If you haven’t made it to the Kansas State Fair yet, you still have a couple of days to get to Hutchinson and try some of the wild culinary concoctions that food vendors always come up with. Among the talkers this year is the cheese curd taco. It’s a crispy shell filled with protein then topped with deep fried cheese curds and sauce. Fairgoers also can find charcoal ice cream topped with edible 24-karat gold flakes. This trendy treat has a jet-black color but is said to taste like vanilla. And who could leave the fair without sampling a glickle: a candied and glittered dill pickle on a stick? This year, the fair also has a booth that’s making gluten-free versions of favorites like corn dogs and funnel cakes. The fair runs through Sunday on the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.
If you want to dine closer to home, you could check out the recently relocated Bella Luna restaurant. Matteo Taha’s restaurant left Bradley Fair earlier this month and just reopened on Thursday at the Waterfront Plaza at 13th and Webb. Taha remodeled the building that used to hold Grimaldi’s Pizza. Now, the restaurant has much more seating, a big new bar and a few new dishes on the menu.
Of course, the big news in Wichita this week was the boil water advisory that forced several restaurants and coffee shops to close their doors. But there’s still been time for news of more openings and closings. Three Wichita-area Jimmy’s Egg restaurants recently closed, including two that were fairly new: at 127th East and 21st Street and at 37th and Ridge. Franchisee Wink Hartman also sold his remaining area Jimmy’s Eggs back to the corporate office in Oklahoma City. As for openings, sandwich fans can expect Wichita’s fifth Jersey Mike’s restaurant to open in the strip center near Central and Hillside that also has a Starbucks and a SportClips. Franchisee Chris Stong says the restaurant should be ready to open around Thanksgiving time.
