2021 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 5 (Sidecar Sandwich through Waffle Burger)

We did it! We made it to Part 5. Today we explore the food item from the most hated Fair Food Vendor, and learn that Anne is out of touch with her Harry Potter vernacular. Come along for the ride!

Sidecar Sandwich - The Hideaway Speakeasy

Thick-cut cognac-infused bacon smothered with Cointreau and citrus marmalade, layered with melted Havarti, smoked Gouda and aged cheddar, served on toasted sourdough bread and garnished with fresh orange slices.

Sarah

Every year we have to trudge up the fucking stairs to this dumb place and pay like 50 bucks for something that ends up being straight shit.

This sounds good. And I bet if it was done by another place (like that amazing sammich place across from the Turkey stand who’s name I’m drawing a blank on) I bet it would be.

But because it’s The Hideaway Speakeasy it probably won’t be good. And even if it’s okay, the price will just piss us off until we don’t like it.

I don’t make the rules.

Patrick

Seriously, eff this place. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the owner heard the Ahiers trio have to try EVERY new fair food item each year, and they were like “let’s make a place that puts out shit food and costs a fucking fortune. Maybe we’ll even offer complimentary slaps to the face.” Just a big ol’ backhand to your stupid mug for ordering from their stand. What the hell is this monstrosity? A fucking bacon and jam cheese sandwich? Oh hey, thanks for the free orange slices on the side, that makes for a real easy treat to awkwardly suck out of the ring of orange rind while you try to hold onto this slop pile in your other hand. As per tradition (I’m hoping Sarah and Anne remember to include this), we have to guess what insulting and inflated price they assign to this shame stack. I’m going to guess $18, though I’m betting they were like “hey, let’s just bump that up to $20, people don’t want change for their crisp twenty-dollar bill! Also, I punch babies.” Yeah, $18. Oh, and also, never forget, their debut year they offered a racist sandwich that they needed to then rename. Keep it classy Spitqueasy.

Anne

I saw the pic and was like “this looks sort of…subpar? This can’t be the sammich shop,” and then saw it was The Hideaway Speakeasy and everything made sense again.

So this is a grilled cheese with bacon and orange. Jesus Hideaway, just- just stop. You’re just awful. And I know because you added things like cognac-infused bacon and Cointreau and ‘fancy’ cheeses that you’re going to charge at least $12 goddamned dollars for this thing.
At least it has to be sort of tasty right? Like how do you mess up a grilled cheese, right? RIGHT?

 

S’mores Funnel Cake - Funnel Cakes

Graham cracker funnel cake topped with marshmallow, milk chocolate chunks and more graham cracker bits.

Sarah

Oooh, all right! Last year (again, 2019) we did funnel cakes up more than we usually do, and now I have a hankering for them, so I’m excited to see one on the list.

And you can’t go wrong with s’mores (which is why we always get a s’more at the s’mores stand.)

We’ve never tried a funnel cake from this place, though. I assume they’re good? They’re in the food building which is prime real estate (Jesus I spelled that so so wrong…) so I hope so. Either way, I’m looking forward to grabbing a table, snatching one of these, and waiting for the next rendition of Sweet Caroline on the karaoke stage to make me feel like I’ve come home.

*Sniff* I love you MN State Fair.

Patrick

Who doesn’t love the ole classic funnel cake? Last time we were there, we tried a savory funnel cake and it blew our minds how good it turned out to be. Seems they are going back to sweet flavors on this one, though. I loooooove a s’more, and anything done s’more style can usually be shoved right into my face and down my gullet. However, you CAN’T just throw the components onto something and call it a good s’more. The chocolate needs to be melted, the mallow needs to be toasted and gooey, and the graham crackers, well, that is pretty much fine as is. I like this idea, but if the picture is accurate, they just sprinkle unmelted chocolate bits on top and drizzle with some kind of marshmallow cream. That’s not a s’more, that’s just what comes with a s’more thrown raw onto a funnel cake. I hope I’m wrong and this is done better than it looks. We’ll see.

Anne

Last time we had a savory funnel cake from Funnel Cake and it was surprisingly excellent. We already know sweet funnel cakes are good, and s'mores are good, so really how can they fuck this up?

Not inventive at all, but I’m sure it will be gooooood.

 

Spufull Puff - Potato Man & Sweety

Mashed sweet potatoes blended with sweetened cream cheese then wrapped in dough and fried. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served with maple dipping sauce on the side.

Sarah

What is this? How do I pronounce it? Does it rhyme with Hufflepuff? I think so.

Anyway, what is this delightful thing? It’s definitely eye catching. And then it’s from a potato place! I feel like we’ve gotten something from them before…

Oh wait. It was the fucking churros that were terrible. Like straight rocks.

Shit. That doesn’t give me high hopes for these because how hard is it to make a good churro? Not hard at all.

But this sounds really really really good to me. I mean, I love potatoes. They might be my most favorite thing in the whole world to eat. And there’s sweetened cream cheese? And dough? And fried? And a dipping sauce?

Jesus be still my heart.

God, I hope it’s good. I really want this to be amazing.

Please please be good.

Patrick

HAHAH, this sounds like the house dish for Hufflepuff. “I’m a Hufflepuff and I eat Spufull Puff!”  All right, joking aside, this sound incredible. It’s like an inside out sweet potato pie (which is pretty much the same thing as pumpkin pie, let’s be honest) and that is all right by me. Sweet potatoes and sweet cream cheese stuffed inside dough and fried? Maple dipping sauce? Yes! Gimme!

Anne

How do I say this? Spoo-full? Spuh-full? Spew-full?

Oh fuck it’s potatoes?? Wtfwtfwtf. Well I guess it’s probably Spuh-full, like full of spuds?
(ETA I’ve been informed that it’s probable Spufull Puff like Hufflepuff. Sorry I didn’t recognize the HP reference in a food item that has nothing to do with HP, and like 80 years after the fact. Also, at least spell it like Spufflepuff then).

Anyway. I guess the hint that it was potatoes is the fact that it’s from Potato Man and Sweety but looking at that pic that is not what I would’ve guessed AT ALL.

Ok, now that I’ve gotten over my initial shock of what I’m looking at, this sounds like it might be good? At least it’s interesting and I’ve never seen something like this before.

Have we had good food from Potato Man before?

Ope- just looked them up and it was the Sweety’s Churros in 2017 and we gave them a D. So I guess I’m a little more cautious now…

 

Summer Lakes Beverages in 3 varieties: Wedge-Hammer, Lake Storm Lemonade and Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea - Summer Lakes Beverage

The Wedge-Hammer (gf, v) is fresh ginger, orange and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup. Lake Storm Lemonade (gf, v) is lavender-infused lemon and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup. Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea (gf, v) is fresh brewed tea, fresh lemon and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup. Debuting their mocktails at this year’s fair, Summer Lakes Beverage’s new menu also features the Bootleg (gf), Luna Paloma (gf), Fresh Press Margarita (gf, v) and Fresh Press Jalapeño Margarita (gf, v). Mixes by the bottle to make cocktails at home will also be for sale. gf (gluten-free); v (vegan)

Sarah

God that was a lot of words to read and a ton of parentheticals. They need to calm down a bit.

Is this a new place? I’ve never heard of it. It’s also weird to have a new beverage place. Oh, I see, they’re a gf and vegan drink shop.

Hm. Is that weird? I mean, it’s not hard to make drinks gf and vegan.

Shit, there’s a lot of drinks here.

All the lemonades sound great. I’ll try them all, but I’m most excited for the Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea (let’s calm down on the names too, please.)

I love a bootleg, so I’m sure we’ll try that. And if it’s good, I’m sure we’ll buy a bottle, too. Honestly, I want to try every single one of these drinks.

Patrick

Hey, a drink place. All right. Three new drinks to try, ok, let’s see what we got here. The Wedge-Hammer; fresh ginger, orange, citrus juices, zest, sparkling water, syrup. I don’t really like ginger flavored drinks, but maybe the rest of that will all balance it out. Sounds actually refreshing and sweet, so I hope the combination works. Lake Storm Lemonade – lavender lemon, citrus juices, zest, spark water, syrup. So basically, lavender flavored lemonade. Not sure about that one. Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea; fresh brewed tea, lemon, citrus juices blah blah the same stuff as the last two. Basically, an Arnold Palmer which I am not fond of either. I’m open minded and I won’t say that I wouldn’t like any of these, but there wasn’t one I was straight up enthusiastic about. But, maybe with all the additional elements, the juices, the zest, the simple syrup, all of these might hit the spot. Who knows.

Anne

Well damn! All of these sound tasty af, and since there’s 3 of us we can get 1 of each. I’m really excited to try these drinks- it seems like, with rare exceptions, new drinks are almost always some sort of fancy/crazy beer, and sometimes there’s a coffee drink thrown in. But what if you’d rather not drink and don’t like coffee? I guess this is the vendor for us! I’m excited! (as excited as I can be for a beverage.)

 

Waffle Burger - Andy's Grille

Quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger served between two maple-infused candied sweet crunch waffles with a side of maple syrup.

Sarah

I don’t know if I know this place. It could just be one of the many holes in the wall places around the fair. Like the one place where Packie gets a jank burger for like one buck just because it’s the cheapest burger at the fair simply for that reason alone. Or maybe it’s new.

I love a burger. I’m not sure how to feel about this. It feels gimmicky, which, yes, is dumb to say because it’s the state fair and everything is gimmicky. But I guess I mean it feels like they sort of tried, but maybe phoned it in? Like, hey, what if we used waffles instead of a bun? Done. I dunno.

There’s nothing about this that I don’t want, though. And I think it could be good. I’m excited to try it.

Patrick

A quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger with a waffle instead of a bun. Also some maple syrup on the side. Doesn’t seem particularly revolutionary. If the waffled is actually crunchy (like it says in the description) I think that might actually be a nice facet of this item, but it’ll have to just be a killer burger to excite me much. Seems pretty standard otherwise.

Anne

Ok. This sounds tasty, and I appreciate the syrup on the side. This doesn’t seem super exciting though, and while I haven’t had a waffle burger before I guess I’m surprised I haven’t? Just seems sort of expected I guess. Also does it looks super tiny to anyone else? Are they going to Hamline Church Dining Hall on us with the size? I know it says 1/4lb burger, but that looks like a regular slice of American Cheese on it in the pic, and the patty is engulfed by it sooooo….

So that's it! That's all of the official new foods. Now we just have to bide our time for something like 6 weeks until we can return to the 12 Days of Fun.

As a reminder you can check out all of our day-of New Food Thoughts by following us over at Instagram fairfestfeasts

See you at the Fair!

2021 MN State Fair Foods Preview Part 4 (The Naughty Biscuit through Sashimi Tuna Tacos)

Part 4 brings us some tasty looking gems. Read on to hear our thoughts 

The Naughty Biscuit - RC's BBQ

Smoked pork belly topped with beer cheese sauce, arugula, pickled red onions and candied jalapeños served on a buttermilk biscuit.

Sarah

At first, I thought that was some dried, stale bun on this thing and I was like, bleh. But then I realized no, it’s a biscuit. And then I saw pork belly. And cheese sauce and arugula and I got pretty excited!

Will this blow my mind? Probably not. But it does have the chance to be a darn good sammy, imop. We’ll see how it does.

Patrick

I still kind of miss Famous Dave’s at the Fair, and I don’t think RC has really fit into their shoes as well as they try to. They’ve had some very good items, don’t get me wrong, but Dave always seemed to really push the envelope each year. This seems…fine? I like the idea of a biscuit sandwich and smoked pork belly. Beer cheese sauce sounds a bit intense for a sandwich. I bet those pickled red onions are sweet and tangy, and I’m actually very curious how those candied jalapenos are and how much heat they retain. I could see this turning out to be great, or just way too much. Jalapenos, Sarah. The trend continues for that poor girl.

Anne

Is…is jalapeno the theme this year? This is like the 2nd or 3rd item with it.

This looks/sounds like a good sammich, but damn that looks like a lot of jalapenos on it in the picture. Honestly, now that I read it again and look at it again, I’ve got some concerns that this is too spicy and too much.

 

Chicken & Macaroni Nordic Waffle and I-Scream Waffle Sandwich - Nordic Waffles

Two new fresh-made waffle wraps: A Southern-fried spicy chicken drummy and cheesy macaroni, finished with a drizzle of honey on a warm Nordic waffle; and a classic ice cream cookie sandwich, crunchy kettle corn and chocolate drizzle dusted with sprinkles all wrapped in a Nordic waffle.

Sarah

Chicken and Waffles seems like a 2018 thing. But, also, this is Nordic Waffles so it’s kind of their thing? I’m also honestly surprised that they didn’t have a chicken and waffles before this. I guess the macaroni makes it different and new.

Anyway, I fucking LOOOOOOOOVE Nordic Waffles. Everything they make is like touched by the gods and I expect these will also be amazing, too. I’m actually kind of bummed they have two new ones because it just means there will probably be more flavors for me to decide between when I want one in the future. TOO MANY GOOD CHOICES, Nordic waffles! CALM DOWN!

Patrick

Hahah, I love this place. Seriously, never had a bad Nordic waffle. That sweet one sounds insane and I am totally on board! Ice cream cookie sandwich, crunchy kettle corn, all wrapped in waffle. You crazy, son! The savory one…how the fuck do I bite into one of these when you have a bone-in chicken drummy inside it? Am I supposed to eat the bones? Am I supposed to eat it separate, and if so, why included it if it is not going to be a part of the waffle sandwich? Don’t get me wrong, everything about it sounds great, I just am really curious how one goes about eating this all together without pulling that drummy out. Baffling.

Anne

Well damn Nordic Waffle, why not just come out swinging?

Ok, I am super excited to eat these both as I always am with Nordic Waffle, but they are not without concerns.

First, I love the look at what they were going for with that entire drummy on that mac and cheese waffle taco, but how are we supposed to eat that? It's bone-in so that means we have to pick it up to eat it separately (which then removes it from the waffle and adding it’s flavor) but then you’ve drizzled it with honey and so now it’s a freaking sticky mess all over our hands. How hard is it to use a chicken tender instead??

Second- I love the boldness of putting an ENTIRE ice cream sammich in the other waffle. I’m sure it’s going to be a hot mess (it doesn’t even look like it fits in the waffle in the pic), but I’m sure I’ll enjoy the hell out of it.

 

Paneer Pakora – Hot Indian

Seasoned paneer cheese cubes fried in a gluten-free batter and served with tomato butter. (Gluten-free). A fan favorite in the Midtown Global Market booth in years past, Hot Indian has a new home of its own in the Food Building and will be at the fair all 12 days! Their menu will also include the Kerala Fried Chicken Kati Roll (new food in 2021), Butter Chicken Samosas (halal), Sweet Veg Samosas (vegan), Bhel Puri (vegan) and Mango Lassi.

Sarah

Pshaa. I guess because they’re a “new” vendor (they’re not) they get more than one food on the list instead of just listing it with their other stuff.

Nordic Waffles didn’t get two entries. Just two items on one entry. Why is Hot Indian so special?

And it’s paneer again.

Listen, these sound good. And I will be very, very happy if they are. I mean, what’s not to like? I don’t like tomatoes, but tomato butter sounds interesting! And it’s served on the side. They’re basically Indian cheese curds and all right. I just don’t have high hopes because of the past…

Patrick

Bull crap, how do they get TWO new food items? Whatever. I love paneer, it is a subtle flavored cheese with a wonderful texture and serving it up as a pakora deep fried and breaded sounds delightful. Having a tomato butter (which I am assuming will be like a butter chicken sauce) is an awesome combo. I just have my doubts they can pull it off. The sauce will be tasteless or the texture of the paneer weird. I just have little faith that Hot Indian can make something I want to eat at the fair. Maybe that’ll change this year, stranger things have happened, but I’m not holding my breath.

Anne

Yup- Indian Cheese Curds. I’m there.

 

Pizza Lucy – Green Mill

Sausage patty topped with pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, stuffed in homemade Green Mill pizza dough, and topped with Italian seasonings, cheese and crumbled pepperoni.

Sarah

I was immediately like “please let this be from Green Mill” and it was!

Green Mill is like 99% awesome. Except for the one year (last year? (and by last year I mean 2019 because 2020 is the year that never happened)) when it underperformed.

This is like a pizza pocket and I’m here for it. Normally I’d probably be like, whatever. But, again, Green Mill has a history of taking something that seems like it will be no big deal and then somehow knocking it out of the park.

I hope this is another of those years.

Patrick

Unless I am mistaken, Green Mill didn’t have a new food last time, and the one before that was Za-Waffle Sticks, which we found mediocre at best. But before that, every year they put out a slammin’ new item that somehow blended Italian with some other cuisine and it ALWAYS worked. I am hoping this is the year they bring it back. A pizza Lucy, some mad science amalgamation of a juicy Lucy and a pizza I am assuming? This looks amazing.  Like a sausage patty stuffed inside a slice of pizza. Just the kind of thing I want to see from Green Mill and what I want in my mouth.

Anne

Welcome Back to the Official New Foods List, Green Mill!

And this looks like a strong showing for your return to the new food list. Ultimately there feels like only so many ways you can reinvent pizza, but Green Mill is always trying, bless them.

I’m sure this will be very tasty, like almost all of Green Mill’s showings

 

Sashimi Tuna Tacos - Scenic 61 by New Scenic Café

Crisp wonton shells filled with ahi tuna, avocado and sesame soy. Thai slaw with peanut dressing, pickled ginger and wasabi served on the side.

Sarah

Okay, first, what’s with the name of this place? Is it Scenic 61? Or Scenic 61 by New Scenic Café? If it’s the second one, does that mean I’m supposed to know who New Scenic Café is? Like it’s some sort of sponsor? I have a lot of questions here…

Onto the food! I’m not a sashimi fan. But I do like tuna sashimi, or when it’s lightly seared. I also like fish tacos, generally. There is nothing about this that doesn’t sound good to me (except for wasabi, but that’s served on the side, so win!)

I like that the shells are wontons. That’s doing Asian tacos right, imop.

I hope this is good. It could be nice and light and refreshing, which is always a welcome option at the fair.

Patrick

This place looks new. Is it new? I don’t really like sashimi, something about just a strip of raw fish and nothing else really bothers me. I think it is probably the texture. Put it on rice though, or in this case shove it into a wonton shell, and now we’re talking. So like a sushi taco? I guess it really would be a sashimi taco, since sushi has rice, but whatever. I don’t really like avocado, but I can usually get over it if it is in things and in sushi rolls, so I’m tentatively eager to try this out. I feel like the textures with that wonton shell will be amazing. Even the Thai slaw sounds great, with a peanut dressing. I’m pretty eager to give this one a try.

Anne

You know what we need more of? Asian Mexican fusion. Bc I love me a sushirito. So this sounds pretty bomb- I love everything on this list, and I really appreciate they left the spicier additions on the side to add as you please. Looking forward to this- I hope the ahi tuna doesn’t jack up the price.

Tomorrow is the last day with Part 5, kicking off with the Sidecar Sandwich. And if you think that sounds like an item that is coming out of a vendor that once had a racist sandwich, well you wouldn't be wrong. See you there!

2021 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 3 (Fudge & Fruit! through La Floretta)

 Here we are, middle of the week and time for Part 3!

We're exploring Fudge & Fruit! through La Floretta. You can bet we're gonna hate the idea of at least one item today, so read on.

Fudge & Fruit! - Minnesota Wine Country

Fresh strawberries and fudge brownies dipped in wine-infused dark chocolate, drizzled with wine-infused white chocolate and served on-a-stick.

Sarah

I saw this and was immediately pissed off. And then I saw it was from Minnesota Wine Country and got even more pissed.

Like fucking chocolate dipped strawberries and brownies is some amazing thing to get at the fair. Even if it’s drizzled in wine infused chocolate. Who cares? This isn’t a fair food.

Also, it’s gonna cost like fucking $20, too. And look at that “dipped” bs. Some of those strawberries have barely any chocolate on them. That’s bullshit and we all know it. And this is on the picture for the food which should be, like, the very best one. If the best one looks like that, you know we’re all getting barely any chocolate on our skewers.

Shit I’m pissed. Getting into a rage lather about it.

Patrick

Well, well, well, looks who is back on the new foods band wagon. MN Wine Country feels like the posh café where all the snooty wealthy elite get their “fair” food, while all us peons are staring in from the outside, half-eaten corndog in one hand and sugar-water lemonade in the other and a mustard stain on our shirt. Don’t get me wrong, I usually find their tiny little amuse-bouche sized food offerings to be surprisingly refined and a pleasure to the palette. I just don’t want to pay fifteen bucks for it! Chocolate covered strawberries and fudge on a stick, sounds like a gift box from a high-end candy store like Lindt or Godiva. Honestly, this wouldn’t excite me even if I could get it for five dollars, and I predict it’ll be closer in price to my initial estimate. This looks boring and I’m mad I’m going to have to empty my pockets to try it.

Anne

Does adding the exclamation point add a dollar onto the price? IIRC, MN Wine Country always had great food that was a smol portion at an exorbitant price (it has wine in it so $$$ amiright??).
Otherwise, these look good. Except take the fucking tops off your strawberries. God damn I hate tops on strawberries in food.

 

Greek Stuffed Ravioli - Dino's Gyros

Mediterranean pastry dough stuffed with cream cheese, tzatziki sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoncini, tomato, gyro meat and Dino’s Greek seasoning, deep-fried and drizzled with roasted garlic butter.

Sarah

Ope, more raviolis. Is that the theme this year?

This sounds pretty good, though I’m not excited about the pepperoncini. Also, that’s a lot of stuff in a filling for a ravioli, which makes me worried the bites will be uneven (this bite is all meat, this bite is all tomato, etc.)

I see there’s no dipping sauce, either. I feel like that kind of misses the point of deep-fried raviolis.

But, it’s Dino’s so I’m cautiously optimistic. I hope it blows my mind.

Patrick

This feels very similar to their feta bites or whatever from a previous year, but I feel like the filling on these sounds a bit more rounded out and interesting. A mixture of meat and cheese and a few other additives in a fried ravioli pasta shell, drizzled with roasted garlic butter (yum), here’s hoping this turns out as good as it sounds in my head. I mean, how do they get that many ingredients inside a little ravioli? Also, both of the twins don’t like pepperoncini, so I imagine they might turn their nose up to this one. Add another mark against Sarah and how much she hates this list.

Anne

Yeah for more dippin pockets! And damn do these sound great!! Though I wish they would’ve omitted the pepperoncini. Dang that’s a lot of stuff to stuff into a pocket.
Wait- I just realized these don’t come with a dip?? They’re just drizzled instead?
1- what a mess for my hands 2- why no dip?? Now it’s not a dippin pocket, it’s just a regular ol dumb pocket.

My friend Brigid says I need to just eat it with a fork, but if the intention is to eat it with your fingers, then don’t make it messy BRIGID.

 

Island Hopper - The Hangar

Hollowed-out half-pineapple filled with charbroiled chicken glazed with teriyaki sauce and served with steamy white rice and pineapple chunks, topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Sarah

Sure sure sure. I mean, this sounds good and like something I’ll like.

But, because it’s actually served in half a pineapple, I have worries that that will jack up the price for something that I can, more or less, get at Leann Chin’s.

The Hangar is still new, too, so it’s hard to know if this will be good or not.

Even if it is good, though, I don’t see how teriyaki chicken and white rice is ever gonna blow my mind.

Patrick

Look at this thing! The hangar had a pretty good year last time, so I am hoping they are keeping up that tradition with this new food. Food inside a pineapple is whimsical the first time you have it, but I feel like it isn’t the best medium for carrying your food. Also, I think they missed out in making that white rice fried rice, so this could be some kicking teriyaki chicken pineapple fried rice. But hey, maybe the rice will really soak up that teriyaki sauce and the chicken will be tender and have that nice charbroiled flavor. I hope this is good, I do, I just worry it might miss the mark. Nothing about it sounds bad, but nothing super excites me about it either.

Anne

Ok, I think this might be an excessive amount of food? Don’t they know that we need to eat a LOT of different things and therefore don’t want an entire half pineapple?? Also rice is so filling.

This sounds like Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken, and the only gimmick/special thing about it is the half pineapple, which isn’t that special at all bc we had a half pineapple food item at the farmer’s market this weekend, and you can routinely get them at Karta Thai (which I DO.)

 

Jumbo Donut Sundae - Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts

A jumbo frosted yeast-raised donut available in a variety of flavors, topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream, hot fudge and blend of sprinkles. Specializing in hand-cut, yeast-raised donuts, Fluffy’s menu options also include a variety of icings, butter cream frostings, fillings and toppings.

Sarah

Hello, Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts. Are you a new place? I’ve never heard of you.

Yeah, this sounds great. I fucking love a glazed donut. Donut places that try to be all fancy and make weird ass topped donuts are doing it wrong (you heard me. I said what I said.) Just make a nice, glazed donut that’s fresh and poofy and you will have my heart.

Nothing about this sounds bad. Will definitely try, like, all the donuts? Probably.

Patrick

Is this place new? Never heard of it, so maybe so? Anyways, donuts kick ass (though I can be picky on what is a really good donut.) Hopefully these donuts are fresh, fluffy and delicious, because I actually think this is a really killer idea for a twist on beloved dessert. I just really like the customization available for this donut sundae. Different donuts, different frostings and fillings, different toppings? Do I get to pick all of that, or are there going to be set combinations? Either way, what a fine twist on an ice cream sundae. Sign me up!

Anne

*Does a little happy dance*
Ok, so sounds like you can choose your donut flavor AND your sprinkles?? Honestly I wish they would just have some pre-chosen choices for us, because too many options is hard when you’re a group AND what if you just make a poor choice and then you have to judge everything off of that?
But anyway, give me the one in the pic bc that looks baller, and I am excited to see how their donuts hold up to ice cream and stuff.

 

Kerala Fried Chicken Kati Roll - Hot Indian

Marinated, battered and fried chicken tenders wrapped in paratha with chutneys and slaw. A fan favorite in the Midtown Global Market booth in years past, Hot Indian has a new home of its own in the Food Building and will be at the fair all 12 days! Their menu will also include Paneer Pakora (new food in 2021, gluten-free), Butter Chicken Samosas (halal), Sweet Veg Samosas (vegan), Bhel Puri (vegan) and Mango Lassi.

Sarah

Okay, the picture grabbed my attention.

I was confused at first because I was like Hot Indian sounds familiar, but they’re in the food building?

And then I read that this is the Indian place that used to pop up in the midtown global market and I was immediately disappointed. Because I know for a fact that Hot Indian was never one of our favorites. In fact, we might have hated their food? I’m too lazy to go look.

Okay I checked and they had the paneer on the spear which I was very excited for in 2016 and I believe I was very disappointed by.

But this sounds pretty good, I guess? Battered fried chicken is usually something I want. So, I guess we’ll see. Maybe now that they have a permanent place, they’ll be better.

Patrick

Hmm…I like battered fried chicken tenders, not sure what paratha is though (looks like it is an Indian flatbread.) Basically a chicken tender wrap with Indian flavors. Normally I love Indian food, but I feel like every time Hot Indian (which appears to be the same place that was part of the MGM booth in the past and has now branched out to their own spot) has never produced something I’d get again. Good for them for earning their own spot of all twelve days of the fair, but I I’m not sure I needed them any more than the one day I would visit to try a disappointing new food. I’m not holding out any hope this year will be different.

Anne

Ok I get pretty excited when there’s words that I don’t know and there are 3 of them in this food.
Kerala- is a state in India
Kati- unclear (disappointing)
Paratha- layered flat bread made from flour, salt, ghee, etc.

Have we eaten Hot Indian before and was it super spicy? I feel like it might’ve been.
OH! This is the Midtown Global Market vendor and they just moved. I think we had their Paneer and Samosas and were disappointed/spiced out by them?

Well this looks great- I am excited to try this fancy Indian Fried Chicken Taco.

Looked them up- I was right about the Paneer and Samosas- we gave both of them Ds. Whomp whomp.

 

La Floretta - Mancini's al Fresco

Oven-roasted cauliflower florets seasoned with Iron Range herbs and spices and served with Calabrian sweet chili sauce. (Gluten-free, vegan)

Sarah

Ugh. Back when we were doing Keto we tried over and over again with cauliflower. We made it so many ways.

And I hated all of them. Which made me come to the conclusion that I just don’t like cauliflower.

So, all of that to say, I’m not excited about this and I doubt it will change my mind on the cauliflower point (though I’d love it if it could! I really want to like cauliflower.)

Mancini’s is also a place that doesn’t do me any favors. People love it, but they serve things that aren’t for my palate. *shrug*

Patrick

After doing several long months of the Keto diet, I’ve lost a lot of my initial love of cauliflower. People try to do everything to this fucking vegetable and say it tastes just like something else. Rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, you name it. No. It tastes like cauliflower and I’m a little tired of that flavor. I also hate when people try to pass off a food as something it is not. This is literally just roasted cauliflower with seasonings and a sauce to dip it in. I don’t see any sort of appeal for this. Gross really. Also, Sarah fucking hates cauliflower too, maybe Anne as well. I think we’re all going to hate this and shit on it in our reviews.

Anne

OMG I was SO EXCITED to learn about this food, and then I realized it’s fucking cauliflower and now I’m so sad/mad.

Get out of here. Get off my screen.

Tomorrow brings us Part 4 and the Naughty Biscuit! See you then

2021 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 2 (Caramelized Banana Pudding through Esquites)

Part 2! Does Patrick still hate Bananas? Does putting Elote in a bowl change anything for Sarah and Packie?? Read on to find out!

Caramelized Banana Pudding - Blue Moon Dine-In Theater

Layers of homemade vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, toasted 'nilla wafers, caramelized cocoa crispy cereal, caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream.

Sarah

Packie will be pissed but YES on this, please! I love me some nanas. Shit, there’s cocoa crispies, too? Gawd yes! It’s at the Blue Moon Dine-In, too, so it’ll probably be pretty good. They have a pretty high batting average (she says, having only a vague notion of what that means.)

Patrick

Goddamn bananas. All right, stringy mush fruit aside, this dessert has some good things going for it. I am pleased to read that it is vanilla pudding with banana slices on top, rather than banana pudding, so that is definitely a plus. Also, I love the sound of caramelized cocoa crispy cereal. How do you caramelize a cereal? I don’t know, but I want to find out. Also, who doesn’t love a delicious toasted ‘nilla wafer? This might end up being just too simple or boring, and I’m definitely giving those banana slices the side eye, but Blue Moon Dine-in Theater is usually a safe bet.

Anne

Yes, in my mouth right now. Poor Patrick probably just threw up all over himself knowing that he’s going to have to eat bananas this year.

These all look like normal things thrown together in an interesting way, and while it doesn’t seem too mind blowing in concept, I am looking forward to eating it.

 

ChoriPop - Midtown Global Market's Andy’s Garage

Chorizo by The Herbivorous Butcher dipped in a classic corndog batter, deep-fried on-a-stick with choice of avocado salsa or mole sauce drizzled on top or on the side. Served with Mexican BBQ chips. (Vegan). This new vendor is also serving deep-fried cheese or chicken tamales and horchata soft-serve milkshakes and cones. (At the fair Aug. 26-31 only)

Sarah

Okay, what? This one is like a rollercoaster. First, I was like, bleh, chorizo. A sausage I don’t like (it’s just not very good, everyone. Don’t @ me.) But then I hit the Herbivorous Butcher part and I got excited. First, because that means it’s not actually chorizo. Second, because I’m excited to try some vegan stuff! But then, also, what does vegan stuff that’s trying to mimic a sausage I don’t even like going to be like? I DON’T KNOW AND I AM INTRIGUED.

Hmm, it’s in the global market, though. Traditionally everything in there (except the gyros) sucks, so probably this will, too. I also get sus about any food item that is served with like a side of something (chips in this case.) That to me means they don’t trust that their main item is enough (either for the cost, or flavor, or amount-wise.)

Also, we’ve said it before and I’m saying it here now. It sucks that we have to choose a sauce. Give us both of them, damn it!

I’m gonna totes get some deep-fried cheese, though. Might try one of those horchata shakes, too.

Patrick

I’d like to start off by saying I hate how MGM does this split booth crap, where half the fair is one place and the other half is a different place. It means I can’t hit all the new foods on day one. Also, while I know the real MGM gets lots of love, I find that most the stuff they offer at the fair has been real disappointing every year. So, I’m already skeptical that this will be any different. A chorizo corn dog sounds like something I’d try, and I love a good mole sauce, so drizzling that on top doesn’t sound half bad. Not getting my hopes up about this one, though I’m curious if their deep-fried cheese is any different than the usual cheese on a stick from elsewhere. Sarah probably hates chorizo, and fairly certain Anne might dislike it as well. I like it in things, though not necessarily on its own in actual sausage casing form. Maybe the Mexican BBQ chips will be good.

Anne

Ok Ok Ok, I am excited to try this vegan meal on a stick. I’ve never been to Herbivorous Butcher but have always wanted to try them out. But why do you make us choose between 2 sauces??
How are Mexican BBQ chips different from American?

Also, sign me up for one of those Horchata Milk Shakes.

Also Also, I hate this split shift food stand

 

Cracklin Prime Nachos - Coasters

Deep-fried chicharrón covered in prime rib slices, ¡Que Bueno! nacho cheese, pico de gallo and green onion slices.

Sarah

Okay, all right! Nachos is a thing that I either love or want nothing to do with. It all depends on the stuff they put on top. I’m not a…fuck. What is that stuff called? Not cream cheese…

SOUR CREAM.

Heeey, I got there.

Anyway. I’m not a sour cream fan, so if nachos are covered in that, I’m usually out. But this skips that! It’s all meat and cheese and stuff. And then the chips are pork rinds! That’s honestly really smart and I’m not sure why it hasn’t been done before, especially for people trying to keep their carbs low (probably it has and I just didn’t know it.)

I think these will be good!

Patrick

Home of my favorite boozy malt, I’m not sure if I’ve gotten much in the way of food from Coasters before now. If this is going to be my first time eating there, I think this could be a damn fine start. Pork Rinds? Pork Rinds. I’m fairly certain chicharron is the same thing as pork rinds, so someone will have to let me know if they know better. Prime rib slices, nacho cheese, pico and green onions? Sounds like some good nachos, especially if you were looking to avoid carbs. Really though, this sounds like it could be pretty good. I’m sensing a pattern here of things Sarah hates so far: spicy stuff, Mexican flavors, buffalo sauce, fun. Maybe the theme this year is “Dishes That Upset Sarah.”

Anne

You had me at Cracklin! Seriously, I sort of stopped reading after that. Better look at the rest of this.
Ok, so this is like a fancy, Keto-approved Nachos. I’m here for it, looks pretty good. It’s my kind of nachos where there’s not TOO much stuff, and the stuff they do have is Anne-approved. But also, my problem with junk nachos is the sogginess of the chips. Maybe Cracklin holds up better?

 

Cucumber Jalapeño Limeade - Farmers Union Coffee Shop

Limeade made with juiced Minnesota-grown cucumbers and jalapeño syrup, served with a cucumber slice.

Sarah

Okay. I’m intrigued. I like the cucumber limeade part. I’m sus about the jalapeno because I think that could very quickly get out of control. Also, it’s Farmer’s Union Coffee Shop and they’re generally not good, so I bet I’m right to be worried about that.

Probably this will be something that could have been good but won’t be.

Patrick

Hahah, we saw this one on the news this morning when we found out the new foods were out. “Cucumber Jalapeno Limeade,” we said. Hmm all right, interesting, we said. “From Farmers Union Coffee Shop.” Ooooh, of course, boo. I’ve found the Farmers Union to generally be overpriced, mediocre, and boring, and now I suspect the same thing about this drink. Plus, how spicy will that jalapeno be in the drink? Too spicy for Sarah? Too spicy for me?  Drinks shouldn’t be spicy. I don’t think I’ve ever had a drink and thought “You know what goes well with thirst quenching? Mouth melting!”

Anne

This was a roller coaster of emotion. I was SO THERE for this- not a huge jalapeno fan, but LOVE cucumbers and limeade, so I was pretty excited for this drink, but then disappointed to see that it’s at the Farmer’s Union Coffee Shop which always, always disappoints.
So I’m not holding my breath here.

 

Dual Berry Shortcake - LuLu's Public House

Strawberries and blueberries over a sugar-coated Betty & Earl’s biscuit, topped with whipped cream and balsamic glaze.

Sarah

Yep. Okay. Nothing on this that doesn’t sound good. LuLu’s is generally pretty good, too. But I will say there’s nothing all that special about this. Like, I could get a shortcake a lot of places, many of them at the fair, so will this be anything different?

Probably not. But as long as it’s good, then no worries.

Patrick

LuLu really blew us away last year with their warm cheesecake tart, so hopefully they’ve really found their groove in sweet dessert confections. This seems like it could be pretty plane (plain?) Jane to me.  Is it a biscuit or shortcake? Are those the same thing? I didn’t think so when I first read this, but now I’m questioning myself. Anyways, maybe this biscuit or shortcake will be real soft and sweet to mix well with those tart berries and maybe the whip cream will be thick and creamy. I’m guessing I won’t be a fan of this dessert, but then I don’t enjoy fruit-laden desserts very much. Anne will probably like this. She’s uh…umm…dumb? I couldn’t think of a funny insult to slip in there.  Eat your fucking fruit biscuit.

Anne

*droooooools* hey, Betty and Earls Biscuits are the bomb, and Lulu’s knocked it out of the park in 2019 with their cheesecake which might’ve won best new food for us that year. Otherwise Lulu’s is sort of meh, but I’m hopeful this is an upward trajectory they’re staying on. I can’t wait to eat this (though is calling it a shortcake when it’s a biscuit disingenuous? THEY’RE DIFFERENT THINGS, LULU’S!)

 

Esquites - Midtown Global Market's Los Ocampo

Mexican street corn off-the-cob topped with mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and pequin chile powder. Returning to the Midtown Global Market booth for the first time since 2013, Los Ocampo’s new menu also includes Mango On-a-Stick; Elote; Mexican Tacos with an al pastor, carne asada or veggie option; Coca Mexicana; and Aqua de Horchata. (At the fair Sept. 1-6 only)

Sarah

GOD DAMMIT. Why is the fair constantly making me and Packie eat elote? It’s never making Anne eat shit she doesn’t like, like curry. Fuck.

As soon as I saw the very top of this pic as I scrolled down my heart sank because I just KNEW it.

At least it’s Los Ocampo. I think they’re good? Packie and Anne will know, since I don’t eat at Mexican restaurants (unless it’s Theresa’s).

Mango-on-a-stick could be good. But also, is it just fruit? If so, I can get really amazing fruit at the fruit stand instead.

Patrick

Heeeeeeell no. I’ve tried Mexican street corn/elote numerous times, trying to be open minded, but I’ve never really enjoyed it and hated it in general. I’m just not a fan of the flavors, even though I kind of like the idea (though mayo all over corn just sounds like a food sin). That said, I’ve eaten at Los Ocampo and they do damn good Mexican food, and I’d be happy to give any of their other foods a try; mango on-a-stick, tacos al pastor/carne asada. Keep that horchata away from me as well. I thought I’d like what is basically cinnamon toast crunch cereal milk, but no. No I don’t want that as a beverage.  But hey, another Mexican food option for Sarah to bitch about.  I sort of feel like she’ll have a bit of a field day on her list.

Anne

And here’s why I hate the split-shift food stand, because this food is going to miss out on the new food fervor at the start of the fair.

Anyway, I bet Sarah and Patrick CAN’T WAIT to eat this elote in a bowl! Too bad we have to wait a whole week after the fair starts to taste it and hear all about their agony.
But for real though, I love elote, but this is just elote in a bowl, right?

That's it for part 2! Join us tomorrow for the next group of foods starting with Fudge & Fruit!

2021 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 1 (Banh Minn Bun and Bowl through Buffalo Chicken Doughscuit)

WE DID IT!

We made it through the dumpster fire that was 2020 and have arrived at the best time of year, when our summers are consumed with the thoughts of the impending State Fair!

How will the MNSF be different after a year off? Will crowds come surging back for another record-breaking attendance, or will they hold off some for safety concerns?

Did any of our favorite fair vendors and restaurants go under during the pandemic?

Have Fairborn and Fairchild been vaccinated??

While we don't yet have answers to those questions, we do know one thing- which new foods we'll be trying come August 26th! So let's get to it and share our thoughts about what that first Fair day might have in store for us

Sarah

Overall Thoughts: (I spelled thoughts wrong 6 times before I got it right)

I think this list looks great! It’s hard to judge because we missed a whole year, so I’m just jazzed in general about the whole thing, but outside of things I don’t generally like (buffalo sauce, elote, etc.) I think the list looks good!

There didn’t really seem to be a theme. There were two raviolis. And there were a couple of vegan/gluten free items as well. But not really enough to emerge as a theme. And that’s okay. I’m just glad we’re here once more.

And there’s a return of a previous food vendor which is a thing that’s never happened before, as well as a couple of brand-new vendors too. So much potential. I hope everything is great.

 

Most Excited For: Spufull Puff. Don’t you fucking break my heart you potatoey doughy deep-fried masterpiece. Don’t you do it.

Least Excited for: Esquites. I’m never gonna like elote. The fair needs to stop making me eat it.

 

Patrick

Overall Thoughts:

We’re fucking back baby! 2020 was a goddamn shit show and it is now time to shove that dumpster fire into the sewer and step into the sun that is the 2021 Minnesota State Fair. Hell yeah, I couldn’t be any more excited than to be getting back into and trying all these new and exciting foods.  I got my engraved personal fork (yeah that’s right), I got my walking shoes, and I got a hell of a lot of weight to lose before I pack it aaaaall back on in a single day. 

Let’s talk about some food!  From the scintillatingly decadent, to the messy slop trough.  From the simply excessive, to the insultingly sparing.  From the favored treasured classics, to the Hideaway Speakeasy, let’s-talk-about-some-FOOD!

This is shaping up to be an interesting year. I’ve tried to be a little less even keeled this time, where I pretty much just sound excited about everything, and express more of my doubts, concerns, and disinterest. You be the judge if I succeed there. Overall, I think we have a nice variety of things to look forward to, as well as an even spread of foods I’m hesitant about, to things I will punch out Fairchild to get my hands on. I’m calling the theme this year as “Sarah’s Gonna Hate That.” That’s right, committee got together, shit-talked about Sarah, and we got our theme. Whole lot of haters on this list of food that I think Sarah is going to take issue with, and so we got our theme. Tough break.

 

Most Excited For: I always get this wrong.  I pick something crazy that I’m excited about and it ends up being far from the top of the list. So, this year I’m going with the Spufull Puff, sponsored dish of House Hufflepuff. Got a real good feeling about this one and can’t see anything going wrong with that combination of treats. Let’s git ‘um!

Least Excited For: I wanted to say the Dual Berry Shortcake from Lulu’s but I’ve got a little too much faith in her to screw that up THAT bad, so instead I’m going to say La Floretta. Final answer.  Oven-roasted cauliflower? Get that shit out of here!

 

Anne

Overall Thoughts:

26 items this year- a light year I think for new foods, but understandable coming off 2020 (are all our favorites still even around??) With a brief skim I saw a lot of fruit options (me likey) but I’ll have to decide on a theme after I’m done reviewing. Also saw some preeeeetty interesting looking things that I’m excited to see what’s what with them.
God, I don’t think there’s a single thing that I already hate, looking through the pics (unlike for Patrick and Sarah). Ope, there it is. La Floretta *spits*

Nice to see the return of MN Wine Country and Green Mill to the New Foods lists since they’ve been absent 2 or 3 years.

Also, some new places- Scenic 61 by New Scenic Café (What’s going on with the name here? A lot, is what it looks like), Fluffy Hand Cut Donuts (yes on the donuts, questions on the hand cut) and some sort of Summer Beverage place that has *GASP* non-alcoholic drinks?? (THANK YOU).

Multiple places have multiple options, including Hot Indian (2 distinct offerings), Nordic Waffles (2 items under the same listing) Summer Lake Beverages (3 offerings under the same listing). How is this fair? Why is Nordic Waffle relegated to just 1 new item (with 2 items under it), but Hot Indian gets 2? How are we supposed to count this? There are 26 items, but if we include the 2^nd Nordic Waffle and all 3 bevs we’re actually at 29.

I feel like we’re missing some OG Vendors- where’s Crappy O’Garas? French Meadow (did it just shrivel up and die after the poor service we received in 2019?) Brim- was that a one and done? Hamline Church Dining Hall? (You’re never one to miss out). OMG WHERE’S RAINBOW ICE CREAM?? Hopefully still around and just no new food offering this year.

Theme- fruit (thought it might be jalapeno, but I think there’s only 3 items with that whereas there are like 4 or 5 fruity concoctions).

 

Most Excited For: Jumbo Donut Sundae or Dual Berry Shortcake

Least Excited For: La Floretta. Get out of here Cauliflower

 

Banh Minn Bun and Banh Minn Bowl - Sausage Sister & Me

Asian-inspired sausage in a crusty French baguette with Sister’s Sriracha sauce, shredded and pickled carrot, radish, chopped jalapeño and a sprig of fresh cilantro. The bunless bowl starts with a five-grain blend and is topped with shredded and pickled carrot, radish, Asian slaw, chopped jalapeño, sausage slices, cilantro and a drizzle of Sister’s Sriracha sauce.

Sarah

I legit said “oh shit” as soon as I hit the “crusty baguette” portion of this description. I pulled back a bit, though, at the sriracha sauce and jalapeno. I’m hoping it won’t be too spicy.

Oh wait! I just realized there’s a bun option and a bowl option! Well, fuck. Does that mean we have to try both? Probably. I think we should start with the bun, though, and get the bowl on a later date.

Oh shit. It wasn’t until I ran spell check that I realize the name is a play on Minnesota and Bahn Mi. Clever.

Patrick

I do enjoy a good Bahn Mi sandwich and this sausage inspired version has me excited! Those fresh ingredients and soft/crispy French baguette mixed with Asian flavors and an “Asian-inspired” sausage all sounds like they’ll work real nice. Not sure they needed a bowl version of this, especially if there is some kind of grain-blend replacing the bread (isn’t the point of a “bowl” version to cut out carbs?) I know the twins probably won’t be too happy that it has sriracha, or jalapenos, especially Sarah. If I’m going to be honest, having raw jalapenos on something isn’t really my forte either, as they can get real hot real fast, but I always find I can just take them off it is getting to be a bit too much. A nice start to this list either way!

Anne

Well sausage sister is usually a good bet.  This sounds like it might be hella spicy though (we’ve been burned by Sausage Sister on spice before.) But I like the idea of an Asian-inspired hot dog, and nice that they offer a bun-free option. Hold the cilantro tho.

 

Bison Bites -Giggles' Campfire Grill

A North Woods spin on ravioli with ground bison, braised fennel, portobello mushrooms and fresh basil wrapped in classic egg dough, deep-fried and served with a sweet bourbon sauce with a little kick.

Sarah

Giggles has hurt me the last few years. But I still keep coming back to them, hoping…

This sounds good! I’m down for ravioli bites. A bourbon sauce for them sounds interesting, too! I’m glad it’s not just a dumb red sauce like most other places would do. Okay, yeah, I’m pretty excited about these. I hope it’s more than just, like, 4 raviolis, though. Especially since they’ll probably be like 8 bucks or something. There’s only 4 in the picture which makes me sus…

Patrick

Giggles’ is an old favorite with some tried and true menu items that we still get every year. Not gonna lie though, ever since they stopped making chicken-fried bacon, the new food items they put out have been lacking appeal. I still want to hope they can put out more real zingers, so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, and by the looks of what they have this year I’m feeling hopeful again. The filling on these raviolis sound like they could be really tasty! Hopefully the portobellos will help keep the bison from drying them out, and in general the mixture is real appetizing. Also a sweet bourbon sauce to dip them in? I don’t know how much of a “kick” it will have, but I’m real eager to find out. It sounds like a real winning combo, I just hope they stick the landing. Maybe bring back that fucking fried bacon while they’re at it!

Anne

This definitely feels on-brand for Giggles. I LOVE me little dippin pockets, and this falls right into that category. This just sounds delightful- there isn’t a single thing in this that I don’t like, and I’m excited to try the sweet bourbon sauce (but that kick better not be too kicky. If I can’t use the sauce then these aren’t dippin pockets, ARE THEY?)

 

Blue Raspberry Blitzed - Sara's Tipsy Pies

Traditional hand pie filled with a raspberry, blueberry and apple blend infused with UV Blue Vodka and topped with cotton candy sugar.

Sarah

I still kind of want to roll my eyes at Sara’s Tipsy Pies even though they’re generally pretty good. I do love blueberry and raspberry. Apple bums me out, though. Sugar on top is a win. So, color me optimistic with this.

I really don’t have anything else to say about this.

NEXT!

Patrick

Looks like more of the same from the tipsy pie lady. I actually rather enjoy these hand pies, and this combination of blueberry, apple, and raspberry, along with her usual infusion of liquor, sounds like a sweet treat. Plus, cotton candy sugar on top? Now you got me real excited. Not sure what the twins will think about this, I feel like they don’t think much of Sara and her pies, but I could be mistaken. I like how in a lot of these reviews I point out how I think dumb and dumber will react to a new food, and I’m betting they both do the same on some items. I bet I’m also the first one to insult them. They didn’t know these reviews were going to turn hostile, I bet. Not this soon into the list, I bet.

Anne

Sara makes a good pie, but usually charges way too much for them. Cotton Candy sugar is just…like unspun cotton candy, right? How is that different than regular sugar?
Ok I looked it up and besides color and flavor (if added) cotton candy sugar is just regular sugar (that I’m sure you can charge more for, amiright SARA?).
I love a berry pie (though is it ruined by adding apple?) and I’m still excited to try this, but is it trying too hard?

 

Buffalo Chicken Doughscuit -The Blue Barn

Fluffy biscuit-style doughnuts stuffed with shredded chicken, glazed with a sweet & spicy buffalo icing, and topped with crispy bacon bits.

Sarah

I saw the picture and was like OOOOOH! Then I read the name and was like NOOOOOO!

Why does everything have to be dumb ol’ buffalo chicken? There are other flavors, people! God, I can’t even stand the smell of buffalo sauce.

Hmm, it says it’s just glazed with it, though. Maybe it won’t be too much? I hope so because otherwise this looks just grand. It might be my “most excited for but then read the description and got sad” pick.

Patrick

It’s funny. I used to hate Blue Barn and it especially irked me that they’d put out two new items each year, so I’d have to double my misery. Last couple of years they’ve started to put out some real zingers though, and I am glad their creative approach to new food ideas has been paying off and they have really won me over. A “Fluffy biscuit-style doughnut?” What? I mean…I love biscuits and doughnuts are great, so I am pretty friggin’ jazzed to find out what that combo is gonna be like. Stuffed with chicken…but the chicken is not the part that is buffalo’d? A “sweet & spicy buffalo icing?” Whaaat? Like doughnut icing? Is that gonna be weird or amazing? Toss on some crispy bacon bits why don’t you? I honestly have no idea how this will go. It couldn’t possibly mediocre, so it will either be amazing, or just absolute hot garbage. Sarah hates buffalo sauce. Not even because it is spicy, I don’t think, but just the smell makes her want to gag. Her face makes me do that sometimes. Hmm, really laying it on thick. Maybe like that icing.

Anne

UMMMMM YES PLEASE. Now this is State fair Innovation right here. Poor Sarah- I bet she was real excited about these until they ruined it with SPICY BUFFALO ICING (WHAT??!!).

(ETA- boy do I have Sarah down pat.)

The Blue Barn had a huge comeback for us in 2019, so I’m looking forward to it continuing that run.

That's it for Part 1! Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 kicking off with Caramelized Banana Pudding.