Photo by Darin Kamnetz
Those who were fortunate enough to get a ticket for the drive-through State Fair Food Parade found it well organized and a fun, delicious way to get the end-of-summer traditional food cravings satisfied. Kudos to the State Fair employees for all the innovative setups and the vendors who made it all happen. They even made a place for food bag donations for Second Harvest at the beginning of the route. Still one weekend left to go, and they might have some additional tickets. Worth checking online.
If not, there are other places to get State Fair food from local restaurants. Check out Stewart’s in Northeast for cheese curds, turkey legs, and cheddar corn dogs. Sweet Science Ice Cream, at Keg and Case Food Hall in St Paul, has a special tribute to Sara’s Tipsy Cherry Pie flavor.
Then, at Midtown Global Market in south Minneapolis, you’ll find plenty of State Fair veterans setting up as part of the Great Global Get-Together. At the top of my list, there’s Manny’s Tortas—a fair favorite that serves delicious tortas and non-alcoholic piña coladas. Then, you’ll also find the Produce Exchange, which you know as the place to pick up juicy fresh fruit (especially well-known for peaches, which come grilled, too).
The Nicollet Island Inn, the Grocers Table, Cafe Alma, the two Birchwood Cafe locations, and all the Blue Plate restaurants have added their version of State Fair food on their menus, for patio or takeout treats, through September 7—but do check out their websites or give them a call before you go.
