By Foster Nicholas | Editor-in-Chief, Sophia Monson | Social Media Editor, Kalena Reynolds | Arts & Life Editor
While it was a rainy day at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, that certainly did not stop us from indulging in the multitude of delicious eats the festival included. From French pastries to fried macaroni and cheese, the faire did not lack in divine dishes.
Here is our review of everything we ate.
Turkey leg
No matter what faire you attend, the turkey leg always sets the tone as the most recommended item. While $24 is a hefty chunk of change, the turkey leg is good enough as a standalone meal. The skin was crispy and it was fairly well sized, but was slightly dry following the first few bites.
If you’re hungry and don’t plan on eating other items, the turkey leg is a good option. However, if you plan to taste as much as possible and don’t have a group to share the leg with, it might be better to choose a different, cheaper protein option.
Iced chai
With so many coffee shops popping up every week, there are no shortage of chai places, making it incredibly difficult to stand out. But the bakery’s chai did exactly that. The chai had a perfect mix of sweet and spicy with a creamy flavor that was the right level of richness.
The chai stood apart as one of the only festival-made beverages that didn’t come out of a can, and it was great. Of all the options, the experience wouldn’t be complete without a chai stop at the bakery.
Wonder bar
Coconut, chocolate and sweetened condensed milk is a combo that is difficult to beat. The wonder bar brought all three together in even layers of chewy sweetness.
After the first taste, we were in it for the long run, as the addicting texture and flavor had us repeating “just one more bite” again and again. For fans of coconut, the wonder bar is a must try.
Pizza
Being a classic bite at most any event, we were hopeful that the pizza would be a crowd-pleaser. Unfortunately, the pepperoni and cheese slices we tried did not live up to our expectations. There seemed to be an imbalanced ratio, with the crust heavily outweighing the sauce and cheese. The crust was bready and dry, leaving much to be desired.
While it is a convenient snack for hungry festivalgoers to grab, we suggest browsing the other options the faire has to offer.
Fried macaroni and cheese
Being a fan favorite on many appetizer menus, we had high hopes for the fried macaroni and cheese. It came served with a side of ranch dressing, which was the highlight of the dish. Let’s be honest, anything in the gene pool of fried cheese is hard to resist.
The only thing that could’ve taken this from good to great would be a warmer center and a touch more flavor.
The ranch, however, saved the day, as it was the perfect addition of flavor and creaminess the macaroni and cheese needed. The dressing base had the perfect consistency, complementing the even flavors of garlic and dill.
Apple nachos
A variety of fried cinnamon-sugar chips topped with vanilla ice cream and spiced apples sounded like the perfect dish to end our trip to the renaissance faire. The spiced apples and vanilla ice cream were an unbeatable combo; however, I wish the chips were fresher.
The nachos were a perfect option for a semisweet dessert, but ultimately, we preferred the wonder bar, as mentioned above.
Onion and Gorgonzola pastry
Truly a staple dish at the festival, it was mouthwatering. With the perfect cheese-to-veggie ratio, we wanted five more. The croissant like pastry was soft and buttery, leaving a perfect savory flavor that balanced the caramelized onions.
Ultimately, we were super impressed with this pastry and would absolutely recreate it at home. If you’re going to a renaissance faire anytime soon, this one is a must-have.
Palmier
We gad had high hopes for this French pastry and were pleasantly surprised to find a cinnamon-sugar coating on the outside. To be honest, we’ve only tried the pastry at one other place, and we were absolutely mesmerized by the first bite.
We would highly recommend the Palmier to anyone looking for a light, airy pastry. The sugar coating on the outside tied the entire dish together, and we’re saddened that we can’t find this at our local pastry shop.
