2025 State Fair New Foods Preview Part 1- Initial Thoughts, Afro Bean Pops through Cannoli Gelato Nachos

 

AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! It’s exactly 30 days until the Fair! How is summer going so fast???

Funny Summer GIFfrom Funny GIFs

Anyway, really wanted to get these out earlier, but summer work is v busy, and time just gets away from you, ya know? So just know I did my best, ok?

Let’s get to it.

Sarah Overall Thoughts

We’re here! It’s Christmas Eve Eve for the State Fair (the real eve being the night before the fair, natch) because the new foods have finally been revealed.

It’s later than usual. And that’s saying a lot because it’s been later in general over the last few years. Luckily it’s a busy time of year for Anne and me so it means we fret less about waiting for the announcement. I don’t know if Packie was fretting or not. He keeps it close to the sleeve.

One bonus about it being late is seeing all the people who were sure they were going to be released yesterday being quashed. Petty? Yes. But no one can predict the new foods release for the MN State Fair and as soon as you think you can, they jerk the rug right out of you. This is a lesson everyone learns, sooner or later.

Okay! Let’s remember how I do this. I think I do first thoughts, where I do a quick glance at the foods but don’t read anything.

Holy crap that seems like a lot of new foods. Also, holy crap that seems like a lot of new foods I am very interested in!

33 new foods and 8 new vendors. Shit. It’s going to be a lot of eating and a lot of money.

I KNOW I saw some sort of chicken fried bacon strips or something, and since Giggle’s retired their chicken fried bacon, we’ve been a bit bereft, so hopefully they’re good.

Looks like a lot of sweet stuff, too! I like a nice balance of sweet and savory.

And some new vendors as well. Last year we tried all the new vendors, I think, so I’m sure we’ll attempt to do so again.

Theme:  There were some runners-up. Jalapeno tried to make a run for it (and honestly, may have inched by with some of the extras) as did cinnamon and sugar, and quick pickle cukes but in general I think the theme is dippers and dips.

Most looking forward to:  I think it’s a tie between the Croffle Cloud (I mean come on) and the Shrimp & Pork toast on a stick. But there are a lot of things pretty high on my list.

Shit. I forgot about those Sweet Squeakers. Okay, I think I have a 3-way tie this year. First ever.

Least looking forward to: thank god there’s no buffalo flavored stuff. Honestly? I think that dill pickle iced tea. I just don’t see that being good, especially with the chamoy and tajin rim. 

Anne Overall Thoughts

It's a frabjous day! The new foods day! And I'm busy at work which means I'm thinking about it all day, and people are trying to talk to me about it all day and I can't even.

It seemed likely it would come out this week, though some predicted that it would be out yesterday based on *checks calendar* a whopping three years of data. So they were wrong but it doesn't matter bc here we are!

I haven't even really looked at anything yet other than a quick scroll through this morning where I could just see flashes of exciting tidbits. A coworker told me she's excited for lots of vegetarian options (SPOILER! I HAVEN’T LOOKED YET!) So I guess I'll see about that when I dive in.

Overall thoughts:

Hmm, hard to sense a theme here. There are 4 offerings that include Jalapeno, but really only one where it's the feature and not just an element, so I don’t think we can count it. Same for the 3 offerings with Maraschino Cherries lol. Couple “quesadillas” too, as well as funky-bunned burgers. Some people online also predicted a second year of pickle but themes have never repeated and that has held true. I think the theme might be sort of crazy desserts? Like vibrant colors and fun times. Which is a great year for me.

Most looking forward to: You all know it’s gotta be the Croffle Cloud. It’s crazy, it’s sweet, it’s fun. Sign me up.

Least looking forward to: That GD Jalapeno Donut. How dare you sully Donut’s good name like that.

Packie’s Overall Thoughts

Here we go again!  They’re here at last.  The moment we’ve all been waiting for.  NEW FOODS!  Time again to explore all the new food options for the 2025 MN State Fair and give our misguided and often biased misconceptions of how some dish will taste that I’ve never had in my mouth.  33 new foods, and 8 new vendors.  That’s the same number of foods as last year with just 2 new vendors, which is good, because I could use a little scaling back for both my belly and my wallet, thank you!  Looking to be an interesting year with some highs, some lows, and some curiously questionable delicacies.  Who will be offended, who will be delighted, and who will want to go home because their feet are tired?  Only time will tell.  If I had to pick a them this year, I’d say it is the year of the Spice!  The spice mélange.  That’s right, jalapenos made quite the run this year.  I didn’t keep count of how many new foods had these fiery peppers in them, on them, or had the essence forged in a fiery oven, but they are there, and Sarah and Anne will suffer.  I mean, probably me too.  Packie doesn’t mind some heat, but he’s still a Midwestern white boy, so he may talk a big game, but he burns as bright as the next pale ghost.

 Most Excited For:  I called it when I first saw it and I’m sticking to it.  No second guessing, no debate, it is the chicken fried bacon fries from Soul Bowl!  Will he live to regret this?  Of course, I am never right about this one.

 Least Excited For:  Freaky Fryday.  Sure, I’ve got shifty eyes on that damn pickle iced tea but come on.  Herbivorous Butcher always craps the bed.  No doubts about this one.  Don’t want it, keep it away from me.

 With that said let's roll out the list!

Afro Bean Pops by Afro Deli

Savory deep-fried bites of ground black-eyed peas, onions, jalapeños, cilantro and seasonings. Served with a spicy red chili sauce atop a bed of mixed greens. (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Sarah’s Thoughts

Mmm. Pretty disappointed looking at this picture, not going to lie. They look dry. And they’re titled Afro so I’m sure they’re coming from Afro Deli, which we always want to love and almost always disappoints us.

Yep. That’s where they’re coming from. Aaaaand I predict I am not going to like these. Can’t imagine I like black-eyed peas since I don’t like beans. I’m very sure I won’t like that red chili sauce, and the seasonings will probably not appeal to me.

This is just a ME thing, too. They might very well be great for a lot of other people. Not sure how Anne and Packie will feel about these. I bet flavor wise they’ll like them, but it’s gonna come down to that texture, I think, and whether they’re dry.

I know these are just alphabetical but I’m sad that the first item on the list is one I’m sad about. 

Anne’s Thoughts

Saw Afro and knew this was from Afro Deli, a stand we really, really want to like but they’ve been sort of meh for us. But I keep rooting for them!

OK so clearly some sort of bean meatball? Wow- is Sarah starting the day off mad? I mean I know she says she wants to like beans but… I bet she mad. I wonder what that sauce is. Let’s take a look.

OK first off “served atop a bed of fresh greens” picture shows 2 small lettuce leaves.

Second- boo jalapeños. Also spicy Chili dip? I was pretty interested until those 2 points. Hopefully sauce is on the side (they usually are).

I’m interested to try it but I'm holding my horses on excitement here.

Packie’s Thoughts

A’ight we are back, trying Afro Deli again with some new confection that looks…oddly like last year’s new food, though maybe savory?  Last year’s was basically donut holes.  Hmm, so this time it’s basically a deep fried, spicy bean ball?  Spicy is right, hoo boy, jalapeños AND spicy red chili sauce?  I can already hear Sarah crying.  The first food off the bat and she’ll be flipping a table.  Beans AND spice?  That’s a one-two punch that’s sure to get her fuming.  I especially laughed at the “bed of mixed greens” that it’s served on top of.  You mean a couple pieces of lettuce?  Come on, did you even really need to include that?  Are you supposed to eat the lettuce, like it is part of the dish?  I dunno.  Honestly, I think this is going to be solid C territory at best, D at worst.  Just not a whole lot going on here to pique my interest.

Athena’s Whipped Feta by Dino’s Gyros

Whipped feta topped with schug – a Middle Eastern green sauce made with jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, parsley and fresh herbs – drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with crunchy toasted wild rice. Served with deep-fried pita bread tossed in Dino's signature seasoning. (Vegetarian)

Sarah’s Thoughts

Okay, this LOOKS kinda good… I like dipping things into things, so that’s a bonus. But it’s whipped feta. Feta is the driest cheese so I’m not sure how one whips it without adding something else.

Where is this coming from? Dino’s or somewhere else?

Dino’s. Okay. I’m not against this. I think it’ll be fine. But do I also think it’s something I could make at home, or that I could get regularly from Dino's when we get pita chips and spicy feta dip? Yes.

At least Dino’s makes great pita chips. Though, our mom made some the other day and they were fantastic.

I am excited about the toasted wild rice, though.

Anne’s Thoughts

I mean…

Feta is so dry.

But I like whipped things.

I wonder who this is from- Dino’s? Holy Land?

IDK. Guess I better read about this.

The whiplash I got from “Ooooh Schug?!” to “Boo jalapeños!” was intense. SIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHH. Jalapeños aren’t even Mediterranean?! Looks like Schug is traditionally made with Green Chilies, but jalapeños are common in recipes I looked up.

You know what? It’s fine. Olive Oil = good. Toasted crunchy wild rice (also not Mediterranean) = good. Dino’s Pita Chips? Gooood

Packie’s Thoughts

Ey, make-a the dino!  Gotta hand it to Dino’s for always putting out something new and generally keeping it interesting.  I’m also starting to think the State Fair is just their dumping ground for extra feta.  “What do we do with all this Feta, it’s gonna go bad if we don’t use it?”  Just throw it in with some other stuff and we’ll call it a new food, sell it at the State Fair.  “Nice.”  Ah hahahahaha, this has jalapeños in it too.  Sarah and Anne gotta be pissssed.  What…what if the whole list is jalapeños?  I didn’t look ahead; I’m just going in blind so…could be.  So, basically this is a feta dips with some kind of Middle Eastern green sauce that you eat with pita chips?  I mean, sounds perfectly fine in theory.  Nothing super exciting about this, but maybe that green sauce will be nice and fresh with a little kick?  Could be nice, we’ll see.  Maybe next one will be an ice cream or a drink so we can all cool off from this heat.

Birthday Cake Cookie Dough on a Stick by Kora and Mila’s Cookie Dough

Cake batter cookie dough made from scratch and covered in a crunchy cake confetti shell. Topped with rainbow sprinkles and served on-a-stick. (Vegetarian)

Sarah’s Thoughts First glance I thought this was a melting popsicle. But it turns out it’s like a cake pop for cookie dough, I think.

Packie loves cake pops. I can take them or leave them. All of that’s a moot point though because this is cookie dough, not cake (or maybe it’s not cuz it’s cake batter cookie dough? That’s confusing to me.)

I’m not like a HUGE cookie dough fan. Packie likes it. I recall one time he bought a tub of edible cookie dough from the grocery store and when he got it home and opened it, someone had clearly stuck their hand in there and scooped some out to eat at the grocery store.

What he doesn’t tell anyone, though, is that I’m pretty sure HE was the one to sneak into the grocery store to do that before we went shopping. What a scamp.

Anyway, I think this is going to be too sweet for me. In general, I don’t like treats that have “shells” on them (like chocolate shells, etc.) Not really sure why. I think they’re just generally tasteless and crumbly and make a mess and are hard to bite.

Kids will probably love this. Where’s it coming from? Kora & Mila’s cookie dough. I have no memory of this place. Is it new? Have we ever tried something from them before?

Anne and Packie will know the answers to these questions. They’re the brains of this sitch. I’m just the looks. Or maybe the ride since I do the driving.

Anne’s Thoughts

Don’t tell me your eyes weren’t straying to this delight when you were looking at Bean Pops and Whipped Feta.

But then I saw it was just cookie dough on a stick and was disappointed. Like…Cookie dough (in a cup, on a stick, whatever) is just NBD, right? Also even though my friend Alexa was right about Birthday Cake Mini Donuts circa 2023, I just never choose Birthday Cake as a flavor.

Ok… Crunchy Cake Confetti Shell? Now I’m back to looking at you with a side eye. What…what we got going on here? Also is this a new vendor? What’s that other cookie dough vendor…

Ok the other vendor is Kora’s Cookie Dough (new in 2019, gave it a C its debut year). So who is Mila?? Did she bring the Crunchy Cake Confetti Shell??

Packie’s Thoughts

I thiiiiiink this is from that stand that sells all the cookie doughs on a stick?  Not positive, but I feel like it is in the same area as this, so probably so.  Anywho, now they are throwing in some birthday cake batter cookie dough into the mix and then dip it in a cake confetti chocolate or something so it has a crunchy shell on the outside?  Like a dipped cone, but with cookie dough.  Cookie dough on its own is already pretty rich, and I feel like birthday cake is what you feed a child to hear them say “my, this is rich”.  For an adult that is like sugar crack.  Not saying its addictive, just that it’ll wreck yo damn body.  Oh man, am I getting old?  Am I going to start looking at a brownie and saying “too rich for my blood, I’ll take the tapioca pudding, thanks.”  No…it’s the children who are wrong.  Anywho, I don’t think there’s going be anything intrinsically displeasing about this, just that it’ll be A LOT.

Bison Meatball Sub by Farmers Union Coffee Shop

Bison and bacon meatballs, from Minnesota-based Eichten's Bison and Hidden Stream Farm, topped with bison gravy, quick-pickled cucumbers, crispy fried onions and sour cream. Served on a toasted wild rice hoagie bun.

Sarah’s Thoughts

I like meat. And I like onion strings. And it looks like this sammy has both of them. I also like quick pickle cukes and pretty much every sort of gravy. I don’t like sour cream, though.

This is sort of like a Swedish meatball bison hoagie thing maybe? Just missing the jam?

I wonder how big this is. I don’t want it to be huge because we have a lot of food to eat, and I low key hate it when people serve you like a whole frickin' meal when everyone knows people want to eat a bunch of different stuff.

I can be particular about my sammich and hotdog buns, so I think that might be the deciding factor for me. Will it hurt my teeth? Will it be too soft to support the meats? Time will tell.

Oh, it’s from Farmer’s Union. That explains highlighting the bison farm it’s from. Hmm. In the past that would make me sus, but they’ve been doing pretty good lately, especially with meat offerings, so now I’m tentatively hopeful. Bison is a fine meat, though I’m glad they added bacon for some much-needed fat for those meatballs.

It’s gonna cost like $20 at least.

Anne’s Thoughts

You had me at crispy onion straws (which is what I assume those are at a glance). I mean, this pic looks great even though I’m assuming it’s just a meatball sub with some onion straws, maybe cukes, some sort of sauce?

Oh hot damn this sounds baller (heh). Bacon in the meatballs? Bison Gravy? Quick Pickles? SOUR CREAM? (sucks to be Sarah and Packie- they don’t put sour cream on anything, which is wrong). Sign me up, I want this in my mouth!

Ohhhhhhh. Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop. Hmmm. Well they nailed the Schnitzel. But mostly they are good at getting us excited and then disappointing us- either in price (it’s gonna be $18- that’s my guess Sarah and Packie!!), or size (palm-sized maybe?) or execution (dry meatballs maybe? Probably not with the bacon in there…).

Anyway

Now I’m tempering my enthusiasm. I still want this to be as great as I hope it will be. I just don’t want to be crushed.

(also…has it always been Farmers plural and not Farmer’s possessive? Like for real? That makes my eye twitch…)(also have I brought this up before?)

Packie’s Thoughts

Farmer’s Union has a very middle-of-the-road track record, leaning more into the D’s than the B’s in most cases.  I think they had a pork schnitzel sandwich one year and last year’s turkey cristo that weren’t bad, but I digress.  This year, we’ve got a Bison Meatball Sub, and I’ve gotta hand it to them, it is always nice to see they source their food locally.  And holy crap…this sandwich actually looks pretty bomb.  Bison and bacon meatballs, nothing wrong with that, bison effing GRAVY?  There….there’s a gravy I haven’t tried?  One made of the bison?  Holy crep!  Throw in some quick pickles, delicious crispy fried onions and some sour cream as a condiment, all on a toasted wild rice hoagie bun?!  Daaaamn, this actually looks and sound hella good.  I’m still a bit skeptical, because Farmer’s Union likes to pull a quick one and somehow mess shit up, but…I’m feeling optimistic about this.  Took four foods, but I feel like we’ve started to take off.  Hopefully we’ll keep heading in that direction and not come crashing down.

Cannoli Gelato Nachos by Mancini’s al Fresco

Cannoli chips topped with a scoop of cannoli-flavored gelato. Finished with chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry. (Vegetarian)

Sarah’s Thoughts

DIBS ON THE CHERRY!!!!

God I love ice cream. Granted, according to the title this is gelato and not ice cream, but it doesn’t matter. It’s in the same category and Sarah likes it all.

Okay, what’s going on here.

So, we have cannoli chips and cannoli ice cream. I’m not really a cannoli fan but that’s mostly cuz it’s hard to eat. I worry the gelato might make the chips soggy, but if they don’t this could be very nice. I already said dipping stuff is great, so now that it’s dipping stuff into ice cream, we’re looking pretty good.

Mancini’s, huh? Eh. Generally they do mediocre fare. This doesn’t really change my opinion much.

I spelled cannoli wrong like 8 times in this section, which is impressive because it’s only written five times.

Anne’s Thoughts

Yup. ‘Nuff Said

Ok but not really lol. 

I mean, c’mon. Gelato Nachos?? Sign me up

GODDAMNIT!! I’m 3rd done with the opinions! That means I KNOW Sarah’s already dibsed the Cherry! But just in case…

DIBS!

Ok but I do have some questions- like I didn’t expect to see cannolli chips, because I only associate it with filling. And also a cannoli flavored gelato… I’m not sure what cannoli flavor is because again- sort of depends on the filling? Eh- I’m excited. I like a cannoli. Now Sarah and Packie- I’ve never really seen them opt in to a cannoli and I suspect they find them mediocre so I’m predicting they are a little disappointed by that aspect? Also Packie doesn’t really like ice cream (though gelato is its own thing). Maybe they’re full on crying over their disappointment here (one can hope).

Packie’s Thoughts

Hmmm, interesting.  Not a huge fan of cannolis, but not hating on them either.  I kind of like the idea of them using the shells as chips, and I love me some sweet gelato (not like ice cream, gelato’s ugly stepsister).  Got the chocolate drizzle, those tiny sprinkles I actually really like (not like jimmies , sprinkles’ ugly stepsister), and a cherry on top that…wait…what does that say there…lemme scootch closer aaaaand…hmm.  Seems there is some fine print written at the bottom of this document.  Yeah, just scroll all the way down there.  Don’t worry, it’ll be quick.  Yeah, straight to the bottom, last page.  Huh, look at that.  Anyways…basically an Italian sundae, which will be fine I’m sure.  Mancini’s is usually pretty blah, but how bad can some gelato be?

OK! That's it for Day 1! Tune in tomorrow, dear readers, for Bruschetta that thinks it's a Caprese, some sort of Squatch Beverage, and the return of an OG Favorite.

Dibs!!!!!