Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival (March 19th - April 3rd)
Boysenberry season is here! From now until April 3rd, amusement park goers can enjoy boysenberry themed food all throughout the park! Boysenberries are a mix between blackberry, raspberry, and loganberry, and it makes complete sense that Knott's BERRY Farm would have a festival for this season! :) The park does offer tasting cards for food and wine/ craft beer for only $25 each which is a steal as you get six different types of food and drink to try!
We loved the items that were offered on the tasting card; Knott's Berry Farm offers wide variety of dishes and desserts for such cheap price! There is a map on the back of the card, and we had so much fun wandering around trying to find the various stands and just enjoying the environment! They also offer other boysenberry items not on the tasting card, and we got a few of those options that is discussed later on. Here's a rundown of the food we had:
1. Boysenberry BBQ Short Ribs
I was impressed at how tender and juicy the short ribs were! The meat was very easy to cut with a plastic knife, and the sauce paired the ribs extremely well. This seemed to be Asian inspired as it comes with rice, but the rice is a fantastic offset to the boysenberry BBQ sauce. We got two of these as it was that good!
2. Spicy Boysenberry BBQ Wings
The boysenberry here reminded me of a sweet and tangy sauce that is usually found on chicken wings- but even better as it was boysenberry flavored. The chicken was hot and tender, and although we really enjoyed it, this dish is super messy to eat!
3. Fried Alligator Bites with Fries and Boysenberry Aioli
This was our favorite hands down- we ordered three of these in total as we could not stop eating the fries and the alligator! Alligator tastes like chicken but slightly chewier, and Knott's does it right! I've had fried alligator in New Orleans, and Knott's version is definitely comparable. Add the boysenberry aioli and it is delicious! Fries were also fried perfectly, so good!
4. Boysenberry BBQ Meatballs
Another hot and juicy dish. These meatballs came straight off the grill and tasted amazing! Super flavorful with a nice sweet finish of the boysenberry. Knott's is super generous on their portions, and we were so full by this time! We almost took one home but could not find an appropriate to go box.
5. Boysenberry Panna Cotta with Almond Crumble
I wish I had gotten more of this dish! Although simple to the eye, it was yummy! The panna cotta somewhat reminded me of yogurt but more solid, and the almond crumble added a nice crunchy texture to the soft dessert. Definitely up there on taste!
6. Boysenberry Dessert Flautas
These were like taquitos filled with boysenberry and its puree. Can't decide if I like the panna cotta or this one better since they're so different, but I love the contrast of the two desserts! This one was crunchy overall with boysenberry oozing out of the flauta. Yum!
Birds eye photo (minus the meatballs, plus the fun bun)
Overall, everything we had was delicious! I was impressed at how well made everything was; Knott's definitely knows what they're doing! We also got some dishes that were not on the tasting menu as they had a ton of options, and I will talk more about those after the wine tasting!
Boysenberry Wine
Cheese plate to pair with the wine!
The wine and craft beer tasting was located at the WIlderness Dance Hall, and for $25, you get to try 6 different types of wine and craft beer as well as a cheese plate to pair with your drinks! I was surprised at how cheap everything was and how generous they are with their portions. They had white wine, red wine, moscato, and champagne inside with standing tables to taste the wine. They even had a special boysenberry wine that was on the sweeter side but it was surprisingly really good! I had to get this in line with the theme of the boysenberry festival. The craft beer is located outside, and theres a nice patio seating area where you can sit, relax, and enjoy everything with your friends!
Additional Dishes at the Boysenberry Festival~
Boysenberry Soft Serve
We saw people walking around with this, and we had to get it! This was definitely a highlight of our day as who doesn't love soft serve! We've never had boysenberry flavored soft serve before so that was a nice unique change- it was refreshing. I would definitely recommend getting this!
Chicken Sandwich
This sandwich is available where the short rib stand is located, and I personally do not like wheat bread so I thought this was okay. However, if I did enjoy eating healthy, I felt that I would have really enjoyed this burger. Glad I got to try this though!
Saving the best dish for last! I wanted to get all of the desserts offered at this stand, but we were so full by this point! We did decide to get the Fun Bun which is a deep fried cinnamon bun with boysenberry cream cheese frosting. Super heavy but SO BOMB! You have to try this for yourself, but be sure to bring some friends as the three of us couldn't finish it! The layers were impressive, and it added a nice texture to the overall dish.
My friends and I had so much fun trying everything that was offered! So glad we got to come before the season ended (April 3rd) as it is a limited time event. i can see why this is a popular event as the variety of dishes offered and the quality and taste was superb. I can totally see myself returning next year to enjoy these special dishes as you can't get it anywhere else! Thank you Knott's for having us!
@secretlifeofaggie, @kkarmalove