This last weekend the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival returned and this year the food is better than ever! During the media preview hosted by Knott’s Berry Farm, I had the opportunity to try many of the delicious Boysenberry offerings. A day dedicated to food is a good day. A day dedicated to food with boysenberries, even better!
The media preview included the tasting card. For $30, there are 8 tabs that can be used on 8 different (or I suppose the same) items. The DAPS MAGIC team decided it would be fun to try all of these foods and then rank them. Check out my rankings below. Then go to the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival and try them out for yourself. After you have done that, share how you’d rank them with me in the comments!
The Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival will continue daily until April 8th. For more details about this annual event, check out Murray’s article on what some of the best offerings for the Boysenberry Festival here. Then, go and visit Knott’s Berry Farm and see for yourself!
8. Boysenberry Cheese Quesadilla
Here is something you’ve probably never had before: a purple quesadilla! It can be found outside of Ghost Town Candy. The Boysenberry Cheese Quesadilla is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a tortilla with a hint of boysenberry in it along with cheese that I believe might have had boysenberry in it as well. It was served with both sour cream and a boysenberry salsa. The quesadilla itself has just a hint of boysenberry to it. The salsa had a stronger boysenberry taste and jalapeno taste as well. It wasn’t too spicy though for me, which means just about everyone could probably handle it. The sour cream tasted like regular sour cream to me. This dish was decent and fun. However, when I rank it compared to all the other dishes I had at Knott’s Berry Farm, I had to put this as my starting level. It was good, just not great.
7. Boysenberry Pierogies
Next up on my list is the Boysenberry Pierogies. They can be found at Spurs Chophouse. I will admit, I don’t think I’ve ever had these before. They were kind of like a really thickly stuffed ravioli with some grilled onions, bacon, and a boysenberry sauce. First off, loved the actual pierogies mixed with the boysenberry sauce. That was easily the highlight of the dish. The cheese, mixed with the boysenberry sauce, was a fantastic explosion of both flavor and texture in my mouth. I really didn’t think it needed the onions and bacon though, which is surprising because I love BOTH of these! I would eat this again and probably skip the onions and bacon and be more than happy. If you happen to be at the Boysenberry Festival while it is raining, this would definitely be something you want to get! The good news is, it is right next to the ribs too!
6. Boysenberry Hummus w/ Grilled Pita Bread
The Boysenberry Hummus with Grilled Pita Bread was a surprise to me. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. The texture was a little different than I was expecting and the presentation wasn’t overly exciting. However, it was delicious. I didn’t realize that the boysenberry flavor would work so well with hummus. This was a solid offering that I finished right off. It can be found north of Sutter’s Grill. It is filling and no frills. I am not a huge hummus fan but I would definitely get this again.
5. Boysenberry Coconut Macaroon
The dessert included on the tasting card is a Boysenberry Coconut Macaroon. This macaroon can be found outside Spur’s Chophouse. This is a hearty coconut macaroon that blends both boysenberry flavor and coconut. The balance that comes from this was simply delightful. It is a dense and filling dessert and that is not a bad thing at all. The boysenberry frosting on top is also delicious. It only covers half of the macaroon, which is a good thing. If it covered the entire thing, it might be too sweet. This way everything was balanced quite comfortably. I could definitely eat many of these, just not all at once.
4. Slow Cooked Boysenberry Short Rib
The Slow Cooked Boysenberry Short Rib can be found in Spur’s Chophouse, right near the pierogies. The ribs are served on a bed of rice in a bowl. It is a hearty dish that is sure to delight the taste buds. The boysenberry sauce on the ribs is a really good pairing. Put it with the rice and it is a great centerpiece for a meal. The ribs were tender and full of flavor. The sauce was good with the rice also. The rice might have been cooked in some sort of broth as it seemed to have a meaty flavor to it. This could have been a carryover flavor from the ribs though. All that to say, this was easily one of my favorite dishes of the day. I would absolutely get it again!
3. Boysenberry Chicken Wings
Outside of Spur’s Chophouse, the Boysenberry Chicken Wings could be found. The wings were a bit different from this last year. They were fried chicken wings with a batter on the outside with boysenberry sauce poured on top. These wings were awesome. I would eat a whole meal of these. They really weren’t spicy but they were delicious. Chicken and boysenberries are both icons of Knott’s Berry Farm. Putting them together for these wings are wonderful. Just remember to get napkins or be prepared to go clean up after eating them. Then, go back and get some more!
2. Boysenberry Sausage on a Bun
This offering should probably get the award for most boysenberry in a dish. The Boysenberry Sausage on a Bun came with boysenberry relish, boysenberry ketchup, and boysenberry mustard. I didn’t even realize half of these existed but I’m definitely glad I do now. This was one of my favorite flavors of the day. The sausage accompanied with the relish, mustard, and ketchup was an absolutely wonderful combination. It would be perfect for an afternoon bbq! My one slight critique was I would have liked a less bready bun. However, the whole thing was fantastic and a wonderful explosion of flavor in my mouth. This is found right next to the Wilderness Dance Hall where most of the adult beverages could be found. It was a good match with some of the boysenberry beverages that could be found there.
1. Boysenberry Elote
My favorite dish of the day at the Boysenberry Festival was easily the Boysenberry Elote. This delicious grilled corn was covered with boysenberry sauce and parmesan cheese. The balance of these flavors is absolutely perfect. I could spend all day just eating ear after ear of this delicious corn. It is light, it is flavorful, it is something I would like to be eating all summer if I could! The Boysenberry Elote can be found across from the Golden Trails Hotel. I highly suggest trying this dish. The line was a bit long but it lessened later in the day. Do not miss this one!
Final Thoughts
The food offered at the Boysenberry Festival this year is a very strong collection of good eats. Every bit of food that I put in my mouth was welcome and I would eat again. I found it hard decided what was my absolute favorite food offered at Knott’s and that is a very good thing. Couple the wonderful food with all the fun entertainment being offered at Knott’s Berry Farm for the Boysenberry Festival, and this is a seasonal celebration you won’t want to miss! The Boysenberry Festival is a highlight for me and the DAPS MAGIC team every year! These are a few of the highlights of the festival, but it is best to go check them out for yourself! Stop by before April 8th for the Boysenberry Festival and then let us know what you thought of it and how you’d rank the foods in the comments below!
