Harrisburg, PA 56°F
I almost missed it. It was Saturday, the first day of the Labor Day weekend and the Kipona fest. I woke up at the time my alarm usually goes off, but by some miracle I rolled over and dozed off into a cozy sleep. I got out of bed at 9:30 am realizing I'd better get it in gear I would miss taste testing at the chili cook off! In less than an hour I had coffee'd up, and we were in the Suburban, heading up route 15 towards Harrisburg. Hubby complained about the ditzy vacation drivers, but we still made it in fairly decent time. After a quick stop in Camp Hill to pick up my mother-in-law, we headed downtown to State Street and to Giant's Keystone Regional, sponsored by the International Chili Society. Parking was tight, but we made it to the chilifest by about 11:20 a.m. To find other chili cook-offs check-out http://chilicookoff.com/
To taste the chili, small samples were given out for the donation of a quarter or a ticket (which were purchased from vendors at 4 for $1.) Serving was informal, with samples laid out a head of time and lines were moving quick. Within 45 minutes we were all full of tasty chili. We reconvened for re-tastes and to discuss our favorites. Here are our picks of the day!!!!!
Best all around flavor - The No-budget chili. The No-Budget chili stand was just that -
no theme, no decorations, no costumes. But whatever energy they saved by cutting
corners on the decor, definitely went into making an awesome chili. This chili started sweet
and ended with a hot tang. This stand had the freshest vegetable ingredients. There were chunks of yellow bell peppers intermingled with the meat and translucent yellow onions. A surprise favorite, best all around balance and flavor. Everyone's all around favorite.
Best Meat and Smoke - East Coast Fresh Cuts.
Chunks of smoked beef chuck which melted in your mouth. Well balanced chili with
sweetness and a little bit of heat behind it. What it lacked in vegetables, it 
made up for in smoke flavor and beefy goodness. Daughter's favorite and husband's favorite meaty chili.
My personal favorite - Swamp Rats. Maybe it was the habanero jelly and colorful stand that reeled me in but this was my personal favorite. Hubby did not favor the chunkier vegetables and thinner sauce consistency, but I liked the medium habanero flavor and fresh vegetables. They were also giving out samples of colorful habanero jelly and it was colorful and tasted sweet then hot. I loved the jelly. I bought a container for $5 to take home.
Honorable mention for hotness - Amy's Habanero Hut. Fantastic, gutsy habanero flavor which made me sweat and
temporarily froze my taste buds. I give this chili credit for its shameless featuring of habanero. Would probably
be a bit hot for some, and due to the abundance of the peppers, and some of the other spices did not come through, but for those who are habanero fans definitely a must-try. Excellent strong habanero flavor.
Lesson of the day - we definitely loved the themes, fancy stands, and decorations, but at the end of the day,
what won us over was fresh vegetables, properly cooked meat, and ample but well balanced spice. No amount of extras could eclipse taste. The chili is what it was all about!
Other food finds - After we were finished at the chili fest we decided that we needed to walk to burn off everything we ate. I walked down to the Artfest fest. The Artfest was impressive in size and quality of vendors. On the way out, we spyed a stand that I could not resist stopping at - - Chef Tim's balsamic glaze stand. I gotta give to Chef Tim. He was a brilliant marketer. He had sample of his dip laying out with tomato and basil and tasty croutons. With good humor, he was slinging catchy phrases like, "shake it, don't refrigerate it" and extolling the natural ingredients. Plus he is a local vendor from Etters and his vinagrette has no MSG or gluten. Even though I was still stuffed beyond belief, I ate a sample and plunked down $5.00 for his sweet balsamic vinagrette. If you are interested, it's available locally, including Karn's which Chef Tim just happened to mention in between customers.
Also, right before we left, my husband, remarkably gained room for one more treat. Craving a Gyro, he just had to get one more thing before leaving. He got a Gyro, and got a good one. I don't exactly know what the name of the stand was, I looked but could not find a name. All I know is that it was to the left of Thai Town. He got extra sauce on it and the thinly sliced meat was tender, juicy and they loaded on vegetables. I had a few bites and we headed home, bellys full of fair food, one last treat of summer.
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