Grade C: It's ok, not great. We might've eaten it all, but wouldn't get again.
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl- $9.50 from Cafe Caribe, 2018
Good sauce and flavors, wish the tuna was in smaller pieces, good wontons. Would definitely get
poke after trying this.
Bacon Up Pup- $7 at Granny's Kitchen Fudge Puppies, 2017
Ok so we really liked the fudge puppy part of this, but the bacon detracted from it. We wished we
were eating the turtle one instead. It was so fresh the whipped cream was melting on the way
back to the table
Banana Foster French Toast- $9.25 at Hamline Church Dining Hall, 2018
It was fine, no big deal. Bananas weren't ripened enough, caramel sauce was good.
BBQ Split-$12 from Mama D's, 2018
The BBQ was excellent but the mac was mediocre and the slaw tasted strongly of parsley. Would
try their pulled pork sandwiches.
Beer Brat Buddies- $7 at Sausage Sisters, 2016
Good brats and soft pretzel buns, but we could probably make them at home
Bison Dog- unknown vendor and price, 2014
Good flavor. Lean meat made it a little dry. Was also cold.
Bowl o' Dough- $8 at Blue Moon Dine-in Theater, 2017
This was just... we wish this was better. The best part was the potato chip followed by the sea salt
ice milk (aka salted ice cream)
Breakfast Buddy Bowl- $8 at Lulu's Public House, 2017
The first taste had the flavor of something burnt or maybe a smoke flavor. It was off-putting to
most of us. Could use a bigger punch of flavor. It was pretty meh
Breakfast Sausage Corn Dog- unknown vendor and price, 2013
Not bad, pretty similar in taste to a corn dog. Maple syrup really made it
Candied Bacon BLT- $8 at Blue Barn, 2016
The avocado actually didn’t do any favors as it negated the effect of the candied bacon. Feels like
something we could make at home
Cheesy French Onion Monkey Bread- $7 at Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, 2016
Sarah and Anne are not fans of French Onion Soup (they gave it a C), but could appreciate the
quality of this item. Packie loved it! (gave a B). Juicy, melty, cheesy delight with savory juices
and chewy monkey bread. It was great you guys!
Cheesy Nacho Corn on the Cob- $? at Texas Steakout, 2017
It's like someone said "You know what could be harder to eat? Nachos. Let's throw it on corn on
the cob."
Flavor was fine, but it loses points for being sloppy and slimy
Chili Chocolate Ice Cream- $? at R&R Ice Cream, 2013
Good whipped chocolate ice cream with a slow devastating burn. How do you burn me ice
cream?
Chocolate Dessert Salami- $? at Sausage Sisters, 2014
OK. Rich with good orange flavor
Chocolate Popover with Peanut Butter Spread- $6 at Lulu's Public House, 2017
Peanut butter good. So good, you can't really taste the pastry or the chocolate. If you love peanut
butter, you might enjoy this
Deep Fried Nachos Supreme- $9 at Texas Tater Twister, 2016
Perfectly serviceable. Good value. Fun. Wouldn’t go out of our way to get again, but would share
if someone wanted to share.
Duck Bacon Wontons- $8.50 at Giggles Campfire Grill, 2017
They were ok, too much cream cheese, first time we got something that wasn't amazing from
Giggles. As an added, devastating note, they got ride of the chicken fried bacon. A dark year.
Fall Guy Breakfast Panini- $8 at The Hideaway Speakeasy, 2017
Ugh. Wtf is up with a food vendor on the 2nd floor of the Grandstand? And why do they get to
feature 3 new foods?
Anyway. The cheapest and the best of the 3, it still is just a regular old breakfast sammich that is
nothing special, especially in the flavor department
Firecracker Shrimp Stuffed Avocado- $14 at the Hideaway Speakeasy, 2018
Might have given this a B if not for the exorbitant price. Fresh, decent flavor, and good crackers.
General Tso's Chicken Taco- $12 from Tacocat, 2018
Chicken was nice and crispy but there was pretty much no sauce. Also super expensive.
Indie Frites- $5 at Taste of Midtown Global Market, 2015
The sweet potato fries were not bad, but the russet potato ones were not very good. A little too
spicy too. Probably would not get again.
Irish Tater Kegs- $8 from O'Gara's, 2018
Not bad. Texture was great and we finished it. We're just not that big Reuben fans (if you are,
you'd probably like it more than we did).
Iron Range Pierogis- $? at the Blue Barn, 2014
Mediocre at best. Not really worth the money. The sauce is horsey sauce so if you don’t like that
you’re SOL (they definitely need sauce)
Italian Bomba Sandwich- $8.25 at Mancini's al Fresco, 2017
We liked the meatiness and the mouth feel but wasn't very flavorful. And some of the meat was
cold. Also, don't you dare call it the Boomba
#goaheadandorderitthatway #seehowthatfuckinggoes
Maple Cream Cold Press Nitro Coffee- $6.50 at Farmer's Union, 2017
A cold pressed coffee with heavy whipping cream and pure maple syrup. A very smooth and
slightly sweet, cold coffee. Packie rather liked it, and even Sarah and Anne who don't like coffee
thought it was ok. Nice energy boost
Meatloaf Hash- $8.25 at Blue Barn, 2015
Too many peppers, but if that's your thing then not too bad
Memphis Totchos- $9 at Snack House, 2017
Let's be clear, they were potato rounds, not tots. Our opinions were very mixed on this and it
averaged out to a C. The sauce tasted more like peanut butter than like a Thai peanut sauce, and
the bananas were overpowering, but the potatoes were salty and bacon was good
Pina Colada- $8 at Manny's Tortas, year unknown
New to us in 2017 but not new to the fair, this virgin pina colada was made fresh from the cored
out pineapple. Too much pulp, no enough coconut flavor, and it left us wishing it was alcoholic
Pizza Dough Balls- $7 at Tino's, 2018
This non-featured new food item was alright. Balls of fried pizza dough with red sauce and lots
of mozzarella cheese. Sauce was ok but a bit too tangy, and the cheese wasn't melted.
Pizza Tots- $? at Green Mill, 2014
Not bad. Good sauce, texture interesting
Pork Belly Sliders- unknown vendor and price, 2013
Not bad, good flavor, a bit pricey. BBQ taste with crunchy coleslaw
Porketta Pig Wings- $? at Famous Daves, 2013
Tender with subtle seasoning. Nicely cooked, good meat flavor, but a little bland in Packie’s
opinion
Prime Rib Taco- unknown vendor and price, 2014
Packie really liked it- tasted like a fajita with some good spicy flavor. Sarah and Anne were not
fans- all they could taste were peppers.
Sheep Dog- $8 at Lamb Shoppe, 2016
This averaged out to a C (Packie gave it a B, Sarah a D). Just a bunch of crap on what seems like
might be a good dog.
Slow Roasted Pork Mole Tamale- $10 at Tejas Express, 2017
Not bad, but not great. The pork and mole was good, the tamale was meh. Not a lot of food for
that much moolah.
Sonoran Sausage. ONE. BAD. DOG.- $7 at Sausage Sisters, 2017
The sausage is great (like it always is from Sausage Sisters) but it's nothing special. You don't
need the corn on it but without that it's just a hotdog
SPAM Curds- $7 at The SPAM Stand, 2016
Expensive for what you get. Packie personally hated these with all the passion he gives to SPAM.
Sarah and Anne thought they were surprisingly good, with nice breading. Packie doesn’t know
about those two…
Spicy Pork Bowl- $9 at The Blue Barn, 2016
Perfectly Serviceable. Wouldn’t need to get again
Strawberry Donut Delight- $6 at The Strawberry Patch, 2016
Sold out on the First Day! Okay. Nothing special. The strawberries were really cold, the whipped
cream was from a can
Sweet Corn Blueberry Eclair- $6.50 at Farmer's Union, 2017
The blueberry glaze was really intense, the cream didn't have much flavor other than a slight corn
aftertaste, and the kernza flour pastry was not great
Sweet Corn Chocolates- $7 at Honey Candy Stand, 2017
Sarah would've rated these lower but we all had differing opinions on this one. What we all
agreed on, though, was that $7 for 3 tiny bonbons was fucking ridiculous
Sweet Corn Corndog- $6 ($3 with coup) at some place that Sarah forgot to record, year unknown
This was new to us but apparently it was the go-to thing to try this year. The batter was nicely
sweet- could really taste the corn. But there was too much of it and the hot dog was tough and
overcooked. Fix these problems and it would be great.
Sweetie Cakes- $7 at Sweetie Cakes, 2018
We got the peanut butter and chocolate one. A little over-sweet, and not much of a peanut butter
flavor. Toffee bits were great.
Turducken Sausage Sandwich- $7 from Giggle's Campfire Grill, 2018
Sausage was fine, fennel bun was pretty darn good. Packie liked the relish a lot but others did
not.
Up North Puff Pastry- $8 at Sausage Sisters & Me, 2018
Puff pastry was good, filling was not bad but wish there was more of it.
Wild Rice Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce- $11.95 Hamline Church Dining Hall, 2017
Good, standard Swedish meatballs. About the same as you get at Ikea. A fair amount of food for
the price (came with a roll, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes with gravy). Nice seating and A.C. in
the dining hall
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl- $9.50 from Cafe Caribe, 2018
Good sauce and flavors, wish the tuna was in smaller pieces, good wontons. Would definitely get
poke after trying this.
Bacon Up Pup- $7 at Granny's Kitchen Fudge Puppies, 2017
Ok so we really liked the fudge puppy part of this, but the bacon detracted from it. We wished we
were eating the turtle one instead. It was so fresh the whipped cream was melting on the way
back to the table
Banana Foster French Toast- $9.25 at Hamline Church Dining Hall, 2018
It was fine, no big deal. Bananas weren't ripened enough, caramel sauce was good.
BBQ Split-$12 from Mama D's, 2018
The BBQ was excellent but the mac was mediocre and the slaw tasted strongly of parsley. Would
try their pulled pork sandwiches.
Beer Brat Buddies- $7 at Sausage Sisters, 2016
Good brats and soft pretzel buns, but we could probably make them at home
Bison Dog- unknown vendor and price, 2014
Good flavor. Lean meat made it a little dry. Was also cold.
Bowl o' Dough- $8 at Blue Moon Dine-in Theater, 2017
This was just... we wish this was better. The best part was the potato chip followed by the sea salt
ice milk (aka salted ice cream)
Breakfast Buddy Bowl- $8 at Lulu's Public House, 2017
The first taste had the flavor of something burnt or maybe a smoke flavor. It was off-putting to
most of us. Could use a bigger punch of flavor. It was pretty meh
Breakfast Sausage Corn Dog- unknown vendor and price, 2013
Not bad, pretty similar in taste to a corn dog. Maple syrup really made it
Candied Bacon BLT- $8 at Blue Barn, 2016
The avocado actually didn’t do any favors as it negated the effect of the candied bacon. Feels like
something we could make at home
Cheesy French Onion Monkey Bread- $7 at Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, 2016
Sarah and Anne are not fans of French Onion Soup (they gave it a C), but could appreciate the
quality of this item. Packie loved it! (gave a B). Juicy, melty, cheesy delight with savory juices
and chewy monkey bread. It was great you guys!
Cheesy Nacho Corn on the Cob- $? at Texas Steakout, 2017
It's like someone said "You know what could be harder to eat? Nachos. Let's throw it on corn on
the cob."
Flavor was fine, but it loses points for being sloppy and slimy
Chili Chocolate Ice Cream- $? at R&R Ice Cream, 2013
Good whipped chocolate ice cream with a slow devastating burn. How do you burn me ice
cream?
Chocolate Dessert Salami- $? at Sausage Sisters, 2014
OK. Rich with good orange flavor
Chocolate Popover with Peanut Butter Spread- $6 at Lulu's Public House, 2017
Peanut butter good. So good, you can't really taste the pastry or the chocolate. If you love peanut
butter, you might enjoy this
Deep Fried Nachos Supreme- $9 at Texas Tater Twister, 2016
Perfectly serviceable. Good value. Fun. Wouldn’t go out of our way to get again, but would share
if someone wanted to share.
Duck Bacon Wontons- $8.50 at Giggles Campfire Grill, 2017
They were ok, too much cream cheese, first time we got something that wasn't amazing from
Giggles. As an added, devastating note, they got ride of the chicken fried bacon. A dark year.
Fall Guy Breakfast Panini- $8 at The Hideaway Speakeasy, 2017
Ugh. Wtf is up with a food vendor on the 2nd floor of the Grandstand? And why do they get to
feature 3 new foods?
Anyway. The cheapest and the best of the 3, it still is just a regular old breakfast sammich that is
nothing special, especially in the flavor department
Firecracker Shrimp Stuffed Avocado- $14 at the Hideaway Speakeasy, 2018
Might have given this a B if not for the exorbitant price. Fresh, decent flavor, and good crackers.
General Tso's Chicken Taco- $12 from Tacocat, 2018
Chicken was nice and crispy but there was pretty much no sauce. Also super expensive.
Indie Frites- $5 at Taste of Midtown Global Market, 2015
The sweet potato fries were not bad, but the russet potato ones were not very good. A little too
spicy too. Probably would not get again.
International Tacos (Korean BBQ style)- $8 at Shanghaied
Henri’s, 2015
We disagreed on this so we averaged out to a C+. Sloppy, too much parsley, double wrapped in
tortillas so a lot of tortilla in each bite. But the overall flavors were pretty good and we would try
one of the other varieties
We disagreed on this so we averaged out to a C+. Sloppy, too much parsley, double wrapped in
tortillas so a lot of tortilla in each bite. But the overall flavors were pretty good and we would try
one of the other varieties
Irish Tater Kegs- $8 from O'Gara's, 2018
Not bad. Texture was great and we finished it. We're just not that big Reuben fans (if you are,
you'd probably like it more than we did).
Iron Range Pierogis- $? at the Blue Barn, 2014
Mediocre at best. Not really worth the money. The sauce is horsey sauce so if you don’t like that
you’re SOL (they definitely need sauce)
Italian Bomba Sandwich- $8.25 at Mancini's al Fresco, 2017
We liked the meatiness and the mouth feel but wasn't very flavorful. And some of the meat was
cold. Also, don't you dare call it the Boomba
#goaheadandorderitthatway #seehowthatfuckinggoes
Maple Cream Cold Press Nitro Coffee- $6.50 at Farmer's Union, 2017
A cold pressed coffee with heavy whipping cream and pure maple syrup. A very smooth and
slightly sweet, cold coffee. Packie rather liked it, and even Sarah and Anne who don't like coffee
thought it was ok. Nice energy boost
Meatloaf Hash- $8.25 at Blue Barn, 2015
Too many peppers, but if that's your thing then not too bad
Memphis Totchos- $9 at Snack House, 2017
Let's be clear, they were potato rounds, not tots. Our opinions were very mixed on this and it
averaged out to a C. The sauce tasted more like peanut butter than like a Thai peanut sauce, and
the bananas were overpowering, but the potatoes were salty and bacon was good
Pina Colada- $8 at Manny's Tortas, year unknown
New to us in 2017 but not new to the fair, this virgin pina colada was made fresh from the cored
out pineapple. Too much pulp, no enough coconut flavor, and it left us wishing it was alcoholic
Pizza Dough Balls- $7 at Tino's, 2018
This non-featured new food item was alright. Balls of fried pizza dough with red sauce and lots
of mozzarella cheese. Sauce was ok but a bit too tangy, and the cheese wasn't melted.
Pizza Tots- $? at Green Mill, 2014
Not bad. Good sauce, texture interesting
Pork Belly Sliders- unknown vendor and price, 2013
Not bad, good flavor, a bit pricey. BBQ taste with crunchy coleslaw
Porketta Pig Wings- $? at Famous Daves, 2013
Tender with subtle seasoning. Nicely cooked, good meat flavor, but a little bland in Packie’s
opinion
Prime Rib Taco- unknown vendor and price, 2014
Packie really liked it- tasted like a fajita with some good spicy flavor. Sarah and Anne were not
fans- all they could taste were peppers.
Sheep Dog- $8 at Lamb Shoppe, 2016
This averaged out to a C (Packie gave it a B, Sarah a D). Just a bunch of crap on what seems like
might be a good dog.
Slow Roasted Pork Mole Tamale- $10 at Tejas Express, 2017
Not bad, but not great. The pork and mole was good, the tamale was meh. Not a lot of food for
that much moolah.
Sonoran Sausage. ONE. BAD. DOG.- $7 at Sausage Sisters, 2017
The sausage is great (like it always is from Sausage Sisters) but it's nothing special. You don't
need the corn on it but without that it's just a hotdog
SPAM Curds- $7 at The SPAM Stand, 2016
Expensive for what you get. Packie personally hated these with all the passion he gives to SPAM.
Sarah and Anne thought they were surprisingly good, with nice breading. Packie doesn’t know
about those two…
Spicy Pork Bowl- $9 at The Blue Barn, 2016
Perfectly Serviceable. Wouldn’t need to get again
Strawberry Donut Delight- $6 at The Strawberry Patch, 2016
Sold out on the First Day! Okay. Nothing special. The strawberries were really cold, the whipped
cream was from a can
Sweet Corn Blueberry Eclair- $6.50 at Farmer's Union, 2017
The blueberry glaze was really intense, the cream didn't have much flavor other than a slight corn
aftertaste, and the kernza flour pastry was not great
Sweet Corn Chocolates- $7 at Honey Candy Stand, 2017
Sarah would've rated these lower but we all had differing opinions on this one. What we all
agreed on, though, was that $7 for 3 tiny bonbons was fucking ridiculous
Sweet Corn Corndog- $6 ($3 with coup) at some place that Sarah forgot to record, year unknown
This was new to us but apparently it was the go-to thing to try this year. The batter was nicely
sweet- could really taste the corn. But there was too much of it and the hot dog was tough and
overcooked. Fix these problems and it would be great.
Sweetie Cakes- $7 at Sweetie Cakes, 2018
We got the peanut butter and chocolate one. A little over-sweet, and not much of a peanut butter
flavor. Toffee bits were great.
Turducken Sausage Sandwich- $7 from Giggle's Campfire Grill, 2018
Sausage was fine, fennel bun was pretty darn good. Packie liked the relish a lot but others did
not.
Up North Puff Pastry- $8 at Sausage Sisters & Me, 2018
Puff pastry was good, filling was not bad but wish there was more of it.
Wild Rice Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce- $11.95 Hamline Church Dining Hall, 2017
Good, standard Swedish meatballs. About the same as you get at Ikea. A fair amount of food for
the price (came with a roll, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes with gravy). Nice seating and A.C. in
the dining hall
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