While time travel isn’t a thing yet, going to Knott’s Berry Farms Boysenberry Festival is your next best possible option because it’ll remind you of pre-covid times when you could walk amongst strangers in a public setting at ease. (It makes taking the trip from L.A. down south to Orange County absolutely worth it)

There were the usual temperature checks and questions about symptoms. Employees had extra masks just in case plus you couldn’t go 20 feet without seeing hand sanitizer, a handwashing station or a ridiculously clean bathroom. There were also plenty of spaced-out seating options with workers constantly wiping down tables, so I felt completely safe taking off my mask and chowing down on whatever delicious delicacy I had in front of me.

Everyone respected the six feet rule while politely asking passing strangers about delicious-looking dishes or an especially colorful drink. This may not have been “The Happiest Place on Earth,” but we were all pretty happy to be out in the sunshine just enjoying life.

What I tried:

Boysenberry Brisket Tater Tots topped with Crispy Jalapeño Chips and a Boysenberry Aioli Sauce

The brisket was tender and savory with a hint of sweetness as it proudly sat on top of a pile of tater tots. The tater tots were so crispy you could hear a dramatic crunch after every bite, loudly announcing to the world that yes, you were in fact on your seventh tot. The jalapeño chips helped balance the sweetness of the Boysenberry both in the brisket and the aioli sauce to deliver a perfect pairing.

Beyond Meatballs with Boysenberry BBQ Sauce over Cauliflower Cilantro Rice with Pita Bread

Beyond is a vegan “meat” brand so while the meatballs didn’t taste like ground beef, the boysenberry BBQ sauce took center stage and gave the impression of a hearty bite. There was nothing wrong with the cilantro cauliflower rice and pita bread, but there wasn’t anything outstanding and the dish seemed randomly put together. I normally prepare these items and felt like I could have made this at home if I just picked up a bottle of the BBQ sauce. (Which I eventually did on my way out.)

Pastrami Sandwich on a Pretzel Bun with Provolone Cheese with Boysenberry Mustard

The star of this dish was hands down, the boysenberry mustard. This is just a good pastrami sandwich and when you add the condiment, the tangy-sweet flavor brings out the smokiness of the meat. The pretzel bun was very thick and fluffy which made me want to rip off the excess bread and dip it in melted cheddar, but the provolone cheese was a nice consolation prize.

Apple and Chicken Sausage with Boysenberry Mustard on a Boysenberry Bun

This was my favorite dish all day and I think it had to do (again) with the boysenberry mustard. It paired beautifully with the apple and chicken sausage. The two fruits complemented each other without being overly sweet and reminded me of cranberry sauce on turkey; an unusual but now classic combination. The bun was purple, deep purple. While it looked like something from a kid’s cartoon, it tasted like a normal bun. I couldn’t taste the boysenberry but it may be due to my biased opinion on the boysenberry mustard which is hard to top.

Elote with Boysenberry Mayo, Cotija Cheese, Butter, Tortilla Strips

This dish was simply beautiful. The mayo and boysenberry made for a light pink mixture that was slathered on the buttered roasted corn on the cob. A sprinkle of cheese and purple tortilla chips and that’s it. Sans lemon or chili, the elote morphed into a dessert that made me want seconds. It wasn’t gourmet and maybe only slightly life-changing, but it was still delicious and brought a bit of home to the theme park.

Boysenberry Shrimp Ceviche with Tortilla Strips

This was not ceviche. It was watery pico de gallo with tiny shrimps tossed in, like the kind you find in those shrimp cup of noodles. That’s all I’m going to say about it.

Funnel Cake with Boysenberry Ice Cream, Lemon Drizzle, and White Chocolate Sprinkles

At this point, I’ve confirmed that Knott’s knows how to fry things well and this funnel cake was no different. Crunchy and sweet with the inside cooked but soft and hot. It was topped with a lot of things which is jarring but the lemon, boysenberry, and white chocolate flavors mixed perfectly together. For those funnel cake connoisseurs, the portion is smaller than your regular sized funnel cake however, just as equally delicious.

Boysenberry Beer

This was a light, smooth wheat beer. You can taste the subtle boysenberry which, in this case, is a good thing since balancing the flavors can be tricky. This combo is refreshing and crisp. I will note that my festival companions noticed that the beer cups were smaller than other alcoholic beverages being served so they stuck to the drinks in larger cups for the rest of the event.

Boysenberry Sangria

The boysenberry was apparent in this beverage. It was sweet but not syrupy which makes me think they used their boysenberry wine to make it. For those sangria snobs dying to know, there was no traditional fruit and the drink was pretty carbonated.

Boysenberry Cosmopolitan

This was the strongest drink my group was served all day and it became everyone’s favorite. You had the ever-present boysenberry mixed with citrus and the kick of alcohol. This was simply a well-made drink and I send my compliments to Knott’s mixologist.

Boysenberry Frozen Mai Tai

This blended mix of heaven is sweet and cold. Blended drinks are also tricky because too much ice can turn it into a bad slushie. That was not the case for this Mai Tai that also had a kick and was perfect for roaming the park on a hot day.

What I would go back for:

• Apple and Chicken Sausage Corn Dog with Boysenberry Mustard
• Boysenberry flavored Shrimp and Grits
• Mexican Street Corn Chowder with Boysenberry Tortilla Strips
• Boysenberry BBQ Meatloaf with Scalloped Potatoes0
• Red Concha Stuffed with Boysenberry Ice Cream
• Boysenberry Iced Irish Cream Coffee
• Boysenberry Milk Tea with Popping Pearls

For those pessimists, yes this wasn’t exactly my ideal trip to the theme park as a roller coaster junkie. Occasionally I did find myself looking longingly at the stationary rides just feet away from where I was stuffing my face.

For those optimists, this was a perfect way to slowly integrate back into society after being quarantined by humans for the past year. Everyone was pleasant and stayed way more than six feet away from each other. We were all thrilled to just be out, in public and not in a Zoom meeting. The Boysenberry Festival runs until May 2.