Day 8 at the NYS Fair: Today’s handpicked menu and schedule

Winning milkshake

The winning entry of the annual Dairy Day milkshake contest at the New York State Fair. Syracuse.com reporters Sunny Hernandez and Charlie Miller took first place with their creation entitled "Breakfast in Bed." Katrina Tulloch |ktulloch@syracuse.com

Geddes, N.Y. — Did you know that New York’s fair was the first state fair to host an official Pride Day to celebrate the LGBTQ community? And that day has finally come. This year’s Pride Day includes a dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Local authors Vince Sgambati and Jim Koury will be signing books at the LGBTQ Booth in the Center of Progress Building throughout the day.

Today is also New Americans Day. You can witness 100 folks pledge their allegiance to Red, White & Blue as they become citizens. The swearing-in will be in the Daniella’s Steak & Seafood meeting room at the Art & Home Center at noon. After that, it’s time to hit the grounds for a good meal or two.

Today’s Menu

I write about food for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard, I rely on readers to tell me what’s good in Central New York. That’s exactly what I’m counting on during the State Fair. I’ll be taking your suggestions and highlighting the best food and drinks here. If you eat or drink something that knocks your socks off, text me (315-382-1984) and I’ll give it a try. Heck, I might even join you for a meal and pick up the tab.

Entrée: Sausage sandwich at Daniella’s. Daniella’s is one of Syracuse’s premier steakhouses. This fine restaurant also has a food and drink stand at the Fair, located near the Indian Village.

The menu listing for this entrée is humble: Sausage sandwich, $12. C’mon, Daniella’s! Don’t be so modest. This is no normal sausage sandwich. This Italian sausage is made especially for Daniella’s by Fontanini Italian Meats in Illinois. The 10-inch piece of meat is sweeter than most other sausages, but it has a hint of zing to wake up your tastebuds.

Every meal here is made to order, and that goes for the basic sausage sandwich. It wasn’t made at 10 a.m. and stored in a steamer until I came along at 12:27 p.m. Ben Simone, who runs the stand for Daniella’s owner and longtime friend Charlie Roman, says they tell the customers to be patient because they’re going to start cooking the food when they order it. That right there is an invitation to order a cocktail or cold beer.

What sets this sausage sandwich apart from many others I’ve eaten over the past seven days is the buttered hoagie role. Seriously, anything on a grilled buttered roll is going to taste better. And a great sausage is going to taste even greater on a buttered roll. The onions and peppers were cut in the morning and tossed onto the flattop right when I ordered the sandwich. That explains why they were so crispy.

A sausage sandwich covered in peppers and onions inside a roll sitting in a red and white checkered takeout boat

The sausage sandwich at Daniella's stand at the State Fair. Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

Drink/Dessert/Breakfast: After years of losing the annual Dairy Day milkshake competition, we finally took home the trophy. Sunny Hernandez, my colleague at syracuse.com, came up with the winning recipe. Our “Breakfast In Bed” shake put the best elements of a well-balanced breakfast into a glass. Well, maybe it was more of an off-balanced breakfast. Regardless, the judges picked by the American Dairy Association North East thought it was some good eatin’ and drinkin’.

We blended 2½ cups of French vanilla ice cream, some whole milk, local maple syrup, a shot of espresso from Recess Coffee and crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. We poured that into cups lined with chocolate and dipped with more crushed cereal. We added a pyramid of whipped cream and lined that with chocolate sauce. We garnished it with a piece of French toast, a slice of maple bacon and an orange slice that looked like a smile. Of course we served it on a tray with Thursday’s Post-Standard newspaper that featured our story listing 9 desserts you must try this year at the NYS Fair. (Sorry, it was a shameless plug.)

You can get a similar shake in the Dairy Products Building.

Milkshake winners

Syracuse.com reporters Sunny Hernandez and Charlie Miller (center with trophy) took first place in the annual Dairy Day milkshake contest with their creation entitled "Breakfast in Bed." Here, they're posing with dairy princesses throughout the county and state. Katrina Tulloch | ktulloch@syracuse.com

>> Detailed daily schedule for Friday, Aug. 27

Concerts

>> Tionesta, 2 p.m. at Chevy Court

>> Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen Tribute, 2 p.m. at Chevy Park

>> CNCO, 7 p.m. at Chevy Court

>> Melissa Etheridge, 8 p.m. at Chevy Park

Fair Basics

Tickets: Admission this year is $3 at the gate; children under 12 are free every day, and those 65 and older get free admission. The Fair will not accept cash at the gates this year. Buy tickets in advance on etix or use a a credit card at a nearby kiosk.

Hours: Door open at 11 a.m. each day this year, three hours later than previous fairs. The buildings close at 10 p.m., but the Midway shuts down at 11 p.m.

Parking: The parking lots surrounding the fairgrounds can accommodate more than 23,000 cars. Parking is $5 (advance sales or EZ-Pass) for all lots. They will not accept cash this year. (Click here for parking map and directions.)

Masks: Face masks are required for everyone inside buildings. If you’re vaccinated, you don’t have to wear one outside. Workers will have masks available at each building’s entrance.

Other rules: You can bring coolers with food and non-alcoholic drinks. No pets are allowed, unless they are working dogs or in a competition. All bags, backpacks, coolers, purses and fanny packs are permitted but subject to search upon entry. You cannot bring firearms or other weapons, signs, roller blades, skate boards or bicycles onto the grounds.

NYS Fair newsletter: Stay up-to-date on all New York State Fair news, food, music, schedules and more with our free newsletter. Get it in your inbox all 18 days of the 2021 NYS Fair. Sign up here.

MORE STATE FAIR COVERAGE

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How Sweet It Is: 9 desserts you must try this year at the NYS Fair

Here are 7 great places to find a cold (or hazy) beer at the 2021 NY State Fair

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.

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