and got a mango aguas frescas. It was one of the best I’ve had, up there with the tamarind from Heladaria La Frescura in Pascagoula.
This one was made with more juice than the typical aguas frescas and featured mango pieces that fit through the big straw. You can get various Mexican delights here, as well, including elotes, esquites and fresas con crema.
The first food stop was the Will Yum’s from Gulf Shores, Alabama. They do one thing and they do it well: egg rolls. The three on the menu are the crawfish, boudin and buffalo chicken egg rolls. They also sell fried apple pie with cinnamon butter and powdered sugar.
I went with the crawfish egg rolls. They’re cooked with pepper jack cheese and served with a kickin’ sweet chili sauce. They’re delivered hot and nearly twice the size of your average take-out roll.
Once the egg rolls were downed, we move on to the next vendor. Little did we know what we were getting into at Indolicious, a stand offering ramen, cheesesteaks and the potato twister.
What’s a potato twister? Well, it’s a tornado potato. A spiraling spud. A spinning stick of starch. It’s a wooden stick with twirling rings of potato wrapped around it a little more than a foot long. You can get it dusted in hot Cheeto, jalapeno, ranch, Cajun and more.
Just when you thought you’ve enjoyed solanum tuberosum in every form, the fair in Biloxi comes through with the latest in potato innovation.
And somehow that wasn’t the best the vendor had to offer. The wife and I split the mild chicken ramen. Consider this a warning. You and I and the cook under the tent have very different definitions of spicy. There are three levels offered and my wife chose the lowest.
It was some heat, let me tell you. It was very good and the chicken is prepared on the grill in front of you, but please be prepared. While Jay Mattoli performed magic tricks on the entertainment stage behind us, my wife and I were fighting for our lives.
The spice-induced hallucinations of ramen noodles dancing on our table eventually gave way, but only after hitting one of the lemonade stands.
The Lemon Shack was our oasis. It may have been the cooling properties, but my wife heralded the peach lemonade as the “best lemonade I’ve ever had.” It was served with peach rings on top.
Then we had a slice of pepperoni pizza from Kane’s Pit Stop. It was, ya’know, pizza. We took a break to visit some alpacas and African Pygmy Goats and various sacred cattles before indulging in a Rice Krispies cookie from Crumbl Cookie.
After that, my wife watched slack-jawed as I took down a black raspberry snow-ball from Bry’s Treats. They serve ice cream nachos, frappes and shakes, as well. They also know a guy who sells rye grass hay bales, if you’re running low.
On the way out I double-dipped the Lemon Shack and grabbed the blue raspberry ocean water lemonade. It was topped with very yummy shark gummies. The lemonades also come in watermelon and strawberry.
The fair will be running through June 16 for the 37th year at various admission prices throughout the event. Check their website for hours and ticket prices.
