GOING TO THE L.A. COUNTY FAIR? CHECK YOUR DIET AT THE GATE.

Byline: REDMOND CAROLIPIO

>LA.COM 

AND CARLA PINEDA

>CORRESPONDENT

We can all joke that fair food puts the "die" in diet. Yet we still go to sample the universe of taste that only an event like the L.A. County Fair has to offer. On the first day of the fair, we dove into the fray of flavors. Here's what we came back with:

Reporter Redmond Carolipio samples rattlesnake nuggets, which he says had a peppery bite.

Carla Pineda jumps on the Deep Fried Frog Legs at the L.A. County Fair. She wished she hadn't.

DEEP FRIED FROG LEGS WITH FRIES

Carla: All I could see was a poor frog being chopped at its torso and being thrown into the deep fryer while still kicking. Leaving my gastric inhibitions aside, I bit into the frog expecting it to taste like chicken. Not only chicken, I also got a seafood taste in my mouth. Maybe the lime juice would help. Wait, no, it didn't and neither did the shell I attempted to chew on. Thinking the fries would disguise the chicken/seafood taste, I realized they had a flavor of their own, combining the tastes of all the other foods offered at Chicken Charlie's. If you are adventurous enough to pay $11.50 for a high risk of disappointment, more power to you.

Redmond: Ugh. Not only was I not comfortable devouring a part of Kermit's lower body, but the legs were salty with a funky, shrimp-like aftertaste. It came with fries, which also seemed to share the same taste and texture by osmosis. Not good times. Carla mentioned chewing into something "shell-like." I'm leaving that one alone. Seeing veins didn't really help my cause either.

($11.50; Chicken Charlie's Broasted Chicken, Broadway)

DEEP FRIED COKE 

Redmond: Yeah. Fried Coke. I like how it comes in a Coke "Classic" cup, yet I'm sure the creators of Coke didn't have this in mind. However, don't be scared -- with cream and a cherry on top, this actually tasted like a soggy churro crammed into a cup. I got no Coke taste at all, but it was still pretty tasty. You can either use a spoon, or pick away at it by hand. Your call.

Carla: Soggy churro was the only thing I could think of while tasting the crunchy deep fried drink. How do they do it? We still don't know, but they converted a liquid into a solid by means of deep frying it. We think you might enjoy it more if you didn't know its origins because it was a decent-tasting dessert after all.

($5.50; Chicken Charlie's, Broadway)

AUSTRALIAN BATTERED POTATOES

Carla: Although I was expecting fancy french fries, I was surprised by the distinct taste of these deep-fried battered potato slices. The irregular sizes show that they are hand cut because some are slim with just enough crunch and some are huge with a thick layer of batter (the thin ones are the best). The seasoning will definitely stick to your taste buds when you are done. Although they are not particularly spicy, the stand's slogan rings true when you analyze the aftertaste this snack gives you: "Australian battered potatoes with a bite."

Redmond: A good start. They look and taste like mini-potato pancakes that vary in size and thickness. They had a spicy aftertaste that lingered a little longer than I thought it would. The breading was tasty, though the cheese I got with it didn't seem to add anything in terms of taste. It took about three of them to get me to approach "food coma" mode, but these were some of the tastiest things at the fair.

($6.75; Crocodile Potatoes, Broadway)

SMOKED TURKEY LEGS

Carla: After seeing the dozens of turkey legs stacked on the grill, I was not expecting it to be so juicy and tasty. Although the barbecue sauce was an afterthought more than an enhancer, the grilled turkey leg was savory all on its own. Heads up: You'll need to sit down in order to use both hands to hold up this leg.

Redmond: What mutant X-turkey did these things come from? They're huge. However, I thought the one I had was everything I expected in a giant hunk of poultry -- juicy, tasty and with a little bit of that grill flavor. I expected a little more power out of the barbecue sauce, but overall, a solid piece of fair cuisine.

($8; Tony's Southwest Grill, Broadway, right before you hit the Senior Expo)

DEEP FRIED PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA SANDWICH, DRIZZLED IN HONEY

Redmond: This was Elvis' favorite sandwich, and after eating it, I'm convinced that he has to be dead. I was expecting cardiological hell between two slices of bread, but was surprised at its actual small, powdered, self-contained form. I ended up tasting the banana more than anything. I didn't really taste too much peanut butter, and I have no idea where the honey went. All in all, I thought this sandwich was a little overhyped.

Carla: Elvis' favorite was not mine. I was disappointed by this filled doughnut of an excuse for a "King's" sandwich. It took too long to get to the peanut buttery center of this "sandwich," where I didn't find the oozing PB and banana blend that I expected. After seeing my slippery, greasy fingers, I found myself expecting more than what this palm-sized concoction had to offer.

($5.75; Chicken Charlie's Broasted Chicken, Broadway)

FRIED RATTLESNAKE BITES WITH FRIES

Carla: The biggest challenge was finding anything that resembled a rattlesnake nugget. On the way, we found fries, deep fried chili pepper slices and chunks of lone batter. Once I arrived at the actual snake in the nugget, I found myself chewing on a rubbery, yet tasty meat that definitely was not chicken. The seasoning on all of the items in the basket tasted like the Lawry's seasoning salt in french fries found at local burger joints.

Redmond: For me, this was the Holy Grail of strange fair food. The people at the stand swore that the nuggets we were eating were composed of real rattlesnake. In that case, rattlesnake tasted like a somewhat rubbery edition of popcorn chicken (though a friend of mine brought up a good point -- it's not like you can tenderize snakes before serving). There was a definite peppery flavor to them, though I'm sure some actual peppers were mixed in with the fries and the snake. Overall, they weren't bad. Glad they cooked the venom out. That would have crippled the experience.

($14.75; Rattlesnake Ranch, Broadway)

Redmond Carolipio, [phone]

[e-mail]

Carla Pineda, [e-mail]

at a glance

L.A. COUNTY FAIR

>Where: Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona.

>When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Through Sept. 30.

>Admission: $10 to $15 weekends, $6 to $10 weekdays; $10 general parking, $15 preferred parking.

>Information: [phone]; www.lacountyfair.com.

CAPTION(S):

8 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) SINKYOURTEETH

INTO FAIR foods

(2 -- color) Carla Pineda jumps on the Deep Fried Frog Legs at the L.A. County Fair. She wished she hadn't.

(3 -- color) no caption (Deep Fried Coke)

(4 -- color) no caption (Australian Battered Potatoes)

(5 -- color) no caption (Smoked Turkey Legs)

(6 -- color) no caption (Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, Drizzled in Honey)

(7 -- color) no caption (Low-Crab Chicken Bowl)

(8 -- color) no caption (Fried Rattlesnake Bites with Fries)

PHOTOS BY WILL LESTER >LA.COM