I found it.

The place to go at the fair.

Forget the fried food and funnel cakes. The rodeo and music artists are afterthoughts now. When you make it out to the fairgrounds look for a small, out of the way place with a black roof and no line. On the roof they advertise the “fresh strawberry mega shake.”

Emphasis on mega.

But let me warn you, the price is steep. The mega shake costs $7. But for fair prices, it’s worth it. After ordering (apparently the sign on the roof is the menu) I watch the kind woman behind the counter slowly ladle real strawberries from a bucket into a real blender and fill it with real soft serve. It got so thick that she repeatedly had to intervene with a spatula during the blending and make sure it was all mixed up.

It is absolutely massive. It is delicious. And somehow I drank the whole thing.

I need a nap.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

They advertise that their Snowball is “better than a Blizzard.”

It’s tough to argue.

The stand inside the stadium titled "Soft Ice Cream - Root Beer Float" (I couldn't find its actual name written anywhere) sells its answer to Dairy Queen’s iconic treat. For $4.50, they mix a cup full of ice cream with crumbled candy. I opted for Butterfinger.

It tasted very similar to the DQ product, but the candy bar seemed like it was crumbled up even more finely. That all of the ice cream taste like Butterfinger. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

It was noticibly smoother and not nearly as thick as a Blizzard. I’m the last guy to crack on a Blizzard, but this seemed like an upgrade. And a great way to cool down and finish off a day of gorging on food.

Next stop: the gym. I knew I should have brought some ipecac with me.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

Brian and I have been telling you where is good to eat. Well, allow me a second to let me tell you where not go buy a drink.

The Sausage Shack.

The price seemed reasonable (by fair standards): $3.25 for a 24-ounce Diet Coke. The kid with my cup fills it about halfway with ice and begins to pour the drink. He’s about three-fourths of the way finished when the woman at the register stops him and snaps at him. “You’re not doing it right,” she said. “You gotta fill it all the way with ice.”

She puts even more ice cubes in my drink, making my 24-ounce cup able to hold about 2 or 3 drops.

That ain’t customer service, and I sure ain’t gonna eat at the Sausage Shack ever again.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

I’ve always had a fascination with Russia and Soviet history. I am embarrassed to admit, I even know the words to the English version of “He Must Be Like Putin.”

So I was obviously excited when I saw the Kaleenka Piroshky booth at the fair. After the fried abomination I just ate, I thought a nice, traditional pastry would hit the spot.

The nice people working the booth were speaking some language I didn’t understand, so I figured it would be traditional. I forked over the $10.50 for a vegetable piroshky and a strawberry lemonade. Upon first glance, I wasn’t that excited. It was fried (I thought they were baked, but hey, it is the fair). And it came wrapped in napkins.

To my surprise, it was pretty good. Through the thick bread were hashbrown-like potatoes, peas and sunflower seeds.

I enjoyed myself for the couple minutes while I was eating. It took me away from the teenagers with no shirts on and the screaming kids in strollers.

But now I am going to be humming Dschinghis Khan’s "Moskau" for the rest of the day.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

It was greasy. It was big. It had cheese.

The Cheesequake Burger was basically the perfect lunch.

Scott Oberstaller, a designer on our sports desk, once told me that the Earthquake Burger (and its American cheese-topped cousin, the Cheesequake) was larger than my head. That’s a big statement. I have a size 8 hatband, meaning Barry Bonds looks like a pinhead compared to me.

But bigger than my head the burger was not. Tasty it was. If you’re expecting restaurant-style lean ground sirloin, you’ll be upset. But if you know that thin, fatty meat favored by a lot of fair vendors, then realize it’s on par with that. It’s also no frills: the bun, the patty and some onions. Condiments are on a cart next to the red, white and blue stand.

But it’s its size that makes the Cheesequake ($9.95) stick out. It’s the size of a small plate. And it made me want to stretch out on one of the brown picnic tables next to the stand for a nap.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

I didn’t want to try anything that conventional.

So I walked up to the catch-all stand – fried veggies and korn fritters along with shaved ice. I saw “cheese sticks” and I thought a bit. Obviously, it wouldn’t be like a normal mozzarella stick because it would be called a mozzarella stick, and that wouldn’t be fair enough. I thought maybe cheddar, or American, which would likely make me hurl.

I took the plunge, and obviously they were mozzarella sticks. I think. It tasted like cheap pieces of string cheese dropped in a deep fryer for about a half an hour and topped with some phantom seasoning that I couldn’t taste.

Hey it was edible, and other than the streak of hot grease, not bad. Though it did cost $6.25.

Though I am unclear about why the woman at the booth told me to get ketchup.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

My neighbor raves about Krusty Pups, so I made the corndog stand my first stop after Brian and I arrived at the fair. There are a few places to get the treats, including a funky ‘50sish silver building.

My pup cost $4. For an extra $6, I could add fries and a drink. (I passed.)

The first bite revealed something I suspected before I bought it: the corn dog was more corn (batter) than dog. That that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m of the belief that a good crab cake has more cake than crab, and ditto for a corndog – especially when most hot dogs can be safely described as “slaughterhouse leavings.”

I didn’t mind that deep-fried batter outdid the dog. The batter was crunchy (krusty?) on the outside and sweet on the inside. The dog was unremarkable – think what’s served at a company barbecue – but the overall taste worked. It’s fair food, after all.

Diner note: This is a live report from the Puyallup Fair. TNT Reporters Scott Fontaine and Brian Everstine eat their way around the fair today.

Here is the Drop-In Dining report from today's GO section. Drop-In Dining is a continuing series where a TNT staffer drops in unannounced and eats on the TNT's dime, then writes up a report about the experience. Have a restaurant you would like us to check out? Email tntdiner@thenewstribune.com.

El Pulgarcito Salvadoran Restaurant
Where: 12134 Pacific Highway S.W., Lakewood; 253-582-5173 (Additional location at 4509 Lacey Blvd. S.E., Lacey; 360-491-4068)
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Sundays
Price range: $ (under $14)

By Sue Kidd
sue.kidd@thenewstribune.com

The Scene: Small, clean, cute and clearly a Salvadoran restaurant – the maps and photos of El Salvador plastered on the walls are a giveaway. A few booths for sit-down service, or take-out at the counter. Not a quiet restaurant – expect to hear Telemundo on the television. We watched a Spanish-speaking version of Judge Judy, “Caso Cerrado,” on our visit.

Type of food: Salvadoran cuisine. The bulk of the menu seems to be traditional Salvadoran dishes of stewed and slow-cooked meats paired with some kind of starch – a Salvadoran equivalent of Midwestern meat and potatoes heartland eats. Salvadoran food is flavorful but not spicy. But a tongue-tingling salsa is provided for heat seekers.

Menu highlights: Naturally, pupusas ($1.95 each) are a staple of the menu, as they are a staple in El Salvador home kitchens. Pupusas are a very traditional dish that can be traced to ancient villages in what is now El Salvador. They are thick discs, sort of beefed up corn pancakes, stuffed with all kinds of meats or cheeses and served hot off a griddle. El Pulgarcito makes six kinds of pupusas: chicharron (pork), queso (cheese), loroco con queso (cheese and veggies), revuelta (pork, cheese and beans), calabazita (zucchini and cheese) and espinaca (spinach and cheese).
Looking beyond these savory and inexpensive little delights, there are a dozen Salvadoran entrees – among them two interesting sounding dishes that we did not sample: sopa de res ($9.99), a combination of beef ribs, yuca, cabbage, zucchini and tortillas; and mojarrita frita ($10.95), a whole fried tilapia fish with accompaniments.

The menu also includes Mexican-style burritos ($6.50-$8.95) and Mexican entrees, such as chicken carnitas ($9.50), pollo ranchero ($9.50) and steak fajitas ($9.95). But at a Salvadoran restaurant, why order a Mexican entrée? Stick to the left side of the menu where the Salvadoran specialties are listed.

People in the kitchen: Owners are Celina Ramos and Elio Flores. The restaurant opened in 2006. There is another location in Lacey.

Dishes sampled: Pupusas! Need we say more? These tasty Salvadoran appetizers easily can become habit-forming. The chicharron pupusa ($1.95) was stuffed with savory pork and the calabazita pupusa was steaming hot and gooey with cheese (a little light on the zucchini). Served with a side of Salvadoran cabbage – curtido, a puckery Salvadoran salad that tastes a bit like a very crunchy, fresh sauerkraut – two pupusas can make a very cheap and delicious meal. Tip: If also ordering one of the Salvadoran meat entrees, save some of the curtido cabbage to fold into a handmade tortilla with some of the meat.

Bistek Encebollado ($9.95) was a hearty slab of marinated steak covered with grilled onions and peppers and a side of fragrant, yet mild, rice and portion of black beans. Definitely ask for the handmade corn tortillas to accompany the entrée. The tortillas were thick and chewy. So was the meat, so cut the pieces small before assembling into a Salvadoran-style taco.
Pollo Guisado ($9.50) is a slow-cooked chicken-style pot roast, also served with rice, salad and the handmade tortillas. The chicken in this dish was much more pliable than the bistek, and the chicken reheated nicely as a leftover lunch.

Yuca al Vapor ($6.50) is a bargain of a meal and enough to feed two easily. Yuca root – sort of like a really starchy white sweet potato – is served steamed (or fried, just order it “frita”) and covered with a side of the cabbage curtido and drizzled with a tomato-based sauce. On the side, chunks of fried pork (watch out for a bit of chewy gristle). Again, these things go well tucked inside handmade tortillas.

Service: Our server answered 20 or so of our questions with patience. She steered us to menu items that were Salvadoran specialties and provided reference for ingredients with which we were unfamiliar. We appreciated the navigation.

Most unexpected moment: Our server asked if we wanted handmade tortillas with our meal (as opposed to prepackaged). We look at our server, stunned. Given a choice … is there really a choice? We went with the handmade, naturally. They were thick, fragrant and deliciously hearty hand-pressed corn tortillas. These are more dense and toothsome than typical thin tortillas at Mexican restaurants. In short, a delicious Salvadoran treat. Lesson: If your server asks if you want them made “a mano,” say “¡Sí!”

Wild card: Beverage selection extravaganza. Try a “cola champagne,” a bottle of Salvadoran soda. Or try bottled jarritos and glasses of horchata and chocolate mexicano.

Pictured here: Celina Ramos and Elio Flores, owners of El Pulgarcito. Peter Haley / The News Tribune