DATE: Sunday, April 6, 1997                 TAG: 9704040200

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 15   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: SUFFOLK'S SPECTACULAR SPRING FESTIVAL 

SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

A WORLD OF GOOD EATING IS COMING TO FESTIVAL THERE WILL BE APPLE BUNS, SMOKED TURKEY LEGS, SEAFOOD AND EVEN CAJUN ALLIGATOR.

Balloonists may have to compete with 22 food vendors for the attention of spectators at the Suffolk Spring Spectacular and Balloon Fest being held April 11 through 13 at the Suffolk Municipal Airport.

The delectable sights and aromas wafting from mouth-watering dishes are sure to draw the eye and appeal to the appetite. So skip eating beforehand, don't bring food, and come hungry to the festivities!

Local concessionaires, as well as those from as far away as Maine, New York and Pennsylvania, will feature a wide variety of foods. . . from down-home cookin' to European dishes to Cajun specialties.

Can't resist dessert? Indulge in Pennsylvania Dutch funnel cake or hot apple buns with ice cream.

Samples of lunch, dinner and snack foods are as follows:

Beach Smokehouse of Virginia Beach will feature smoked turkey legs and smoked barbecue sandwiches with homemade coleslaw, both $4.

``We were one of the first vendors in the area to offer smoked turkey legs,'' said Keith Gore, owner. ``Now, they have become very popular.''

Gore won't reveal his secret recipe, which includes light salt and seasonings. A part of the finger-lickin' goodness, however, results from hickory-smoking the turkey for six to eight hours in huge ``cookers.'' His pork barbecue is prepared Carolina-style with a vinegar cure.

The Happy Crab Restaurant of Virginia Beach will offer some unusual, tasty dishes, including bite-size, Cajun fried alligator accompanied by a hot mustard sauce. For those who haven't sampled fried alligator, chef Dominic Simeone describes the meat as a cross between pork and chicken.

``Most people who try it, like it,'' he said. ``It's our No. 1 selling item. We sold 500 pounds of it at Hampton Bay Days.''

How about a pair of frog legs served in a basket with basic condiments? Or a cluster of four or five snow crab legs served with hot butter and cocktail sauce? There will be soft-shell crab sandwiches, ``peel and eat'' shrimp, and jambalaya. All items are priced at $5 with the exception of jambalaya at $3.50.

Samantha and Matthew Fairlies of Der Pretzel Haus in Fleischmanns, N.Y., make their hand-rolled, twisted pretzels fresh every day.

``The recipe is our very own,'' said Samantha Fairlies. ``We use a sweeter kind of dough that makes softer pretzels. They don't have a hard skin and I think they're yummier.''

Traditional salted or unsalted pretzels at $2.50 each will be available with mustards for dipping, as well as those topped with cinnamon and sugar, melted cheddar cheese, pizza sauce, and the best-seller. . . garlic and butter. Toppings are 50 cents extra.

Maryann Brick of Virginia Beach, owner of The Veggie Patch, has been preparing platters of tempura vegetables since 1979.

``I've traveled a lot with my mobile concession business and everything was beef and hot dogs,'' she said. ``I learned to appreciate vegetables and felt they were needed. The tempura batter enhances the taste of the vegetables and we prepare them in an oil that has no cholesterol. We began with a soy and sweet and sour sauce for dipping. Now we've added dressings, such as ranch and horseradish.''

Tempting choices include broccoli, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, zucchini and onions. A single serving is $3.50; a large platter, $5.

Demi Peabody of Hot Apple Buns will travel from Hiram, Maine to offer scrumptuous apple buns made from her original recipe.

``I used to do craft shows,'' Peabody said. ``My husband kept looking at the food stands and noticed a couple from Vermont who sold apple pies. He wanted me to sell them at fairs, but I refuse to make apple pies. So, a girlfriend and I spent one whole winter perfecting a recipe for hot apple buns. We invited friends to a lot of tasting parties. Then, in 1989, we finally hit the road.''

The winning confection is a cinnamon bun with warm apples and a special sauce topped with French vanilla ice cream.

Buns with ice cream are $4, cookies, $1.25 each, and cappuccino, $2.

Other concessionaires include: Suffolk Moose Lodge, Law Dogs and Event Foods Inc. of Suffolk; Capt. Ed's Seafood of Ocean City, Md.; Tabors Hickory Smoked Barb B-Q, European Foods and Smokey's Inc., of Norfolk; Ted's Fresh Cooked Pork Rinds, Filipino Fast Food, National Events Management Corp. and Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake of Chesapeake; Food Fest of Springfield; JP's Ice Cream and B&K Enterprises of Hampton; Pappas Inc. and Spuds Enterprises of Virginia Beach; and Willie's Hot Dog King of Gloucester.

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