Food on a Stick #29, Turtle Legs with Megs and Mac

I tend to think of fairs and festivals as the best place to find Food on a Stick, but several times during this journey I spotted FoaS in unexpected places.  The Turtle Legs came from one such place.

While working at an automotive festival in Denver, we ventured out to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Watercourse.  In the same neighborhood is Marczyk Fine Foods, a neighborhood grocery store featuring all sorts of produce, meat, cheese, wine, local ice cream and specialty food products.  On Friday evenings, they grill Niman Ranch burgers out on their sidewalk.  Folks tailgate in the tiny parking lot and perch on the bank sign at the corner skillfully balancing burgers and beer wrapped in a brown bag. I always find interesting treats at Marczyk Fine Foods, I don’t pass through Denver without a visit. 

While eying a whoopie pie baked in-house at Marczyk’s, a clerk told me that it wasn’t just any whoopie pie, it was made with THE BEST chocolate.  I’m from Missouri, we have two amazing,  multi-award-winning bean-to-bar chocolate makers in our fine state.  I’m not easily impressed.  So guess what chocolate was in these whoopie pies?  Askinosie Chocolate from Springfield, Missouri.  Ok, I was impressed.  These folks are baking with only the really, really good stuff.  They also had lots of really, really good local stuff on the shelves, including the million-times-better-than-Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread from Askinosie and these:

That picture above is a package of turtle legs, chunky pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, drizzled with caramel, nuts and popcorn.  They came from Georgetown Valley Candy Company in Georgetown, Colorado. I wondered if these technically qualified as Food on a Stick, since the stick was actually a pretzel rod, completely edible.  I decided it was worth the risk and bought them.

I shared the Turtle Legs with my friends Megs and Mac, two of the most discerning Food on a Stick eaters I have met.  They’ve eaten more corn dogs than most middle-aged fairgoers and are not the least bit hesitant to say what they think about food.

So what did they say about these?  “Ewwww.”  “Too sweet.”  “This is STUCK to my TEETH!”  So it wasn’t a big hit, but it sure was fun finding these and sharing them with friends. When in Denver, drop by Marczyk Fine Foods.  You’ll be glad you did, even if it’s not to buy Food on a Stick.

Marczyk Fine Foods is located at 770 E. 17th Avenue in Denver, Colorado.