Food at IAAPA 2015 was delicious

The BeaverTails will change your life. No joke.

Are those the same as what was at Cedar Point this past summer? It seems odd to be touting this as "new" when it was around all summer. I wonder if CP was a test market.

Beaver tails are serious business. I wish I'd have had more than 1 over the course of the season. Once I tried one, I was hooked, but it was halloweekends by then and they were always closed when I was up there.

Beaver Tails aren't new, they're Canadian and have been around (there, anyway) since 1978.

I thought about trying one at CP but then considered, as I must do, the calories and sugar content. (So I went next door for fries instead...)

I think quite recently they decided to go beyond Canada and take over the world. I like their chances.

We're quite used to fried dough, or elephant ears, at the fair. But Beaver Tails aren't as large and with a big slap of Nutella? Oh, hell yes please.
I'll be sure try one if they show up next season.

They're also made of whole wheat, so they have that extra texture and flavor to them that most other fried dough doesn't have.

Beaver Tails were at IAAPA last year in the Newcomers pavilion and they brought the same trailer as this year, but did not hold a press conference and did not serve those Orange Frappe smoothies. This year, on Thursday, they held a press conference explaining the product and their worldwide expansion plans. Beside the current three in the US, they have stores in Japan, South Korea and the middle East and they had to modify their recipe a bit to accommodate the local markets there.

I have a few every year at the Super Aqua Club (waterpark near Montreal) and La Ronde. They go for 7-8$ canadian depending on if you want them simple like they were serving at IAAPA: either with Nutella hazelnut spread or brown sugar and cinnamon. I always go for the "deluxe" recipes with say peanut butter, nutella and Reese Pieces or the vanilla icing/oreo ones.

Beside Beaver Tails, I did not see much in terms of innovative food that you could sample at IAAPA this year. Smoke's Poutinerie in the Newcomers pavilion was there to explain what poutine was and to push their brand around the US to parks, but did not offer samples. What is poutine? Fresh Quebec Cheddar Cheese curds, brown gravy like sauce and french fries. The only concession Smoke's does in the US is use cheese from Wisconsin.

What is Smoke's Poutinerie doing to differentiate themselves from the usual Loaded Fries in the US? They inspired themselves from what the legendary Banquise in Montreal has been doing for years. La Banquise turned themselves into a local institution in Montreal when they started throwing EVERYTHING on top of the Fries. Want 4 meats on it? Veggies? La Banquise will do it and that is what Smoke's is now offering in the US. To compare both, this is the Smoke's menu: https://smokespoutinerie.com/Menu.aspx versus the original: http://labanquise.com/en/poutine-menu.php .

Poutine would definitely go over really well in amusement parks in the US. There aren't too many amusement parks in the US that offer french fries that really stand out on their own, so adding gravy, cheese curds and other goodies to make them more appetizing is a great way to generate interest for those who want a little something extra.

The best poutine I've had thus far actually comes from Senate here in Cincinnati. Having said that, anytime I see poutine offered on the menu - especially here in the US - I'm going to get it. There are very few food items I like more than a good poutine.

Chili and cheese sauce are all that's necessary to turn an order of french fries into a little bit of heaven :-)

2 places I've had the best variations of poutine I've ever tried - were both breweries.

3 Floyds had Tater Tot poutine, served in a cast iron skillet, with bacon gravy and bleu cheese. It was heaven.

Market Garden in Cleveland has seasoned fresh cut fries with wood-smoked chicken gravy, cheese curds and some different herbs splashed on the top. Also heavenly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not poutine-ing it in my mouth."

-Jay Pritchett

I had Beaver Tails for the first time at Canada's Wonderland in 2014, I was thrilled to see them at CP last year. Seriously good stuff that can get addictive.