2022 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 4 (Reuben Rolls through Vegan Corn Dog)

 

Reuben Rolls- O’Gara’s at the Fair

Corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut hand-rolled in an egg roll wrapper, deep-fried and served with a side of O’Gara’s homemade Thousand Island dressing.

 

Sarah

Dammit. I see O’Gara’s is back this year with an offering.

(sighs for ten years)

They’ve never once done anything we’ve scored highly. If we’re lucky, this will be just okay.

But it could be garbage, too.

I’m not a big Reuben fan, either, so that’s not helping things.

I do like how it’s pretty much just like an eggroll. So maybe… Maaaaaaybe…that will work in its favor.

I’m tentatively…well, not excited about this, but maybe tentatively not angry about it.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Mostly this just tells me that I want other kinds of egg rolls. People need to steal this idea from O’Gara’s and do better things with it.

Like, shit, hear me out on this…why hasn’t anyone done a S’more’s eggroll before?

Jesus. JFC.

Did I just invent a new food for the State Fair???

Shit. I need to trademark this or something!

 

Patrick

Aw hell, they’re back.  I was hoping after being a no-show on this list last year that they’d given up and done the honorable thing and stopped trying.  The kind of honor that some places will never have (*cough* Hideaway Shiteasy *cough*).  But hey, something can be said for tenacity, right?  Yeah, something bad.  Here’s O’Gara’s deal, they put something out and you say “hey, that looks like it might be alright, I’ll give it a taste”.  I could get behind a Reuben eggroll, and it sounds like a fun variation on the sandwich, even including the thousand island dressing a dip.  But it won’t be good.  Their new food is never good.  It might be ok, it might even get a C, but it has been eight years since they’ve broken the mold and gotten a B.  I tend to believe they’ll follow their typical trend and most of this will end up in the trash.  To be fair, a lot of the food we try ends up in the trash, we LITERALLY would die if we tried eating and finishing forty plus foods in a single day.  Sorry about the food waste but come one…the vendor has to take some of the blame.

 

Anne

Uuuughhhhh. Just get out of here O’Gara’s. Go on, git!

I do not like Reubens- because I do not like sauerkraut.

Maybe stuffing it in an egg roll wrapper and deep frying it will help?

Of course, if O’Gara’s history tells us anything, it will not.

Idk man

What are we even doing here…

 

Soulsicle- Soul Bowl

Fried chicken on-a-stick topped with candied yam sauce, cornbread crumble, mac-and-cheese seasoned cheddar cheese, hot sauce and green onions. (New Vendor)

 

Sarah

Jesus how can I still have 17 more entries to get through?

Are we going to die this year? I think…I think we might actually die…

Anyway, onto soulsicle. What is it? No idea. Time to find out.

A new vendor. Hmmm.

Okay, like I like the sound of SOME of this, but I’m not crazy about that picture. I don’t want, like, random pieces of shredded cheddar on my stuff. Melt that shit.

But otherwise, all right. This sounds interesting. I do like fried chicken. Like a lot. Will this be boneless? If not, it’s gonna be reaaal hard to eat this.

Nothing about this (other than the pieces of shredded cheese) really offends me, so I’ll say tentatively looking forward to this. All it will really take is for the fried chicken to be good for this to be a winning item.

Come on, new vendor Soul Bowl. I’m rooting for you!

 

Patrick

Here we are with ANOTHER new vendor.  Calm down State Fair, damn.  Looks like they’re bringing us the Soulsicle, which is just…wow, there is a lot going on here.  I’m gonna be up front and say this should NOT be on a stick.  Look at that thing.  If half of the food would fall off it you pick it up by the stick, it shouldn’t be on a stick.  Period.  OK, that pet peeve aside, this looks intriguing.  Pretty sure the hot sauce ruins it for the twins, but I like a little tangy heat so I’m good there.  That chicken looks nicely breaded and crispy, and a candied yam sauce?  Ooo-wee, I’ll give that a try.  And sure, throw some cornbread crumble in there for a little more sweet and texture.  I assume those orange sticks are the mac-and-cheese seasoned cheddar cheese, though I’m not sure how you season a cheese with…cheese?  I think this will either by amazing, or just be way too many components that don’t all come together and make it a mess.  Thank god I have my own fork, because I am not holding this thing by the damn stick.

 

Anne

Ok this has to be another new food vendor too.

Oh! This one does say it’s a new vendor. Did the other ones say that too and I just missed it??

(turns out yes they do. I am dumb)

Another one in the Food Building. Man- did we lose a bunch of vendors in there?

I feel like I can tell this is a new vendor because they felt compelled to put their item on a stick but then made it so it can’t be eaten on the stick by plopping stuff on it. Like- it doesn’t HAVE to be on a stick Soul Bowl.

I don’t know how to feel about this one- it all sounds good up until the hot sauce. It LOOKS good. But I feel like I’m going to pick up the stick to take a bite and everything is going to fall off (hopefully not all over me)

 

Sundae Sammie- Jammy Sammies by Brim

Grilled sandwich with cinnamon bread, Minnesota strawberry jam, vanilla cream, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, toasted peanuts, confetti sprinkles and flaked sea salt. (Gluten-free and vegan options available)

 

Sarah

YES!!! YES!!!!

GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY I NEED THIS FIRST!

Oh my gooooooooooood…

It has nuts! I LOVE nuts on things, especially if those things are ICE CREAM!

It has flakes of sea salt! I LOVE flakes of sea salt if it’s sprinkled on sweet things!

LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS BEAST OF PERFECTION!

God I’m so excited for this.

Oh, it’s at Brim? Or, wait, is jammy sammies, like, another location sponsored by Brim? Do they have more than this Sammy? I’m confused. I don’t like being confused.

You know what? I don’t care. Look at this thing. LOOK AT IT AND SWOON!

It’s a grilled ice cream sammich! What else could I want out of life?

Even Packie has to be excited about this, right? I mean, come on…

This might be my most excited for offering…

 

Patrick

Hey, look who’s back!  Brim arrived on the scene in 2019 with a killer PB&J sammich and after a no show last year on the new foods list, it seems they’ve tossed their hat in the ring again with another new sammich confection.  Were they always called Jammy Sammies by Brim?  Is this a new stand also owned by Brim?  Not sure, guess we’ll find out.  Here they have a Sundae Sammie which…wow, I LOVE how creative and technologically impressive this sandwich sounds.  How do they grill the sandwich without melting the whipped cream?  Do they grill the bread and then make the sandwich?  Is it all going to melt into a mess in my hands?  I hope not, because this sandwich has a lot going on that I think will taste great.  Jam, cream, strawberries, effing toasted peanuts…sea salt?!  This has to be good, it just has too.  Really excited to find out on this one.

 

Anne

Ok is it weird that Brim has like a Jammy Sammies spinoff?

Well it doesn’t matter because this looks HELLA GOOD. Oh jesus get in my mouth

I feel like smiling and crying at the same time because I just love this thing so much.

TELL IT THAT I LOVE IT

C’mon Brim- now’s your time to make the A list.

God I hope this is good. Please be good.

 

Sweet Cheese Blintz- iPierogi

Soft baked crepe filled with sweet vanilla-flavored cream cheese and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

 

Sarah

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a blintz in my life, so I guess that changes in a few weeks.

Aww. When I glanced at this, I thought it said Swiss Cheese Blintz and I’m not gonna lie, I love Swiss cheese and was pretty excited.

But it turns out it’s sweet cheese. And, I mean, I love cream cheese that’s all sweet and good, so I’m happy about this, but sad that I thought we were gonna do something interesting with Swiss cheese.

I think this will be good? Or at least I’m excited to try it. I’m slightly worried the ratio of cream cheese to crepe will be off and I’ll mostly have a mouth full of cream cheese, but who knows.

And I can’t remember how we feel about iPierogi. Obviously it didn’t blow our minds.

I’m happy we get to try this, though. I think Anne will probably be the most excited for it, I suspect.

 

Patrick

This place was new in 2019 and first offered a pretty tasty cabbage roll.  This year they’re trying for something sweet with a Sweet Cheese Blintz.  This looks very simple, but no less delectable.  I love a good crepe and wrapping it around some vanilla flavored cream cheese just has to be good right?  I give some places a lot of flack for putting out some basic bitch food that is just way too plain and simple to be on the new foods list, but sometimes…. sometimes simple is better, so long as you really nail your flavors.  Top Chef taught me that, and they have never come to Minnesota to host their show.  Why won’t you come here?!  Look at us!  38 new foods, dammit!  We are special, dontcha-goddamn-know!!  You fuckin’ betcha!

 

Anne

This thing- something about it looks so pretty. Like it looks like it has a filter on in that makes it looks soften and ethereal.

Oh for a second I thought it was vanilla ICE cream and I was like wut.

But I see it’s vanilla cream CHEESE which makes more sense.

Wow I hope this tastes as good as it looks. I love a good cheese pastry. I feel like I can already anticipate the mouth feel- I hope I’m right

 

Sweet Potato Poutine- The Blue Barn

Sweet potato waffle fries topped with cheese curds, Beyond chorizo sausage, turmeric gravy, pico de gallo and fresh cilantro (Vegetarian)

 

Sarah

Ooh, what do we have here? It’s from the Blue Barn so now I’m pretty excited.

Damn, remember how we used to hate, and I mean, HATE, the Blue Barn? And now it’s our frickin favorite? I hope that happens with the hideaway speakeasy someday, but all signs point to no frickin way.

Wait, this has chorizo? God dammit.

Why did you have to do that to me, Blue Barn? Why?

Couldn’t you have done shredded pork? Or, like, any other type of sausage? Shit, even chicken sausage?

Well, at least I’m very intrigued by the turmeric gravy.

Please be good. Please be good…

 

Patrick

Maaaaan, you just couldn’t quit while you were ahead, could you Blue Barn?  Or at least give us a break and stick to one new food item.  I’ll give Blue Barn the benefit of the doubt with this one, but I think we might not like this and for different reasons.  Sarah especially, but maybe Anne too, won’t like the chorizo sausage (even though I assume it is vegan with the “Beyond” label), none of us really like cilantro much, and I’m not a big fan of sweet potato fries no matter what form they come in.  Still…it’s a poutine and poutines just effing WORK, man.  That turmeric gravy looks more like badly melted cheddar cheese, though, so I’m predicting this will be on the miss list.

 

Anne

Ok. Well poutine doesn’t feel very fresh and exciting anymore, but don’t get me wrong- I still love it.

The Poutine Stand at the MNSF has some of the best poutine around, so let’s see what Blue Barn is trying over here.

Ah Christ, they really shit the bed here.

Chorizo sausage? Pass (ugh- Beyond Chorizo too- last time we tried vegan chorizo it got a damn F)

Turmeric gravy? Idk. It looks grainy or curdled in the pic which- do not like.

Pico- what a sloppy mess.

Why did you have to go and ruin poutine Blue Barn?

 

Tandoor-Fired Jerk Chicken Mini’zza- West Indies Soul Food

White chicken meat, bell pepper, onion medley, whole milk mozzarella cheese, West Indies Soul Food’s signature Jamaican Jerk Sauce and Pizza Karma’s Tikka Sauce on a mini crust.

 

Sarah

So, this is just a mini pizza, then?

I don’t know.

I mean, I’m glad it’s not huge, but I don’t know what this is bringing to the table. I’ve also never been overly impressed with West Indies Soul Food, even though I want them to be good.

Well, maybe this will be the time they impress me. I hope they do. I hope I bite into this mini pizza and it blows me away. I really want that for all of us.

And at least this doesn’t have chorizo on it, even if bell peppers are dumb. Though sometimes I can stand them on a pizza, so time will tell.

 

Patrick

God, is this list still going?  Not gonna lie, I split writing out these reviews over two days because I just stalled out halfway through on day one and needed to step away to re-center myself.  This is an effing chore.  Ok, looks like we’ve got some kind of mini-pizza here, tandoor-fried with some chicken, peppers, onions, and a Jamaican jerk sauce, and a tikka sauce?  Two sauces?  Mmkay… Not really into jerk food, I’d much prefer food that treats me nice.  Hah, but seriously, not super into jerk seasonings.  They hang out with jerk food too much and get into heaps of trouble.  Hah!  But no, yeah.  That said, seems pretty creative as far as pizza ideas, so hopefully this might taste good?  Wonder how small this pizza is, and I hope it’s not like one of those things where you get two bites and spend a ton of money.

 

Anne

Hey- this sounds pretty good! I hope it’s not too bell pepper forward, but I love the sound of just about everything else here. The other thing I’m giving a side-eye to is the Jamaican Jerk Sauce.

Don’t spice us out of this.

I feel like we’ve had a spice issue from this place before (did they used to be Taste of Midtown Global Market and now have their own shop?)

 

Tirokroketes- Dino’s Gyros

Mix of spicy feta, cream cheese and mozzarella blended with Dino’s Greek seasoning, then rolled in a gluten-free panko, deep-fried and sprinkled with lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and Dino’s seasoning. (Gluten-free, vegetarian)

 

Sarah

What is this? What are these? How do we pronounce them? TIRO-crow-keets? Tiro-crow-KETS? Ket-is? Tiro-CROW-ket-ees? That’s what I think I’m gonna go with.

Oh, it’s from Dino’s. Checks out. I like Dino’s in general, but I’m not usually impressed with their State Fair offerings.

I’m unsure about this one. I will say that Dino’s has a spicy feta dip that’s to DIE FOR, so if the spice feta in this is anything like that, then maybe we’re in for a treat. But I think it will come down to whether the dryness of the feta is masked by the cream and mozzarella cheese. If so, then we’ve probably got ourselves a winner, here. I mean, listen. It’s more or less a deep fried, panko cheese ball.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty fine to me.

I wonder if I’m going to want a dipping sauce to go with them?

Just kidding. Of course I want a dipping sauce to go with them.

 

Patrick

Dino’s is usually a good bet, and they make a damn fine gyro to boot.  This had me at “spicy feta”, which if you haven’t had it, is the bomb.  Dip some pita chips into that jazz and mmmm!  This sounds like tasty combo when you add in cream cheese, mozzarella, Greek seasonings and deep fry it in some panko, hell yeah!  I’ve got a good feeling about this one and hope they keep up with their good reputation for new foods.

 

Anne

Heh- I like a new food I’m not sure how to pronounce.

Ugh feta- that’s shit’s so dry. At least they mixed it with cream cheese and mozz.

These sound like fun little bites.

I wonder if we will wish they had a fun dipping sauce to go with it?

Dino’s is usually a good value, and in general they tend to do things well.

 

Tot Dog- LuLu’s Public House

All-beef hot dog dipped in corn dog batter, rolled in a mixture of minced tater tots, cheddar cheese and onions, then deep-fried.

 

Sarah

Why is this a thing that no one has tried before?

Like, of course we want this. Of course this is a thing that should exist and we should eat.

Nothing about this sounds even remotely bad.

On top of it, they’re using corn dog batter, too, instead of pronto pup batter which means it should be nice and sweet instead of tasting like wet bread.

Also, this is from Lulu’s which has really surprised us the last few fairs.

I think this will be good and I want it to be spectacular.

Please be spectacular.

 

Patrick

LuLu’s has literally gone the last two year putting out A ranked foods.  That is like unprecedented.  Hopefully they keep up with this trend with their newest creation, the Tot Dog.  Honestly, there is nothing I don’t like about this idea.  If it’s a good corndog and you add on some crispy tater tots, cheese, and onions on the outside, I don’t see how that could hurt things.  The pic looks good and the idea sounds good, so I hope this works, because I have strong opinions on corn dogs.

 

Anne

Oh shit

I mean, Hey Lulu, how you doin girl?

Ok ok ok

So this is like a souped up corn dog (thank GOD they went corn dog and not pronto pup OR WE WOULD BE FIGHTING)

Holy shit this thing looks baller

Is this…is this my most anticipated food?? Am I more excited for a savory item than a sweet item?  ME??!

 

Tumeric Ginger Lemon Surprise- West Indies Soul Food

Fresh ginger, turmeric syrup and a dash of bitters mixed with West Indies Soul Food’s Original Caribbean Lemonade. (Gluten-free, vegan)

 

Sarah

I like Turmeric drinks, but usually they’re, like, golden lattes and stuff. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a turmeric cool drink before (also, I’ve never settled on how to pronounce turmeric and it’s really frustrating for me to say this word in my head while I’m typing.)

Ginger…can be hit or miss for me. Generally it’s a miss, as I don’t overly like the flavor. But sometimes it surprises me.

This sounds like it’s more or less a fancified lemonade. And I’m okay with that. I hope it’s great. I don’t know if it will be. It could be barfinade or whatever drink it was that the Farmer’s Union made last year that we had to chew.

I think it will all come down to the balance of flavors.

 

Patrick

Second item from West Indies Soul Food, but it’s a drink so again, I’ll not harp on them too much.  So it looks like this is a taking an existing item, the Original Caribbean Lemonade, and jazzing it up by adding fresh ginger, turmeric syrup, and a dash of bitters.  I’m curious how the original varies from a standard lemonade, but I’m not sure how these additions are going to play.  I don’t really know what turmeric syrup is gonna taste like, and ginger is a pretty powerful ingredient to add in the mix.  Will this be good, or will we have a contender for the not-so-coveted Barfonade award, the gold star standard for F-ranked foods.  Who knows, but I think we’ll find out.

 

Anne

Hmmmm

This looks refreshing. I like the color on it.

But I worry about this flavor combo- lemonade is sweet and tart but then they add ginger, turmeric, and bitters- all distinct flavors that I’m not too sure about.

I feel like we’ve had West Indies before but I didn’t see it on our list, so I’m not sure how they are overall.

Guess we’ll see. At least we can snag it when we get their Tandoor Pizza and don’t have to make a special trip for it.

 

Vegan Corn Dog- Daryl’s Dog House

Plant-based vegan hot dog hand-dipped in plant-based vegan corn dog batter and deep-fried.

 

Sarah

I mean, I like a corn dog. Will it be better than poncho dog? No fucking way. But I’m perfectly happy to try another corn dog, especially one that’s vegan.

Man, vegans are making out with some prime food offerings this year!

I don’t know that I have anything more to say about this…

 

Patrick

Ok, again, it’s nice that places are putting in some solid efforts in being accommodating to those with diet restrictions, like vegan and gluten free, etc.  Maybe they’re super stoked to have a corn dog that can chow down.  Not sure why this is impressive enough to make it to the new foods list.  It is literally just a vegan corn dog.  That’s even the name of it, they’re not trying to hype it up or pretend it’s fancy.  There is no gimmick, it’s not creative, it’s just basic.  Even if this somehow turns out to be a real killer corn dog, even if by some long shot it is better than a perfect, delicious, Poncho Dog corn dog, I don’t know how I could get excited to just be eating another corn dog.  Honestly, that this made the list is just a slap in the face.  I’m kind of upset that I have to waste my time on this.

 

Anne

Ok I need to do a vegan food count because this list is dang vegan forward. Did MNSF put out a call for vegan foods this year?

Ok well it’s a corn dog and not a pronto pup, so that’s a point in their favor.

I wish there was more information to go off of here. What’s the dog made of? Tell us more about why we should eat this other than the fact that it’s vegan?

Daryl’s Dog House- are they the one with the Big Dog Corndog? If so they make a good dog so I feel like this might be ok. But really hard to feel anything about this due to the lack of information to go off of.

 

ALLLMOST THERE!

Just 1 day to go, and it’s just the new Vendors left, so a nice, easy day to finish us off