Restaurant Review:

The thought of going to the Orange County Fair for many, including myself, is a stomach-churning nightmare.

I like deep-fried Snickers and funnel cakes the size of manhole covers as much as the next person, but man cannot live — at least for very long — on fried candy alone, so I thought I would provide some healthier alternatives for those who may not want to assault their cardiovascular system.

It is a misnomer to believe that there is nothing healthy to eat at the fair. A little wandering and some special requests and it can be a guilt-free day of eating.

It is a bit ironic that I found many of the items at stands where some of the high-caloric foods get top billing. A perfect example of that was at Baja Blues. One of the few sit-down restaurants has a menu that has items such as fried chicken tenders, boneless chicken wings and monster nachos.

But I found a Catalina style panini that wasn’t too bad with a bit of modification. The grilled chicken sandwich comes with tomatoes, green chili, pepper jack cheese and chipotle sauce served in between two thick slices of sourdough bread.

The sauce could be problematic, but there really isn’t a lot of it so I wasn’t that concerned. The bread is the killer, obviously. I took one of the slices off and was able to avoid some calories.

It is a tasty sandwich. I liked the spice of both the sauce and the cheese. It gave the sandwich a little kick. I am not a fan of green chili, but it enhanced the sandwich’s flavor.

Across the way is one of numerous stands that sell chicken fajitas and chicken-and-beef kabobs. I sampled the chicken fajitas, and I bypassed the large flour tortilla and just ate the seasoned chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions.

It was quite good, and the Lawry’s seasoning salt with ground black pepper stays with the meat after it is grilled.

As I walked off my lunch, I visited the petting zoo and fended off a goat who wanted to nibble on the bottom of my polo shirt. I did a loop around the fairgrounds and killed a couple of hours.

I was meeting friends for dinner so wanted to hold off but was getting a little hungry and decided to look for a snack.

There are several options. One was Terri’s Berries. Displayed was fresh fruit including bananas, peaches, nectarines, apples and plums. The staff will wash them for you so you can enjoy them immediately, and for a dollar I thought it was a pretty good bargain. They also have a basket of berries for $6.50, which includes raspberries, blueberries, Bing cherries and grapes.

The perfect guilt-free snack may be the dill pickles that are at many of the concession stands. The giant pickle will definitely hold you over between meals.

A little more expensive snack would be the beef jerky and popcorn found at Howie’s stand near the Green Gate. He has no kernel popcorn, and the white cheddar, orange cheddar and habanero have no sugar added. A bag is $7.

The beef jerky is low in sugar. The pepper and original varieties have one gram of sugar, while the teriyaki has four, but I thought it was a bit pricey at $12.

For dinner we had what I found to be the best item at the fair. Lindsey Concessions has a tri-tip sandwich that was outstanding. The meat is cooked for 45 minutes above a wood burning barbecue and then sliced thinly and put on a toasted hamburger bun. Though barbecue sauce is offered on the side the sandwich was so good it didn’t need it.

Another favorite was the shrimp ceviche. Pepe Mariscos offers both shrimp and tilapia versions. They are mixed with peppers, onions, jalapeño, lime juice, tomatoes and cilantro and served on top of a tostada. I didn’t even eat the tostada.

For a side dish there was the steamed artichoke from Jeanne’s Artichokes. The whole artichoke is served with mayonnaise and butter on the side but I used the condiments sparingly.

I wanted dessert but didn’t want to fall off the semi-healthy wagon I was riding so I found a decent alternative. The Mexican food stand near the game area has fruit shakes. Take two of either strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya or banana and combine it with whole milk, ice and sugar. I had them hold the sugar and the ice cream that can be added. My papaya and banana shake was really good and fulfilled my sweet tooth.

As I walked out of the fairgrounds I felt pretty good about the choices I made and believe a return visit won’t be filled with angst over what I am eating.

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.