We went to the Smith Street Fair in Carroll Gardens, a scaled-down version of the Atlantic Antic because we originally wanted to catch the Stinkfest ’09 cheese-eating contest, but by the time we had walked around (and eaten our weight in festival food), we weren’t prepared to wait around. Plus, Mr. Softee was calling our names like the tempting devil he is.

The first place we tried was a Peruvian restaurant called Coco Roco. Eric got a crab-stuffed empanada, and Anne and I split “papa rellena” (potato stuffed with beef and vegetables). Their items were a little pricey, but I went back for more anyway (as you’ll see later).

Next, we tried the more affordable Thai tent down the block, which had each item at $1. I got crab ravioli and Anne had chicken satay.

I’d like to say there was a lot of time between the food tents, but…not really. Next, Anne and I split some Indian food: chicken tikka masala with rice, a vegetable samosa, and naan (not pictured).

A local dance studio was offering free on-site salsa lessons and performing for the crowd. The guy in the college shirt remained frozen like that for the rest of the afternoon, and we all just danced around him:

There was a lot of a live music featuring a few local groups. Wild Bill’s offered unlimited refills on their old-fashioned soda for $10, and it came in a metal mug. I wanted to try the sarsaparilla flavor but I guess “diet soda” didn’t really exist in the olden days.

Eric tried a fresh falafel from the next stand. The ingredients were amazingly fresh, and the falafel balls were being fried to order. What I’m saying is I regret not getting a falafel.

To make up for my lack of falafel, I headed back to the Peruvian stand and tried a chicken and potato stew in a creamy white sauce. Before leaving the fair and heading to Trader Joe’s, we finally got our well-deserved ice cream. Deserved because it was hot, not because we were hungry.