2019 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 1

WOOO!! It's the best time of the year!

New Foods at the MN State Fair time!

Okay fair. The actual Fair is better. But still. We are excited!

35 new foods this year so we'll be breaking these foods into five separate posts. Which means there's no time to lose!

OH!! But before we get to that, we have a new Instagram account!

Find us at FairFestFeasts.  We will be posting live, as tasted photos of us when we're at the actual fair. It's the best place to see what's down as it's happening.

All right! Food thoughts time!

Sarah

Overall thoughts:

Well here we are! The best time of the year!

In general, I think I’m pretty happy with this list. There’s nothing that I’m, like, SUPER excited about, but there’s also not a ton that I’m really dreading.

I expect this will be a perfectly fine year. Which, okay. Sometimes it’s good to have those so you can eat all your favs from years past.

Theme this year is either Tacos or Blueberries. I actually think it’s Blueberries since that was the pie contest for the baking this year, too.

So yeah.

Thing I’m Most Excited For:  Breakfast Potato skin, I think. Even if it has garbage peppers on it. And then maybe the Shrimp and Grits fritters.

Thing I just Don’t Want to Eat:  The Hot Hen, even though I just absolutely love its name.

Patrick

Well, here we are again.  The excitement is building for the coming fair, and we are getting a taste of what is to come with the new foods list.  Last year I was rather cynical in my prospects due to 2017 having been a serious dud for new foods and losing some favorites from years past to the annals of history.  However, 2018 had turned out to be, frankly, a stellar year.  The new foods came back hard and came back strong with some real positive notes.  I’m hoping this isn’t a pattern and this year is a downslope between good years, but as usual, I will try to remain optimistic where I can and stubbornly harsh where I can’t.  If I was to label any theme or pattern this year, I’d put it as “Desserts and Drinks”, as almost half of the new list falls into that category.  Hopefully we can keep things balanced with a good portion of savory to sweet items.  We’re back up to thirty-one new items (maybe a little more with there being a few with a variety of options), so let’s hope this doesn’t completely wreck my wallet.

Most Excited For:  There’s a lot to choose from this year, but the first to really jump out at me is the Turkish Pizza at the Blue Mon Dine-In Theater.  I have always wanted to try Turkish pizza, and much like other such items in the past, the State Fair has deigned to give me the opportunity to live out that dream.  That Grilled Sota Sandwich from new vendor Brim also has me curious, and I’m hoping it is as tasty as it looks.

Least Excited For:  I gotta say, I’m surprised that nothing really stood out as something horrendous that I’d have to endure trying.  Usually there is...something that’s either a food I already know I despise or something that just looks awful on sight of description, but I think I’d have no complaints about trying really any of these new items.  But this is the “least excited for” section, so I think I can pick one item out of the list.  That item is gonna be Snow Cap Mini Waffle Sundae from Hamline Church Dining Hall.  They are pretty well known for standard (read boring) fare and this looks as unimaginative and unoriginal as they come.  Waffle with ice cream and syrup.  Really raising the bar there folks.  That’s sarcasm.

Anne

I scrolled through the list real fast just to glance at pics, and looks like it’s a Taco year? Also, there’s maybe some sort of hypodermic food injection? Let’s read on.

Ok, there are like 3 taco offerings and 3 blueberry offerings, so I’d say they’re tied for the ‘theme’ this summer.

This list is pretty good this year! There are enough crazy things to keep me excited. I feel like there might be too many beverage offerings (oh- there’s 3 of those too. Maybe it’s the year of the drink). In general, I’m not ever going to be really excited about a beverage, because it’s just a drink, so it has to be really crazy and they never are. I mean, one of them is just a regular old lemonade for crap’ sake.

31 new foods- the same number as 2017, 4 more than last year. Excellent. (of course- 3 of them are bevs, so maybe not as great as I thought)

Most Excited For: Tough call this year. I keep waffling between the Halo Cone and the Wingwalker Donut Flight. But man, I could make some arguments for those grit fritters and Savory Funnel Cake, or that Pebbles and Bam Bam Nordic Waffle.

Halo Cone. Lock it in.

Least Excited For: Snow Cap Mini Waffle Sundae, or the Stuffed Cabbage Roll. Boo I say!

Sarah

Hmm. I’m torn on this one. I’m not a big ham or salami sammich fan. I mean, let’s get serious: I’m not a sammich fan at all. But. BUT. This has melted mozzarella, and basil. And I love that shit.

And. AND. This is from the Sandwich Stop, which I think is that one little stand that makes amazing, killer sammiches and everything we’ve ever tried there has been amazing.

So, I guess that means I’m tentatively hopeful for this.

Though I’m not sure how I feel about that balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Guess we’ll see!

Patrick

Oh man, the Sandwich Stop makes some fine sammys, I tell you what.  This new sandwich begins and ends with the warm flatbread for me.  That looks real nice, but the actual sandwich itself doesn’t exactly entice me.  Who knows though, it could be killer.  I do love some melted mozzarella and fresh basil.  I’ll keep my mind open, but reserve judgement until I’m giving this a try.  Love the name, though.  Ay, oh, get a look at this sammich!  (that was said in a bad Italian accent, in case you were wondering.)

Anne

*I see we are still forgoing the oxford comma, MNSF*

Ok so the Sandwich Shop makes some good shit but looking at this pic I am underwhelmed right off the bat. I know this list is alphabetical, but is it too much to ask to have something like Rainbow Cloud Roll to really kick this list off to a good start? Anyway, the description sounds better than it looks, though I prefer my salami hard. I’m sure this will be a perfectly fine sammich, but c’mon- it’s the mutherfuckin State Fair, and we’re not here for ‘perfectly fine sammich’. Remember how you had the Bacon Fluffernutter sammich back in ‘17, and how it was crazy and amazing? More of that please.

Sarah

Yeah all right! I’m down for this. I mean, Key Lime isn’t like my favorite pie, but I’m fine with it. And Anne has been making a ton of blueberry pies in preparation for submitting one to the State Fair so I’m on a pretty big blueberry pie high right now, so smash those berries into a lime pie and I think I’m gonna like it.

Farmer’s Union Coffee Shop you say? Hmm. Is that the place that had the nitro brew? But also, the crappy éclair with the kernza flour?

If so, I am a little more worried about this.

Patrick

This is another location I find tends to make for boring food items.  Sometimes they may appear at a glance to be something clever, but they are just gussied up crap.  Key Lime pie doesn’t really even make my top five pie list, and adding blueberry sounds interesting, but not by much.  Plus, I’m pretty sure that picture is exactly as it comes, and I’m telling you now, it needs more whipped cream.  I’m betting this lets us down, just like it did last year, and probably years prior.

Anne

Bold choice to do blueberry, when the Pie competition this year is blueberry and I am all blueberried out. Why aren’t you thinking about ME, Famers Union? Also, why is it not Farmer’s Union? Shouldn’t it be possessive? Also, why is Key capitalized and not lime in the above description?

Ok, onto food opinions. Meh. I mean, it might be tasty (though considering the source, that’s questionable), and I like a blueberry and lime combo, but I appreciate that in the past Farmers Union has done some more interesting things like with Kernza flour (granted- they’ve mostly failed, but at least they TRIED). This seems like just a regular pie.

Sarah

As soon as I saw wine in the description I was like “I bet this is from MN Wine Country”

But! BUT! I was actually wrong! It’s from the Hideaway Speakeasy.

But that just boils down to the same thing: this shit is going to be so fucking expensive it’ll probably put us into a rage lather that we won’t be able to calm down from.

And because it’s the Hideaway there’s a 50% chance it will be just absolute garbage.

So, normally I’d be like “yeah, I like me a parfait, or at least the idea of a parfait” but now I’m not sure. It seems a bit too fancy and frou. But. I do like lemon curd. And whipped cream. And compotes (though rhubarb isn’t my favorite) and I sure as hell want that vanilla pound cake. So, it’s just going to come down to whether it all works together, and whether that wine just mulches everything together into a mush.

Also, the motherfucking cost.

Patrick

I want to imagine that this dessert is in a big giant vase the size of my head, but let’s get real.  This is the Hideaway Speakeasy; the same place that brought you a racist sandwich they had to change the name of, and insane prices of underwhelming food.  I’m betting this trifle comes in a shot-glass, and is priced at (drum roll)…$21?  That’s my prediction folks.  If anyone else was making this, I’d say that sounds like an elegant and exciting dessert option.  Hey, it might actually taste pretty good (it has been known to happen), but at whatever ludicrous price point they’re letting this go at, it just won’t matter.  I love cheese curds, but if they raised the price to $50 a pop, even I would question how deep my love goes for fried curds.  And, just because I can’t express my loathing for this establishment enough, I’ll remind you again that they made a racist sandwich their first year.  Did you know sandwiches can be racist?  The Speakeasy knew but didn’t realize that was a bad thing.  Or maybe they did.  They changed it after, you know, people complained.  Because it was racist.  Plus, it was super expensive, so just like an added middle finger to the whole ordeal.

Anne

Legit was like ‘who the fuck is Barb’ before I realized it was shortened rhubarb, and holy shit this is at the Hideaway Speakeasy. I was kind of into it until my stomach dropped out of my anus when I read who was offering this. Goddamn you know they’re going to charge $20 for this thing- they used words like coulis and compote. Also, of all the alcohols, I am really not a wine fine (despite best efforts). Also, for all reports, The Hideaway doesn’t even do their fun signature drinks well, so why would they combine their two crappy skills into one thing?

Also, is it a blueberry year?

I swear they better not have more than 1 food on this list this year…

Sarah

Before I even read the description, I was like “I need this. Right now.”

God, I love potatoes. And I LOVE potato skins. And breakfast is just an excellent meal.

Oh shit it’s deep fried?? Oh fuck, peppers? Why people always throwing in peppers to things like that makes it better. It doesn’t. Peppers don’t belong on things. They’re gross. This might be ruined now.

What’s chislic? This is the MN STATE FAIR, not the SD one. Okay so it looks like it’s just cubed meet. Usually mutton or lamb, but also venison. This is beef. I’m down with red meat in cube form so that sounds great. Especially because it’s blackened.

Ohhhhh bearnaise sauce?? Yessssss. Pour that shit over everything.

Where the hell is this found?

Blue Barn. Hmmmm. Okay, so last year Blue Barn knocked it out of the park for me. Enough that I forgave them all their previous missteps. So, if I actually forgave them, then I got to believe that this will also be the delicious thing I want and deserve.

Patrick

Blue barn really stepped it up last year.  Their new item was perfectly fine, but we also tried their…I wanna say some kind of bacon tots?  It was damn good, whatever it was.  So, I’m not gonna go off on my usual tirade about Blue Barn’s over-the-top food items that never really pan out.  Could that happen again this year?  Sure.  I do love a good fried potato skin, though, and a breakfast version with some kind of blackened beef (the hell is chislic?) sounds like an interesting take on the typical bar food.  Wait a minute, though…béarnaise sauce?  That’s not…never mind, I thought that was the same sauce they put on eggs benedict.  It is not, which is good, because Packie no-likey hollandaise.  I’m sure the twins will scoff at the crotch peppers on this, but I don’t mind.  Peppers have started to grow on me, even the crotch variety, so I’m hoping this is something that will go good with those tots.  Keep at it Blue, you can do it.

Anne

I bet Sarah is reaaaaaalll excited for this. And honestly this looks great! Though I wish it didn’t have peppers.

What the hell is chislic? Apparently, it’s a ‘traditional dish of cubed red meat most commonly localized to the state of South Dakota. Traditionally made from mutton or lamb, but has also been associated with wild game, deer and venison mostly, and even cubed beef steak depending on preparation’.

Also, the word chislic is possibly derived from a Turkish work rooted in shish kebab.

So basically South Dakota made Shish Kebab and just made up their own word and called it traditional.

Last year Blue Barn really redeemed themselves for us after years of subpar results. I hope we’re continuing on their new 2018 angle and that this is good. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Though I wish they’d been more adventurous and used lamb or venison instead of beef.

Sarah

Oh shit yeah! Okay, I know I don’t like Mexican food. But guys, listen. I wish I liked Mexican food, okay? I love the idea of tacos. I just don’t like the Mexican flavor profile. Or beans.

So, when there are tacos that are not Mexican tacos, I am alllll over it.

So, this? Yeah, I am excite about this. Deep fried cone taco is just amazing and I hope it’s crunchy and great. Sesame garlic ginger sauce sounds great.

It’s just going to come down to whether that queso fresco or carnitas flavor profile overwhelms the other stuff.

Oh, also I’m not a huge fan of sour cream but I’m sure Anne will like that addition.

This is from San Felipe Tacos. I’m not sure we’ve ever had anything from there, so I guess we’ll see how it goes!

Patrick

Carnitas is one of my favorite taco/burrito fillings, and the sauce on this sounds killer.  Basically, a cone-shaped carnitas taco, but with enough flair to make it exciting.  I’m hoping this is good, because it would be just my kind of food that I’d really enjoy.  I think maybe even Sarah might like this, as it doesn’t sound like your typical Mexican seasonings that she thinks are of the devil. 

Anne

At first glance I thought this was a gyro. Also does it come with that convenient holding stick? I hope so.

My preferred tacos are on a hard shell (god I despise soft tortillas) so I appreciate that this has been deep fried. Also, the flavors look like they might be safe for Sarah to consume. Looks tasty.

Sarah

More tacos!

Is…is Taco the emerging theme for this year?

Flour tortillas are not my choice of tortillas but it is what it is. I like me some smoked brisket and love me some gouda. Though hopefully it’s not too smoky flavored. I have mixed opinions on Kale and Brussels Sprouts, mostly that I’m not a fan except for in a few occasions.

The BBQ sauce could make or break this taco, both in regards to flavor, and if there’s too much or not enough.

Shanghaied Henry’s? That’s . . . this seems like a strange offering from them. Though we don’t eat from them that often so maybe they generally do do (heh) a lot of tacos or BBQ.

Patrick

Not sure I’ve ever been here.  As a general rule, I prefer my tacos the traditional way (whether hard shell with ground beef, or more traditional street taco style), and I think there is the dumb obsession with trying to meld tacos with BBQ.  Nothing about this sound particularly bad or off-putting, but I thi9nk it has been done a hundred times.  Kind of boring, not terribly inventive.  Maybe it’ll be good BBQ or sauce.

Anne

Already with a soft tortilla shell. BOO I SAY. This seems really roughage heavy and light on the protein. I am not a Brussels sprouts fan, but maybe they’ll be hidden by all the cabbage.

This looks like a regular fancy taco. I would not normally spend money on something like this. What do we do with those chips? Just eat them naked?

Also, lmfao at this line “a pickled kale crunch made with kale”. Uh, yeah- NO DOY

Sarah

Okay. This is…this is something.

First cheese: good.

Sriracha: bad

Funnel cake: good

Savory funnel cake: unsure.

Oh okay. The sriracha is just an aioli dipping sauce. Okay okay okay. That makes me a little more interested in this. Oh shit, there’s also ranch or butter dipping sauces? Can we get all three? I hope so. I don’t want to limit my dipping sauce options. Dipping sauces are the best.

I’m not sure how I feel about mixing allllll these cheeses. And again, the savory funnel cake could go either way, but I think I’m mostly intrigued by this. Though I don’t want my cheddar like in the picture for this: slightly warmed shreds. It better be fuckin melted.

At least it’s from a Funnel Cake stand so at least they (presumably) know what they’re doing in regards to the funneling of cakes.

Patrick

I’m glad the Sriracha is actually in the dipping sauce, but even so, this seems a tad bizarre, or crazy perhaps?  I feel like funnel cake is the kind of dessert/dough that if you add things to it, it just ruins what its original intended purpose was.  To be light, fluffy, and just a little crispy.  Add cheese into the mix, and what will it due to that delicate balance?  I don’t know, and I guess we will see.  Maybe this will be really good, a cheesy funnel cake.  I’ve been surprised by stranger things (not the show, just things in general).  Flipping this from a traditional sweet dessert into a savory snack could be a fun treat.

Anne

Heh- now we’re talking. I have not had a savory funnel cake before, so I am intrigued by this offering. It looks tasty, and I’m glad that the Sriracha is confined to the dipping sauce (though didn’t they get the memo that Sriracha at the fair was 4 years ago?). I would also very much like to try it with the ranch and garlic butter, but this seems like it’s going to be an either/or situation, and we need to try it in the way that Funnel Cakes intended- with dumb ‘ol Sriracha.

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2!