Las Vegas to me means good eats. Plentiful buffets and some of the best restaurants and chefs in the nation. I always make it a point to try out one or two of the new culinary treasures every time I am in town, and am always on the prowl for new eating opportunities, especially in the dessert department. Normally these can be found at the newer and larger hotels on the strip: Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Bellagio, the new Wynn. But during a wander through downtown Fremont Street, I happened upon the most unusual food item I have yet to see in Vegas.
A cold January day, we were passing by a small innocuous looking venue with girls in sweats underneath Carmen Miranda outfits passing out Mardi Gras beads, and saw the sign. The sign I had to read twice to understand. Because in my part of the world, we don’t serve DEEP FRIED TWINKIES.
I can’t even imagine who concocted such a thing. After dragging my husband into the The Mermaids Casino, we made our way to the back food court. Well, not really a food court. More of a Little League refreshment stand with sodas, corn dogs, hot dogs, and, of course, deep fried Twinkies. I ordered one, for the reasonable price of 99 cents, and proceeded to watch the delicacy being prepared. Out of the freezer comes a Twinkie, stuck on a stick. It is dipped in batter, and thrown into the fryer. A few minutes later, it is done, drenched in powdered sugar, and ready to eat. My brother would never believe this. So I called him, before even taking a bite.
Michael, who appreciates the finer things in life, including good food, could only laugh at my apparent descent into culinary hell, relishing the likes of carnival food. But when I bit into it, I stopped laughing. It was actually good. It wasn’t too sweet and the deep frying had changed the texture of both the cake and the filling. And I ate the whole thing. It’s amazing to me that the humble Hostess Twinkie, which has a shelf life that NASA would love, could taste this good. And I heartily recommend it to anyone taking the stroll down Fremont Street. In fact Fremont street is a great place for cheap eats, including 99 cent margaritas, hot dogs, even deep-fried Oreos. And if you want, you can even have some free Mardi Gras beads.
Hey, I hear in some parts of the country they serve deep fried Snickers bars, too. Anybody know where?
Mermaids Casino
32 E Fremont
Las Vegas
702.382.5777
By Susan Brady, Redwood City, CA
{ 1 comment }
I swear, I have never seen these people before in my life…really. No, really.
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