It’s time to grab your forks and knives because Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2020 is just around the corner! Every year Knott’s surprises us with a huge assortment of boysenberry-inspired eats and treats. From March 20 to April 19, you can find over 75 dishes and drinks that feature the berry that launched Knott’s into stardom. We’ve come to expect bold and inventive interpretations, and this year doesn’t disappoint. Here’s a sampling of what’s to come!
The 5 Berry Best
Last night at the Boysenberry Festival preview event, we were able to try some of the foods coming to Knott’s in a few weeks. These are the top five that you won’t want to miss.
5. Boysenberry English Toffee
Churro toffee may have met its match! This square of English Toffee is packed with boysenberry flavor inside and out. The boysenberry flavored toffee square is coated in purple-colored white chocolate and rolled in boysenberry sugar. It’s an interesting twist on a beloved classic.
4. Brussel Sprouts topped with a Boysenberry Balsamic and Bacon
It’s a well-known fact that Brussel sprouts and bacon are a match made in heaven. But when you add a reduction of Boysenberry Balsamic Vinegar, the dish is elevated to an even higher plane. The caramelization of the Brussel sprouts plays off the tart acidity of the balsamic and the richness of the bacon. This is a great way to get your greens without compromising taste.
3. Beef Tips with Boysenberry Mashed Potatoes
This is similar to the hit potroast from last year, but with a different cut of meat. This time around, the vibrantly purple whipped Boysenberry Mashed Potatoes are paired with Beef Tips and smothered in Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce. This is the stick-to-your-ribs goodness that you just can’t get enough of.
2. Pork Bao Bun with Boysenberry Kimchi and Nam Pla
When you think of Knott’s food, you probably think of American grub, fairground classics, barbecue, and the cult-classic fried chicken dinner. So it was definitely a surprise to us to see some Asian fare for the Boysenberry Festival. The bao itself is pretty traditional with a barbecue pork filling, but the pairing of Boysenberry Kimchi (made with pickled cabbage, jalapenos, and boysenberries) and Nam Pla (a Thai fermented fish sauce) makes for an unusual selection on the festival menu. We really enjoyed this.
1. Boysenberry Beer Cheese Soup topped with Boysenberry Drizzle and Brown Butter Crouton
Holy cow, this was A-MA-ZING. The cheese soup is made with Boysenberry Beer and is smooth and complex without any bitterness, and the Boysenberry Drizzle adds a pop of color and sweetness to the soup. But the real star of the show is the Brown Butter Croutons. They provide the perfect contrast in texture to the creamy soup and are filled with a nutty and buttery flavor. I think Knott’s should start selling these by the pound. I’d buy 3 pounds immediately!
It’s hard to pick only a few winners, especially since nearly everything we had was delicious. Here are a few others we think you’ll enjoy.
Honorable Mentions
Boysenberry Cannoli
People just couldn’t get enough of this! It’s filled with a light cream that delivers the boysenberry flavor without being overbearing.
Boysenberry Steak Chili with a Boysenberry Cornbread Muffin
We would have placed this in our top 5, but we wanted to give the newcomers to the festival an equal chance at recognition. This chili has an inherent sweetness from the boysenberries that is mellowed out with the acidity of the tomato. And the Boysenberry Cornbread Muffin is the perfect way to round out the dish. You’re going to want to bring Tupperware to Knott’s just to take this home!
Boysenberry Chicken Mole on Cilantro Rice
This Chicken Mole is as complex as it is saucy. The mole sauce has a sweetness from the boysenberries and the Cilantro Rice adds a fresh zing to brighten the dish.
Here are some of the other things we tried:
Boysenberry Macaron
This macaron is refreshingly light and still delivers the boysenberry goodness you’re looking for.
Boysenberry Bread Pudding topped with Boysenberry Coulis and Crème Anglaise Sauce
It took a few bites to appreciate this dish. It looked like a parfait, so we were expecting something light and creamy. So we were very surprised to find a dense bread pudding! It’s rich, so you may want to share it!
Boysenberry Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Out of all the foods we tried last night, this was probably the most disappointing. The shrimp didn’t really have much of a kick or even much of a boysenberry flavor, and the grits were bland. There’s still time for this one to get some retooling.
Boysenberry Ceviche with tortilla chips
This was another inventive dish for the festival. Tastewise it’s delish, but it’s a bit awkward to try to pick up boysenberries with tortilla chips. We recommend a spoon!
Samosa with Boysenberry Chutney
Although we weren’t the biggest fan of this selection, it sure does look pretty. And like most samosas, this is a vegetarian offering.
Pastrami Sandwich on a Pretzel Bun topped with Boysenberry Mustard
This was a case where we were hoping for more of a boysenberry presence. The berry flavor comes from the mustard, so it might just need more mustard. As a standard pastrami sandwich, it was quite delicious, though.
More Festival Food
There’s plenty more food to see at the Festival when it opens on March 20th. Here’s the rest, but first, three items that caught my eye that I’m eager to try.
Sweet Boysenberry Tamales
Boysenberry Butter Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Plain or with Pork Belly
Boysenberry Cake Shake
The rest of the items are a mixture of returning and new options.
To top it off, there are two insane dishes that we just have to talk about. The first is this heart-stopping Mega Mrs. Knott’s Mega Dinner-In-One. It consists of a huge cheeseburger made of four 1-lb patties and two massive Hawaiian buns, a whole boysenberry pie flipped on top, then finished off with four pieces of Mrs. Knott’s fried chicken.
This massive offering will be available at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant starting March 20 and will cost around $80. We heard that it’ll be available to order from the minute that the restaurant opens until it closes at night, and will take about 30 minutes to prepare.
Then there’s this… This is the WOW Pasty, a gigantic cheeseburger pasty with boysenberry ketchup topped with fried eggs. This is supposed to feed 4, but it sure looks like it could feed a lot more than that!
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card
With so many food options to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to limit yourself to just one or two. And why would you?! There’s too much good stuff to pass up! This year, Knott’s has a Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card with 8 tabs that you can choose from 26 different items from around the park. The card costs $40 (plus tax) and you can save an additional 5% as a 2020 Season Passholder.
The card is a great deal. The tasting card is cheaper than paying full price per item, and you really get your money’s worth with portion sizes. You may not even be able to finish it in one go.
Merch
If you’re looking to take some of the Boysenberry Festival home with you, you’re in luck. There’s a handful of apparel items, a sun parasol and plenty of housewares.
But the real goodies are the consumables you can enjoy at home. We were eying two of the new spreads, the BEAR Jam and the Boysenberry Sweet Tea Jelly. When it comes time to return for the opening of the Boysenberry Festival these guys are coming home with us!
The Boysenberry Toffee and Cake Batter Cookies should be available in the Marketplace and at Ghost Town Candy.
There are also some drinks featuring the beloved Boysenberry.
The cobbler mix was so popular last year that new mixes are available.
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Let’s Hear from You
Everything sure looks delicious. What are you hankering to try once the Boysenberry Festival opens on March 20? Have you ever been to Knott’s Boysenberry Festival? In your opinion, how does it stack up against food festivals in other parks? Let us know in the comments below.