There is no “HOLY COW YOU HAVE TO EAT THIS” new food at the Minnesota State Fair this year. Lots of good stuff. Lots of stuff I’d skip. More things in my bottom category than I remember—is that because I’m being tougher or because the stuff I didn’t like, I really didn’t like? I don’t know.
Let’s talk about the deep-fried ranch, because it maybe defies categorization. LuLu’s Public House has created a brilliant state fair food—it’s fun, they’re doing it quickly (we got in a giant line and 12 minutes later had hot, crisp, perfectly done deep-fried ranch). I’ve been describing it as a cream cheese wonton, but it’s more like a deep fried ravioli. The filling is very ranchy. Very ranchy. (UPDATE: I went back and had this again, and the filling was more balanced between cream cheese and ranch – so it tasted like ranch but wasn’t a ranch bomb. Much better!) So as a fair food, it’s genius! For me: it’s a one bite and I’m good situation. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
My favorite foods get the Blue Ribbon: foods I really enjoyed and would eat again. In the middle is Honorable Mention: foods I think are well done and you might enjoy them. And then I have the Participation Ribbons—things that just didn’t do it for me. Agree? Disagree? It’s all about trying new things and having fun—so let’s take this in the spirit it’s intended!
BLUE RIBBON WINNERS: The Best
Chicken Chorizo Paella at Paella Depot $14: Perfect paella. Great chorizo, tender and flavorful-chicken, the rice is caramelized with a nice crunch. Fresh snap peas and carrots and veggies in here too. No real surprise, as Paella Depot owner Doug Huemoeller spent years doing classes and selling paella pans as the owner of Kitchen Window. You can add seafood, you can add a fried egg, there’s a not real hot hot sauce available too. I laughed at the “Paella is the hotdish of Spain” on the truck… Doug’s not wrong. Near the Miracle of Birth Building
Turkey Kristo at Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, $16: You expect farm fresh, bright veg, texture, and flavor explosion from the Farmers Union. This is a hot, slightly sweet, riff on a Monte Cristo. So not bright, not much texture, and if it’s a hot day, I’d skip it, but I liked this way more than I expected—and our group ate the whole sandwich. Ferndale Market turkey on Texas toast, topped with white cheddar from CannonBelles in Cannon Falls, local apple butter, and spicy brown mustard mayo. Not for everyone but we loved it. North side of Dan Patch Avenue near the Snelling entrance
Koshari at Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine, $15 for chicken: What a delight! I’ve never had Koshari, but I loved this rice and lentil bowl with chickpeas. I went with chicken and you’ve got to use the garlicky vinegar “dakkah” sauce. Hearty, sharable, a new experience—just wonderful. South of the grandstand under the ramp
Quesabirria Taquitos at El Burrito Mercado, $13: Perfectly executed deep-fried Taquitos stuffed with quesabirria beef, and topped with their awesome salsa verde. Easy to bite and walk. When you ask them, “Is it spicy?” the team here will ring a bell and everyone yells “IT’S NOT SPICY!” It’s not spicy. Enjoy with the Agua de Sandia Loca watermelon drink with chamoy. International Bazaar
Wrangler Waffle Burger at Nordic Waffles, $12: I’ve given Nordic Waffles some grief over the years for being too weird with their waffle sandwiches, but I think they nailed this one. Caramelized onion in the batter made this waffle just savory enough, the burger was well-seasoned, the spicy Whataburger sauce tied it all together. This is a patty melt with two patties in a waffle and I’m here for it. West End
Ba’bacon Sour Cream + Onion at Baba’s, $14: I hate that I always love Baba’s, because another hummus bowl feels like cheating. Is this really new? Well, they’ve never made a sour cream and onion hummus before—and this tastes just like the best sour cream and potato dip you’ve ever had. Beef bacon, sumac tater tots, caramelized onions, chive oil—it’s fabulous. South of Little Farm Hands on Underwood
PB Bacon Cakes at The Blue Barn, $12.75: The more I thought about this, the more I loved it. Six sharable bites, nice crunch on the bacon, light peanut butter in the homemade whip. Great textures—delicious real food. Perfect for breakfast. Nothing gimmicky, but I would absolutely eat again. West End Market, south of the History and Heritage Center
Crab Boil Wings at Soul Bowl, $20: The flavor on this was off the charts. It’s like a shrimp or crab boil done with chicken wings. The chicken apple sausage was spectacular, the chicken wings were spot on, the corn and potatoes were all seasoned with Old Bay. Yum. The whole thing felt like it weighed 20 pounds, which makes the $20 price tag feel better. You need a table and a group to share this with. Food Building
Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch at RC’s BBQ, $13: This is super-tender bacon, cooked long so it’s intentionally not firm. If you get an order with a lot of texture chili crunch, I think you’ll really enjoy this! Not too spicy, I liked having the rice to absorb some sauce and balance the dish. Grab a couple forks to share it. By the Grandstand / West End Entrance
RED RIBBON WINNERS: Honorable Mentions
Deep-Fried Korean Corndog at Chan’s Eatery, $15: This is so fun. When else can you get a a giant corn-dog style hot dog/mozzarella cheese thing. We loved the panko batter, although you get a lot of batter compared to the amount of hot dog. Highly enjoyed the crunch and flavor from the hot Cheetos. Located on the east side of Underwood Street between Murphy and Lee avenues
Dill Pickle Tots at Tot Boss, $8: The dill trend is still here—Tot Boss does a great job with tater tots, they assertively season them with a dill seasoning. Not pickle—more fresh/salty dill. Great share, nice flavor, reminiscent of a dill pickle potato chip. Near Kidway/Midway Men’s Club
Chile Mango Whip at Tasti Whip, $12: I love Dole Whip, this is Dole Whip. Mango is refreshing, and the salty/sweet flavor from the Tajin and chamoy flavorings lit up my taste buds. The chamoy-rimmed cup was a bit unnecessarily messy, as was the tamarind candy straw. By Sky Glider/ Grandstand
Swedish ‘Sota Sliders at Hamline Church Dining Hall: The flavor on this is really outstanding, the only reason I don’t give it a blue ribbon is that it’s a repurposing of something that’s been on the menu before. The cranberry-wild rice meatball, smashed into a patty is great, the red relish of beets, red onions, red peppers, lingonberries, and cranberries puts it over the top. Two sliders makes this a great share. North side of Dan Patch Avenue between Underwood and Cooper streets
Lobster Eclairs at Scenic 61, $25 for the lobster + banh mi duo: I loved the flavors of this lobster roll in an eclair shell. Why an eclair shell? Actually it works pretty well as a vessel, making this a little easier to take a bite out of and enjoy. I liked this much better than the banh mi, which was too dry. South of Little Farm Hands
Sweet Corn Cola Float at Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, $11: This is not sweet! Nor does the cola jump out as corny. That said, I enjoyed the soft Earl Giles cola flavor, combined with the frozen cola, and then that sweet corn ice cream. I’m a sucker for the pop rocks-style candy on top. Northeast corner of Carnes Avenue and Chambers Street.
Buffalo Cheese Curd & Chicken Tacos at Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos ($14): Two fried taco shells, stuffed with solid buffalo sauce, average shredded chicken and curds. I love buffalo flavor, and the crunch with the soft curds worked for me – but all three of us who tried it left saying we’d rather just have cheese curds. Needed a little more blue cheese slaw. Outside the sheep and poultry barn
Grilled Purple Sticky Rice at Union Hmong Kitchen, $10: On day one with a long line, the team was clearly struggling to keep these mounds of sticky rice from falling apart. It was charred so aggressively it was burned. The shredded beef jerky was dry, the rice was dry, the Krunchy Chili Aioli was great. Clever idea, just doesn’t seem to work. UPDATE: They re-engineered the cooking style, Instead of doing It on an open grill/flame, they’re cooking on pans. It keeps the Inside sticky and the outside crispy – vastly Improved! Go try It! International Bazaar, south wall, west corner
Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing at LuLu’s Public House, $12: The first time we tried it, it was too ranchy for me. The second time I had it (Wednesday of the fair) it was more cream cheesy and I really liked it. The cream cheese forward with a taste of ranch is more enjoyable for me. This Is a hit! I like It best dipped In the Cry Baby Craig’s hot honey. West End Market, south of Schilling Amphitheater
Deep-Fried Halloumi Cheese at Holy Land Deli, $10 for 4: This is a good value, it’s solid, I like Halloumi. It’s a firmer cheese. Blue Barn did something similar last year, this is in fried triangles of pastry dough with a side of sweet chili sauce. “Stolen valor” joked one of my friends. International Bazaar
Patata Frita Focacciawich at West End Creamery, $12: I enjoyed the combo of olive oil, bread, and ice cream here. Wrecktangle Pizza did a fabulous job, as did the Minnesota Dairy Lab for the kettle-chip flavored ice cream. That said: a bread ice cream sandwich is a mess to eat–it’s really big, and it’s not very sharable. This is a great idea that I think needs a bit of work. West End Market
Blazing Greek Bites at Dino’s, $8: This was a texture issue for me. Deep-fried chickpea ball had me expecting falafel, but it looked like a tater tot with baby food mush inside. Spiced roasted pepper, sort of divisive in our group. Some liked the legit heat that stayed low and lingered.The roasted red pepper hummus on the side was great. North side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson and Underwood streets
Walking Shepherd’s Pie at O’Gara’s at the Fair $10: The pastry was actually quite nice and flaky, as advertised. It’s Shepherd’s Pie. Undersalted Shepherd’s Pie. This is a hearty serving: If you’re British and you love bland food, you’ll love this. Southwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue and Cosgrove Street
PARTICIPATION RIBBONS: Keep Trying!
PB&J Biscuit at LuLu’s Public House, $8: Our biscuit was a little over-browned, and while I liked the strawberry jam on top, do you really need a PB & J biscuit? Many better options here. Infusing the biscuit with peanut butter and jelly was a clever trick to add some moisture to what could be overly dry.
Shroomy “Calamari” at French Meadow Bakery, $14: Undersalted and under-fried mushrooms. The line was long, it took 10 minutes to get our order, and it wasn’t really shaved either. Side of chipotle sauce was the highlight. Carnes Avenue between Nelson and Underwood streets
Afro Poppers at Afro Deli, $6: Didn’t taste any African herbs, just tasted like a fried mini donut. Ours also tasted burnt. Blah. Food Building
3 Piggy Pals On-A-Stick at Sausage Sister & Me, $12:. Sausage Sister makes great sausage, but three bites on a stick for $12 with a weird cream cheese mix/barbecue sauce drizzle didn’t work for me. Food Building
STILL LEFT TO TRY: TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT MOST
Raging Ball at Herbivorous Butcher: Deep-fried sesame mochi dough ball with vegan burger mix, vegan cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and pickles, topped with bacon-flavored powdered sugar. Food Building
Strawberry Lemonade Donut at Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts: Raised doughnut frosted with lemon buttercream, rolled in strawberry lemonade crunch, and garnished with lemon gummy candy and freeze-dried strawberry slice. Served with a strawberry lemonade-filled pipette to squeeze in more flavor. Between West Dan Patch and Carnes avenues and Liggett & Chambers streets, south section
Mocha Madness Shave Ice At Minnesnowii Shave Ice: Caffeine-free coffee flavoring—caramel macchiato cold foam center. Drizzled with chocolate syrup and garnished with dark chocolate espresso beans. West side of Nelson Street between Dan Patch and Carnes avenues
Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin at Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken: Ham/pickle/cream cheese combo. Food Building, northwest corner
Cotton Candy Iced Tea at Loon Lake Iced Tea: Sweetened butterfly pea flower iced tea, garnished with a swirl of edible glitter and a rock candy swizzle stick to stir for a color-changing effect. West side of Underwood Street between Wright and Dan Patch avenues
Cookie Butter Crunch Mini Donuts at Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds: Vanilla-flavored mini donuts coated with vanilla sugar, topped with Biscoff® cookie butter drizzle and cookie crumbles, and served in a bucket rimmed with cookie butter and cookie crumbles. East side of Underwood Street between Murphy and Lee avenues
Marco’s Garden at Jammy Sammies by BRIM: Local rhubarb jam, thyme-marinated locally sourced tomatoes, farmer cheese, jalapeño, and honey served with a side of grilled gluten-free flatbread. North End across from the North End Event Center
Swedish Ice Cream Sundae at Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall: Vanilla ice cream covered in lingonberry jam, sprinkled with Swedish ginger cookie crumble, and garnished with a ginger cookie heart. North side of Randall Avenue, just south of the Progress Center
Lady’s Slipper Marble Sundae at Bridgeman’s Ice Cream: Strawberry ice cream plus lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Northeast corner of Judson Avenue and Liggett Street
Fried Bee-Nana Pie At Sabino’s Pizza Pies: A pie with Minnesota honey, fresh banana and Biscoff® cookie butter, battered and deep-fried. Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum, north side
Strawberries and Cream Waffle Stick at Waffle Chix: Belgian waffle filled with strawberry shortcake cookie dough, topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce, and served on-a-stick. By the Sheep Barn
