Alligator Sausage from Big Wil & The Warden is seen Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at MusikFest in Bethlehem. (Joseph Scheller/The Morning Call)
It was portable, nailed it on juicy texture, and beautifully tapped all the right flavor notes.
And it was made of alligator.
Alligator sausage on a stick is one of the new foods you must try at Musikfest — underway through Aug. 14 on Bethlehem’s North and South Sides.
The Lehigh Valley’s largest festival is all about the music, but each year the food competes for our attention. From favorites like Aw Shucks corn to what’s new, more than 30 food vendors are in the lineup this year.
As I do every year, I assembled our Morning Call Taste Test team to try the new foods.
Many of you fondly remember when Morning Call columnist Bill White would eat his way through Musikfest. We appreciate how much our readers loved those columns each year, but I simply cannot compete with White’s prowess as a festival-eating machine.
So once again, I assembled a helpful team to take a more surgical approach.
Joining me this year: Reporter Lindsay Weber; reporter Molly Bilinski; and Bilinski’s husband and Morning Call fan, Chris Raelinski.
We used a scale of Musikfest “stars.”
Four stars indicate must-have perfection and easy-to-eat on the go, while a one-star rating means nah, don’t bother. For flavor, we considered texture (taking the Musikfest heat into consideration), flavor and creativity.
We also navigated both sides of the festival this year, as the new foods were split between them. Our team braved the heat, racked up the steps and dug in.
Here’s what we found:
Chocolate drizzled and whipped cream-topped French toast bites are among the new foods at Musikfest. (Jennifer Sheehan/Of The Morning Call /The Morning Call)
Where to get it: Wells Fargo Festplatz
What we had: Two kinds of French toast bites: Traditional with maple syrup and chocolate drizzled with whipped cream. You get these in a paper cup and the bites are about 2-inch squares so it scores some points for portability.
The chocolate drizzle/whipped cream topped variety was the more messy of the two flavors though. (Portability is always important at Musikfest because you never know if you’re going to get to sit at a table or not.) The texture of both flavors was crispy and light. Our team was split on which flavor we preferred, but for me, the traditional maple syrup was spot-on. Both flavors had just enough toppings without turning soggy and maintained their texture as I walked about 10 minutes through the festival grounds to meet our team. The portion was also adequate for the price. This was our favorite sweet dish and if you’re a fan of breakfast like I am, it’s a must-have.
Deep-fried Riceballs from The Little Sicilian are seen Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at MusikFest in Bethlehem. (Joseph Scheller/The Morning Call)
Where we got it: PNC Stadplatz (Payrow Plaza)
What we had: A variety pack of pepperoni, cheesesteak, traditional and chicken parm arancini. This vendor is based at the new venue at Payrow Plaza. You truly get a beautiful view of both sides of the festival and the extra walk to get there is worth it.
Now, on to the arancini: If you’ve never had them, they are Italian balls of rice stuffed with a filling and deep fried. We got a variety pack of four for $25. While the Musikfest eats tend to be expensive, this food test was the highest of what we tried. Each rice ball was a good size and expertly fried with a perfectly crisp outside. Unfortunately, we had what I consider to be a long wait for these. To be clear, we were there on the festival’s first full night, and sometimes vendors need to get into a groove.
As for the flavor of our arancini: The texture was excellent but when it came to the flavor of the fillings we had some trouble distinguishing between the pepperoni and chicken parm. Seasoning ― a little more garlic, more salt ― would have amplified the flavor. (I had this same criticism of some dishes last year. Seasoning is so important, especially when you’re talking about cheesy, rich dishes.)
Alligator Sausage from Big Wil & The Warden is seen Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at MusikFest in Bethlehem. (Joseph Scheller/The Morning Call)
Where we got it: T-Mobile Plaza Tropical: (North Side)
What we had: Alligator sausage on a stick. This is one of two foods on our list that I couldn’t taste test due to having a shellfish allergy. This vendor has a number of tasty-looking Cajun seafood dishes and for that reason I had to pass on this one. That said, our taste testers gave the alligator sausage rave reviews. Game meats can often be rubbery or chewy, especially at a festival but this sausage was definitely not that, our team reported. The sausage was incredibly juicy with a good snap, kissed with a kick of heat that was cooled by a sweet and tangy drizzle. Because it was on a stick, this dish was the most portable and least messy. The sausage was $14.30 and that’s truly the only reason it didn’t score a perfect 4.
Where we got it: Air Products Americaplatz
What we had: Seafood mac. So after we walked for miles around the North Side of the festival we headed over to the South Side. Before we get to what we had, it’s worth mentioning that the South Side of the festival really offers a different, more relaxed experience in terms of enjoying the food. Get some great food and a table and watch the bands, especially at Americaplatz. It was hot Friday but once it moved into evening, it was really pleasant sitting and enjoying the food and free music against the backdrop of the blast furnaces. I highly recommend you visit both sides of the festival. OK, back to the food: Our team really enjoyed the seafood mac from Slabs and Crabs. (Again, had to pass on this one.) What the team got was a large portion, which was plenty for two to share or for one really hungry person. The dish wasn’t overly heavy as some mac and cheese dishes can be; and it had big pieces of shrimp and crab that were tender and tasty. Again, price took a ding out of the rating because the dish was $20.
What we got: I was greeted at this vendor by the friendliest servers of the night. The truck itself has that Scooby Doo vibe, which was a lot of fun. I ordered the cheesesteak tots because for me, tater tots are the ultimate “munchy food.”
They were salty and perfectly crispy and maintained their texture despite the blanket of cheesy-steak topping. You get a generous portion and it would be the perfect dish to eat with a Musikfest mug full of Yuengling. That said, we have to ding the score for the price, $20, and really the topping needed more seasoning. (Maybe I should bring salt with me next year).
Where we got it: Air Products Americaplatz
Where is it? Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza
This vendor is inside the gate at the Steel Stage. You’ll need a ticket to one of the headliners to enjoy this new vendor, who has a variety of sweet and savory foods such as doughnuts, cheeseburger quesadillas, buffalo chicken eggrolls, iced coffee and cookies.
Francelis Torres eats corn on the cob from Aw Shucks on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at MusikFest in Bethlehem. (Joseph Scheller/The Morning Call)
Of course, this is a review of new foods at Musikfest. But every year, I bring someone new with me to join our team and I make sure they have had Aw Shucks because it is Musikfest’s Greatest Of All Time food.
For $14 we got two cobs of the grilled, salty corn perfection and it’s the Musikfest food that’s just hard to beat.
We want to know what you ate and what you thought of it. Tell us your favorite ‘fest foods. Email: jsheehan@mcall.com or tweet at @jenwsheehan.