There’s this sort of overlooked zone at The Fair — an area of three or four food trucks and stands behind the Poultry Building, just outside Gate 2. The stands look fun and inviting, but for some reason I don’t typically see a ton of people there.
There’s one stand in particular I’ve noticed for the last three or four years and finally decided to try: Hot Chix.
They’re most known for their Nashville hot chicken and chicken-and-waffle sandwich, but I went in a different direction.
I tried two things. First, something a little more New York State Fair-themed — meaning a little over the top. The Hot Chix Fries feature a layer of seasoned curly fries topped with nacho cheese sauce, a large handful of crispy popcorn chicken and a drizzle of barbecue sauce.
It’s hard not to enjoy seasoned curly fries with nacho cheese sauce to begin with, and adding the chicken makes it heartier, while the barbecue sauce brings a sweet tang. Cheesy, well-seasoned, hearty and definitely worthy of Fair food.
The second thing I wanted to try was something a little more “normal.” The Hot Chix Wrap is a large flour tortilla filled with crispy fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and their Hot Chix sauce — a mayo-based sauce with a good amount of spice and heat.
They don’t skimp on the portions. It’s a big wrap. You could easily enjoy this as a full meal without needing fries or chips on the side. Add fries or a blooming onion and you could split this between two or three people for a full meal.
What I appreciated most was that it was just a normal food item.
At this point in The Fair, my taste buds start to burn out on all the deep-fried dough, sugar and salt, and I start looking for something more normal. This fits the bill, even though you can still go the fun, over-the-top route with the fries if you want.
What makes it even better is its location: Hot Chix is about 20 yards in front of the Ashley Lynn Wine booth, which sits between the DEC building and the Milk Bar. So after the spicy chicken wrap, you can head straight over to Ashley Lynn and grab a cold wine slushy to cool things down.
Definitely worth giving Hot Chix a try if you’re looking for something a little different.
