2023 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 5- Paletas through New Vendors

 Paletas in Two Flavors- Dill Pickle Lemonade and Mini Donut by Hamline Church Dining Hall

Mexican frozen treats on-a-stick in two flavors made locally by La Michoacana Rose: Dill Pickle Lemonade Paleta is lemon-flavored, water-based and includes dill pickle slices (vegan); Mini Donut Paleta is vanilla ice cream with mini donut bits and a whole cinnamon mini donut inside (vegetarian).

Sarah

Oh shit. Another pickle lemonade option. That’s a check mark in each box. But we’ve paletas again! Which is good because paletas are good and I want to eat them. Also, two flavors is much more doable so we can get one of each and try them both. I like sweet paletas so I’m much more looking forward to the mini donut one than the pickle lemonade one. Oh, the lemonade one might just be served with a pickle slice? Huh. I feel like that’s not really a dill pickle lemonade then. That’s just the garnish. Well, whatever. We’ll give it a try and see what’s what.

 

Patrick

I feel like this joke would have punched harder if it had immediately followed the previous Hamline Church Dining Hall entry.  That’s right, they’re back for round tWo, and their second contender is…paletas?  Last year their new item was paletas.  But now they have…more paletas?  New fooooooods!  Ok, first off, I don’t want no damn gross pickle lemonade ice cream bar.  Gross.  And there are ACTUAL pickles in it?  Who’s going to lick a pickle?!  Choo choo, hop onto the pickle train.  Dumb.  Mini donut flavor sounds aight, I guess.  Not sure you want an actual whole donut in your ice cream bar, though.  I told you.  I TOLD you, to quit while you’re ahead.  I’m calling it now, not gonna enjoy these.

 

Anne

HAHAHAHAHA! A FOURTH pickle offering, and this one’s a PICKLE LEMONADE just like Nordic Waffles?

Ok like this seems like a cheap shot though. Hamline had Paletas as a new food LAST year. Yes, these are new flavors, but it’s the same food? Idk- this seems like a cop out to me- lucky they have that hamloaf to fall back on.

Honestly, I was looking forward to these until I saw they had like a whole mini donut and pickle slices in them. Hoo boy, something about that is a biiiiig turnoff for me. I don’t want to LICK pickle slices or a mini-donut, so now I have to, what- BITE ICE CREAM? There is no texturally satisfying way to eat this. This is a sensory nightmare.

 

Pickle Fries by Mike’s Hamburgers

Crispy, tangy thin-cut dill pickle fries lightly coated in a cornmeal and seasoned mustard batter. Served with a side of chipotle dipping sauce.

Sarah

Ope. Pickle fries. Hey! This is from Mike’s! That’s amazing! First off, Mike’s has never seemed like the kind of stand that would futz around with a new food. They’ve been doing the same thing year after year and it’s been great. We love their old school burgers. We even get a whole bunch to bring home and have for dinner. They’re cheap as hell and fantastic. But here we are with a new food! Oh they’re pickle fries, meaning they’re made out of pickles. Hm. I’m less excited about that. There’s already a deep-fried pickle stand that people lose their mind over and we think is blah. Not that we don’t like a good, deep-fried pickle. We’re just underwhelmed by that particular option. Interesting batter here, though. Cornmeal and mustard. That’s intriguing to me. I think this will all come down to the crispiness of the fries and the dipping sauce. You know, this is like the 3^rd chipotle sauce on this list. It’s also sneaking up on us for a possible theme.

 

Patrick

Wooooo!  Mike’s Hamburgers made the list.  In case you don’t know, Mikes makes a very simple, but damn fine burger, and until I learn otherwise, it is the cheapest burger at the fair.  They’re great to pick up a few and bring them home to eat later, all wrapped up in the paper wrappers that is somehow nostalgic but I can’t quite put my finger on why that is.  Anyways, so it looks like they’re making some pickle fries.  Hmm, like pickles, sliced thin, and then battered and fried.  Um…they do know the fair already has a Fried Pickle place that is like crazy popular, right?  Not to say these won’t be good, it’s just…like making a roast beef sandwich when you’re parked next to an Arby’s.  I mean, that’s not totally fair, they have like ALL the meats, so who can compete with that, but you get what I’m saying.  I’ll hope for their sake, because I’m a Mike’s fan ride or die (RIDE OR DIE), that they’ll be good as a side with my armful of burgers.  Wait a second.  What’s that dipping sauce there?  Chipotle?  Hey Sarah?  SARAH!  Look!  Spice up your life!  You got lucky there is no buffalo sauce anywhere on this list this year!  Just like I’m lucky there has been no avocados.  Hah!

 

Anne

Ok now we’re just getting out of control people. You know that pickle isn’t a magic bullet for a new food right? That if you just add pickles to stuff you’re not going to Pickle Rick your summer?

Oh, ok- I thought these were going to be pickle-flavored French fries, but I see they are fried pickles (in stick form instead of slices).

Mike’s Hamburgers?? Well welcome to the new food list, sir. We’re heading our way to stock up on burgers, so might as well snag your pickle fries at the same time.

I don’t LOVE frickles like some other people, and also seems pretty bold to offer a frickle when there’s a whole Deep Fried Pickle stand already at the fair (SPOILER- there’s 2 now- they built a 2^nd building up by the Pet Building this summer, THAT’S HOW POPULAR THEY ARE). So this is meh, but I am glad to see some classic vendors branch out into new foods territory.

 

Smoked Beef Arepa by Midtown Global Market’s Arepa Bar

Smoked roast beef, avocado puree, fresh tomatoes, red onions and arugula in a baked Venezuelan crispy corn pocket. (GF) (8/30-9/4 only)

Sarah

Oh damn that beef looks good. Ah shit, this is the global market, which means we won’t get to eat this until the end of the fair. And I have to say, I hate that garbage. By the end of the fair I don’t want to be eating new foods anymore. I want to be getting one last taste of my favorites. Ugh. But this looks pretty good. Oh it has avocado puree so that will piss Packie off, especially since he loves roast beef. Tomatoes are boo for all of us. Anne frickin LOVES red onions. It legit might be her favorite food? Arugula is great and the arepa sounds great, too! Man. I’d be pretty excited about this if I didn’t have to wait until the end of the fair. That’s really just made me irritated about the whole thing, which is too bad.

 

Patrick

God dammit!  I was so close!  Oh sure, let’s puree the avocado, then maybe he won’t notice.  Screw you!  Welp, here we are with the other posting for Midtown Global Market that will be appearing in the latter half of the fair.  So dumb.  Arepa bar is back with…more arepas.  We weren’t impressed with these arepas last year and I don’t see that changing much.  Sure that roast beef looks good, but we just talked about making roast beef sandwiches.  Arby’s my guy, they have ALL the effing meats!  Don’t think I’ll like this and I don’t hope up much hope for it doing any better than the last two iterations.  At least there is only one this year.  By the time I’ll eat this, we’ll have already forgotten about doing new foods.

 

Anne

I assume this is from that new vendor last year that was just ok? Yes- Arepa Bar. Ope- looks like they got the short end of the stick with the PM vendor slot (2^nd half of the fair). I’m already irritated that we can’t taste this the first day. No one cares about new foods by 8/30 Midtown Global Market!

Well this vendor got a C last year for both their Arepa and drink, so pretty average so far. This sounds and looks great- I feel like I can predict the mouth feel already and I want it. Seriously- I need to go eat lunch apparently bc I am hallucinating eating food. Yes- give this to me

 

Sota-cuterie Board by Sabino’s Pizza Pies

Collection of Minnesota-made meats, cheeses, pickles and other charcuterie board favorites – served on an edible herb-crusted cracker “board”.

Sarah

I’m sorry. This is the saddest looking Charcoot (as we call them) I’ve seen in a long time. That cheese just makes me sad. So does that meat. Listen, I understand not everyone can have a mom that is a master at making charcuteries like we do (LOVE YOU MOMMY) but this is just depressing. Everything on that board looks boring and sad. Well, let me at least read about it. Okay wait. The BOARD is edible? That’s so fun! And so smart! The rest of it is still sad (I mean, listen, I’m gonna try it all. And also, it’s good that it’s MN stuff, but it still makes me tear up) but that board has really kicked this up for me. Though, the more of the board you eat, the less space you have to hold the meats and cheeses. This could become a problem… Sabino’s Pizza? Have I ever heard of this? Oh fuck it’s a coliseum stand. Which means that we have to go in the coliseum to get it. And I can honestly say that I don’t think we’ve ever had anything in the coliseum, for any of the myriad stands, that has been higher than a C. Shit, they might have all been Fs. Last year they were.

 

Patrick

Man, I can’t believe this list is still going.  Gotta be nearing the end soon.  When I first saw this I was like “no one comes to the fair to eat charcuterie.  I sure as hell don’t. Got to do it in the Warner Coliseum, as nothing says rustic, fancy eating like being a steps away from a dirty horse arena.  The arena, not the horses, I’m sure they’re well groomed and clean.  Until they step into that dusty, dirty, dirt-filled ring.  I mean look at this thing, those sausages and cheese look basic AF, like something right out of a crappy Hickory Farms gift box.  Give me some prosciutto and brie, some terrine and gouda.  Why on earth would I want…wait.  Wait a second, is that…zoom in on that board.  Is that board…a cracker?  Holy shit, it is!  That’s…ok, that is friggin’ cute as hell.  I mean what’s on the board is basic, but I love this crack board.  No matter what else happens, you’ve won my heart with your edible cracker “board”.  Bless your hearts.

 

Anne

Ahh, finally got to the shark coochie board. Is this from Wine Country? Sounds like something they would do.

Oh! It’s not. Is this a new vendor? Hmm doesn’t say. In the coliseum, so maybe it’s been there forever and they’re just making their first foray onto New Foods.

Ok first I was like meh- who goes to the fair for charceut? BUT THEN. It’s all Minnesota made, so even though that is some unappetizing orange cheese, imma support our neighbors (also the “Sota” makes sense in this regard. ARE YOU TAKING NOTES RC?). Second- EDIBLE CRACKER BOARD!

Is this board strong enough to hold the meats and cheeses? Bc if it breaks and we loose our shark coochie, I mean… this is a huge risk Sabino. But I like that you took it *tips hat*

So A for creativity on execution. But C for the rest.

 

Walleye Fritter Pops by Giggles’ Campfire Grill

Smoked walleye mixed with a blend of cheeses, dill pickle relish, fresh garlic and spices, rolled in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Served on-a-stick with a side of comeback sauce and a lemon slice.

Sarah

Giggles is back! And they’re focusing on something they’re very good at: walleye! Their walleye cakes are fucking great. And I say this as someone who doesn’t like fish. So I would assume that walleye fritter pops will also be great. Oh fuck it’s smoked walleye? Dammit I think they just ruined it. I don’t like fish and I REALLY don’t like smoked fish. Also, cheese? With fish? I don’t know… there’s a bit of pickle in here, though maybe not enough to count it. I’m not counting lemon slices either. Okay, idk. I think I’m still tentatively excited for this. Also, it looks fun to eat. Just pop one right in your mouth. I’ve spent much of my fair life trusting giggles and it usually pays off, so I think I just gotta trust them here again.

 

Patrick

After a 1-year hiatus, Giggle is back in the new foods ring with some kind of walleye fritter pop.  Usually Giggles knows how to make fish, as their walleye cakes are still damn good!  Looks like we can chalk up another addition to the pickle craze, and I’m not sure how I’ll feel about it being smoked walleye instead of regular walleye, but I’m willing to give Giggles the benefit of the doubt.  Looks tasty enough.  They did kill the chicken fried bacon, though, which I’m still very sore about.

 

Anne

Hey Giggles, welcome back! And wow look at you- these look like a lot of fun. I don’t know if I like the idea of Cheese and Fish, but I’m willing to forge ahead regardless. Yeah I don’t have much to say, they look fun and like a perfect little fair food.

 

NEW VENDORS

Afro Deli

Afro Deli serves Sambusas in three varieties – beef, chicken, or veggie, fried triangle-shaped pastries with choice of meat or lentils, mixed with onions, garlic, and cilantro, and served with “Basbaas”, a spicy Somali dipping sauce made with fresh chili peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, onions, and lemon juice; Sweet Plantains, pieces of ripe plantains fried until golden brown (vegetarian); Somali Tea, a fragrant, spiced infusion of tea leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg, served hot or iced (vegetarian); and fresh mango juice (vegetarian).

Sarah

Okay I’m down with this. I want to try all three Sambusas, and I definitely want to try the tea (iced, because it’ll be late august) and the mango juice. I also very much want the plantains because I love those. I wonder how spicy the Basbaas is. I suspect very. But hey, I’ll try anything once (except balut)

 

Patrick

Awesome!  Excited to see a Somali food vendor join the fair.  That sambusa looks pretty good, and I’m sure the twins will be excited about the sweet plantains.  I’d even try that tea.  Should be a fun experience.

 

Anne

Well this looks like a fun new vendor! Pretty sure they have a restaurant or food truck out in the real world, nice to see them at the fair. I want all of these things. All of them

 

Bandstand Concessions

Bandstand Concessions serves the Bandstand Burger, Lucy Bratwurst, Chicken Press Sandwich, Lil Smoky Hot Dog, Pretzel Nugs, Facepunch Pretzels, Deep-fried Baked Potato, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, assorted candy and a variety of beer, wine, soda, Red Bull drinks, lemonade, and bottled water.

Sarah

I’m assuming this is only for when you’re inside the bandstand and need some food. So therefore, I won’t be trying this any time soon, if ever. Because you better believe I would pregame any concert or show at the bandstand with the fair foods. Wait. They have a deep-fried baked potato??? Fuuuuuuu. I want that! Ugh. I wonder if I can get it?

 

Patrick

Sounds like pretty typical stadium faire, although I am curious about that deep-fried bake potato.  I’m a little confused about their location, though.  Looks like they are literally next to the stage in the bandstand.  Can you even go in there during the fair and outside concerts?  Need to look into that.

 

Anne

Sooooo this is just inside the Grandstand Concert Venue…? Can you even get in there outside of concert time? Gonna have to ask the Info Booth Ladies. Idk- doesn’t seem necessary to add a new Concert Concession stand to the new food list.

 

Churros & Aguas Fresca

Churros & Aguas Fresca serves bags of churros with caramel or fudge sauce; churros filled with strawberry, Nutella or Bavarian cream; churro sundaes with vanilla bean or cinnamon ice cream; and aguas frescas in watermelon, mango, pineapple and strawberry lime flavors.

Sarah

Heeeeeey, I want every single thing on this menu. All the different Aguas Frescas and all the different churros etc. Look at all those fillings and dips and sundaes. Yep. I want this. I love churros with a chocolate dip, especially if that dip is a bitter chocolate. I’m excited about this one.

 

Patrick

Dang that is a lot of churros options.  Bavarian cream?  I’d try the hell out of that.  I’d try several of these.  Not sure if I’ve ever had an aguas fresca before, but they sound refreshing and I’d be up for giving them a shot.

 

Anne

I don’t think I’ve ever had a filled churro before? I also like that they really went all in on Churros. Also I want alllll those aguas frescas

 

MomoDosa

MomoDosa serves official new food Chicken Momo with Tomato Chutney. Plus, Masala Dosa (South Indian crepe of rice and lentil batter, ghee, and served with tomato chutney and coconut chutney); Veggie Pakora (shredded cabbage and onions dipped in chickpea batter, fried and served with mint and cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney, vegan and GF); and Mango Lassi (smoothie made with mangoes, yoghurt, powdered cardamom and cloves). (8/24-8/29 only)

Sarah

Well, we’ll for sure be trying this because they also have an official new food. Pat likes a veggie pakora so there’s a chance we’ll be trying that. OH HOLY SHIT they have Mango Lassi. I LOVE mango lassi! I really really hope it’s as good as the one from India Palace because that’s my fav. Dang, this makes me more excited about getting that new food cuz I can snag one of these, too!

 

Patrick

So this is the only new vendor to make the actual “new foods” list with their Momos.  Looks like they also have a Dosa, which is like an Indian crepe, and veggie pakora which is like veggies dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried.  I’m a big fan of both of those, but we’ll see if we have time and stomach space to try all of it.  I’m sure Sarah and Anne would love to try their Mango Lassi, but the yoghurt is just a little too overpowering for me.  I’ll have a sip though, I’m always willing to give it another try.

 

Anne

SARAH THEY HAVE MANGO LASSI!

Hey you know allll their stuff sounds great. I wish they were there the whole time so we could pace ourselves. I worry we won’t have an opportunity to go back for more after our 2-day bacchanal before they’re gone for the season

 

Peachey’s Baking Company

Peachey’s Baking Company serves Amish donuts made on-site using old Amish recipes, topped with vanilla glaze and served warm; Peanut Butter Cream Doughnut, an over-sized Amish doughnut topped with house-made vanilla custard, peanut butter crumbles and whipped cream; and Southern Sweet Tea, a fresh-brewed tea sweetened with cane sugar.

Sarah

Huh. Amish donuts. I didn’t think the Amish made donuts. I’ve never heard of them until this moment. It’s weird. I wouldn’t think the Amish would be pioneers of extra sweet pastries and extra sweet tea. ARE there even Amish in the south? Well, either way, I love me a no-nonsense donut and Anne and I love sweet tea, so I’m sure we’ll try both. I hope they’re good. A fresh donut is one of the best things in the world, I think.

 

Patrick

What?  Amish dougnuts?  Why have I never heard of these before?  How come no one has texted me, or written an online article, hell pick up the phone at least!  Well whatever, they’re here now at the fair and I’m always game to try a fresh and still hot doughnut.

 

Anne

What do we have here? Pretzels? OMG IT’S DONUTS. Wow! Wow these sound great! Yeah I want to try these for sure! Also I don’t associate the Amish with Southern Sweet Tea, but I like Southern Sweet Tea so I don’t care who is giving it to me.

 

Tasti Whip

Tasti Whip serves Dole Soft Serve in pineapple, mango, strawberry and lemon flavors; Dole Floats with pineapple, mango, strawberry and lemon-flavored Dole Whip in pineapple juice; Dole pineapple juice; and bottle water.

Sarah

Holy shit! Is this just the Dole Whip stand rebranded??? Oh my god! Yes! I think it is! This is amazing! I don’t think anything that has ever left the state fair has made a return and yet here we are! Amazing! I can’t wait to get a Dole Whip once more!

 

Patrick

YEEEEEESSSSS!  We were still lamenting the loss of the Dole Whip stand last year when we had just been turned onto its splendor the year before that.  And here, here we have a new place serving Dole Soft Serve ice cream!  They even come in floats, how exciting!  Hope this is a good as the stand we lost.

 

Anne

What are they trying to fill the Dole Whip gap- oh my god they are! THEY’RE THE NEW DOLE WHIP STAND! And they have flavors that the old Dole Whip stand never had! AND FLOATS! Well welcome/welcome back Dole Whip.

 

Wow Fudge

Wow Fudge served more than 70 varieties of gourmet, handcrafter, old-fashioned copper kettle fudge, including new custom Minnesota State Fair Flavors- Strawberry Rhubarb, Blueberry Cheesecake, and St, Paul Pickle.

Sarah

I don’t find fudge overly wow, so I’m not all that excited about this. Not to mention if you want to bring it home, good chance it will melt. But that said, I don’t mind a fudge with a lot of nuts in it. So maybe we’ll get one to share? Unless they have samples and it turns out it’s really good. Could go either way. I think Packie likes fudge more than Anne and me.

 

Patrick

Um…yup.  Fudge.  I mean, I know its food.  I don’t know, do they not have anyone else selling fudge already at the fair?  I don’t really come to the fair to pick up fudge.  I get fudge when I stop in small towns and go looking through antique stores.

 

Anne

HAHAHAHAH ONE FINAL PICKLE OFFERING.

Otherwise- it’s just fudge (wow…fudge). I’m sure there are a bunch of fudge offerings at the fair.

WOOOO! We Made it! And now we're just 25 days away from trying all these foods and seeing if our predictions hold up. It'll be here before we know it!

2023 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 4- Italian Duo Dunkers through MinneCookieDough Pie

 

Italian Duo Dunkers- by Sara’s Tipsy Pies

Two Italian-themed hand pies with seasoned parmesan crusts: one with sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese in a 7 Vines Winery red wine-infused pizza sauce; and one with chicken, mushrooms and spinach in a creamy garlic alfredo sauce. Served with garlic butter dipping sauce.

Sarah

I saw this and had immediate mixed reactions and I’m not sure why. Maybe because I don’t like Italian Dunkers? (it’s the red sauce. I don’t want that.) And it’s Sara’s Tipsy Pies, which is usually pretty good but I still have a problem with them on principle (what principle? I’m honestly not even sure anymore.) Oh dang, these actually are savory hand pies. Okay. Oh! I’m glad we don’t have to pick which one we want! Because I want to try them both! You know what? I’m officially excited to try these. I really hope they’re good. They sound good. I’m sure Anne is a bit bummed by the alfredo and maybe the mushrooms a bit? But I just think it sounds like a jazzed-up spinach pie, and we’ve been trying for years and years to find a spinach pie that comes close to the one that you used to be able to get at the MN Renaissance Festival until the lady that made them passed away (RIP pie lady. We miss your pies.) If anything, I don’t need that chicken in there. So yeah. This should be good, I think!

 

Patrick

Well, well, well, isn’t this an interesting switch from Sara’s usually fair of boozy fruit hand pies?  I mean, it’s still a hand pie, right?  One stuffed with pizza faire like pepperoni and sausage, and the other with chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and an alfredo sauce.  If I had to pick between the two, I’d probably go for the pizza one, but both look worth trying.  They definitely had me at the garlic butter dipping sauce, though.  This has to be good, right?  Last time she did a savory tart it worked, so I’m hoping on a repeat this year.

 

Anne

Also was surprised to see this from Sara and not from like Mancini’s. Is the theme this year “going off-brand”?

Have we had savory pies from Sara before? Not really- unless you count the Brown Ale and Onion-Gouda Tipsy Pie, which I don’t bc it was sweet.

First- I am glad we get both pies and we don’t have to choose between 2 options like some OTHER vendors (*cough* MN Farmer’s Union and French Meadow Bakery (AND CAFÉ) *cough*).

These sound like tasty little pies. Sara’s usually a safe bet, never lower than a C (and that only bc of execution). I think they sound great.

 

Jam’nades in Two Varieties- Blueberry Mint and Strawberry Jalapeno by Jammy Sammies by BRIM

Organic lemonade infused with locally made jams in two varieties: Blueberry Mint Jam’nade with a spoonful of blueberry jam and topped with mint sprigs; Strawberry Jalapeno Jam’nade with a spoonful of strawberry jam and jalapeno slices. Served with a boba tea straw. (Vegan, GF)

Sarah

So we got some drinks. And it looks like they’re lemonades. Another possible contender for the theme this year if there wasn’t already a clear one. I like lemonade a lot and I like flavored lemonade. And it’s always nice when a new food is a drink, because A) we’re thirsty and 2) they’re generally cheaper and finally iii) drinks take up less stomach space. Oh, they’re made with jams! Cuz they’re from the Jammy Sammies/Brim! Clever! I wonder how that will work? Also, why do they need to be served with the boba tea straw? Are they chunky drinks? Will we be drinking jam? And if not, then why bother telling us about the straws at all? Okay, now I’m getting a bit sus. I don’t want to drink jam.

 

Patrick

Nice to see some drinks break out from the heaviness of all this food I have to squeeze into a single day.  Brim has been pretty good so far, so I feel optimistic about these two varieties of lemonade…oops, sorry, Jam’nades.  So wait, are these just “infused” with jam, or do they actually scoop a spoonful of jam into the drink?  Maybe it’s both?  I think the Blueberry Mint sounds more enticing, but I’d try both of them to be sure.  I kind of like the sound of putting a dollop of jam into my lemonade, although I have this image in my head of me slurping up a mouthful of jam with my drink and now I’m wondering if it is such a good idea.  We’ll see either way.

 

Anne

I like beverages on the new foods list, since then they force us to try them rather than just drinking water. But it is always slightly disappointing to have a beverage on the list. Or in this case 2 beverages (maybe that’s the theme- 2 items under 1 new food item).

Ok wait- what’s going on here?

BRIM is the beverage portion, and Jammy Sammies is the food portion. So why are these bevs from Jammy Sammies by BRIM and not just from BRIM?

Get your shit together.

Ok so there’s jam in these. And served with a boba straw- so you can…suck up the jam?

I… I don’t think I like the idea of drinking jam from a straw.

Guess we’ll see.

 

“Kind of a Big Dill” Pickle Lemonade by Nordic Waffles

Lemonade mixed with tangy dill pickling spices, craft brewed by Urban Growler and garnished with a crunchy slice of pickle. (Non-alcoholic)

Sarah

Another lemonade! That’s 3! But this is a pickle lemonade, so another notch in the pickle theme, too (which we all know is going to win.) But still. It’s clear lemonade is the theme runner up. So looks like we’ve got pickle lemonade. I’m honestly a little surprised that this hasn’t been done before. It seems so obvious now. Oh, it’s from Nordic Waffles? That’s… weird? Is that weird? Maybe they’ve had a fun drink before? I can’t quite remember but that seems right? Still, I definitely did not expect this lemonade to come from a waffle place. But yeah, it’s just pickle flavored lemonade. At best it’ll be refreshing and fun. At worst, the lemon and pickle flavors will compete to make something not great. But nothing will ever be as bad as barfinade.

 

Patrick

What?  Pfft, no.  Really?  Are you for real?  I don’t know about this man.  At a glance it sounds like a weird, zany, fun idea, but then I start to really think about it and…and I don’t know.  It is from Nordic Waffles too, which had the “brilliant” idea to put a bone-in chicken leg into a waffle sandwich, like you were just gonna chomp through the bone like some kind of neanderthal.  I think this, above any of the others, just screams of desperation to hop on the pickle hype.  Were they just like “we need more pickles, we already put one in our new waffle, but we gotta have more!  The people want pickles dammit!”  And they were just like, “You know what, f*** it, spill some of that pickle juice we’re not gonna use into the lemonade.  That’s something right?  Not JUST something, no.  It’s…kind of a big dill.”  Hur hur hur.

 

Anne

Are we all hopping on the pickle bandwagon after the breakout success of Rick’s Pickle Pizza last year? That’s 2 new pickle offerings so far.

Oh this is from Nordic Waffles? Another off-brand offering.

Sure- this makes sense. It’s not quite drinking pickle juice so seems more main-stream. I bet it’s refreshing.

 

Lemonade Sorbet by Quench’d: Lemonade/Bottled Water

Lemon sorbet made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and mint garnish, served in a frozen half-lemon shell. (Vegan, GF)

Sarah

Hmm, so this looks like just plain lemon sorbet then. I mean, it’s served in half a lemon I guess, but otherwise is there anything special about it? Nope. Just lemon sorbet. I also have no idea what vendor this is and I assume it’s just a little one. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lemon sorbet. I’m sure it will be refreshing and nice (also if we’re going by lemon flavor instead of lemonade, then we’re up to 4 I think) but there’s nothing special about it. They sell fresh lemon sorbet at our local summer festival so idk. I’m just a little underwhelmed here. Though if our mom is with us, I’m sure she’ll be stoked because she loves lemon. And we love her!! LOVE YOU MOMMY!

 

Patrick

I thought this might be a new vendor, but now I’m just thinking it is one of those lemonade stands and they were getting damn tired of everyone else putting up new foods that they decided to do something with all of those juiced and empty lemon halves.  But hey, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  And if you make that lemonade and you’re left with juiced lemon rinds, well then make some sorbet while you’re at it.  Really stick it to life by squeezing every penny you can out of those damn lemons.  Nothing revolutionary here, but certainly cute.  Might be refreshing on a hot day, but I’m not expecting this to be life changing or anything.  In the immortal words of Cave Johnson, “Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Jonson lemons.”

 

Anne

Well look at this little cutie. Aren’t you just a happy looking summer treat. Hey- a new vendor, neat!

Sure this looks cute and tasty- no complaints. Looks like lemons is all they do so I expect this to be good

 

Loaded Lobster Fries by Café Caribe

Lobster in garlic and herb butter, served on a bed of French fries sprinkled with Old Bay Seasoning, topped with bacon, drizzled with homemade chipotle mayonnaise, and garnished with green onion and a lemon wedge

Sarah

Oh shit. I do love some loaded fries. And I do love me some lobster. This could be something great. It’s from Café Caribe. In the past they’ve been underwhelming. But a good thing about them is they have tables to sit at, so that’s good. And a stage where people play music (once we saw a kid on stage playing a recorder along with a Peruvian pipe band and still to this day, I wonder what was going on there.) Anyway… Okay, yeah. There’s absolutely nothing about this that I don’t like. I want it in my mouth. My only concern (and this is a common concern with loaded fries) is that the toppings could make the fries soggy. I think we’re probably safe here, unless the lobster is wet when they put it on the fries. But I’m feeling this one pretty hard. Damn. Is THIS my most excited for? Maybe. Maaaaybe.

 

Patrick

Not much has come out of Café Caribe in the new foods category that are worth mentioning or remembering.  Frankly, serving any kind of seafood at the State Fair just seems like risky prospect.  So, I don’t have high hopes for this.  I mean, if those fries are good and crispy, the lobster is fresh and sweet, and for god’s sake that chipotle mayonnaise doesn’t scorch poor, sweet, innocent Sarah’s tastebuds like the burning hate of Beelzebub, maybe, just maybe, we can all come together, and realize, that Patrick doesn’t quite have a solid grasp on how many commas are enough in a sentence, or whether they are at all warranted, and that maybe this is just a run on sentence and he thinks commas are just some magical punctuation that sounds right in your head, but in writing it is just gratuitous and is making your Sister, who is a published author and has a master’s in writing, weep at the sight of it like she does at the sight of a little buffalo sauce,

 

Anne

Well heeeeeey guuuuurl. How you doin?

Yeah this sounds great- what’s not to like? Other than the fact that it’s from Café Caribe which has never scored higher than a C so now I am disappoint. But hey- it’s a new year, maybe a year for an A.

 

Maui – Sota Sticky Ribs by RC’s BBQ

Slow-smoked St. Louis-style ribs, caramelized with RC’s Sticky Huli sauce and seasoned with furikake, green onion, and cilantro

Sarah

Hot damn I love me some ribs. This is obviously going to come from RC’s and looks like I’m right. Let’s see what makes these ribs special. Oh shit this sounds good. Damn I’m hungry. I wish I had ribs right now. This sounds great. Though boo on the cilantro. I mean, it’ll probably be fine. We’re not people who thinks it tastes like soap, we’re just not big fans. But we’re coming around on it a bit. Sometimes RC’s can be too spicy for us, which is too bad because generally they’re pretty good. Looks like these should be safe-ish, though? Can’t pick this as most excited, though, since it’s pretty much just ribs. But don’t get me wrong. I AM excited for them. I hope there are at least 3 rib bones. I don’t want to have to share with the two chuckles I’ll be traveling with. I want my own bone.

 

Patrick

This was also a contender for “most excited for”.  I’m sure RC can make a killer rib, so throwing on some sticky Huli Huil sauce, which I’m told is some kind of sweet Hawaiian teriyaki sauce, and seasoning it with the umami flavors of furikake?  This just sounds great.  I really hope it is as good as it looks and sounds.  They’ve gotten a lot of B-grades over the years, so I’m hoping they can land in the hall of honorable A’s for this entry.

 

Anne

I like ribs, and I like RC BBQ.

Really trying hard with the name here. I guess it’s Hawaiian with the Huli sauce? And I guess since we’re in MN you toss on the Sota part? Eh- seems like a stretch here RC.

Yeah these look perfectly tasty, and I hope it comes with 3 like the pic shows.

 

Miami Mango Pickles by Soul Bowl

Dill pickles infused with Miami mango punch.

Sarah

Okay, now I need to count pickles and lemon. Because I assumed we got a pickle year, but idk, lemon might show up. My first glance at this and I’m sus. I’m particular about pickles. But let me take a look. Okay, not much info to go on here. They’re dill pickles infused my Miami mango punch. I assume that’s just a fruit punch? Unless it’s a drink I’m unfamiliar with? This is from Soul Bowl. Last year we were very excited about them, but the food we got was terrible. Soggy. Had been sitting under a heat lamp. Just gross. But people who got there at different times got better quality food which they liked. So, that was a bummer. I guess this comes down to the idea of am I excited to, more or less, just eat a pickle? And the answer is meh, not really. So yeah. I’m interested to see what the flavor is but I’m not jonesing to run over there and get this. And I can’t imagine the others are, either.

 

Patrick

Alright, I know that there has been some kind of thing going around in the past year or so about infusing your pickle spears in punch or Kool-Aid, and that people swear by it that it is an amazing snack.  I don’t really get it, I don’t think I’ll like it, and it really doesn’t feel iconic enough to be on the new foods list.  This isn’t like Reese’s peanut butter cups.  “Oh you got chocolate in my peanut butter, holy crap we made the perfect combination of flavors since PB&J.”  You think you can just shove a pickle into fruit punch, and you’ve struck gold?  Not buying it.  Plus, it is from Soul Bowl and they shit the bed for us with their soulsickle last year.

 

Anne

Ope- another pickle offering.

So are these pickled mangos or what? OH! No- lol they’re pickles in a mango punch! Hahah neat! Unexpected. You got me Soul Bowl.

Now listen- you got a D last year bc of execution, but you also got an A for your fancy drink in a bag. It’s your 2^nd year, and this is going to inform our opinion of you going forward- are you a D or an A vendor?

I’m rooting for you- don’t let us down.

 

MinneCookieDough Pie by MinneApple Pie

Homemade chocolate chip cookie dough in a flaky pie crust dusted with powdered sugar. Served with choice of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Sarah

All right all right. I like pie. I like it a lot. This is from Minneapple pie, which people love. We do not love the apple pie, but that blueberry pie last year was top notch, so I’m excited that we have another new pie to try out. Let’s get some deets. Oh nice! So it’s just a pie stuffed with cookie dough! This sounds great. Though we have to choose ice cream. Normally I’d say the cinnamon ice cream, cuz delish. But maybe the vanilla is a better palate cleanser with the chocolate chip cookie dough? Unsure. I’m pretty jonesed about this one. I expect it will be good. Also I bet Packie is losing his mind. He loves cookie dough. Other than the ice cream, this seems like a pretty big win for him.

 

Patrick

I hadn’t given them much thought prior to last year when they made the list with a Minneblueberry Pie on the new foods list, but it was actually damn good so I’m glad I was forced to give them a try.  Well, it looks like they want to it again this year.  I will say up front that I go nuts for cookie dough.  Actually, I go nuts for any kind of dough.  It’s kind of a problem.  Like literal pizza dough, or bread dough, some batters, just raw and straight into my mouth.  YES I KNOW THERE ARE RAW EGGS IN THERE, shut the hell up.  I could be eating worse things, ok?  Anyways!  Love the sweet siren song of the cookie dough, but this looks like…a lot.  Too much cookie dough is definitely a bit much, even for Packie, and I hope there is a good ratio of dough-to-pie crust-to ice cream or this will be too damn rich even for this fat, dough eating bitch.  If they get the ratios right, though, I’ll love this I’m certain.  I feel like Sarah and Anne aren’t as big into edible cookie doughs, but what the hell do they know?  I once saw Sarah drop lobster meat onto the street and pick it back up and eating it.  Oh, and it was a wet street.  Also…it may have been Anne?  Come on, they’re twins, and I have a shitty memory.  Let’s just say it was both of them.  Like they picked it up and both ate it as a team.  I’ve never eaten raw dough off the street, so I am empirically the better person.  Also, I don’t know the actual definition of empirically, and I’m too lazy to look it up, but it just FEELS right.  I’m sure Sarah will agree that’s how writing works.  If it feels right, thus it is right,  Period,

 

Anne

Hmm who’s this coming from? MinneApple Pie maybe? Oh it is! Really love that they’re branching out from Apple- their blueberry pie last year was *chef’s kiss*.

So this is a cookie stuffed inside of a pie?? Ok, I see you. This sounds like a lot of fun and I am preeeeetty excited to try you. Yeah the more I look at you the more excited I’m getting. See you in August.

One final day! Besides New Vendors, learn all about a goddamned sensory nightmare of a new food, and how quickly opinions can flip-flop when food is served in a delightful and surprising manner.

2023 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 3- Donut Delights through Irish Butter Ice Cream Over Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toast

 

Donut Delights by Coasters

Mini donuts wrapped in bacon, on-a-stick, then deep-fried, topped with a layer of peanut butter and drizzled with raspberry dessert sauce.

Sarah

Ooh what do we have here? A new food from Coasters? I don’t know when the last time that happened was (if ever?) What’s great about this is we can get these donuts and also snag that delish creamsicle boozy drank at the same time. Okay let’s see what we got. Ugh, these are wrapped in bacon. Yawn. Listen, I love bacon. But I love crispy bacon. Soggy bacon is just dumb and gross. And when you wrap bacon around things, it’s always soggy bacon. But, I will say, it seems like this bacon is fried WITH the donut. So, if that’s truly the case, then there’s a good chance this bacon will be crispy and then I will be content. Oh peanut butter too? I see we’re going a bit Elvis-y on this one. I’m down for that. And then raspberry sauce. If I didn’t know better, I’d say raspberry could almost be a theme. Also I hope these aren’t too big because I bet they’re going to be rich. I also hope the bacon, peanut butter, and raspberry sauce don’t weight that donut down too much. But I’m pretty happy about trying this one.

 

Patrick

Home of the spectacular boozy Dreamsickle Hard Malt, and not so popular Cracklin Prime Rib Tacos.  Seems this is the second time they’ve made the list with a food item in recent history, and while they mix a damn fine, sweet treat, they really missed with their tacos (I just double checked, and while we have it listed as “tacos” on the blog page it is clearly nachos and listed correctly in the original post.  Come on Anne, do better.)  So here we have a sweet food, so maybe it will meet somewhere in the middle between the two.  Come on…C+?  Can’t quite figure out how this is gonna be executed.  Like, do they deep fry the mini donut then wrap it in bacon and deep fry it some more?  Can you wrap bacon around donut dough and then deep fry them together?  Seems like either method would be problematic.  I like the idea of peanut butter as a drizzle along with the raspberry sauce, creating a kind of sweet-leaning PB&J, but I’m also very much over using bacon as some kind of fantastical ingredient that goes anywhere.  Highly skeptical of this, but I’m prepared to be pleasantly surprised.  Good luck Coasters.

 

Anne

Well I smiled immediately and then was like wait- are these mini donuts? (see mini donut rant Day 2). Woooow is there A LOT happening here.

Ok so if mini donuts are wrapped in bacon and then deep fried, that means they’re twice fried, right? So extra crunchy then I would expect.

Honestly, this just seems like too much going on, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Coasters has earned an A and a D in the past so we’re wildly all over the place here and I guess anything could happen.

 

Fried Butternut Squash Ravioli by Oodles of Noodles

Deep-fried butternut squash ravioli sprinkles with maple cinnamon sugar. Served with a side of whipped ricotta. (vegetarian)

Sarah

Huh. At first I was like, wtf does this have to do with noodles since it’s from oodles of noodles. And then I remembered that ravioli is a noodle and then I contemplated going to bed. But I didn’t. Because I need, nay, MUST, write about these new foods (also because both Anne and Packie are done writing about theirs, but I’m in a hotel doing PROFESH writing stuff and that takes priority. But I know Anne especially is peeved that I haven’t finished yet.) Oh, it’s a deep-fried ravioli! Okayokayokay. I like me some fried raviolis. And I do enjoy some butternut squash. Anne and I never get to eat squash because Packie “doesn’t like it” blah blah blah, so it sucks for him that he’s going to have to eat this! Oh shit. It’s served with whipped ricotta?? Hold the phone. That is amazing. I’m so fricking excited to try this whipped ricotta as a dip. Like, that waaaaay overshadows everything else in this. Shit. I might be more excited about this ricotta than anything else.

 

Patrick

Alright, not sure if this has been mentioned prior, but along with avocados, Packie no likey squash.  Not all squash I guess, but there a large variety of what is technically a ‘squash’, but primarily things like butternut squash.  Really don’t like the texture, and definitely dislike it as a filling in pasta.  At least in this case they are marrying the sweet squash with other sweet flavors, so maybe it’ll be alright.  If I put aside my persona aversions, I’d say it sounds like an interesting take on the fried ravioli staple by making it into a dessert item.  Oodles of Noodles make some pretty good mac and cheese, so hopefully they pull it off again with this food item.  Sarah and Anne are likely losing their shit about this and mentioning how despondent I’ll be finding out I have to eat squash.  They really want me to like it so they can gorge on it more often as a family.  I refuse.  I am allowed one loathed veggie if Anne gets to hate all of them.

 

Anne

Wellll I don’t really associate fair food with like a fried ravioli you could get as an app at any restaurant (yes I know it’s “fancier” bc butternut squash). Who is this from, Dino’s?

What the WHAT? OODLES OF NOODLES??

WHAT??!!

…

I am still confused. How is this noodles??

Ok well I like that they made them more dessert-y with the cinnamon sugar. And I LOVE that they’re served with a side of ricotta. So I think they actually sound pretty fun and I’m looking forward to tasting them. I am still just so heckin bamboozled that this is out of Oodles of Noodles.

 

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich in Two Varieties- BLT and Vegetarian by Minnesota Farmer’s Union Coffee Shop

Two deep-fried locally grown green tomato slices in a crust of Whole Grain Milling Co. High Lysine Cornmeal, with mustard mayonnaise made with Lost Capital Economics Coarse Spicy Ale Mustard, and local lettuce on a toasted brioche bun from The Good Bread Company. BLT is served with bacon from Pastures a Plenty & Hidden Stream Farm. Vegetarian option is served with locally produced charred sweet corn relish.

Sarah

Eh. I’m not a fried green tomato fan. I mean, I’m not really a tomato fan at all. The only times I like them are in bruschetta and caprese. And when it’s caprese, I want a two to one ratio of cheese to tomato. But I have tried fried green tomatoes before and been not impressed. At least this is on a Sammy, though, so there will be other things to hopefully buffer. Jesus there’s so much going on in this description. The cornmeal alone is almost a novel. I assume mustard mayonnaise is just mustard mixed with mayo? Jeeeeesus more words that pretty much mean nothing. Like, these are brands, right? But they have like two taglines. “Johan Sebastian Bach tuning fork pickle crumbs from Venice” has no meaning to me. Seriously. Calm down. But we’ll get the BLT I’m sure (which is ironic, because normally when we eat BLTs, we hold the T.) Oh, of COURSE this is farmer’s union. Chances are this will be bad. But, you know, the schnitzel last year was decent. So maybe they’ve turned a Jamie Lynn Spears Babbling Brook new leaf.

 

Patrick

Aw shit, spoke too soon.  To be fair, tomatoes are technically a fruit, right?  Right?  Yeah, but wisdom is knowing you don’t put tomatoes in a fruit salad, and now I’ve gone and lied about hating only one veggie.  Actually, tomatoes are a very curious food for me.  I love red sauce, ketchup, tomato basil soup, hell I love bruschetta and caprese salad and that is literally raw tomato slices.  One thing I don’t like for certain, is tomatoes on my sandwiches.  Just never have and don’t think I’ll change my opinion any time soon.  I’ve tried fried green tomatoes before, and while I like the idea of them and wish that I liked them, I certainly did not enjoy them.  I don’t think throwing them into a BLT, (which for me as you may have guessed, I always order as a BL) is going to change my opinion much.  Then, ho ho ho ho, there is the fact that this is coming from MN Farmers Union.  Creators of the one of the worst drinks of my life, a drink I had to CHEW (cucumber jalapeno limeade), was ice cold and somehow BURNED me.  New food alumni for the last 5 years (not including 2020 obvs) that only JUST broke the C and D-grade barrier they’d been languishing in to get a B last year with their Pork Schnitzel.  No.  No, this will be crap like most of their stuff.  They’re always on the list and they always disappoint.  I’m tired of them and I’m done.  Just stick with coffee, at least you can do that right.

 

Anne

Hmmm. You know I want to like Fried Green Tomatoes but I don’t despite attempts (not surprising- I don’t like tomatoes so it’s a hard sell). I guess putting them on a sammich with other stuff reduces the offense level of the FGTs?

Jebus that description is all advertising. I mean, I know that’s pretty much their MO- highlighting local produce and ag and such, but wow is that a mouthful.

I wish I could get the sweet corn relish on the BLT.

You know, MFUCS in general is usually pretty disappointing but I am often excited to try their wares. I’m looking forward to taking a nib of this (oh god- do you think it’s going to be teeny tiny like their items sometimes are? Hard to tell scale from the pic…)

 

Fruity Cereal Milk Biscuit by LuLu’s Public House

A Betty and Earl’s biscuit made with fruity cereal milk and cereal bits, drizzled with icing flavored with fruity cereal, and topped with more cereal bits.

Sarah

What the hell is this and why isn’t it in my mouth already? Oh shit, a twofer from Lulu’s?? This is EXCELLENT! And look at this thing? Oh god. I bet the mouthfeel is exquisite. Oh shit, it’s Betty and Earl’s biscuit back in action. Yissss. Shit. CEREAL MILK?? It’s MADE with the fruity cereal milk? Oh my god this is amazing. You know what? I think this might be it. Usually the things I’m most excited for are savory stuff. Potatoes and crispy things or whatever. But this is some sort of triumph of mankind. I’m just… I’m very excited and assume Anne and Packie are too.

 

Patrick

Alright, we can just stop the count here.  LuLu’s wins it.  Thank you to all the other competitors, you gave it your best shot, but you need to git gud if you’re going to compete with the queen of sweet.  I mean, come on.  Betty and Earl’s biscuit on it its own is just an effing winner.  Now, NOW you are telling me you’re going to drizzle this beautiful bitch with fruity cereal milk icing?  Cereal milk icing?!  How has no one come up with this before?  Because LuLu is a god damn revolutionary, that’s how!  Oh, and you know what, let’s just toss some more cereal on top, because we have to shine like Tamatoa in this fair.  I can’t believe I get two new desserts from Lulu’s this year.  Truly #blessed.

 

Anne

Is this a Betty and Earl’s Biscuit? Is this from Lulu’s?

It is!

Ok first- has it always been LuLu’s? bc I’ve been typing it Lulu’s and am I taking crazy pills or what is happening??

But holy shit the line for this starts behind ME.

This looks so damn good. Also B&E biscuits are bomb. I just…I need this in my mouth right now. I don’t have anything else to say, I am too excited.

 

Galabao by Union Hmong Kitchen

Traditional Hmong-style steamed bun stuffed with ground pork, egg and spices – a recipe from Chef Yia Vang’s mom. Served with choice of Krunchy Chili Oil, Kua Txob Hot Pepper Sauce, or Lemongrass Scallion Dressing

Sarah

Huh, what’s this? I’ve never heard of a galabao before. I’m going to assume (because I have a master’s degree and therefore AM a master) that it is some sort of bao. Probably of Hmong origin since it’s coming from the very good Union Hmong Kitchen. But we eat Hmong food pretty regularly in our house (cuz it’s great) and I don’t think we’ve ever had one of these. Or I suppose it’s possible we have and I just didn’t know what it was called. Ooh it has egg with the pork? Hell yes! LOVE me some egg! And fun with dipping sauces too! I wonder if we could do two? Probably not. I think the chili oil might be the way to go since I think we tried the lemongrass one last year. I hope it’s good. But also not too big because bao is super filling and ever though we’re splitting this, we got 30 some other foods to get through.

 

Patrick

What did I tell you about dumps?  Doesn’t matter if it is a little bite-sized dumpling or one as big as your damn fist like this bad boy.  Dumps are great.  Hmong food, for those who haven’t had the chance to try it yet (which is ridiculous, the Hmong community has been around for ages and they’ve been crushing the food scene) makes some damn good eats.  You may have had those little baby bao’s, but this is a monster bao!  Stuffed with everything savory, including a damn egg, and some dipping sauces to add an extra punch of flavor.  Nothing groundbreaking here, I can probably get something like this in most Hmong eateries, but I’m still stoked that they are at the fair representing.  They were a new vendor last year and they did their community proud by offering the delicious staples they are known for.  Look forward to sinking my teeth into this bad boy.

 

Anne

Is this just like a bao? Looks like it.

Ok I love that this is a family recipe. And I’m glad to see Union Hmong Kitchen making the new food list for the 2^nd year in a row. Last year their food was great, solid B range iirc, and their shop was hoppin with a line going forever.

I really like bao, but I also don’t NEED bao, especially at the fair, bc I have a lot of food to eat and limited stomach space, and bao tends to be filling. I’m sure this will be great. But I’m feeling pretty meh about it.

 

Holey Hamloaf Breakfast Sandwich by Hamline Church Dining Hall

Hamline Church Dining Hall hamloaf, tangy glaze, caramelized onions and cheese in a sandwich made with fried egg-in-a-hole toast.

Sarah

What the hell is a hamloaf? It’s like a meatloaf made out of ham? I hope that’s not that case because BOO HAM. Oh, maybe it’s just actually a hamburger? But wouldn’t that just make this a patty melt? Okay, let me just read about it and see what’s what. No answer on the hamloaf I see. It sorta seems like the hamloaf is something the Hamline Brekkie hall traditionally has on their menu? I don’t recall ever seeing it, but I can’t remember everything, can I now? What’s a tangy glaze? This whole thing is a list of adjectives that have little meaning. Caramelized onions are good! Though that’s back to patty melt territory. Same with the cheese. OH SHIT! Egg in the hole Toast???? AMAZING! Yes, I want this breakfast sandwich! I don’t even care that I don’t know what a hamloaf is! This sounds great! The only thing I’m slightly concerned about is that tangy sauce because tangy can be a lot of flavor profiles so it’s really going to hinge on that. Hamline dining hall is usually okay, too. I don’t think they’ve ever really tanked things, but I’m not sure they’ve often knocked it out of the park, either. So I think we can be optimistic about this. Ah. Just realize there is a pun in the name, too. Nice.

 

Patrick

The dining hall has been pretty consistent with C-ranked foods across the last 5 years, save for last year when they started offering Paleta’s which was a sweet breath of fresh air for what I’d come to accept as a mediocre food stop.  Don’t get me wrong, the place is cute and homey, but it really does have that vibe of where the old folks go for their bland early bird dining experience.  I think it is a State Fair staple, just not one I feel inclined to partake in.  However, HOWEVER…I will say this sammich looks good.  Based on the picture, I’m assuming hamloaf is like a hamburger loaf and not a loaf made of ham?  Add in caramelized onions and this is almost a patty melt.  Making the toast into an egg-in-the-hole toast is just such a brilliant idea, I’m surprised I haven’t seen it done before now.  I really hope this turns out good, because on the surface it looks like a winner.  Now just quit while you’re ahead.  Don’t need to do something stupid like…I don’t know, also make the new foods list with an item that was on the list last year?  That wouldn’t happen, right?  Right?

 

Anne

This has to be from Hamline Church Dining Hall, right?

Ope- nailed it.

Ok first- is anyone else a child like me and finding “hamloaf” to be hilarious? I know you’re out there.

Welp, this looks great. There isn’t a thing on there that I DON’T want. I mean it sounded great until I got to the egg in a hole, and you know how I feel about eggs (I LOVE EM).

This is looking like a strong year- I am excited for a lot of things here, and I’m only to H!

 

Hot Honey Cheese Sticks by The Blue Barn

Fried Halloumi cheese topped with hot honey and honeycomb crunch. (vegetarian)

Sarah

WTF is going on in this picture? Are those carrot sticks? And honeycomb cereal? Do they even make that anymore? Wait, I guess they’re cheese? Haloumi cheese? I’m not a fan of haloumi, generally, so now I’m kinda sad. Also this is the blue barn, and they’re a real rollercoaster for us. After years of jerking us around, we had a few spectacular years in a row. But then last year they were back to jerking us around. So now I feel a bit like “once bitten, twice shy.” Or “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” And I don’t want no shame on me, blue barn. Looks like they just made mozzarella sticks with haloumi, threw some hot honey on them and then some cereal. It’s funny, because the item before that has cereal thrown on it, I’m excited for. This just kind of makes me sad and maybe pissed off? Like they’re not even really trying anymore or something. God dammit, blue barn. Why are you like this?

 

Patrick

I will hand it to the Blue Barn, they never go simple, and they always shoot for the fences.  As you’d expect, this makes for a roller coaster of low and high rankings from them across the years, and since they almost always put out 2 new foods there is a vast pool of examples to draw from.  I’ll gladly just take the single new food that’s made the list this year though, and save my belly space for other things.  I had to look up Halloumi cheese to get a grasp of what this would be like, and I learned that it is usually a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk with a texture described as “squeaky” and a high melting point that makes it easily fried or grilled.  I’ve certainly had fried cheese before and I’m a big fan.  It is always hard to tell for sure with Blue Barn, but I think this looks good.  I love the idea of it being topped with honeycomb crunch cereal and mixing in hot honey sounds interesting as well (poor Sarah, why is everything so hot hot hot).  Hope this is a good year from them, since last year was a double dose of bad.

 

Anne

I see Hot Honey is making its second appearance here.

Oh god. Blue Barn.

I just…I don’t even know what to think here. I can’t get hurt by Blue Barn anymore. I won’t allow it. I just don’t want to even have an opinion. Maybe if I say it looks terrible Blue Barn will surprise us? Can we go back to 2018 and 2019 when they had their good years? I mean, how can a vendor have an equal amount of As AND Fs? I mean we only have 9 Fs EVER and Blue Barn has 33% of them!

I don’t even know man. What are we even doing here.

 

Irish Butter Ice Cream over Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toast by Blue Moon Dine-In Theater

Ice Cream made with European-style butter served on brown sugar cinnamon toast, drizzled with butter syrup and sprinkled with sea salt flakes.

Sarah

Aww, well isn’t this nice? I mean, it’s not anything special, I don’t think. But it looks nice and I think I’ll like it. And it’s from Blue Moon Dine-In and they’re generally pretty good. Also, this seems like something that would be hard to mess up as I assume it’s just ice cream on toast. Yep. That’s what it is. Though the sea salt flakes are a nice touch that I’m sure I’ll love. Packie is probably conflicted. He likes toast. I think he might particularly like cinnamon toast. But then there’s the ice cream right on top and he’s going to have to eat it. TOO BAD, PACKIE!

 

Patrick

Another vendor who knows how to put out some wacky fun ideas with food, and they have a pretty damn good record of successes.  That said, this item seems pretty basic and straightforward, just cinnamon sugar toast with ice cream.  The choice of ice cream however makes it sound like a winning combo, and I get some serious nostalgia feels for the cinnamon sugar toast.  I don’t think the idea is going to blow me out of the water, but I’ll be perfectly content if it is as good as it sounds.

 

Anne

Thought for sure this was gonna be O’Gara’s bc of the Irish, but then didn’t think sweets was their MO. So, pleasantly surprised to see Blue Moon here.

So it’s basically a fancy French toast with ice cream. Ok. I like the addition of the sea salt flakes to cut the sweet. The pic looks a little dry for French toast.

Oh.. OOOOOOOOH- it’s CINNAMON TOAST, not French toast. My B. Well damn now I wish I had French toast.

This looks fine.

Next.

Tune in tomorrow to find out if we want to drink jam through a straw or not (WE'LL GIVE YOU ONE GUESS).