A new experience for this foodie at the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair & Expo

I was so excited to have been invited to be a part of the First Annual Fair Foodie Awards at the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair and Expo this year. This foodie was looking forward to sampling some great fair food after all, going to the fair (for me) is all about...the FOOD!As soon as I was outfitted with my official Judge t-shirt and armed with my map, guiding me to the six stops to visit the Foodie Awards finalists, I was out the door. A quick glance at the various concession locations was all I needed to strategize and make the best use of my time. The Foodie Award organizers were expecting the judges back by 6:50 to confer and pick the winners. Categories were Best Tasting and Most Unique.First stop was the Steak-on-a-Stick where I had to be careful not to eat the entire generous portion, knowing I had plenty more to sample. It was tough to stop eating the tender butter garlic-marinated sirloin but I did my best. The grilled onions and peppers however, were quickly consumed!Next I made a stop for the chicharrones where I asked the concessioner to go easy on the portion but she gave me a full one and a paper bag to store any leftovers. There were chewy and crunchy pieces so I got the best of both worlds of the pork belly they use to make them. Then it was on to the taco tasting. That's where I met up with a fellow judge and food blogger. We both dug into our 3 amigos tacos -- one chicken, one steak and one with pineapple flavored pork. The concessioners were great about running through their various sauces and recommending which one to use on what. The meat flavors all had a unique taste and my favorite sauce by far was their two-second delay chipotle salsa. I recommend you go to the Fair and try it and find out about that two-second delay!We then proceeded to the next stop to try the Miami Sundae, one of the most unique ways of eating roast pork, black beans and rice and sweet plantains, layered in a clear plastic cup! Pork was tender and rice and beans were nicely flavored. Took a little digging to get to the bottom but it was worth it.By far the freshest, brighest flavors came from the Tropical conch, a cold, refreshing salad of Bahamian conch with diced tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and pineapple seasoned with lime and tropical conch juice. It was the perfect dish for a hot Miami day and a definite departure from traditional fair food.Only the dessert finalists and one drink finalist remained. So, we made our way back to the front of the fair, stopping first to try the Sticky Pig on a Stick, a decadent creation of two Krispy Kreme doughnuts filled with a homemade strawberry custard, dipped in chocolate and rolled in applewood smoked bacon. There was an extra crunch inside the doughnuts from the bacon brittle. Ask them how they make it! Then we tried the salted caramel Cracker Jack sundae, a sweet concoction of ice cream topped with salted caramel, surrounded by Cracker Jacks and topped with a heaping helping of whipped cream. Salted nuts added extra crunch.And to wash it all down, the refreshing Watermelon Ale from Opa-Opa brewery. It was so good, as judges we concurred to give them special recognition given they were the only beverage in the competition. The other winners were the Tropical Conch Salad for best tasting and the Sticky Pig on a Stick for most unique.Go to the Fair and try all these tasty treats, you have until April 5th so get going!